Contact: Aaron White

Phone: 202-225-5506

Aaron.White@mail.house.gov

La Crosse – In response to a letter from U.S. Rep. Ron Kind and his colleagues, the Trump Administration recently agreed to introduce a new program to streamline student debt forgiveness for permanently disabled military veterans. This comes after U.S. Rep. Ron Kind’s bill, the Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act, was passed into law.

“The last thing Wisconsin’s disabled veterans need is to be worried about significant student loan debt and paying unfair taxes on that debt,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “I’m proud to announce that by working together, we’ve found a solution to this problem, and permanently disabled veterans can now have their student loans discharged without paying additional taxes. This is how it should be: Both sides working together to fix a problem that is hurting Wisconsin veterans and families.”

In February, U.S. Reps. Ron Kind, and Peter Roskam (Ill.), and U.S. Sens. Coons (Del.), Portman (Ohio), King (Maine), Collins (Maine) and Gardner (Colo.) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, and Acting Commissioner of Social Security Nancy Berryhill, demanding they partner to discharge the student loans of students who have died, or are eligible to claim total and permanent disability. In response, the Trump Administration announced a new, streamlined process to ensure that eligible disabled veterans will receive notification that they are now able to apply to discharge their loans.

Rep. Kind’s Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act ensures that an individual’s gross income does not include any student debt discharged as a result of an individual’s death or total and permanent disability. This exception would also apply to the 390,000 borrowers that are eligible for this loan forgiveness but have yet to receive it.

If you believe you may be eligible for this improved benefit, contact Rep. Kind’s Eau Claire office at 715-831-9214 for assistance.

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