PSLF eligibility email saying my employer is no longer eligible - I'm going crazy!

Ugh this is SO typical of how they handle PSLF. The exact same thing happened to me last year - got an email saying my elementary school wasn't eligible after 9 years of successful ECFs. It was a system glitch in their database. Don't panic yet! When did you submit your most recent Employment Certification Form? The rules haven't changed about what qualifies as public service employment.

These stupid emails get sent out ALL THE TIME because their systems don't talk to each other!!!! I got THREE of them while my forgiveness was being processed. Then boom, two weeks later all my loans were forgiven. Their left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. Keep ALL your past approval documents and don't let them gaslight you about your employment history!!

This is actually a known issue with the PSLF management system. When MOHELA took over servicing from FedLoan, many employer verifications didn't transfer correctly. If you previously had your employer certified and approved, you should submit a dispute with documentation of past approvals. Two important steps to take right now: 1. Download all previous ECF approval letters from your FSA account 2. Submit a formal dispute through studentaid.gov (not through your servicer) Are you working with MOHELA or did your loans get transferred to a different servicer recently?

I use to work for PSLF processing and let me tell u this happens all the time. The system auto-generates these emails when theres any flag on your account, even minor ones like address verification. Just call them and they'll fix it. Buts is so frustrating!!!

I had the EXACT same issue last month trying to reach FSA about my employer verification being rejected after years of approvals. I discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have this system that holds your place in line. Saved me so much stress - check out their demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent told me the rejection was actually an automated error and fixed it immediately once I got through.

Make sure you're gathering very specific documentation before you call: 1. All previous approved ECFs with employer EIN numbers 2. Your FSA account summary showing payment counts 3. The exact email with the rejection 4. Your employer's tax status verification (usually a 501c3 letter or government department verification) County health departments absolutely qualify for PSLF. This is almost certainly a data entry error or system glitch. When the agent is reviewing your case, specifically ask them to check the employer database to see what changed with your employer's status.

I would bet money this is connected to the PSLF system update they did in April. A bunch of previously verified employers got flagged incorrectly because they updated the employer database. The good news is that under the PSLF regulations, once an employer has been approved for you personally, they can't retroactively disqualify that employment period unless there was fraud. So your 89 qualifying payments are safe! The issue would only affect future certifications if there's actually a problem (which there isn't - county health depts definitely qualify).

DONT let them tell you different servicers have different rules either!!!! The rules are FEDERAL and apply the same no matter who services your loans. If they try to tell you mohela has different requirements than fedloan THEY ARE LYING!!!

My sister works at a county health dept in Oregon and got forgiveness last month after 10 years so they definitely qualify still! This happened to her friend too who works at the same place and it was just that they had mistyped the EIN number on her latest form. Such a tiny mistake but caused her so much stress lol

UPDATE: Finally got through to someone at FSA today using that Claimyr service (worked exactly as described - got connected in about 15 mins). The agent confirmed it was an ERROR in their system! Apparently when they updated employer database in April, they somehow put an end date on my employer's eligibility. The agent fixed it immediately and said I should resubmit my ECF. She even put notes on my account so it won't get rejected again. Such a relief but still so frustrating to go through all this stress for literally no reason!

So glad you got this resolved! This is a perfect example of why everyone going through PSLF should save EVERYTHING and not panic when these automated error emails come through. Your story will definitely help other people who get similar scary messages. Thanks for sharing the Claimyr tip too - I'm bookmarking that for future reference. Can't wait to hear when you get that final forgiveness letter! 🎉