U.S. Department of Education Issues Regulations on Tuition Reimbursement Program for Civil Legal Aid Lawyers; Agency Received More Than 1,700 Comments on Draft
Legal Services E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Press Release
Source: Equal Justice Works
Date: October 27, 2008
Equal Justice Works announces: "The Department of Education has released the final regulations that govern the Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Income-Based Repayment programs of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act . . . . Before issuing these final regulations, the Department considered public comments on the proposed rules. More than 1,700 comments were received and most of the comments addressed the public service loan forgiveness program. A majority of those comments were from law schools, law students, legal aid centers, clinics and associations, public interest attorneys and public defenders. According to Heather Jarvis, Senior Program Manager at Equal Justice Works and an educational debt expert, the comments to the Department of Education overwhelmingly supported Public Service Loan Forgiveness as an important tool for recruiting and retaining public servants. ‘Reducing the financial barriers to public service is a goal of many in the law school and professional legal communities,' said Ms. Jarvis. ‘You see those efforts reflected in the comments to the Department of Education and in the Department's response.' The final regulations will now be published in the Federal Register and serve to implement the provisions of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act."
Equal Justice Works comments, "Although the final regulations are significantly similar to the previously issued proposed rules, there are some important clarifications and changes." For an overview of the regulations' highlights, see Equal Justice Works' full press release.