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ERIC Number: ED445573
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 7
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
SFA Ombudsman Serving Students. Interim Report, September 1999 to March 2000.
Department of Education, Washington, DC. Student Financial Assistance.
This 6-page pamphlet shares what the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Office of the Ombudsman has learned from cases it has handled. An initial section offers information on the case management process, noting that the ombudsman process depends on the case's complexity and that many are revolved quickly. Next, it examines customer-reported case concerns. SFA customers have reported a variety of concerns in the over 1,700 cases covered by this interim report. Two charts show the issues raised most frequently. They indicate that information issues are the leading concern, followed by default status, service quality, and tax refund offset. The next section of the report discusses customer data in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), matching the ombudsman database against the NSLDS. It looks at loan status by case type, loan program distribution by case type, and school control by case type. A final section lists some of the problems for which customers ask help from the ombudsman, including resolving discrepancies in loan balances and payments; understanding interest and collection charges; understanding financial aid requirements; finding loan holders; reestablishing eligibility for federal aid; finding promissory notes; and deferring or discharging loans. (SM)
Office of the Ombudsman, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Assistance, Room 3012, ROB #3, 7th and D Streets, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-5144; Tel: 202-401-4498 or 877-557-2575 (toll-free); Web site: http://www.ombudsman.ed.gov.
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Administrators; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Department of Education, Washington, DC. Student Financial Assistance.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A