I've Lost My Loans

A little while back, I got the most beautiful letter in the mail that I have ever gotten.  I finally filled out paperwork to have my loans forgiven--after asking three different people if my current job qualifies me for that, and I mailed it in and promptly forgot about it.  About a month later, I got the letter in the mail telling me that I qualified, and the next step would be for my loans to be transferred from my loan servicing provider back to the federal loan system so that they could keep track of my payments and eventually forgive the whole thing!

I immediately texted everyone I could think of to share this good news.  I grabbed the cat and did a spinny dance with him, I told fiance' while hopping up and down, and then I waited to see what would happen next.

I monitored my current account with Granite State Management like I always do, and when it came time to get paid for October and the balance was still showing in that account, I made my payment like always.  Then, before the payment posted, another huge payment showed up bringing me down to a zero balance.

Awesome.

Except now I don't know who to make my payments to.  I haven't gotten anything else in the mail, and when I email Granite State to ask them who paid off my loans, they told me Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Authority had.  So I went to that page and set up an account, then emailed them and asked when I could start making payments.

They just emailed me back and said that they don't have my loans, but to set up an account at myfedloan.org.  I did that, but while I was setting it up I couldn't help but wonder why I was doing so much work to try to make payments, and why the people I'm making payments to can't be bothered to tell me what I need to know.

When I was transferred out of the federal repayment system to Granite State Management, no one could tell me anything for six months and I sat there willing to make payments but unable to actually make them--and accruing interest that whole time.

I LOVE that I have the option to get my loans forgiven (eventually), but I hate being left in this limbo!  I'm not the only person this is happening to, why can't the process be more transparent!?!?

/rant