June 2015


For Corinthian Colleges Students: What You Need to


Education


Know about Debt Relief The U.S. Department


of


Education has announced new steps to protect students from abusive for-profit colleges, as well as a new debt relief process for students at Corinthian Colleges – which operated schools under the names Everest, Heald, and Wyotech.


Information for borrowers is


available at the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website, at our new toll-free number for Corinthian


(855) 279-6207, and from your loan servicer.


Background on what happened at Corinthian Corinthian Colleges, Inc. has


been the target of consumer and taxpayer protection enforcement efforts by the federal government and other authorities.


the The Department


of Education investigated and found that between 2010 and 2014, Heald College misrepresented


job placement rates of many of its programs. Investigations by other entities are ongoing. Over the past year, Corinthian sold off many of its schools, and the remaining campuses closed shortly before Corinthian went bankrupt.


We’re committed to making


the debt relief process as simple, streamlined,


and fair as possible.


That’s why we’re taking several steps to help borrowers, including appointing a “special master” to help us create a straightforward


process


for debt relief and implement steps to reduce the burden on borrowers.


Options for Debt Relief


Our Department is committed to helping students affected by the closure of these schools, or who believe they were victims of fraud by their


school. Today, we announced


next steps to support students who attended Corinthian schools. Here are answers to some common questions about debt relief, depending on your situation.


I attended a Corinthian school that closed


On April 27, Corinthian College closed its 30 remaining


locations


(see the list of those closed schools). Students who attended any of these closed schools any time after June 20, 2014 have two options:


Apply for a closed school loan


discharge Transfer earned credit to another


institution to continue his or her


education in a comparable program. (Students who select this option may still qualify for defense to repayment of previous loans – more information can be found below.)


A closed school discharge means


that 100 percent of the federal student loans you took out to attend the school that closed may be forgiven, including a reimbursement of amounts you already paid back. You can find instructions and a form for seeking closed school debt relief here, or by contacting your loan servicer.


A closed school loan discharge may be an option for you if:


students at


You did not finish your program at a Corinthian school


You did not already transfer your


Corinthian credits to another school in a similar program (for instance, if you were taking a criminal justice program and you transferred to another criminal justice program, that would be similar)


You were attending the school


when it closed, or withdrew no later than June 20, 2014. A closed school discharge normally only applies to students


who withdrew (without


completing their program) within 120 days of the school’s closing date, or were attending when the school closed. But for Corinthian students, the Secretary


of Education


extended the timeframe to include any Corinthian student who withdrew from one of its closed schools on or after June 20, 2014


Please note that if you choose


closed-school debt relief, you can’t transfer your credits to a comparable program at another institution.


information credits? If you transfer your credits to a


similar program at another institution, you cannot request closed-school debt relief. However, if you believe you have a claim against your school under state law, such as fraud, you may still pursue debt relief based on borrower defense to repayment, as described below – even if you transfer your credits to another school


What if I need help? Visit the contact us page on the


FSA website, or use any of the options listed above. Or, for further help, the Department is working with an independent group of organizations and institutions that are setting up a volunteer advising corps to help Corinthian students navigate the different options. Contact them to talk to a volunteer counselor. (Note that as the Department is not managing this initiative, it cannot endorse any advice that a student may receive.)


I believe I was a victim of fraud


or another violation of state law at a Corinthian school (whether that school closed or not)


If you were a student at a


Corinthian School—Everest, Heald, or Wyotech—and you believe you were a victim of fraud or other violations of state law by the school, you can make a claim for debt relief under a legal rule called “borrower defense to repayment.” This rule applies to all public, private and for-profit schools across the country, and requires students to show that they have a legal claim against their college.


If you were a student at a


Corinthian school and you apply, or intend to apply, for borrower defense, you have the option to place your federal


loans into forbearance (a


special permission to stop payments) while your claim is being resolved, to ensure you do not fall behind on your loan. For students in default, you may


Visit studentaid.gov for more on closed-school loan


discharge. What if I want to transfer my


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com during the forbearance


The Hampton Roads Messenger 11


request a stop to collection activity. However, interest will continue to accrue


or


stopped collections period. You may also decide to opt out of forbearance or stopped collections.


Visit studentaid.gov/Corinthian


for more information on filing a borrower defense claim and on putting your loans into forbearance


For Certain Heald College Students The Department its has carried


out an investigation and determined that Corinthian misrepresented job placement rates for a majority of programs at


Heald College


campuses between 2010 and 2014. In an effort to simplify and speed up the process of applying for loan forgiveness, the Department has established that if you relied on those


has Health Fair FROM PAGE 7


missing teeth. Juan Aguilar of Baldwin Park,


Calif., an uninsured immigrant


originally from Mexico, had come to the clinic for some fillings because he said he couldn’t cope with his toothache. He hadn’t seen a dentist in three years.


Evangelina Munoz, 41, of


Anaheim, said even though her inflamed gums had been bothering her for many months, she feared going to the Emergency Room because of her undocumented status. Her neighbors told her that all of her other health issues, including her high blood pressure, could have been caused by her dental problems. The free health fair, she said, couldn’t have come at a better time, because the pain had become severe in the last couple of weeks.


“I waited for several hours to


get a token and I’m exhausted,” the mother of three said. “After I get my teeth attended to, I will go for a vision check. My vision has been blurry for the last seven years.”


Fair volunteers tried to persuade


those who came for dental and vision care to take advantage of other services offered -- blood pressure checks, kidney function level, blood work, mammogram and pap smears, acupuncture, tattoo removals and even Ayurveda. One Hispanic woman said she was glad she listened because she found out that her cholesterol and blood sugar levels were high.


Anaheim resident Maria Sanchez,


50, who waited for five hours to get in, said through an interpreter that her undocumented status barred her


UVA FROM PAGE 1


appearance later this month. “We have already reviewed the reports from the arresting ABC agents and the local police on the scene, and our position remains that the [agents] lacked legal justification to arrest or brutalize young Martese,” a statement from Watkins’ law firm read, according to the news site.


Johnson’s case drew nationwide


attention when he was arrested by ABC agents while he was trying to get


incorrect placement rates, you may be entitled to a discharge of their Federal Direct Student loans you took out to attend those programs through a streamlined process. That process can be done by filling out a straight- forward attestation form. In addition, you may request to have your federal loans placed into forbearance or, for defaulted loans, to have collections stopped while your claim is reviewed.


Visit studentaid.gov/Corinthian


for more information about how the Heald College findings may affect you.


Additional Information:


If you are a Corinthian student seeking debt relief of any type and didn’t get your question answered, please visit the FSA website or call our toll-free number, (855) 279-6207, and a staff member will provide the information you need.


from enrolling in Medi-Cal. The


co-payments she has to make at the free community clinic in her neighborhood are unaffordable, she said, so most of the time she just takes home remedies to treat her blood pressure and GERD – a chronic digestive disease.


“They tell me the GERD could


lead to cancer,” Sanchez said. Forty-six-year-old Nick Bell, a


former Raiders player, who has been on disability for more than 10 years because of the injuries he sustained on the football field for four seasons, said his Medicare plan covers only teeth cleaning and one visit to the eye doctor each year. The dental work he had done at the health fair on day one and two probably would have cost him a couple of thousand dollars at least, he said, and the vision check he was scheduled for, a few hundred dollars more.


patients


Kothari he


recalled had seen one earlier


of the that


morning, an uninsured African-Amer- ican man who had infected gums that had caused one side of his face to swell.


Kothari said the infection had


spread so deep that he had to extract a tooth.


“The pus came gushing out like a


faucet,” he said. Volunteers at the fair referred


those who needed follow-up care to Lestonnac Free Clinic at nearby Orange, said Dr. Nitin Shah, another volunteer.


Mason, who came for a physical,


ended up getting her eyes checked as well. In her hand was a brand new pair of prescription glasses.


“I stood in line from 4 a.m. to make sure I got a token,” she said. “Even though I’m exhausted, I’m sure glad I came.”


into a bar in the early morning after St. Patrick’s Day and was slammed into a sidewalk, causing a head injury that left his face bloody and required 10 stitches.


Johnson was charged with public


intoxication and obstruction of justice without force. However, witnesses said that Johnson was compliant with officers and even showed them his ID before he was accosted. Video of the incident showed the young man screaming that he was a student at UVA, but Johnson never appeared to try to physically engage the officers.


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