Listen in with student debt expert and Board Member Dr. Tony Bartels in this next installment of our Student Debt Series. In this episode we’re covering the latest news on student loans as we close out 2024 and start 2025. 

Topics covered included:

• December 18, 2024 US Department of Education announcement on Pay As Your Earn (PAYE) and Income Contingent Repayment (ICR)


• Timeframes/features and additional information about PAYE and ICR


• Income Driven Repayment (IDR) profiles


• What this latest news means for the Save On Valuable Education (SAVE) plan 


• Where things stand on the One-time Forgiveness Adjustment


• Additional helpful information for borrowers

As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.  

NOTE: This is an ongoing situation, for continued updates visit the VIN Foundation Blog and student debt message board areas.

GUEST BIO:

Dr. Tony Bartels

Tony Bartels, DVM, MBA graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is a VIN Foundation Board Member and Student Debt Expert, and an employee of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). He and his wife, a small-animal internal medicine specialist practicing in Denver, have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on veterinary-student debt, providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation resources. Beyond debt, his professional interests include small- and exotic-animal practice. When he’s not staring holes into his colleagues’ student-loan data, Tony enjoys fly fishing, ice hockey, camping and exploring Colorado with his wife, Audra, daughter, Lucy, and their two rescued canines, Addi and Maggie.

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

VIN Foundation Student Debt Center: https://vinfoundation.org/studentdebtcenter

Check your current student loan servicers and other loan details -- VIN Foundation My Student Loans tool: http://www.vinfoundation.org/mystudentloans

VIN Foundation IDR Profiles: WikiDebt - IDR Eligibility

Loan Repayment Simulator: https://vinfoundation.org/loansim 

VIN Foundation WikiDebt: https://vinfoundation.org/wikidebt

VIN Foundation get updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/

VIN Foundation GIVE page to support programs these programs & tools: https://vinfoundation.org/give

VIN Foundation Blog, Related Student Debt Blog posts: 

• PAYE and ICR income-driven repayment plans temporarily reactivated https://vinfoundation.org/paye-and-icr-income-driven-repayment-plans-temporarily-reactivated/


• The election is over. Change is on the horizon. What is next for your student loans? https://vinfoundation.org/the-election-is-over-change-is-on-the-horizon-what-is-next-for-your-student-loans/


• Student Loan FAQs and What’s Next?
  
  https://vinfoundation.org/september-2024-student-loan-update-faqs-and-whats-next/


• SAVE is blocked. What does that mean for your student loans?: https://vinfoundation.org/save-recent-court-rulings/ 


• Choosing between PAYE and SAVE income-driven plans: Are you in The Pickle? https://vinfoundation.org/choosing-between-paye-and-save-income-driven-plans-are-you-in-the-pickle/


• A ‘new’ income-driven repayment plan? https://vinfoundation.org/a-new-income-driven-repayment-plan/ 

Personalized student loan Help from VIN and VIN Foundation: https://vinfoundation.org/veterinary-student-loan-debt-help/ 

Income-Driven Repayment Plan Discretionary income calculations, WikiDebt: https://www.vin.com/studentdebtcenter/default.aspx?pid=14352&catId=74141&id=7249857 

Federal Student Aid Data, Consolidation, and Repayment Applications: https://studentaid.gov/

Department of Education Updates on Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE Plan): https://www.ed.gov/save 

SAVE Plan Court Actions: Impact on Borrowers: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-court-actions 

Have a veterinary story you want to share? https://share.hsforms.com/1e6QkQvg2RI-wpDv59Byqkwcos60

Stay up to date with VIN Foundation updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/

Email VIN Foundation: studentdebt@vinfoundation.org

Get updates to stay tuned for the VIN Foundation webinars on student debt. 

You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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