Listen in as student debt experts and Board Member Drs. Tony Bartels and Rebecca Mears in this next installment of our Student Debt Series. In this episode we’re covering three major topics: 1) Updates and how they impact new grads and not to new grads 2) PAYE and ICR phase outs 3) Bonus mention for a new proposal to cancel up to $20k. Now is the time to learn what you need to know going into the summer.

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

GUEST BIOS:

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.

Dr. Rebecca Mears

Rebecca Mears, DVM is from Lexington, KY, and a graduate of University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Rebecca started her career as an equine general practitioner and is an active AAEP member, currently serving as a member of the AAEP DEI Committee. Her interest in student debt education began with keeping her own education costs lower and grew from there. This was supported by her involvement in the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA), which she now gives back to as a National Advisor. In her time away from veterinary medicine, she can be found obsessing over plants and hosting impromptu dance parties. She is passionate about giving back to the profession and improving the lives of veterinarians, pre-vet and vet students. 

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


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


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


• VIN Foundation Webinars: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/webinars/


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


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


• May 29th webinar - Repay Wiser: Interns & Residents: https://VIN.zoom.us/webinar/register/4917165695129/WN_4VaSKzkBQrqgqotb50G8cA

VIN Foundation Blog, Related Student Debt Blog posts: 

• Identifying Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) using VIN Foundation My Student Loans tool: https://vinfoundation.org/fed-student-loan-consolidation-faqs-questions-answers-considerations/


• 2024 Graduating Veterinarians: Special Student Loan Timing Considerations: https://vinfoundation.org/2024-graduating-veterinarians-special-student-loan-timing-consideration-are-you-in-pickle/


• 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/


• Veterinary student loan repayment: trends from the trenches: https://vinfoundation.org/youre-running-out-of-time-to-consolidate-your-loans/


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


• Student Loan FAQs: The one-time forgiveness count adjustment: https://vinfoundation.org/faq-one-time-forgiveness-count-adjustment/


• Income-Driven Repayment: recertify, Switch plans, or Wait?: https://vinfoundation.org/income-driven-repayment-recertify-no-switch-plans-or-wait/


• Got Federal Student Debt? You’re Now Closer to Forgiveness Than You Think: https://vinfoundation.org/got-federal-student-debt-youre-now-closer-to-forgiveness-than-you-think/


• Student Loan FAQs: The one-time forgiveness count adjustment
  
  https://vinfoundation.org/faq-one-time-forgiveness-count-adjustment/

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

Infographic ONE-TIME FORGIVENESS COUNT ADJUSTMENT:

https://vinfoundation.org/resources/veterinary-student-debt/student-debt-one-time-forgiveness-count-adjustment/

One-Time Forgiveness Count Adjustment Video Case Study, 1999 DVM may save more than $65,000 in student loan costs:

https://youtu.be/6gp7cXvEy8c

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

Repay Wiser:

https://vinfoundation.org/resources/repay-wiser-veterinary-school-debt-loan-repayment/

Borrow Better: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/borrow-better-veterinary-school-loan-debt/ 

New Grad Student Loan Repayment Playbook: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/veterinary-new-grad-student-loan-repayment-playbook/ 

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

SAVE Repayment Plan Offers Lower Monthly Loan Payments

https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan

New Proposed Regulations Would Transform Income-Driven Repayment by Cutting Undergraduate Loan Payments in Half and Preventing Unpaid Interest Accumulation: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-proposed-regulations-would-transform-income-driven-repayment-cutting-undergraduate-loan-payments-half-and-preventing-unpaid-interest-accumulation 

Payment Count Adjustments Toward Income-Driven Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programs:

https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment

Department of Education press release (Nov 2022):  https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-continues-fight-student-debt-relief-millions-borrowers-extends-student-loan-repayment-pause 

Department of Education press release (April 2022): https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-education-announces-actions-fix-longstanding-failures-student-loan-programs 

One-time Forgiveness Count Adjustment  https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment

Federal Student Loan Servicers: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers

Public Serv