You Can Now Defer Your Student Loan While You Are on Cancer Treatment
Last year, a law came into force that should allow cancer patients to suspend federal student loans for the duration of treatment and for six months thereafter. But there really was no way to ask for an extension – until now.
Here is the US Department of Education’s Cancer Deferral Cancer Treatment Request Form . To apply, you need a letter from your doctor stating that you are being treated for cancer, as well as the start date of treatment and the estimated end time. If the treatment lasts more than a year, you will need to send another letter to extend the grace period.
You will submit the form to the person servicing your loan and continue making payments until you know if your request has been approved.
According to the Washington Post , the grace period may apply “to federal loans issued on or after September 28, 2018, when the law was passed, and to loans that borrowers repaid on that date.” There is no time limit, so you can apply for a deferral even if you develop cancer, or if you have received treatment and the cancer will return after a few years.