The White House on Monday issued an Executive Order outlining a series of new actions to improve customer experience and government services, including interactions involving student loan borrowers.
The order directs 17 federal agencies to implement 36 customer experience changes that aim to modernize programs, reduce administrative burdens, and pilot new online tools and technologies to provide recipients of government services with a simple, seamless, and secure customer experience. The changes include several actions that impact the approximately 45 million people managing their student loans.
Under the order:
- Direct Loan borrowers will need to navigate only a single repayment portal on StudentAid.gov, so that they can apply for, manage, and repay their loans without having to visit multiple websites and manage multiple sets of credentials for different aspects of their student loans.
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness candidates, including civil servants and active-duty service members, will be able to apply for the program with less paperwork than currently and without having to fill out forms with information they have already provided to the federal government previously.
- Students and borrowers can receive relevant recommendations for other benefits and services they may qualify for, like healthcare subsidies, broadband support, and food assistance, in order to connect them with support to lower additional economic barriers to post-secondary education completion.
"We are attuned to the needs of those we serve—including students, educators, parents and families, and communities," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement. "I'm proud of the Education Department's work on behalf of the American people, from supporting states and districts in fully reopening schools for in-person learning; to fighting to ensure that the rights of historically and presently underserved students are protected; to increasing equity and excellence in P-12 education; to improving access, affordability, and success in postsecondary education."
Related Link
White House Fact Sheet
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/13/fact-sheet-putting-the-public-first-improving-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-for-the-american-people/
U.S. Education Department Press Release
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/statement-secretary-cardona-president-bidens-executive-order-improving-customer-experience-and-government-services-american-people