Education Department Waives $1.3 Billion in Disabled Student Loans Reinstated During Pandemic

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 2021. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Department of Education announced on Monday it will recancel more than 41,000 student loans issued during the pandemic to disabled individuals who didn’t submit the required paperwork to track their income.

“Borrowers with total and permanent disabilities should focus on their well-being, not put their health on the line to submit earnings information during the COVID-19 emergency,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “Waiving these requirements will ensure no borrower who is totally and permanently disabled risks having to repay their loans simply because they could not submit paperwork.”