Student Loan Forgiveness: Paid Off Loan? You May Still Be Eligible For Up To $20,000 Refund

Some 43 million Americans will benefit from President Joe Biden’s plans to cancel student loans. Of those, some 20 million will see their debt wiped out completely.

The plan dismisses up to $20,000 in student loan for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for federal loan holders. To qualify, individuals need 2020 or 2021 income of less than $125,000 or $250,000 combined household income.

Applications for loan forgiveness will be available by mid-October and, once that is complete, the borrower can expect to see the loan adjustment in 4-6 weeks, before the scheduled payment restart of Dec. 31st.

Loan payments have been on hold since March 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The debt relief plan only applies to borrowers who currently have a loan balance but any borrower who made a payment on their student loans since the start of the moratorium is eligible for a refund.

Borrowers are advised to contact their loan services to request their payment be refunded. To do so, eligible borrowers will have to request their balance be restored and then apply the forgiveness to that amount.

The amount of the relief is capped at the level of the outstanding debt, the department noted, so there won’t be a refund for the difference of the restored amount and the $10,000 or $20,000 allowed. 

(Source: Cleveland.com)

Rising Rates of Suicide, Depression Accelerated by Pandemic Among U.S. Kids

The U.S. surgeon general has called it an 'urgent public health crisis' – a devastating decline in the mental health of kids across the country. According to the CDC, the rates of suicide, self-harm, anxiety and depression are up among adolescents – a trend that began before the pandemic.

(Source: www.cbsnews.com)

Last week, The Ohio Council began to spread the word about findings from its recent “Breaking Point” workforce report. The report, which is based on data collected from members last year, explores the extent of, causes behind, and potential solutions to Ohio’s behavioral health workforce shortage.

The report and Ohio Council members have been featured by several news outlets, including the Dayton Daily News, WOSU, and WBNS. Ohio Council CEO Teresa Lampl was a featured guest on Columbus’ All Sides with Ann Fisher on Thursday, February 24. Click each link above to read/listen to the coverage.

OhioMHAS Prevention Office Releases Strategic Plan 2021-24

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) Office of Prevention Services is dedicated to the vision of All Ohioans promoting healthy, safe, and resilient communities. To achieve this, OhioMHAS partners with the state’s behavioral health and related organizations to build a workforce that is capable of sustaining community-based prevention strategies and growing the use of evidence-based practices rooted in the science of prevention. The recently released Strategic Plan establishes a roadmap for providing expansive, strong infrastructure and support that has the capacity to sustain the future of effective prevention in Ohio. OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss added, “Our Office of Prevention Services plays an essential role in carrying out our vision of ending suffering from mental illness, substance use disorders and problem gambling for Ohioans of all ages, their families, and communities.” Click HERE to read more about Ohio’s Prevention priorities, strategies, programming and alignment with the strategic plans of the Governor’s offices of  RecoveryOhio and the Children’s Initiative, as well as the OhioMHAS Strategic Plan 2021-24.