Civil Legal Assistance Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program

 

To encourage qualified individuals to enter and continue employment as civil legal assistance attorneys.

Deleted 01/15/2013 (Archived.) 84.409 Agency: Department of Education Direct Loans Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2011: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2012: No Current Data Available Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended , Title IV, Part B, Section 428L. A borrower employed on a full-time basis as a civil legal assistance attorney who meets all of the criteria for student loan repayment, under the borrowerâ₏™s Service Agreement with the Department, may receive repayment of up to $6,000 of the outstanding balance of the borrowerâ₏™s eligible student loans for each year of completed service, subject to the availability of funds for the fiscal year, under one or more Service Agreements, up to a total amount of $40,000 per borrower. The borrower also must not be in default on a loan for repayment, be continually licensed to practice law and execute a service agreement with the Secretary. Upon an employerâ₏™s certification of an applicantâ₏™s completion of a given year of required service, the Department will send the repayment amount to the applicantâ₏™s loan holder to be applied to their outstanding balance of eligible student loans, not to exceed the annual maximum of $6,000. A borrower who voluntarily ceases qualifying employment before completing the full period of service required under the agreement, or who is involuntarily separated from qualifying employment due to misconduct, will be required to repay any repayment benefit received. Applicants will need to provide certification of employment prior to receiving loan repayment benefits. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. Application/service agreement materials are available on the Departmentâ₏™s website. Applicants may submit completed and signed application/agreements to the Department electronically, by fax, or by mail. Applications/service agreements are received by the Department and reviewed for completeness and consistency with statutory eligibility requirements. Loan repayment commitments are limited to the amount appropriated for the program for a given fiscal year by the Congress and are only available to eligible applicants until those funds are fully committed. Therefore, awards are made to eligible borrowers on a first-come, first-served basis based on the receipt date of the borrowerâ₏™s application/service agreement. Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines. Successful applicants will be notified by September 30 of the year in which they apply. Not Applicable. A loan repayment commitment to a borrower in one fiscal year does not guarantee a commitment for the remainder of the years covered by the borrowerâ₏™s service agreement or in future years. Priority for student loan repayment in any fiscal year is given to borrowers who have received forgiveness benefits during the preceding fiscal year and have not yet completed the three years of service under their first service agreement and to new applicants who have practiced law for a period of five years or less and have spent not less than 90 percent of that period working as civil legal assistance attorneys. (As fiscal year 2010 is the first year of this program, these priorities will not apply for 2010 awards.). Not Applicable. The Civil Legal Assistance Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program provides benefits to borrowers on a first-come, first-served basis. Loan repayment commitments are limited to the amount appropriated for the program for a given fiscal year by Congress and are only available to eligible applicants until those funds are fully committed. A loan repayment commitment to a borrower in one fiscal year does not guarantee a commitment for the remainder of the years covered by the borrowerâ₏™s Service Agreement or in future years. The Department cannot provide any benefits to a borrower for a year for which Congress does not appropriate funds. Not Applicable. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. Schools must maintain proper administrative and fiscal procedures and all necessary records as set forth in the regulations in 34 CFR 685 and 34 CFR 668. Schools must keep all records involved in any loan, claim, or expenditure questioned by a Federal audit until resolution of any questions. In addition to records required by 34 CFR 668, for each Direct Loan received under 34 CFR 685 by or on behalf of this student, a school shall maintain a copy of the loan application and data electronically submitted to the Secretary. Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.
Matching requirements are not applicable to this program.
MOE requirements are not applicable to this program. Applications will be accepted and loan repayment benefits will be paid only for years in which Congress appropriates funds for the program. If no funds are appropriated, benefits will not be paid even if a borrower has a valid service agreement. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Electronically. See Regional Agency Offices. Federal Student Aid Information Center. Telephone: (1-800) 433-3243. Regional Director, Federal Student Aid, the Director of Student Financial Aid at the institution the student wishes to attend, high school guidance counselors, or directors of State agencies. Federal Student Aid Information Center, Federal Student Aid, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., S.W., Washington, District of Columbia 20202 Phone: (800) 433-3243. http://www.ifap.ed.gov and/or studentaid.ed.gov 91-0201-0-1-502. (Direct Loans) FY 09 $0; FY 10 $5,000,000; FY 11 $2,500,000 A borrower employed as a civil legal assistance attorney who meets all of the criteria under the service agreement may receive repayment of up to $6,000 for each year of completed service, up to a total amount of $40,000, contingent on availability of funds. Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title IV, Part B, Section 428L. Not Applicable.