The U.S. Department of Education on August 25 published a notice in the Federal Register proposing a new computer matching program that would cross-check Social Security Administration disability records against federal student loan databases to automatically identify borrowers eligible for loan discharges due to total and permanent disability.
How the matching program would work
Under the proposed matching program, the Education Department would receive data from the Social Security Administration on borrowers whom SSA has determined to be disabled with Medical Improvement Not Expected (MINE) status. The department would then cross-reference those records against its own databases to find borrowers who owe balances on, or who have had written off due to default, loans under the Federal Perkins Loan Program, the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the Federal Insured Student Loan (FISL) Program, or who have Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant service obligations. For those identified, the department would more efficiently and effectively process Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharges of their Title IV loans.
Public comment period
The notice, designated as a new matching program under the Privacy Act of 1974, opens a 30-day public comment period. Comments are due by September 24, 2026.