It is hard to believe that student loan debt can cost you your job. But in 13 states it is legal to revoke a professional license if the borrower defaults on their student loan debt. These states include:
- Arkansas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
All of these states have laws on the books that make it possible for a professional license to be revoked in the event a borrower defaults on his or her student loans.
This situation puts borrowers at a distinct disadvantage in these states. After all, you need to be able to work to continue making student loan payments every month. However, if your professional license is revoked due to your student loan burden, how are you able to continue paying on your loans?
Many different professions require a license for a person to work in that specific career field. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, approximately 25 percent of all U.S. workers need to hold a license to work in their field, including lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, and hair stylists. For many of these individuals, not only did they need to go through years of education to work in their profession, but they also had to obtain a license, which can be a difficult and expensive process. Without that license, they are not able to earn a living in their respective fields.
Recently, more than 100 Florida healthcare workers lost their licenses to practice medicine due to their inability to repay their student loans. If someone is struggling to pay his or her student loan obligations, it can often be beneficial to first reach out to the loan servicer to see if an arrangement can be made. For federal student loans, borrowers have the option of forbearance or deferment. However, this option can add thousands of dollars to the loan balance, as the interest will continue to accrue.
Bipartisan legislation was introduced last month in Congress that would prohibit states from taking these types of measures to penalize student loan borrowers who default on a federal student loan. Six states, including Alaska, Illinois, Kentucky, North Dakota, Virginia and Washington already have enacted laws that prohibit this practice.
For borrowers who are struggling with student loan debt, relief options are available. Many student loan borrowers are unaware that they have rights and repayment options available to them, such as postponement of loan payments, reduction of payments or even a complete discharge of the debt. There are ways to file for bankruptcy with student loan debt. It is important you contact an experienced Miami bankruptcy attorney who can advise you of all your options. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. Since 1996 Kingcade Garcia McMaken has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade Garcia McMaken website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
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