VA Student Loan Repayment Program 2022 Portal Guide Updates

 – VA Student Loan Repayment – 

The Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), funded by the Veterans Affairs Department (VA), has been around for quite some time. Yet recent software changes make it more generous today than it was in the past.

Congress changed the amount you could get for this VA student loan repayment program in 2020 by mid-2018.

And the new rules could make this VA student loan forgiveness program worth considering for any medical professionals who are passionate about helping veterans. Here’s everything you need to know about VA EDRP.

What is the VA EDRP?

The VA EDRP is designed to recruit quality health-care workers for difficult-to-recruit, direct patient care positions. The VA publishes a list of positions that are eligible for the EDRP. To find EDRP-eligible jobs, search “EDRP” on VAcareers.va.gov or USAJobs.gov.

If you’re applying for a VA position specifically because of this VA student loan repayment program, you’ll want to ask the human resources department about it during your contract negotiations. If your job is eligible for the EDRP, it will be included in your final employment offer.

In addition to working in a qualifying position, you’ll need to earn a degree from an accredited school or program. Your education debt also must be for a degree that relates to your job. Finally, you’ll have to maintain an acceptable level of performance during your EDRP service period.

EDRP authorizes VA to provide student loan reimbursement to employees with qualifying loans who are in difficult to recruit and retain direct patient care positions. Loans must be for the health professional’s education that qualified the applicant for a specific position.

Each Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility determines which positions are hard to recruit and retain and when the facility will offer EDRP for these positions. EDRP is a recruitment and retention incentive only offered or approved for certain positions

Recent Changes in the Program

In 2018, Congress changed the max you could receive with the VA EDRP. Before the change, the most you could get was $120,000 cumulatively over five years.

But the annual limit has been increased from $24,000 to $40,000 per year. This means participants can now receive up to $200,000 for a five-year period with this VA student loan repayment program.

Program Payments are Tax-exempt

One of the great things about this VA Student Loan Repayment Program 2020 is that you don’t have to pay income tax on the forgiven amount. This is a huge plus.

With many forgiveness programs, including income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness, you’ll need to pay taxes on whatever amount is forgiven.

To demonstrate why the EDRP’s tax-exempt status is such a big deal, imagine that you received the full $200,000 limit from this VA student loan repayment program.

That would work out to an extra $40,000 of taxable income each year. If you were in the 25% tax bracket, that could add an extra $10,000 to your tax bill each of the five years.

One thing to keep in mind is that some hospitals may offer their own student loan repayment programs that are taxable. If you’re accepted into the EDRP, you should probably avoid these employer-based programs. Here’s why:

Let’s say you have $120,000 in student loans, and your employer offers $20,000 of student loan repayment per year. By combining your employer’s program with the EDRP, you could pay off your loans in two years instead of three.

But you’d also generate $40,000 of taxable income. Why use taxable money today when you could get your hands on tax-free money tomorrow?

The fact that the VA EDRP reimbursements are tax-free honestly makes it one of the best forgiveness programs available. In fact, it could be better than Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) in some circumstances, since you don’t have to wait 10 years to receive forgiveness.

But what if you could participate in the VA EDRP and PSLF at the same time? Let’s take a look at when — and if — that would be a smart student loan repayment strategy.

FAQs About VA EDRP

What is Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP)?

EDRP authorizes VA to provide student loan reimbursement to employees with qualifying loans who are in difficult to recruit and retain direct patient care positions

What is their Purpose?

Provides Veteran population with specialized care, by increasing the supply of qualified health care professionals.

Help VHA meet its need for qualified health care professionals in occupations where recruitment or retention is difficult.

How do I Apply?

Positions offering EDRP will be notated in vacancy announcements. Candidates applying for positions noncompetitively should inquire about the program with HR prior in negotiation. If offered, EDRP will be included in the final offer letter.

What are the Repayment and Covered Expenses?

– Participants may receive up to $120,000 towards a qualified loan over a 5 year period.

• Not to exceed $24,000 per year

– EDRP is a reimbursement program. At the end of each program year, or service period, participants must provide proof of payment to lenders to receive reimbursement.

– EDRP qualifying lons cover tuition and other reasonable educational and living expenses, fees, books, supplies, educational equipment/materials, and laboratory expenses.

Approval Process

• Individuals may apply for EDRP after beginning the EDRP-approved position. Award approval and final amounts are not determined until after submission and review of a complete program application and supporting documentation.
• Awards are effective the day after approval the application by the national EDRP manager.

Is It Worth It to Use the VA EDRP and PSLF Together?

Medical VA jobs do qualify as public service for PSLF. In most cases, it can make sense to pursue both the VA EDRP and PSLF at the same time. But there a couple of things to keep in mind.

First, note that the VA EDRP is a reimbursement program. You can only receive reimbursements for student loan payments that you make.

Second, it’s important to remember that medical professionals can begin making qualifying payments toward PSLF as soon as they begin residency.

Here’s why those two facts matter: If you begin PSLF as soon as you start residency, you may have less than five years remaining by the time you start your VA job. In that case, you’re welcome to apply for VA EDRP reimbursement for your IDR payments.

But you probably wouldn’t want to pay extra toward your student loans. Why? Because if you pay more than your IDR plan requires, you could risk having your loan placed in “paid ahead” status. And that can present problems for PSLF.

There’s really no reason to risk that if you’re going to get full, tax-free forgiveness from PSLF in less than five years anyway.

VA EDRP: A Great Option for VA Medical Professionals

The VA EDRP is one of the most generous VA student loan repayment programs available today.

If you’re able to find a job that qualifies for the EDRP, it could earn you up to $200,000 of tax-free loan repayment. And you may even be able to pursue the VA EDRP and PSLF at the same time.