About the FSA Ombudsman
The Ombudsman’s office was created in 1998 and took its first
cases in October of 1999. The office now receives an average of
300 calls per week.
the ombudsman brochure
Contents of this page:
- What we do
- What we don’t do
- When to contact us
- What you can expect from us.
- Where else to go for help
- Meet the FSA Ombudsman
What we do
An ombudsman resolves disputes from a neutral, independent viewpoint. The Federal Student Aid (FSA) Ombudsman will informally conduct impartial fact-finding about your complaints. We will recommend solutions, but we don't have the authority to reverse decisions. We will also work to bring about changes that will help prevent future problems for other student loan borrowers. This free service is provided by the US Department of Education.
The Ombudsman will research your problem and determine whether you have been treated fairly. If your student loan complaint is justified, we will work with you and the office, agency, or company involved in the problem. On your behalf, we will contact other offices within the U.S. Department of Education, your private lender, your loan guaranty agency, and the servicing agency or firm collecting your loan.
If your complaint is not justified, we will take the time to explain to you how we reached this conclusion.
TopWhat we don't do
The Ombudsman is not an advocate or someone who will automatically take your side in a complaint. We must consider all sides in an impartial and objective way. It's the Ombudsman's job to help develop fair solutions to complex and difficult problems.
Note that we don't have the authority to reverse decisions.
Financial aid information -- The FSA Ombudsman does
not provide general customer services. For example, we don't
handle requests and information about student aid or application
forms. For general assistance, see the FSA
Student Portal ![[GO]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106004321im_/http://www.ombudsman.ed.gov/images/exit.gif){kind=small}
.
Loan payments - We don't pay loans, take in loan payments,
process deferments, or mail out forms. For information about these
services, contact your lender or loan collection agency directly.
If you have a direct loan, see the Direct
Loan Servicing Center
or call 1-800-848-0979. If you don't know who your lender is, call
1-800-4-FED-AID or find out through the Loan
Locator .
Grants or private loans -- We will not accept complaints about grants or private sources of student financial aid. We also won't accept complaints when the U.S. Department of Education has already begun formal or legal investigations.
The FSA Ombudsman will accept complaints only about Direct Loans, FFEL Loans, Guaranteed Student Loans, and Perkins Loans (collectively referred to as Title IV Loans and authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended). The U.S. Department of Education administers these loans.
TopWhen to contact us
It's best to think of the Ombudsman as a last resort. We will try to help when other approaches have failed. If you have a complaint, first calmly discuss it with the person, company, or office directly involved. If needed, ask to speak with someone higher up, such as a supervisor. In many cases, this action can resolve the problem or help you better understand the issue.
When you have made a reasonable effort to resolve your problem through normal processes and it still is not resolved, then contact the Ombudsman.
TopWhat you can expect from us
We will help you if we determine that your complaint is justified. Further, we will treat you courteously and with respect. We will keep you informed of our progress and will respond to you in a timely manner.
TopWhere else to go for help
The U.S. Department of Education offers a number of toll-free
telephone services (including 1-800-4-FED-AID) and informative
web sites, such as Financial
Aid for Students
and the FSA Student Portal
.
Meet the FSA Ombudsman
Debra Wiley serves as the Ombudsman for Federal Student Aid (FSA) at the U.S. Department of Education. In this position, Wiley and her staff informally resolve complaints from student loan borrowers and make recommendations for improving service within FSA, the first performance-based organization in the federal government.
Wiley was involved in student aid policy development and administration in Nebraska, Colorado and Virginia until her relocation to Washington state in 1991. Immediately prior to joining FSA, she served as executive director of the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution, an organization providing mediation services and training throughout Tacoma and Pierce County, Washington.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, a master’s in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a Juris Doctorate from Seattle University School of Law.
