Department of Education August 23, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This provides notice of the establishment of the matching program between the U.S. Department of Education (Department) and the Social Security Administration (SSA), which sets forth the terms, safeguards, and procedures under which the SSA will disclose to the Department data related to the Medical Improvement Not Expected (MINE) disability data of beneficiaries and recipients under title II and title XVI of the Social Security Act from the SSA system of records entitled the Disability Control File (DCF) and the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR). This matching program will enable the Department to contact the individuals who have a balance on a loan under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), have a loan under title IV of the HEA written off due to default, or have an outstanding service or repayment obligation under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program to inform title IV borrowers and TEACH Grant recipients whom SSA identifies as disabled that ED will discharge the borrowers' title IV loans or TEACH Grant service or repayment obligations no earlier than 61 days from the date that ED sends the notification to the borrower, unless the borrower chooses to have their loans or service obligations discharged earlier or chooses to opt out of the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge within 60 days from the date that ED sends the notification to the borrower.