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 more than 2,500 assistance requests per month.
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
- Learn more about ombudsman principles
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]](./../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 is servicing your loan, or are uncertain as to what type of loan you have call 1-800-4-FED-AID for assistance. You can also login to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) at http://www.nslds.ed.gov/ to search on your federal student aid history to determine the type of loan(s) you have, and the loan amount(s) outstanding on your federal student aid loan(s). You must have your PIN number to use the NSLDS.
If you need a PIN or for questions about the PIN Web site or specific questions about the PIN, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or 1-319-337-5665. If you are hearing-impaired and have questions contact the TTY line at 1-800-730-8913. You can also e-mail Customer Service for assistance at FederalStudentAidCustomerService@ed.gov or by selecting the "Contact Us" option from the top of any www.pin.ed.gov page.
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
Joyce DeMoss serves as the Ombudsman for Federal Student Aid (FSA) at the U.S. Department of Education. Joyce returned to Federal Student Aid after 6 years in the Office of the Ombudsman at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including 5 years as the TSA Ombudsman where she served the needs of the agency’s 60,000 employees. Joyce was one of the original members of the FSA Ombudsman Group from its earliest days when she helped set up the Group, and served as its first Associate Ombudsman. She has a broad background in the federally-guaranteed and Direct Loan programs, working in loan servicing operations, guaranty agency compliance, and servicing contractor oversight. Her experience working in an external-facing Ombudsman office at FSA, and as an internal (employee-focused) Ombudsman at TSA means Joyce is well-versed in providing a neutral, independent, data-driven voice on behalf of the recipients of an agency’s services. She is also an active member of ombudsman professional groups, including the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) and the Coalition of Federal Ombudsman (CoFO).
The Ombudsman Group was established on September 30, 1999, with a highly skilled team of Ombudsman Case Management Specialists charged with the responsibility to assist in resolving complaints from individuals who bring federal student aid disputes to the attention of the Ombudsman. Although the primary office location is Washington, D.C, case specialists also operate out of remote locations in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas. Additionally, a special team of Federal employees in the Chicago Service Center assists with cases brought to the Ombudsman Group. The Ombudsman Group addresses individual complaints in coordination with institutions of higher education, lenders, guaranty agencies, loan servicing agencies and other participants in the federal student aid programs. Although the Ombudsman Group keeps a record of all complaints, inquiries are sometimes referred to groups outside the Ombudsman Group to better assist in getting a proper response for the specific situation. Further, the Ombudsman Group relies on the expertise of designated agency ombudsmen to facilitate individual problem resolution and identify trends that suggest how program or operational changes can prevent recurring problems.
