Education Department says coding errors resulted in inaccurate payment counts for some borrowers
U.S. Department of EducationFederal department, through a spokesperson's email to CNBC
An Education Department spokesperson tells CNBC that the agency is correcting coding errors made by the Biden administration, which the spokesperson says resulted in inaccurate payment counts for some borrowers.
Responding to
The Education Department is withholding or delaying Public Service Loan Forgiveness buyback decisions, failing to credit borrowers for time worked in public service and clawing back credit it had already given.
“These errors resulted in inaccurate payment counts for some borrowers”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
AFT sues Education Secretary McMahon over stalled Public Service Loan Forgiveness buyback requests and reduced payment counts; the department says it is correcting Biden-era coding errors
On October 30, 2026, AFT President Randi Weingarten and borrowers who work in public service sued Education Secretary Linda McMahon and the U.S. Department of Education in federal court in Washington, D.C. The proposed class action says the department has left tens of thousands of Public Service Loan Forgiveness buyback requests undecided, removed qualifying payment credit that borrowers had already received and stopped posting recent payments. An Education Department spokesperson told CNBC that the agency is correcting coding errors made under the Biden administration that resulted in inaccurate payment counts for some borrowers.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
CNBC report of October 30, 2026, on the AFT lawsuit over Public Service Loan Forgiveness. It quotes Randi Weingarten and plaintiff Elizabeth Schoepflin and carries an Education Department spokesperson's emailed response on payment counts.
Before the quotation
CNBC reports that the borrowers bringing the lawsuit say the department lowered their qualifying payment counts earlier this year, prolonging their path to forgiveness. It reports that an Education Department spokesperson defended the program changes, saying the agency is correcting "coding errors" made by the Biden administration.
After the quotation
In the same email, the spokesperson says the department remains committed to ensuring that every qualifying payment is properly credited to a borrower's account.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Education Department's handling of Public Service Loan Forgiveness buyback requests and payment counts, which the lawsuit challenges. The spokesperson says the changes to payment counts correct coding errors made under the Biden administration, defending the department's changes.
- Recorded on
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- People and groups discussed
- American Federation of Teachers
More from this case
Read the full caseProtect Borrowers, in a statement by senior counsel Laura C. Dismore, accuses McMahon of blatant flouting of the law
Protect Borrowers
“AFT is, once again, stepping up to hold Linda McMahon accountable in court for her blatant flouting of the law.”Read statement
Randi Weingarten says McMahon has left 90,000 public employees in the lurch
“Instead of processing applications in good faith, McMahon has left 90,000 dedicated public employees in the lurch, forcing them further into debt while their applications just sit there.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Education Department says coding errors resulted in inaccurate payment counts for some borrowers". First published: 2026-11-02. Last updated: 2026-11-02. https://disputeindex.com/events/7747-an-education-department-spokesperson-tells-cnbc-that-the