I am reaching out for advice from those of you that know best. I am a teacher teaching in my 6th year, I started in 2020. Before that I worked about 15 months in a nonprofit hospital. Under Biden, I consolidated my loans and went under SAVE as many of us did.
I need to know my best options at this time, and I realize I may have messed things up, but I am hoping to salvage some of my time as a public servant in having it count towards the 120 payments. I never certified any of my years as a teacher following my consolidation. I never certified any of the 15 months that I was employed in the hospital.
Would any of my time working as a teacher, or in the hospital, while on forbearance and before recertification count towards the 120 payments towards forgiveness?
A few years ago, a student loan officer told me that I can always send in signed documents showing I worked as a public servant to have them retroactively count towards the 120 payments, and not to worry about certifying every year. I realize this was not my best choice to blindly follow this information.
I am hoping that some of you might be able to shed some truth on what I have been told and advise me on my best options at this point. I would be eternally grateful.