Disability Deferment

If you are unable to work or go to school because you are temporarily and totally disabled, or if you are caring for a disabled dependent or spouse, you may qualify for a DISABILITY DEFERMENT. This deferment postpones payments due on your student loan account while you or your dependent or spouse are disabled, up to a total of 36 months (three years).

To be considered “totally disabled,” you must be unable to work or attend school for a period of at least 60 days needed to recover from an injury or illness.  For your spouse or dependent to be considered “totally disabled,” he or she must require continuous nursing care for at least 90 days. 

You will need to have your disability (or your dependent’s or spouse’s) certified by a doctor of medicine (MD) or a doctor of osteopathy (DO).  Chiropractors or other health care professionals may not certify your condition.

You do not qualify on the basis of a pregnancy, unless the pregnancy is accompanied by complications that leave you, your dependent, or spouse “totally disabled.” 

You also do not qualify if your disability existed at the time you took out your loan(s), unless you can show that your condition has significantly deteriorated since then.

If you think you may qualify for a disability deferment, click here to view and print a disability deferment request form.  Please read the form carefully to make sure you qualify, and follow the instructions on the form.

If you have loans that are serviced by more than one servicer, please print a form for each servicer and print the name or your servicer on each form.  Mail your completed form(s) to us at:

Student Loan Counseling Service, Inc.
P.O. Box 1078
Waterloo, IA  50704-1078 

If, after reading the form, you think that you do not qualify for a DISABILITY DEFERMENT, please view any other options on your Results page, or click on the Return to Questionnaire button at the bottom of this page to make another selection.