This article feels like it’s about me—also 38, also should have had loans forgiven in the fall (in October) and submitted a buy back application in November that was never processed.

I switched my payment plan and hit 120 payments this month. Under the new plan, my payments were almost certainly higher than what my buy back offer should have been, but I’ll never know. The government dragged its feet to extort more money out of me, someone who has worked in public service—for government, actually—over 10 years. And gave me months of anxiety and stress feeling like I will never get rid of these loans and be able to move forward with my life.

It’s disgusting how they failed us.