December 7, 2022

Listen in as Executive Director Jordan benShea chats with student debt expert and Board Member Dr. Tony Bartels and the newest student debt team member Dr. Rebecca Mears in this next installment of our Student Debt Series. 
 
In this episode we’re covering the following six topics:
Latest news for current veterinary school students 
How to help 2023 grads prepare for repayment
What pandemic grads, classes 2020, 2021 and 2022 should be doing
Helpful information for all other borrowers
The latest on the Student Debt Relief before the Supreme Court
Recertification and the important dates to be aware of now

As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.  

GUEST BIO:

Dr. Tony Bartels
Tony Bartels, DVM, MBA graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is a VIN Foundation Board Member and Student Debt Expert, and an employee of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). He and his wife, a small-animal internal medicine specialist practicing in Denver, have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on veterinary-student debt, providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation resources. Beyond debt, his professional interests include small- and exotic-animal practice. When he’s not staring holes into his colleagues’ student-loan data, Tony enjoys fly fishing, ice hockey, camping and exploring Colorado with his wife, Audra, and their two rescued canines, Addi and Maggie.
 
Dr. Rebecca Mears
Rebecca Mears, DVM is from Lexington, KY, where she completed her BS at University of Kentucky. She is a graduate of University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. While in vet school, she served as the National Business Certificate Director for the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) and as a board member for Vets for Pets and People. During this time she took an active role in wellbeing awareness and access within the veterinary community. Rebecca then worked as an equine general practitioner and is an active AAEP member. In her time away from veterinary medicine, she can be found hiking, baking, and hosting impromptu dance parties. She is passionate about giving back to the profession and improving the lives of veterinarians, pre-vet and vet students. 

LINKS AND INFORMATION:
VIN Foundation Student Debt Center: https://vinfoundation.org/studentdebtcenter
Check your current student loan servicers and other loan details — VIN Foundation My Student Loans tool: http://www.vinfoundation.org/mystudentloans
VIN Foundation WikiDebt: https://vinfoundation.org/wikidebt
VIN Foundation Webinars: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/webinars/
VIN Foundation Blog Recent Student Debt Blog posts: 
Common Student Loan Consolidation Questions and Answers: https://vinfoundation.org/fed-student-loan-consolidation-faqs-questions-answers-considerations/
Class of 2020, 2021, 2022 Income-Driven Repayment Renewal Note: https://vinfoundation.org/class-2020-2021-2022-student-loan-renewal-note/ 
Special Cancellation of Up to $20,000 of Student Debt. Are You Eligible?: https://vinfoundation.org/special-cancellation-student-debt/
Got Federal Student Debt? You’re Now Closer to Forgiveness Than You Think: https://vinfoundation.org/got-federal-student-debt-youre-now-closer-to-forgiveness-than-you-think/
Student Loan Forgiveness Planning: Preparing for the Tax Bill: https://vinfoundation.org/veterinary-student-loan-forgiveness-planning-preparing-for-the-tax-bill/ 
Student Loan Interest Rates Increase for 2022-2023 Academic Year: https://vinfoundation.org/student-loan-interest-rates-for-veterinary-school/ 
Personalized student loan Help from VIN and VIN Foundation: https://vinfoundation.org/veterinary-student-loan-debt-help/ 
Repay Wiser:
https://vinfoundation.org/resources/repay-wiser-veterinary-school-debt-loan-repayment/
Borrow Better: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/borrow-better-veterinary-school-loan-debt/ 
New Grad Student Loan Repayment Playbook: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/veterinary-new-grad-student-loan-repayment-playbook/ 
Federal Student Aid Data, Consolidation, and Repayment Application: https://studentaid.gov/
Student Debt Relief Information: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/one-time-cancellation 
Department of Education press release (Nov 2022):  https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-continues-fight-student-debt-relief-millions-borrowers-extends-student-loan-repayment-pause 
Department of Education press release (April 2022): https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-education-announces-actions-fix-longstanding-failures-student-loan-programs 
One-time Forgiveness Count Adjustment  https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment
Federal Student Loan Servicers: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service
Stay up to date with VIN Foundation updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/

Email VIN Foundation: studentdebt@vinfoundation.org
Get updates to stay tuned for the VIN Foundation webinars on student debt. 
 
You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
 
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