On Friday, the Department of Education (ED) issued a Federal Register (FR) notice extending the end dates of COVID-19-related waivers and modifications, and also introduced several new flexibilities using its authority granted by the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003.
The HEROES Act of 2003 permits ED to offer relief for federal student aid recipients who are performing military service, or are otherwise impacted by a war, national emergency, or disaster. It also allows ED to extend relief to other entities involved in the administration of the Title IV student aid programs, such as institutions of higher education and loan servicers, under certain emergency conditions.
Many flexibilities that were granted over the course of the spring and summer of this year had previously been extended by ED on Aug. 21, 2020 to apply through the later of either the end of the payment period that includes Dec. 31, 2020 or the end of the payment period that includes the end date for the federally-declared emergency related to COVID-19.
The extensions granted on August 21 were necessary and welcomed by institutions, as the pandemic continued without an end in sight.