The American Society for Pharmacy Law (ASPL) is an organization of attorneys, pharmacists, pharmacist-attorneys and students of pharmacy or law who are interested in the law as it applies to
pharmacy, pharmacists, wholesalers, manufacturers, state and federal government and other interested parties.
ASPL is a nonprofit organization with the purposes of
- Furthering knowledge in the law related to pharmacists, pharmacies, the provision of pharmaceutical care, the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, and other food, drug, and medical device policy issues;
- Communicating accurate legal educational information; and
- Providing educational opportunities for pharmacists, attorneys, and others who are interested in pharmacy law
Latest News
February 22, 2021
Massachusetts reaches settlement with federal loan repayment servicer; pharmacists and technicians with direct federal loans may be eligible under the settlement
On February 10, the Massachusetts Attorney General announced a settlement with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), d/b/a Federal Loan Servicing (FLS) arising from a 2017 lawsuit against the agency and its handling of loans subject to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF), under which certain recipients of federal direct loans are granted loan forgiveness if they engage in qualified public service positions following graduation. Pharmacy students and pharmacy technician students who may be among those Massachusetts residents who will benefit from the settlement. PHEAA is the sole processor of PSLF qualifying loan repayment accounts and it maintains records that allow for eventual loan forgiveness.
The underlying lawsuit alleged that PHEAA made errors and provided misinformation to borrowers concerning eligibility for PSLF which caused borrowers to lose months of qualifying payments, and that PHEAA delayed in processing Income-Driven Repayment applications, causing borrowers to get off track with their payments. The delays also affected teachers eligible for TEACH grants to have their grants reclassified as loans.
Under the terms of the settlement, qualifying borrowers who resided in Massachusetts at any time after January 1, 2013 and presently have a federal loan owned by the Department of Education and serviced by PHEAA to submit a claim for an account review. Eligible borrowers are to be sent claim forms by PHEAA between April and July 2021. Federal borrowers serviced by PHEAA who are not included in the settlement are encouraged to contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and/or their home state’s attorney general if they believe they have been subject to errors in their accounts or misinformation provided by PHEAA. [Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Attorney General. AG Healey secures first-of-its-kind relieve in settlement with major student loan servicer. 2021 Feb 10; https://bit.ly/3aGtqi7]
|
