Eligibility

Am I Eligible?

To be eligible for the SLRN Program, nurses must meet the following criteria:

  • Submitted an initial application on or before the application deadline of March 1, 2022
  • Be licensed through the PA Department of State
  • Be a resident of PA (as of the date of application and annual loan relief payments)
  • Work in a PA qualifying nursing facility (employment must have begun prior to December 31, 2021)

    NOTE: A qualified nursing facility is defined as a practice site located within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that provides nursing care directly to patients.

  • Performed patient care job duties that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Worked at least a combined 1,250 hours across the qualifying 12-month calendar year
  • Have outstanding qualifying student loan debt (as of the date of application and the annual loan relief payments)

Have Questions About Your Eligibility?

Please review the eligibility section of the frequently asked questions.

Supporting Documentation

Please review the following chart to forward supporting documentation to PHEAA if you were selected for participation in the SLRN program but were incorrectly listed as ineligible for one of the post selection ineligible reasons listed below. If you have more than one ineligible reason, you must provide evidence to support your eligibility for each reason listed on your letter.

It is extremely important that PHEAA receives your supporting documentation within 30 days from the date on your letter. If the supporting documentation is not received by this date, your eligibility in the program will not be reconsidered.

Post Selection Ineligible Reason Supporting Documentation
You do not meet the PA residency requirement Recent (as of time of certification) copy of lease or mortgage or recent copy of utility or credit card bill that was received through postal mail
You are not a nurse providing patient care Letter from employer on company letterhead stating nurse was providing patient care
You did not work in PA Letter from employer on company letterhead stating nurse was working in PA
Your job-related duties were not impacted by COVID-19 Letter from employer on company letterhead stating nurse's job-related duties were impacted by COVID-19
You did not work the required number of hours Letter from employer on company letterhead stating the number of hours worked
You did not work at an eligible facility Letter from employer on company letterhead stating nurse worked at an eligible facility
Your loan(s) is in a default status Loan verification documentation or documentation from servicer showing date of default (FFELP or private education loans)
You do not have a student loan(s) balance

Loan verification documentation on servicer’s letterhead showing total loan balance, disbursement date, loan type, and loan servicer account number.

IMPORTANT: The loan information must be printed, or computer generated directly from the loan servicer or their website, and all relevant details must be included. Handwritten forms or letters cannot be accepted. A new application or change form cannot be used in lieu of acceptable loan verification documentation.
Your loan(s) type is not eligible
You did not submit your loan verification documentation

Letter explaining the reason your loan verification documentation was not submitted and loan verification documentation on servicer’s letterhead showing total loan balance, disbursement date, loan type, and loan servicer account number.

IMPORTANT: The loan information must be printed, or computer generated directly from the loan servicer or their website. All relevant details must be included. Handwritten forms or letters cannot be accepted. A new application or change form cannot be used in lieu of acceptable loan verification documentation.

The loan verification documentation you submitted was incomplete and/or unacceptable.

Loan verification documentation on servicer’s letterhead showing total loan balance, disbursement date, loan type, and loan servicer account number.

IMPORTANT: The loan information must be printed, or computer generated directly from the loan servicer or their website. All relevant details must be included. Handwritten forms or letters cannot be accepted. A new application or change form cannot be used in lieu of acceptable loan verification documentation.
You do not have an active nursing license Copy of nursing license

NOTE: Nursing license must be showing active in Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS)
Your Authorization Form was submitted after the deadline Letter explaining reason Authorization Form was submitted after the deadline
You did not return your Authorization Form Letter explaining reason Authorization Form was not submitted and copy of signed Authorization Form
Your loan verification documentation was submitted after the deadline Letter explaining reason loan verification documentation was submitted after the deadline and supporting documentation, if applicable

Submitting Your Supporting Documentation

You can use our file upload feature to upload your supporting documentation directly to PHEAA.

  1. Sign in to Account Access on the SLRN homepage or create an account if you do not already have one.
  2. Open the file upload feature.
    • Select “PA Special Programs” as the reason for your upload.
    • Select “PA Student Loan Relief for Nurses” as the category.

You can also submit your supporting documentation by email to SLRN@pheaa.org or by fax to (717) 720-3786. If you are submitting by email to verify your identity, you must provide the following in the body of the email:

  • The last 4 digits of your Social Security number (SSN) or nursing license number
  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Email address (on file)