FAQs
Consistent with the terms of the JRJ SLRP Service Agreement, JRJ recipients are required to inform their JRJ state administering agency of their separation from a qualified position of employment and the status of their repayment. A payment in the total amount of the JRJ Student Loan Repayment benefits that have been made on behalf of the JRJ recipient must then be sent to the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) with a notation of the applicable Grant Number(s) from which the funds were derived, reflecting the separate amount from each grant, at the following address:
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Attn: Accounting Control Branch)
810 Seventh Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20531
A note should be stapled to the check with the award number(s) and amount(s) awarded from each award for which the JRJ Beneficiary did not meet their term obligations.
Once a JRJ recipient has been determined to be in a “repayment status,” such information will be communicated to BJA by the SAA. The Office of Justice Programs’ Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OJP’s OCFO) will receive a list of exiting recipient(s) from the SAA through JEFS secure site on a quarterly basis. The OJP’s OCFO will coordinate with BJA to determine which existing recipient(s) in the repayment status matter will refer to the U.S. Department of Treasury via Centralized Receivables Service (CRS). Acting on behalf of OJP, the CRS is a collection service provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The OJP’s OCFO will refer the existing recipient(s) in repayment status that is non-complaint in repaying the debt within 2 business days of receiving the list of existing recipient(s) from the SAA. The U.S. Department of the Treasury via CRS automatically generate and mails an invoice with due process notifications to the debtor. The U.S. Department of the Treasury via CRS begins to apply interest and collection fees in addition to the principal amount owed 30 days after the invoice and due process notification is mailed. The U.S. Department of the Treasury via CRS may arrange for a repayment plan for debtors up to 3 years. If the debtors are not responsive within 65 days after the invoice and due process notification is mailed, CRS refers the case to Treasury Cross-Servicing (FedDebt) for further collection actions.
For more information, please reference the JRJ Roles and Responsibilities document found on the JRJ Overview page.
Acting on behalf of OJP, the U.S. Department of the Treasury via CRS may arrange for a repayment plan for debtors up to 3 years.
Acting on behalf of OJP, the CRS is a collection service provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The U.S. Department of the Treasury via CRS collects OJP outstanding debt. The OJP’s OCFO will receive the existing recipient(s) list in repayment status from SAA and coordinate with BJA to determine which existing recipient in the repayment status will be refer to the U.S. Department of the Treasury via CRS. Upon making the determination, the OJP’s OCFO will refer the debt to the U.S. Department of the Treasury via CRS within 2 business days of receiving the existing recipient(s) list in repayment status. Debt disputes should be followed by a request for waiver as described in FAQ number 41 below. In the event such period expires without the total sum of JRJ benefits being repaid by the debtor or appropriate dispute, OJP’s OCFO will immediately refer the remaining debt to Treasury via CRS. If the debtors are not responsive within 65 days after the invoice and due process notification is mailed, CRS refers the case to Treasury Cross-Servicing (FedDebt) for further collection actions.
For more information, please reference the JRJ Roles and Responsibilities document found on the JRJ Overview page.
No. As an initial matter, the JRJ loan repayment benefits may not be paid directly to a beneficiary. Per 42 U.S.C. §3797cc-21(c), payments are to be made directly to the holder of the loan (i.e., the lending institution) for the benefit of the borrower. Furthermore, the statute specifically authorizes repayment of loan obligations, not tax obligations of a beneficiary.
The beneficiary remains liable for their loan debt and for any late fees assessed by their lender. The JRJ program is intended as a supplement to, not a substitute for, each beneficiary’s individual loan payments.
While the publicity of the availability of other federal student loan repayment plans (e.g., the Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), and other available loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs)) is obviously encouraged, BJA also endorses coordination by JRJ administering agencies (to the greatest extent possible) of such programs to promote the optimum benefit to the recipient. The following provides an example of how lump sum payments and monthly payments of JRJ benefits may interplay with the PSLF program and may provide an opportunity to improve coordination:
It is BJA’s understanding that in order to be eligible for the PSLF program, a borrower must make 120 “separate, monthly” payments. When a loan servicer receives a lump sum payment
– which is to say, a payment in excess of what the borrower is obligated to pay for the month
– the loan servicer assumes that the excess, while immediately applied to reduce outstanding interest and principal on the loan, is intended to cover future installments. When future installments are satisfied, the borrower is no longer obligated to make monthly payments for the number of months for which the installment has been fully satisfied. BJA understands that this may present two problems for individuals who receive both JRJ and PSLF benefits:
- The first is that the lump sum payment, while satisfying more than one month’s payment obligation, is not a “separate payment”. Therefore, it can only count as “one” PSLF payment.
- The second problem is that, by removing the borrower’s obligation to make future monthly payments, the borrower cannot, for those months, make a “monthly payment” in some cases – even if the borrower voluntarily remits money.
The second problem can be remedied by providing application of payment instructions with the payment. Specifically, the payor/borrower could state that s/he does not intend to apply the excess toward future installments, which will ensure that the borrower continues to be obligated to make future payments over subsequent months. Each loan servicer should provide, on the billing statement, information regarding how the borrower/payor is to provide payment instructions. Therefore, JRJ recipients may be advised (in order to maximize the amount of credit they may receive from PSLF program while working in employment that also entitles them to JRJ program benefits) to provide special payment instructions associated with their JRJ Program award. Borrowers should also be able to provide these instructions for a payment that has already been applied, provided that it is done promptly after the payment is applied.
This example is provided solely for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as financial advice. All grantees and beneficiaries should independently consult with the U.S. Department of Education (and/or other sources) to learn how receipt of JRJ benefits may affect awards through the Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program.
Law school, state-based, and employer-based Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) have individual policies regarding the effect of receiving benefits from other LRAPs (which may include JRJ benefits in some cases). Applicants are encouraged to contact the LRAP administrators of the programs in which they participate to determine whether JRJ benefits influence eligibility or award amount.
The SAA has a certain degree of discretion in determining an applicant’s ability to repay his/her loan. As indicated in the program application guidance, the SAA may (but is not required to) consider other loan obligations in the criteria used to make this assessment, and in doing so, may elect to consider the ratio of eligible loans to an applicant’s total loan debt, including consolidated loans.
To ensure an equitable distribution of funding and optimize the amount of funding utilized to attract and retain qualified prosecutors and public defenders, BJA, in previous non- competitive fiscal years, reduced the de minimis base award amount for states with a population equal to or less than 500,000 persons.
The Governor Designated JRJ Administering Agency, by accepting this award, agrees to abide by and comport with all requirements, applicable definitions, and conditions of the authorizing statute (42 U.S.C. 3797cc-21) and any related regulations or other guidance promulgated by the Department of Justice including, but not limited to, applicable award special conditions and has a fiduciary responsibility to administer and account for the grant award funds. Furthermore, the Governor-Designated JRJ Administering Agency is under a continuing and ongoing obligation to self-report to BJA any material instances of non- compliance with these programmatic and statutory requirements. Each JRJ agency should complete the JRJ Verification form(s) and JRJ Student Loan Repayment Program Service Agreement on the schedule determined by BJA. Additionally, JRJ Administering Agencies are also required to report in the Justice Enterprise File Sharing (JEFS) system on beneficiaries in an “Exited/Repayment” status on a quarterly basis (January 30th, April 30th, July 30th, and October 30th). For more information, please reference the JRJ Roles and Responsibilities document and John R. Justice (JRJ) Grant Student Loan Repayment Program Quick Reference for Reporting Recipients in Exited/Repayment Status, available on the JRJ Overview page.
Waiver requests may be submitted via email at the dedicated mailbox: [email protected]. A copy of your emailed waiver request with all supporting documents should also be mailed to the Centralized Receivables Service (CRS) if/when they make collections outreach to you.
Waiver requests should include:
- A sworn statement, made by the recipient (requestor) under penalty of perjury, certifying and attesting to the truthfulness and accuracy of the information provided, in the form of an one (1) page Word document that includes an explanation for the waiver request;
- Attached applicable supporting documentation, including any documentation in support of the waiver request received from the State JRJ Administering Agency and your HR Department (i.e. signed service agreement, HR employment date and job description verification, military orders, FMLA documents, court documents, proof of repayment, etc.).
- Applicable award number(s) and the corresponding award amount(s) received from your State Administering Agency (SAA).
If, after receiving any JRJ benefit, a current John R. Justice (JRJ) beneficiary changes their state of employment that individual will no longer be eligible to continue to receive JRJ benefits from the original award-making state. The original state should deem that individual no longer eligible to receive continued benefits and furthermore classify the individual in an exited/repayment status. Under such circumstances, the individual, if s/he plans to remain employed in an otherwise eligible position as a public defender or public prosecutor (albeit in a different state) for the remaining duration of his/her JRJ Student Loan Repayment Service Agreement, may request a waiver of repayment and/or apply for continued JRJ benefits through the designated agency in the state of their new employment; however, selection for continued JRJ benefits will not be guaranteed by the new state of employment.
States and territories are encouraged to design their JRJ Grant Program based on their experience in administering it in previous years, along with similar state-run programs, and should consider the purpose of the Act in the planning and implementation process. The JRJ administering agency is strongly encouraged to conduct outreach and education and begin or continue soliciting applications from eligible beneficiaries.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The JRJ statue says “…the Attorney General [i.e., BJA] shall determine a fair allocation of repayment benefits among prosecutors and public defenders…” In FY18 and earlier, BJA implemented this as an “equal allocation” requirement; that is, a state was required to award 50% of its JRJ funds to public defenders and prosecutors. Beginning in FY19, BJA no longer requires states to allocate equal total grant funds to public defenders and prosecutors. Instead, SAAs should develop their own plans for ensuring there is a “fair distribution” of JRJ funds between public defenders and prosecutors based on the needs of its state. The plan for your agency’s “fair allocation: should be clearly detailed in the JRJ application. If there are significant changes to the “fair allocation” plan post-award, you must communicate this to BJA for a determination.
A “Gang Task Force” is any coordinated effort involving more than one federal, state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency to collaboratively investigate and prosecute criminal and/or transnational organizations that are committing the crimes listed in the PSN Authorization Act (high levels of violent crime, firearms offenses, human trafficking, and drug trafficking). A task force does not need to be led by or include participation of a federal agency; a task force composed entirely of state, local, and/or tribal agencies can qualify. If a federal agency is involved, it may not receive grant funds.
No. The collaborative, coordinated effort does not need to be officially designated a “Gang Task Force,” so long as it is focused on the investigation and prosecution of criminal and/or transnational organizations engaging in the categories of offenses outlined in the Act.
No. Both pre-existing and newly created “Gang Task Forces” may qualify for the 30% set-aside funds under the Act.