April 2024
Student Loans
If you have a student loan and haven't been contacted by the Department of Education yet you should get yourself to that website and find out whether you qualify for any cancellation programs that may be available now.
Some of these special cancellation programs some expire soon, Including the ones that make up for past mistakes.
If you have a student loan and haven't been contacted by the Department of Education yet you should get yourself to that website and find out whether you qualify for any cancellation programs that may be available now.
Some of these cancellation and payment reduction programs expire at the end of April, including programs regarding loan consolidation.
Other cancellation programs expire at the end of September, including the ones that forgive past defaults, which can clear your way to apply for programs that you might not otherwise be eligible for.
And if you haven't investigated the SAVE plan, you may want to. It may be a way to lower your payments without accruing extra interest, especially if your income is low. So far over 153,000 borrowers have had their loads automatically cancelled under the SAVE program.
Bankruptcy
Revised median income figures are out and being applied in the bankruptcy means test. The new figures, effective April 1, 2024, apply a roughly 4% increase in median incomes for every state across each household size, rather than coming up with actual numbers for each state.
The revised expense numbers, applied to each county, will be released later this month and take effect May 1, 2024
January 2024
Minimum Wage
At least 21 states are increasing their minimum wage. in 2024, usually but not always on January 1, 2024. The 21 states are: Alaska (11.73), Arizona ($14.35), California ($16), Colorado ($14.42), Connecticut ($15), Delaware ($13.25), Hawaii ($14), Illinois ($14), Maine ($14.15), Maryland ($15), Michigan ($10.33), Minnesota ($10.85), Missouri ($12.30), Montana ($10.30), Nebraska ($12), New Jersey ($15.13), New York ($15), Ohio (10.45), Rhode Island ($14), South Dakota ($11.20), and Washington ($16.28).
December 2023
December 1st there is a new Bankruptcy Rule 9038 and amended Official Forms 101, 309E1, 309E2, and 417A.
New York passed S.B. 4907A which prohibits medical debt from being collected for credit reports.
The means test exemption for members of the National Guard which was to expire in 2023 has been extended for another four years.
November 2023
Bankruptcy
Revised median income figures for November, 2023 have been applied for the bankruptcy means test.
September 2023
Don't look now, but your student loan may be forgiven, or at least greatly reduced!
Student Loans
As of September 1, interest has begun accruing on Federal student loans. Payments will resume in October. If you have a government student loan, you have probably gotten a notice from your loan servicer. Don't ignore it! It can save you money!
The New SAVE Program is a Great Deal!
In the last week of August over 800,000 people received notification from their student loan servicer that their loans were forgiven under the new Biden administration's SAVE program, which began excepting applications in late August 2023.
Some borrowers found their loans already forgiven because of an important new provision of the SAVE program, designed to rectify the unfairness of earlier programs which failed to inform debtors of income-based repayment options.
Many of these debtors have been paying on their student loans for over 20 years already. (The new save program requires income based repayment for 20 years after which time the loans forgiven.)
For those who have been already been making payments on their loans for over 20 years, they may find that their loans are now zeroed out.
And for those who have been making payments for less than that time, they may find that they only need to pay for three or four more years to have their loans forgiven instead of another twenty.
If you haven't done so already, you should investigate your eligibility for the SAVE program, do so now at the studentaid.gov website. About four million borrowers have shifted to the SAVE program, and another 1.6 million have applied.
Check out this NPR story for an excellent 12 point checklist of what you should be doing now to prepare for the new student loan options.
August 2023
Don't Use Google Bard To Research Student Loan Case Law [Student Loans] [AI]
- Learn why you shouldn't use Google Bard to research student loan case law:
We were stunned at how BAD the results were. Dangerous. Awful. Wrong.
Student Loan SAVE Program Begins Taking Applications for Income-Based Loan Forgiveness
- Applications are now being accepted for the new "SAVE" Income-based repayment (IBR) plan announced in July. Learn how to sign Up for the new SAVE program if you weren't automatically converted.
- Features of the new SAVE PLAN:
- Only 5% of disposable income (not 10%) required
- Forgiveness after as little as 10 years of payments
- Get credit for years of payments already made
- How to fix defaults easily (for a limited time) to qualify for SAVE plan savings.
July 2023
ChatGPT 4.0 for Consumer Legal Research [AI][Bankruptcy][Probate]
We've begun exploring how consumers can use AI tools and services to help handle their legal affairs. Here's what we've found so far.
- Best Prompts for Researching State and Local Bankruptcy and Debt Collection Laws and Procedures
- Best Prompts for Researching State and Local Probate and Property Laws and Procedures
- Tips for getting the most out of ChatGPT
Student Loans
The Supreme Court struck down Biden's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt. Here's what's next.
April 2023
Bankruptcy
- April 1, 2023 - Means Test Kentucky Median Income Revisions
- 2023 - State Exemptions Inflation Adjustments
January 2023
Bankruptcy
- New Rules about Student Loans in Bankruptcy The Department of Education has issued guidance to its attorneys on when to stipulate to a claim of "undue hardship" in student loan cases, and has create an affidavit that helps organize information relevant to a claim of undue hardship.
Unemployment
Wage and Hour
- 23 States Increase Minimum Wages in 2023.
- Detailed, local minimum wage info for more cities and counties.
November 2022
Obamacare: 2023 Health Insurance Rates and Open Enrollment
- New York extends enrollment until May 11, 2023.
- What You Need to Know about 2023 Open Enrollment in Kentucky
- Obamacare 2023 Rates and Plans offered in Your County
Democracy
- Directory of Elected Officials Representing Kentucky and Your County and Your City
- Check to make sure your Kentucky ballot was counted. Find out how!
The content of this article pertains to all US states and counties.