Risk-shared borrower denied disability benefits

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Dad cries foul over daughter's student loans
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 7, 2007 | 10:40 AM AT 
CBC News 

A Cape Breton man whose daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car crash four years ago says the federal government is harassing him over her unpaid student loans.
Richard Young, of Glace Bay, said his 29-year-old daughter Lyndsay has been unable to speak or hear since the crash. She is unable to care for herself and lives in a hospital while she waits for a nursing home bed.
She also owes more than $30,000 in outstanding loans from the provincial and federal governments.
Young said that since the crash he's been fielding phone calls from federal loan representatives, trying to collect his daughter's monthly payments.
"Don't they realize what I'm telling them? Do they realize the magnitude of this problem?" he said.
"It's like you're speaking, but they're not listening. They're narrow-minded and they're zeroed in on the money and they don't care about anything else."

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Lyndsay Young had taught for one year in Taiwan after receiving her education degree. She was home for a visit when she was in the catastrophic accident just days before returning to Taiwan.
The newly-formed Coalition for Student Loan Fairness in Vancouver has been investigating the government's treatment of students who become disabled and are then unable to make their payments.
Julian Benedict, founder of the national non-profit group, said the federal government has a permanent disability benefit, but two-thirds of applicants are denied.
"The current policy that the government has enacted states that if you became permanently disabled any time after the first six months of repayment, then you will not be covered under the permanent disability benefit program for coverage," Benedict said.
"So, in other words, if you get disabled at the wrong time, then you will not receive benefit."
He said there are people suffering from very serious ailments who are being declined.
"We are wondering if this program is helping out people who need it," Benedict said.
Human Resources and Social Development Minister Monte Solberg, the minister responsible for the Canada Student Loans program, was unavailable for comment.
His office declined an interview, but said the loan program is under review.