tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202804909803677380.post9006384257260354583..comments2024-03-29T01:29:55.328-07:00Comments on Condemned to DEBT: DOE wants to modernize the student loan program but mucks up the planning processRichard Fosseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05915307718139521622noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202804909803677380.post-35645090909370234852023-01-19T13:32:11.564-08:002023-01-19T13:32:11.564-08:00"In my view, the best thing DOE could do to m..."In my view, the best thing DOE could do to make the repayment process work better for student debtors would be to link individual student-loan portfolios to borrowers' tax returns so that borrowers would not be required to recertify their income year after year." Agreed. <br />US DOL, in fact, now has a data sharing partnership with the IRS for enforcement of overtime regulations, resulting in 1,300,000 new overtime eligibilities. Without good data such as this, US ED "lists" are nothing more than the blind leading the blind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202804909803677380.post-79723368206075368892023-01-19T08:45:37.667-08:002023-01-19T08:45:37.667-08:00You make a fair point about the complexity of soft...You make a fair point about the complexity of software and systems designed to handle massive data. Screwups like the Southwest Airlines fiasco can happen without anyone being negligent. However, I was struck by the OIG's comment that the principal stakeholders on the Next Gen project didn't have shared goals or agreed-upon expectations.<br />In my view, the best thing DOE could do to make the repayment process work better for student debtors would be to link individual student-loan portfolios to borrowers' tax returns so that borrowers would not be required to recertify their income year after year.<br /><br /> Millions of people are in income-based repayment plans, which means their loan payments vary from year to year due to changes in income. DOE should calculate payment amounts based on the income certified in individual tax returns.<br /><br />Thanks for writing. RicvhardRichard Fosseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915307718139521622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4202804909803677380.post-17713641358926974392023-01-18T14:46:06.489-08:002023-01-18T14:46:06.489-08:00Software upgrades are always fraught with difficul...Software upgrades are always fraught with difficulties. The OIG analysis could apply to dozens, if not hundreds, of similarly plagued system conversions. There are legacy systems like this everywhere and fixing them is unbelievably challenging. My wife was involved with Florida's FLARE ERP upgrade that had to be aborted before it could be implemented. <br />The complexity of computer systems that are relied upon in real time accounts for the unexpected consequences when something in the background, behind the screens, changes, even a little. It's not so much the government or its govspeak that's the problem -- these systems are so old and under-resourced -- and complicated that managers have forgotten how bad it can get. <br />A recent example, Southwest Airlines left 1,000,000 passengers stranded when their computer system went down. <br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Southwest_Airlines_flight_delays<br />Simply put, their complexity now dwarfs human- or team-scaling, making them unmanageable and leaving us at their mercy. <br />Unfortunately, this also applies to how we manage our power grid, the supply chain, and respond to disasters, not just FSA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com