Just when you thought that life with student loan debt couldn’t get any worse and the collection companies couldn’t get nastier, you get a notice that your driving license or even your professional license is about to be suspended for nonpayment. Debt in general tends to snowball in a hurry.

NOT PAYING YOUR STUDENT LOANS COMES WITH CONSIQUENCES

However, it’s best to do everything you can to pay off your loans. As reported by Bloomberg, not paying student loans can trigger little known laws on the books in 22 states that give the go-ahead for collection companies to play hardball with people who are already struggling with making ends meet in the first place. From cosmetology licenses to MD and JD, debtors can be deprived of their right to work or even to look for work. While debt collectors say these rules are valuable tools for extracting repayment, some lawmakers feel such rules are punitive, and even extortionate, against people who are already struggling.

Iowa and Montana legislators are considering a repeal of such laws already in place in their states, going against the tide of punitive measures being inflicted on already stressed borrowers. In Tennessee alone, some 1,500 professional licenses were suspended by August of 2013 due to actions by Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation. While at the Federal level, the Department of Education is beginning to catch on to the pain caused by collection agencies they retained and paid whopping taxpayer-financed bonuses for prioritizing profits and abusing the rights of the debtors.

The problem is that while states are recognizing the complete idiocy of removing the ability to work while still expecting repayment, rectifying the situation is a matter for partisan sniping. Toss in the lobbyists for collection companies and their fat contributions to PACs and campaign war chests, and you have a snowball’s chance in you know where of getting anything done before the students in question are eligible for Social Security. As usual, the onus of figuring out how to survive and thrive falls on the student. You may be able to work out modifications to your loan repayment schedule, or take advantage of Sallie Mae or lender-run hardship programs offering graduated repayment, extended repayment schedules, income-dependent repayments based on your federal tax return, or even permanently reduced payments. Other methods for reducing debt include programs for teacher and healthcare professionals where interest and principal can be paid down for work in certain areas and institutions, or even doing volunteer work. For those who financed their education with Perkins loans, or those who meet other criteria, you may also be able to have 100 percent of your loans discharged.

In all cases, you may find that retaining a lawyer or even just consulting with someone who has successfully dealt with student debt can help reduce your stress levels to something tolerable. If you are at the point where you feel overwhelmed and can’t cope with this alone, a third party can give you perspective and could help you plan your way forward.

Van Horn Law Group has helped others with their student loan problems (while dealing with their own student loan debt), and may be able to get you on track while protecting your rights as a borrower and debtor.