Disaster Relief

Major Disaster Relief

Granite State Management and Resources (GSM&R) is dedicated to providing you with personalized service and access to tools for successful repayment of your student loans. We understand that when major disasters hit, they impact your ability to keep up with your student loan payments. You should know that you may be eligible for relief to help you get through this challenging time. If you reside in an area impacted by a federally-declared disaster that has been authorized for Individual Assistance, then student loan relief is available.

Postpone Payments with Disaster Forbearance

If you are currently in repayment, you qualify for Disaster forbearance for up to three months. During Disaster forbearance, payments are temporarily postponed; however, interest still accrues during the forbearance period. You should contact Customer Service to request this forbearance.

If your loan(s) with GSM&R was past due prior to the disaster event, a one month forbearance may be applied to your account, along with an additional forbearance to cover any delinquency and to bring you up-to-date. Interest continues to accrue during times of forbearance, and may be capitalized (added to the principal balance of the loan) in certain circumstances. If desired, please contact Customer Service to request that the Disaster forbearance be extended for the full three months.

Documentation Extension

If you are living in an area impacted by disaster, and are currently due to send us documentation within a certain timeframe (for example, annual recertification for an Income-Driven Repayment plan), your deadline for providing the documentation will be extended by 15 days. If you provide this documentation by the extended deadline, GSM&R will consider it submitted on time.

Disaster Information Resources

Not sure if the impact to your area has been federally declared as a natural disaster? Visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) web site for further information. Please note: Although the FEMA web site lists numerous Federal disaster declarations annually, only the subset of disaster designated for “Individual Assistance” are eligible for the relief. Check back regularly for updates.

Longer Term Options

If after 3 months you still need reduced or postponed payments, there are many options available including Income-Driven Repayment, deferment or forbearance.

For Income-Driven Repayment Plans visit our Repayment Plans Comparison page for more information about the different repayment plans available.

For Deferment and Forbearance visit our Postpone Payments page for an explanation of the difference between the two options.

If you have any questions about disaster relief or other repayment options available, our friendly customer service team is ready to help, just contact us.