The HEROES Act expands the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to include volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency medical technicians as eligible for federal student loan forgiveness. Currently, the program only covers people employed full-time in qualifying public service jobs; this bill extends that benefit to volunteers who work for fire departments, ambulance services, healthcare facilities, or other public safety organizations without being directly employed by them. The Secretary of Education must establish regulations determining the minimum volunteer hours needed to qualify for the program and must work with firefighter and emergency responder organizations to develop rules for tracking and verifying volunteer service. The bill aims to help first responders who often carry significant student debt while serving their communities on a volunteer basis.
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