NEW YORK —New York State has renewed, for the fifth time, an order to halt collection of medical and student debt owed to the state of New York that has been specifically referred to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for collection.
In response to continuing financial impairments resulting from the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Attorney General Letitia James renewed orders again from this coming Sunday, through Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. After this period, James will reassess the needs of state residents for another possible extension. Additionally, the OAG will accept applications for suspension of all other types of debt owed to the state of New York and referred to the OAG for collection.
“Too many New Yorkers are still enduring the financial hardships of this pandemic,” said James. “We have the power to help tens of thousands of New Yorkers who are struggling to make ends meet, which is why we are again suspending the collection of state student and medical debt referred to my office. As we continue our work to stop the spread of this virus, we must also work to rebuild our economy and help New Yorkers get back on their feet, and that starts with ensuring our state’s residents are not unnecessarily burdened with additional debt payments at this time.”
Since COVID-19 began to spread rapidly across the country in mid-March, tens of millions of residents across the nation have filed for unemployment, including more than 3.4 million in New York state alone, James said.
Leave a Reply