If you get behind on making your student loan payments, the amount of money you owe keeps increasing. The debt does not go away if you ignore it. The federal government can get the money back by taking tax refunds or garnishing a portion of your income, even Social Security income. See our fact sheet Student Loan Problems.
If you have a disability and will never be able to earn enough money to pay back the loan amount, you may qualify for a Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge. In some cases, Federal Loans are discharged automatically. In other cases, you must apply for a TPD discharge.