New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Friday, Sept. 4 that the State will renew, for the sixth time, an order to halt, for an additional 30-day period, the collection of medical and student debt that has been specifically referred to her office for collection.

James will renew the order first made in March, and renewed in April, in May, in June, in July, and in August to ease the financial burdens for many workers and families by halting the collection of medical and student debt owed to the State of New York, and referred to the OAG for collection through October 4, 2020.

The decision was made in response to the continuing financial difficulties faced by residents as a result of the economic fall out from the coronavirus pandemic. On Oct. 6, the OAG 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.

“Although New York has made tremendous strides in curbing the coronavirus, too many New Yorkers are still suffering from the financial impact of this pandemic,” said James. “By again renewing the suspension of state student and medical debt collection referred to my office, we are helping to ease the burden faced by so many individuals and families across our state. I will continue to do everything in my power to protect the safety and financial wellbeing of New Yorkers, as we continue to recover and rebuild from the economic fallout of this crisis.”

Millions of New Yorkers, like Americans across the nation, have been impacted, directly or indirectly, by the spread of COVID-19, forcing them to forgo income and business. 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 nearly 3.6 million in New York state alone.

The OAG collects certain debts owed to the State of New York via settlements and lawsuits brought on behalf of the State and State agencies. A total of more than 165,000 matters currently fit the criteria for a suspension of state debt collection, including, but not limited to:

• Patients that owe medical debt due to the five state hospitals and the five state veterans’ homes;
• Students that owe student debt due to State University of New York (SUNY) campuses; and
• Individual debtors, sole-proprietors, small business owners, and certain homeowners that owe debt relating to oil spill clean-up and removal costs, property damage, and breach of contract, as well as other fees owed to state agencies.

The temporary policy has also automatically suspended the accrual of interest, and the collection of fees on all outstanding state medical and student debt referred to the OAG for collection, so New Yorkers are not penalized for taking advantage of this program.

New Yorkers with non-medical or non-student debt owed to the State of New York, and referred to the OAG, may also apply to temporarily halt the collection of State debt. Individuals seeking to apply for this temporary relief can fill out an application online or visit the OAG’s coronavirus website to learn more about the suspension of payments. If an individual is unable to fill out the online form, they can also call the OAG hotline at 800-771-7755 to learn more.

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