Episode
Helping Employees Lower Student Debt Burdens with Damon Thompson
- Podcast
- Good Morning, HR
- Published
- Apr 16, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2608
- Processing state
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Summary
In episode 248, Coffey talks with Damon Thompson about how student loan debt impacts employees and how employers can help reduce that burden through benefits programs and federal subsidies. They discuss the history and evolution of federal student loan programs before and after the Affordable Care Act; rising college costs and lack of borrowing caps driving massive student debt growth; financial stress and productivity loss caused by high monthly loan payments; how income-driven repayment and federal subsidy programs reduce employee loan obligations; employer-sponsored student loan repayment benefits under Section 127 tax advantages; complexities and low success rates navigating Department of Education programs independently; public service loan forgiveness eligibility and long-term debt elimination strategies; how personal circumstances influence repayment calculations beyond income alone; the role of third-party services in optimizing loan subsidies and compliance; and the connection between student debt, employee retention, and delayed life milestones. For HR teams who discuss this podcast in their team meetings, we've created a discussion starter PDF to help guide your conversation. Download it here https://goodmorninghr.com/EP248 Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks . For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com . If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com . About our Guest: After graduating from Austin College (Sherman Texas) in 1979 Damon immediately began…