Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps (AFJAGC) Student Loan Repayment Program (JA-SLRP) is a special incentive that may be offered to highly qualified officers serving in the AFJAGC who demonstrate a high caliber of professionalism and leadership experience.  Under the SLRP, the Air Force will repay part (maximum $65,000) of a service member's qualifying student debt. JA-SLRP is not an entitlement and is contingent on funding and on The Judge Advocate General's approval.

Judge Advocates must meet the following requirements for each completed year of AFJAGC service.

• Active duty Air Force officer

• Qualified, designated, and serving as a judge advocate (defined in Title 10 U.S. Code Section 801, Section 8067)

• Serving in an initial AFJAGC active duty service commitment of at least four years

• Not eligible for Judge Advocate Continuation Pay or other bonus during the qualifying year of service, regardless of whether the bonus is applied for or not

• Have a qualifying loan (details in Benefits Highlights)

• Maintain highest levels of ethical, professional and personal conduct and legal proficiency

• Not in any of the categories of restriction described in DAFI 51-101.

Judge Advocates become eligible for JA-SLRP after completing their first, second, and third years in AFJAGC. Judge Advocates who are awarded JA-SLRP will continue to serve in the AFJAGC for at least four years, while loan payments are made for three years, beginning at the end of the first year of service.

Eligible judge advocates may not receive more than $65,000.00 in total loan repayments. Payments will not exceed $21,666.67 for each of the first and second years of AFJAGC service and $21,666.66 for the third year of AFJAGC service. JA-SLRP payments are limited to 33 1/3% of a loan’s outstanding unpaid principal or $1,500.00, whichever is greater, for each completed year of service, unless the unpaid principal balance is less than $1,500.00. In that case, a JA-SLRP payment cannot exceed that loan’s remaining unpaid principal balance.

Payments are made directly to the judge advocate’s educational loan lender or holder. JA-SLRP payments are subject to federal and state income taxes in the year they are made to the lender. A percentage of each loan payment will be withheld as federal income taxes, reducing the amount paid to the lender. The full amount of the payment, however, counts toward the maximum program and statutory limitations.

Interest on the remainder of the educational loan is subject to accrual as specified by the lender after each payment is applied. For each year of service that a judge advocate accepts JA-SLRP, that year of service does not count as qualifying active duty service for Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility. Each completed year of service refers to a judge advocate’s first, second, and third years of AFJAGC service.

Eligible loans:

• Existing loans: These are loans in existence on the date a judge advocate enters extended active duty (for direct appointees and ROTC graduates), the date designated as a judge advocate (for the Excess Leave Program), or the effective transfer date (for eligible intraservice and interservice transfers).
• Any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under Part B, Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq)
• Any loan made under Part D, the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (20 USC § 1087a, et seq)
• Any loan made under Part E the Federal Perkins Loans (20 USC § 1087aa, et seq)
• Any loan incurred for educational purposes made by a lender that is:
  • An agency or instrumentality of a State
  • A financial or credit institution (including an insurance company) that is subject to examination and supervision by an agency of the United States or any State
  • A pension fund approved by the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for the purposes of this program
  • A non-profit private entity designated by a State, regulated by such State, and approved by the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for the purposes of this program.
• Consolidation Loans: Eligible loans that are consolidated or restructured after the eligibility dates may also be eligible for JA-SLRP. Only the eligible judge advocate’s educational loans qualify for repayment under JA-SLRP. If a judge advocate consolidated, or consolidates, their educational loan(s) with another person’s (e.g., a spouse’s) educational loan(s), only the eligible judge advocate’s portion of the resulting consolidated loan qualifies for repayment under JA-SLRP. The eligible judge advocate must provide documentation that clearly establishes what part of the remaining unpaid principal is attributable to the judge advocate’s educational loans.

Loans must be in good standing. Judge advocates may defer or forbear loan payments, as long as the loan remains in good standing with the lender.

Eligibility for JA-SLRP does not relieve judge advocates from continuing to satisfy their loan obligations.

Participation in JA-SLRP does not result in an additional Active Duty Service Commitment; however, judge advocates who separate prior to completing their initial four years may not be entitled to JA-SLRP.

Exception to Policy:

Judge Advocates who failed to submit an application for payment or who were denied payment by the AFJAGC can request an exception to this policy and request to participate in SLRP during the following year(s) unless the failure to submit the application or the denial of payment occurs in year three of the SLRP program (the last year of eligibility).

An exception to policy request must be submitted in writing and addressed to the AF/JAX Director at least 45 days prior to the following year’s eligibility window. Be sure to include the concurrence of all levels of the judge advocate’s functional chain of command.

Air Force Specialty Careers: Judge Advocate General
https://www.airforce.com/careers/specialty-careers/jag

Department of Air Force Instruction 51-101, The Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps (AFJAGC) Operations, Accessions, and Professional Development
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_ja/publication/dafi51-101/dafi51-101.pdf

Air Force Recruiting
https://www.airforce.com/