The first forgiveness of student loan balances under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program goes into effect for government employees this October.The program offers forgiveness for remaining balances due on William D. Ford federal direct loans after employees have made at least 120 loan payments after Oct. 1, 2007, while employed full-time by certain public service employers.“This program is intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue to work full time in public service jobs, including the military, in lieu of seeking higher-paying private sector jobs,” said Dawn Byrd, business process owner for education services policy at the Air Force Personnel Center.Loan forgiveness is available only for direct loans; however, loans made under other federal student loan programs may become eligible for the program if they are consolidated into a direct consolidation loan.Visit Federal Student Aid for eligibility requirements and for additional information.For more information about Air Force personnel programs, go to