Sasha Chavkin
Sasha Chavkin was an intern at ProPublica. He has previously written for Mother Jones, the Nation, and Grist.
Education Department Adopts Crucial Reform for Disabled Borrowers
After our investigation and public pressure, the department has conducted a sweeping overhaul of its troubled disability review program.
Nov. 15, 2012, 10:19 a.m. EST
Education Department Revamps Broken Disability Review Program
Despite the changes to its student loan program to help borrowers who've become disabled, the government declined to include a key reform.
July 19, 2012, 12:17 p.m. EDT
Education Department Backs Away From Fix to Help Disabled Student Borrowers
The Education Department had promised to fundamentally overhaul its broken system for forgiving the loans of former students who've become disabled. Now the department says it can't and won't do it, leaving many disabled applicants stuck in debt.
Chief Offshore Drilling Regulator Criticizes Lack of Oversight for Contractors
The top U.S. regulator of offshore oil drilling said it made no sense that his agency is not conducting direct oversight of contractors who work on offshore oil rigs.
April 27, 2011, 3:45 p.m. EDT
Experts: Emergency Preparedness Cuts in Budget Deal Threaten U.S. Security
The budget deal being finalized by Congress includes significant cuts to federal grants for emergency first responders. Experts say the reductions could place the U.S. at risk during a major disaster.
April 14, 2011, 10:56 a.m. EDT
House Calls for Drastic Cuts in Hospital Preparedness Funding
The House of Representatives passed a budget measure that would cut the federal Hospital Preparedness Program by $185 million, a 44 percent reduction from last year's budget.
April 8, 2011, 2:39 p.m. EDT
U.S. Nuclear-Disaster Preparedness Hobbled by Uncertain Chain of Command
Emergency plans call for local officials to take charge first in a radiological disaster. How and when the federal government would step in isn't so clear.
April 8, 2011, 8:44 a.m. EDT
Congressman: U.S. May Not Be Prepared to Respond to Nuclear Disaster
March 16, 2011, 12:35 p.m. EDT
Disabled Former Cop in Student Loan Story Gets Her Debt Forgiven
March 2, 2011, 10:11 a.m. EST
Education Dept. Pledges to Overhaul Dysfunctional Disability Review Program
After a ProPublica investigation, the Education Department has promised to overhaul its broken system for forgiving the federal student loans of disabled borrowers.
The Reform for Disabled Borrowers That the Education Dept. Refuses to Adopt
The Education Department has resisted a basic reform to its troubled disability review that its own ombudsman has recommended since 2008 -- shut the program down entirely and rely on Social Security to decide who is eligible.
Disability Discharge Timeline and Documents: Calls for Reform and One Borrower's Struggle
Education Department Bureaucracy Keeps Disabled Borrowers in Debt
Borrowers who become severely disabled are entitled to get federal student loans forgiven. But the program for deciding whether they qualify is opaque, dysfunctional, and according to government reports, redundant.
Gulf Claims Chief Announces Payment Plan That Assumes Quick Recovery
Gulf spill paymaster Kenneth Feinberg today released a draft of his long-awaited methodology for deciding payments on final claims for damages from the BP oil spill – and has endorsed an optimistic prediction of how quickly the region's economy will recover that is likely to spark controversy among claimants.
Feb. 2, 2011, 3 p.m. EST
Gulf Claims Czar Makes Mixed Progress on Transparency Pledges
Gulf spill paymaster Kenneth Feinberg has made mixed progress in carrying out his transparency promises.
Jan. 11, 2011, 12:52 p.m. EST
Where Things Stand: Gulf Oil Spill Claims
One of the central pieces of BP's program to make amends after the Gulf oil spill disaster was a claims system to compensate individuals and businesses that lost money. Although nearly $3 billion has been paid out, there have been chronic delays that have caused frustration and serious economic hardship to claimants.
Dec. 28, 2010, 12:33 p.m. EST
Worked with disabled borrowers with student debt?
Executive Order Suspending Fracking Brings Little Change
Gov. David Paterson recently issued an executive order suspending the approval of certain types of gas drilling permits. But his action did little to change the status quo, because the DEC had already stopped issuing such permits.
Struggling to Pay Off Student Loans Because a Disability Prevents You From Working?
Gulf Spill Paymaster Acknowledges Transparency Problems and Outlines Fixes
Kenneth Feinberg said he recognized shortcomings in communicating with claimants and promised to give them more information going forward.