<prompt> Human: My wife is almost 1 year into a very tough battle with a very aggressive and dangerous brain cancer. We are both in our early 20s and due to her recent hospital stays and treatments across the country, we are living with family, unemployed, and trying to finish school ASAP. I have 3 semesters left and she will graduate in April as she finishes her last semester of coursework online when she is feeling good. I have made it this far into school with 0 loans, but she has 19k total in Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. We are currently also trying to raise our 7 month old daughter.I have heard that when my wife passes, her loans pass with her. When she graduates in April, the clock will begin ticking on paying back that money, but is it worth it? We have very very limited finances now and survive mostly on my Pell Grant money and generous donations from fundraisers right after she became sick. How exactly would our family finances be effected for the short and long term if we are unablechoose not to make the payments??TL;DR- My wife will likely pass away shortly from cancer. She has 19k in student loans. How would not paying off the loans while she is still alive effect the financial future of myself and my daughter?Assistant: Im sorry to hear about this truly difficult situation for your family. To answer your question concisely, apply for a medical forbearance for her loans. When she graduates in April she should enter a grace period before her loans are due. Once that grace period ends usually 3-6 months the loan payments will be due. Before that is when you want to apply for the medical forbearance. Poor health, financial hardship and unusual life circumstances are all qualifying reasons for a forbearance. Human: How do I go about applying for a forbearance? How long would it last?  <response>: Talk to the companies that own the loan about it. There is no charge for applying for federal forbearance according to this:edit: not that this: 