Credit counseling Another major change to the law enacted by BAPCPA deals with eligibility. §109(h) provides that a debtor will no longer be eligible to file under either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 unless within 180 days prior to filing, the debtor received an "individual or group briefing" from a nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency approved by the United States trustee or bankruptcy administrator. The new legislation also requires that all individual debtors in either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 complete an "instructional course concerning personal financial management." If a Chapter 7 debtor does not complete the course, this constitutes grounds for denial of discharge pursuant to new §727(a)(11). The financial management program is experimental and the effectiveness of the program is to be studied for 18 months. Theoretically, if the educational courses prove to be ineffective, the requirement may disappear.
Credit counseling Another major change to the law enacted by BAPCPA deals with eligibility. §109(h) provides that a debtor will no longer ?be: eligible to fil,e under either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 unless within 180 days prior to filing, the debtor received an "individual or group briefing" from a nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency approved by the United States trustee or bankruptcy administrator. The new legislation also requires that all individual debtors in either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 complete an "instructional course concerning personal financial management." If a Chapter 7 debtor does not complete the course, this constitutes grounds for denial of discharge pursuant to new §727(a)(11). The financial management program is experimental and the effectiveness of the program is to be studied for 18 months. Theoretically, if the educational courses prove to be ineffective, the requirement may disappear.