Chad Godfroy has saved every email from the U.S. Department of Education since submitting an application in 2015 to have his federal student loans cancelled. Despite the continued wait, Godfroy, 38, took comfort in knowing his payments would be postponed as long as his claim was under consideration.

He was elated to learn on Feb. 17, 2017, that the Education Department agreed to forgive the $33,000 he borrowed to pursue a criminal justice degree at the now-defunct Everest College in Wisconsin. In an email reviewed by the Washington Post, the agency assured Godfroy that his federal loans would be discharged within the n…