USA Funds Staff Profile: An Experienced, Patient Approach to Investigations

Patience and experience guide Robyn Garner as she investigates reports of invalid education loans. As a USA Funds^® investigations specialist, she receives reports of issues such as discrepancies in data, and allegations of forgery or false certification.

Garner follows up on issues brought to her attention by student-loan borrowers, the U.S. Department of Education and schools.
 
Garner has been in her current position since 1999 and has investigated thousands of cases, with 300-500 cases reported to her each year.

“Sometimes an investigation can be as quick as a phone call checking one issue,” Garner says. “Other times I have to gather evidence to come to the right conclusion.”

It’s that collecting of evidence that Garner says is the biggest challenge of her job — and that’s where the patience and experience come into play.

“I’ve seen the ins and outs of a variety of scenarios,” Garner says. “That helps in handling complaints and in knowing where to look for information.”

Prior to beginning her work as an investigations specialist, Garner worked in post-claim assistance for a decade. The central-Indiana native began her work with USA Funds in 1986, in claim review.

Garner and the rest of USA Funds’ four-member team of investigators get answers for borrowers and others who have questions about potentially invalid education loans. And by helping to uncover and guard against instances of fraud, the investigators also protect U.S. taxpayers.

“It’s satisfying when I can take a case from a report that something doesn’t look right, to finding the answers and completing that case,” she says.

When she’s not working, Garner — whose mother and 25-year-old son both live within blocks of her home — enjoys spending time with family, gardening and working around the house.