When a school loan is discharged in bankruptcy court, can the state come back after 8 years and garnish my check for payment of it?

I think you have a misunderstanding about student loan dischargeability and how Chapter 13 plans work. In 1999 student loans were only dischargeable if you proved, after a trial, that repaying the loan would constitute an undue hardship.  If you did not file an undue hardship lawsuit and have that adjudicated in your favor, then your student loan debt was not discharged.   That has nothing to do with whether and to what extent the student loan creditor(s) share in the distribution under your plan.  They are entitled to receive the same pro rata share as any other unsecured creditor in that payment class.  But if at the end of your Chapter 13 there is still a balance owing (i.e. you did a less than 100% plan), then you will still owe the student loan agency that amount and they can seek to collect on that after your bankruptcy case is closed. Mark Markus has been practicing exclusively bankruptcy law in California since 1991.  He is a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization,  AV-Rated by martindale.com, and A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau.