You have been garnished for several years and dont know what your balance is?? Sounds like you need to become a little proactive and maybe call and ask? Being in default, you are not entitled to statements but you should be calling a couple of times a year for a verbal balance or at even a balance letter.
Think it is time to change your attitude....telling people not to go to school is doing your friends and your son a total disservice. You need to be telling people and your son that if they are going to pursue post secondary education, they need to borrow wisely and not get themselves into the same mess you did. Your screen name....Nurse, I am assuming that you are a nurse, thus you needed an education, right? Without that education,what would you be doing? Slinging hash at the local diner??
How much do you both owe now?? Find out exactly from the CA. The CA might have been assigning you too high a payments to qualify for rehab. Plus with additional payments, and I would assume tax seizures, you might be able qualify for a rehab that is a little bit more affordable now.