When you read Pub 970 (https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-970), did you see the paragraph that says:
"Paid with borrowed funds. You can claim an American opportunity credit for qualified education expenses paid with the proceeds of a loan. Use the expenses to figure the American opportunity credit for the year in which the expenses are paid, not the year in which the loan is repaid. Treat loan payments sent directly to the educational institution as paid on the date the institution credits the student's account."

When you read the instructions to Form 8863 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8863.pdf), did you see the sentence that says:
"It doesn't matter whether the expenses were paid in cash, by check, by credit or debit card, or with borrowed funds."

Both of those sources include information on when a credit is recaptured; loan forgiveness is not a consideration.

The normal rules for debt forgiveness apply. See https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/college-and-education/can-debt-forgiveness-cause-a-student-loan... particularly the sentence "If you die or become permanently disabled, neither you nor your estate will be hit with a tax bill for forgiven debt under federal student loan programs."

The standard for student loan forgiveness for disability is "total and permanent disability." See also https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/disability-discharge . Whether you claimed an education credit is not part of the process.