POLICY AND PROCEDURE

POLICY TITLE: Education Assistance

RECOMMENDED BY: Director, Human Resources EFFECTIVE DATE: 4/20/05

SCOPE OF APPLICATION: Eligible employees SUPERSEDES: na

SECTION: Human Resources-Benefits POLICY NUMBER: HR-1003

SIGNATUREDATETITLE

APPROVED BY:

APPROVED BY:

APPROVED BY:

PURPOSE: The objective of this policy is to offer a benefit to employees who wish to further their education by enhancing their current skills as well as improving their opportunity for growth at The South Bend Clinic.

POLICY: The amount allocated each year for the education assistance benefit will be subject to the approval of the annual budget. Therefore, employees will be treated on a first come, first serve basis with the understanding that there is a possibility that no reimbursement may be granted once the dollar amount allocated for the year has been depleted.

The South Bend Clinic will reimburse eligible employees 50% of eligible and approved education expenses to a total maximum of $1000 per calendar year limited to $500 per course maximum according to the following criteria and definitions:

  • Employees in a position classified as working a minimum of 20 hours per week or 40 hours per payperiod are eligible for education assistance. Employees must maintain an eligible status during their course to be eligible for and receive reimbursement.
  • Employees with a $1000 CEU benefit as part of their employment package or position’s benefits are excluded from receiving reimbursement from the Education Assistance benefit. Employed physicians are also excluded.
  • Employees are eligible to apply for reimbursement of courses taken after completing their one (1) year employment anniversary. Employees must be actively employed during this one (1) year period. A leave of absence of four (4) weeks or more during the employee’s first year will not be included in satisfying the one (1) year waiting period and therefore extends the waiting period by the leave of absence period.
  • Eligible expenses include tuition, course fees and fees associated with the course such as lab fees, registration fees, books, etc. Parking fees, student activity fees, etc., are excluded.
  • To be reimbursable, courses must be related to the scope of services offered at The South Bend Clinic. Specifically, courses should be related to the employee’s current position; enhance current skill; provide training for potential work assignments or deemed appropriate for satisfying department and/or organizational needs.

Courses that may qualify for reimbursement:

Courses offered through an accredited educational institution that are not part of a degree related program but meet the criteria listed above;

Courses offered through a credible professional society that meet the criteria listed above. Annual meetings, seminars, and conferences of professional societies are excluded from this policy and may be covered as a seminar/conference expense in departmental budgets as approved by managers.

Undergraduate or graduate courses offered through an accredited educational institution that are part of an approved degree related program in which the employee is enrolled;

Courses offered on-line which meet the criteria listed.

  • Reimbursable courses may include but are not limited to courses related to: nursing, medical assisting, lab, radiology, cardiology diagnostics, audiology, ophthalmology, dietary and diabetic services, pharmacy, transcription, business office functions, accounting, information services, maintenance, human resources and management related courses.
  • Employees must receive a minimum grade of “B”, “pass” or “satisfactory” for a course to be reimbursed.
  • The Clinic will reimburse employees receiving financial aid from other sources, such as scholarships, grants, military benefits, etc. at 50% only after those sources have been applied to the education expenses. For example, if an employee has an expense of $750 and a grant of $500 by an outside source, the Clinic will reimburse the employee the $125 (50% of $250). If an employee’s expenses are entirely paid by outside sources then there is no reimbursement available from the Clinic.
  • Employees are expected to attend courses outside of their normal work hours. Any change in an employee’s work hours to attend a course is at the manager’s discretion. The employee must take PTO for hours missed according to the PTO policy unless the manager allows the employee to make-up the missed time during the week or payperiod.
  • Employees must be actively employed at the time reimbursement is requested. If on a non-FMLA leave, the employee must return to work before receiving reimbursement.
  • Fees associated with licenses (test, renewal fees, etc.) for positions are excluded from reimbursement and are the responsibility of the employee.
  • Certifications:

Employees may use a maximum of $250 of the Education Assistance benefit for certification courses and/or tests to receive certification related to the employee’s current position if deemed by the supervisor as beneficial to the department. CPR and ACLS related courses are excluded from reimbursement with the exception of the Code Blue team.

If certification is required by the Clinic, the certification cost will not be deducted from the Education Assistance benefit but paid by the Clinic on behalf of the employee. Required certifications may include Dietitian, Diabetic Educator, Chemotherapy, Research Coordinator, TB, and CPR certification for Code Blue teams.

  • For LPNs and Medical Assistants: If as a result of offering the Education Assistance policy an LPN becomes an RN or a Medical Assistant becomes an LPN or RN, the employee will generally receive the pay increase associated with the new license/degree unless extenuating circumstances exist. This will be at the discretion of the manager and the Director of Human Resources. However, the Clinic does not guarantee employment for an employee who receives a higher level of education required or needed for their current position.
  • Misrepresentation of information or documentation required for this benefit is subject to corrective action including discharge.
  • Administration reserves the right to implement this policy, as it deems appropriate and to discontinue without notice.

PROCEDURE:

  1. Submission of Application. An employee must submit a completed Application for Education Assistance including course information to his/her manager a minimum of four (4) weeks before the date the course begins to be considered for reimbursement. Late applications will not be accepted. Employee must complete one application per each course.
  2. Pre-Approval of the Application. The purpose of the pre-approval step is to provide advance communication to the employee of the initial intent of the Clinic to reimburse them for the requested course. However, it does not guarantee reimbursement nor is it an authorization for reimbursement until the employee meets the criteria required after the course is completed. Employees are expected to provide any course information, including type of course and fees as well as financial aid that has been applied for or received. The manager and Human Resources will discuss the relevance of the course to the employee’s position and/or organization and determine if the application satisfies the pre-approval step of the procedure. If approved, the manager and Human Resources will indicate pre-approval by signing the Application for Education Assistance and returning a copy to the employee. If pre-approval is not granted, an explanation will be provided on the form and a copy returned to the employee.
  3. Evidence of satisfactory completion. Upon completing the pre-approved course, the employee is required to submit to their manager their course grade and an account statement indicating the course expenses as well as the financial aid applied to the account. The manager will provide this information to Human Resources after reviewing and recommending payment.
  4. Authorization and payment. Human Resources will review the submitted documents, authorize payment (if warranted) and send documentation with a copy of the Application for Education Assistance to Accounting for reimbursement through an Accounts Payable check. The Application for Education Assistance and documentation will be retained in the Benefits section of the employee’s file in Human Resources.

FORMS:

Application for Education Assistance