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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 1981.05.07 - 15462Miscellaneous Resolution # 81171 May 7, 1981 BY: PERSONNEL COMMITTEE - John J. McDonald, Chairperson IN RE: SUBMISSION OF CHANGES IN MERIT SYSTEM RULE 20- TUITION REIMBURSEMENT TO THE OAKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Mr. Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS Section IV, Subsection A of the Merit System Resolution requires that all changes in the rules and regulations of the Merit System shall be submitted to the Board of Commissioners at a regular meeting of the Board and shall become effective thirty (30) days after such meeting unless objection is received in writing by the Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners, in which case the objection shall become a matter of business at the next meeting of the Board; and WHEREAS it has become desirable to make certain changes in the wording of Rule 20 - "Tuition Reimbursement" as spelled out in the attachments to this resolution including the current and proposed wording; and WHEREAS your Personnel Committee has reviewed and approved these changes at its meeting of April 29, 1981, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the reading of this notice and the distribution of this notice and the attached copies of current Rule 20 and proposed changes in Rule 20 to all Commissioners present and absent to be considered as the official submission to the Board of Commissioners of the described changes in Rule 20. Mr. Chairperson, on behalf of the Personnel Committee, I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE CURRENT WORDING RIME 20 TUITION REP-7,7,7SEMENT Section I COURSES FOR HICI-1. TUITION IS REIMB 1 SD A. Within the limitations listed below, tuition will be reimbursed to County employs for approved courses of schooling they have taken: 1. The employee must be eligible for fringe benefits under the provisions of Rule 22. 2. The tuition reimbursement must be 1 by the employee in wrio'og 0,1 :7C77:n7 by the Personnel Department. • 3. The tuition reimbursement request must be approved by the employee's Depa=ent Head. a. Such approval shall indicate how the course is related to the employee's present or pr - future County position. 4. The tuition reimbursement request must be received by the Personnel De---=,.....rrrnent no later than thirty days after the first meeting of the class. 5 The Personnel Department must approve the school and approve the MM.: as being relative to the employee's present or probable future County position. a. There shall be no tuition reimbursement made for law school courses. *b. There shall be no reimbursement under the Tuition Reirnbursermn t Progro.i.m for courses, seminars, conferences or other educational programs for employees possessing a Dr. of Philosophy, equivalent or higher advanced degree. Before payment will be made, the employee must submit written evidence from the school offering the course, that he/she: a. Has successfully completed the course. b. Has paid the tuition for that course. No County reimbursement will be made for tuition payments eir directly paid from or reimbursed from other sources such as scholarships, or veterans benefits (but not limited to these sources). 7. Tuition expense is all that will be reimbursed under this program. There will be no reimbursement for expenses such as books, transportation to and from schooi, meaLs, lty,lre.:ng, activity or other special fees. . . . . , — — *r.5ection I, A, 5, b, ade.J..i by Board of COITIID:,:ii0i;73 No. 7377, L"-ozember 4, 1:;7 5; ace fecft.e January 4, 1976. *"Subsection A, 6, amended by Bo,7rd of Corr olissio7iers ejo.:on No_ 61,23. arch 15, Ae 41 15, 7973. **6. (1) PROPOSED CHANGES D7 "1T -:IT SYSTEM RULE 20 RULE 20 - TUITION REIMBURSEMENT SECTION I PURPOSE A. Self Improvement The Tuition Reimbursement Program is a self-improvement opportunity for all employees eligible for County fringe benefits. Used effectively the program can be an important element in an employee's personal plan for career advance- ment or enrichment. B. Meeting County's Training Needs The Tuition Reimbursement Program is recognized as an important element in the upgrading of current employees to meet the County's need for qualified higher level personnel. SECTION II ADMINISTRATION A. Designated Administrative Authority The Tuition Reimbursement Program shall be administered by the Personnel Department in accord with the parameters described in this Rule. B. Guidelines and Directives The Personnel Department shall establish administrative guidelines and directives supplemental to this rule as may be necessary to ensure fair and equitable distribution of tuition reimbursements, to provide sufficient reserves to meet reimbursement commitments and to maintain the overall integrity of the Tuition Reimbursement Program_ SECTION III REIMBURSEMENT REQUIREMENTS A. Employee Eligibility 1. Employment Status Applicants must be employed with Oakland County at the • time of application for reimbursement and at the time the reimbursement check is to be issued. Reimbursements cannot be paid to persons not employed by the County at the time of payment. 2. Fringe Benefit Eligibility Applicants must be eligible for fringe benefits, in accord with Merit System Rule 22, at the time of appli- cation and at the time the reimbursement check is to be issued. (Employees on leave of absence without pay and employees working less than 520 hours in a year, for example, are not eligible for this benefit.) ,2- Le. 3. Other Sources Tuition Support - Fully Paid Employees shall not be reimbursed for course work fully covered by tuition payment support from other sources such as, but not limited to, scholarships, fellowships, veterans' educational benefits, Federal, State, local educational grant or any other form of tuition support. Caution: application for and/or acceptance of Oakland County Tuition Reimbursement for course work for which tuition costs are fully covered by other sources may be considered a misappropriation of County funds and cause for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from County employment. 4. Other Sources Tuition Support - Partial Payment Eligible applicants receiving a portion of the tuition costs requested from other sources but less than the maximum amount of reimbursement allowable under this Rule, are eligible for County reimbursement of the difference between the other sources payment and maximum reimbursement allowable under this Rule up to but not exceeding the total cost of tuition. B. Course Work Eligibility 1. Institutional Requirements Course work shall be limited to programs offered by universities, colleges and school systems only, certified by the Michigan Department of Education and accredited by the primary, nationally recognized accrediting association for each type of institution. The applicant shall provide documented evidence that his or her school meets this requirement on request of the Personnel Department. 2. Class Time No reimbursement will be allowedfor course work taken on work time for which the employee is being compensated by Oakland County. Course work taken while the employee is on paid annual leave may be reimbursable if in accord with other provisions of this rule. 3. Work Relatedness Course work shall be: a. Directly Related to Employee's Work Course work should be directly related to the applicant's present or probable future County employment. Probable future County employment shall be defined as a position or positions the employee is likely to be transferred or promoted to based on reasonable evidence in the applicant's employment history and/or County experience with employees in the same classification; or b. Degree Requirement Course work not directly related to the employee's present or probable future County employment but required for a degree which is related to present or probable future County employment shall qualify for reimbursement within 'the intent of this Rule. The applicant may be required to provide reasonable evidence that the non-related course work cannot be substituted by related course work to achieve the same degree. SECTION IV REIMBURSEMENT PROCEDURE A. Application Process Completion of the application form and meeting the application, receipt and grades filing deadlines is the sole responsibility of the applicant. 1. Filing Deadlines a. Application Filing Deadline Applications requesting tuition reimbursement must be filed prior to the starting date of class to confirm reimbursement. Applications will be accepted up to thirty (30) days beyond the starting date of class but under such circumstances reimbursements cannot be guaranteed. All applications submitted will be approved on a first come, first serve basis to the extent funding is available. You are urged to protect your investment by confirming reimbursement before your class starts and before you have conmdtted your own funds. b. Receipt/Grades Filing Deadline Grades and tuition receipts must be submitted to the Personnel Department no later than sixty (60) days after the last meeting date of the class as noted on the application for reimbursement except a grade of "I" or Incomplete will not be considered for any reimbursement until after a successful completion. Failure to meet this filing deadline shall result in disqualification for reimbursement. 2. Course Description Applicants shall submit with each application a full description of the course(s) for which reimbursement is requested. The published catalogue description or other official description provided by the educational institu- tion are required for this purpose. 3. Department Approval Each application for tuition reimbursement must be approved by the employee's Department Head as being relative to the applicant's present or probable future County employment or as otherwise provided in Section III, Subsection B. 3 of this Rule. 4- Applications not approved by the Department Head shall be returned to the employee by the Department Head prior to the starting date of the course or no later than five working days after the receipt of the application with a written explanation of why approval was not granted. 4. Personnel Department Approval Applications for reimbursement must be approved by the Personnel Department to assure that the application is complete and in accord with the provisions of this Rule, that an adequate course description has been provided and that sufficient funding is available to meet the reimburse- ment request. Applications approved by the Personnel Department will be acknowledged by forwarding to the employee a copy of the "Reimbursement Payment Authorization Form." Applications not approved by the Personnel Department shall be returned to the employee within ten (10) working days of receipt in Personnel with a written explanation of why the course work was not approved. 5. Notice of Change in Course Work Applicants changing classes after original approval must notify the Personnel Department. Changes from course work already approved may invalidate reimbursement approval if the substitute course work cannot be related to the employee's present or probable future County employment or as otherwise provided in Section III, Subsections B. 3, 4 and 5 of this Rule. Course work changes shall be treated as a new application and will require appropriate documentation for new applications as described earlier in this Rule. B. Course Work Documentation 1. Original Documents Only original reimbursement documents can be accepted by the Personnel Department. Original applications, tuition payment receipts and grades or other original proof of successful class completion must be submitted to the Personnel Department to complete a reimbursement transaction. Employees who wish original documents returned should forward the original documents along with a duplicate copy. Original documents will be returned only if they are accompanied by a legible duplicate copy. Course work documentation shall be maintained with the employee's reimbursement records. B. C. -5-- 2. Verification of Tuition Payment Applicants are required to submit proof of tuition payment. Institutional tuition payment receipts serve this purpose best although cancelled tuition payment checks are an acceptable substitute. Applicants may be required to verify that their tuition reimbursement request includes only tuition costs. Refer to Section VI, Subsection D. of this Rule for further explanation. 3. Verification of Successful Completion Applicants are required to submit proof of successful completion of course work before reimbursement payment can be authorized. Course withdrawals or failures are not reimbursable. Institutional grade reports serve this purpose best. A letter from the applicant's course teacher or instructor, on institutional letterhead, verifying successful completion, is an acceptable substitute. SECTION V REIMBURSEMENT LIMITATIONS A. Fund Limitations Reimbursement request approvals are contingent upon the availability of Tuition Reimbursement funds specifically budgeted for this purpose. Should funding become insufficient to meet reimbursement requests due to increased demand, budget cutbacks or for any other reason, reimbursements will be processed on a first come, first serve basis. Act 621 of the Public Acts of 1978, otherwise known as the Uniform Budgeting Act prohibits payment of reimbursements in excess of the funds specifically budgeted for this purpose. Course Work Limitations Tuition will be reimbursed for no more than two courses each semester, trimester or quarter. Reimbursement is based on the semester term and pro-rated for trimester and quarter terms as indicated later in this section. Term Definition Semester, trimester and quarter term programs are' defined for the purpose of this Rule as follows: NUMBER OF TERMS TERM LENGTH PER BUDGET YEAR Semester 15 weeks or longer 3 Trimester 11 weeks or longer 4 Quarter 7 weeks or longer 5 No reimbursement will be allowed for college or university course work shorter than 7 weeks in duration. e. SECTION VI -6- 0. Dollar Limitation Reimbursement shall be limited to the amounts indicated in the following schedule per semester, pro-rated for trimester or quarter terms as indicated. MAX. REIMBLTRSEHENT MAX. ANNUAL TERM - PER TERM REIMBURSEMENT Semester $400 $1,200 Trimester 300 1,200 Quarter 240 1,200 E. Exceptions 1. Adult/Continuing Education Employees enrolled in work related adult education or continuing education programs in an accredited school district in the County shall not be held to the seven (7) week requirement in Section V. B. of this Rule. Reimbursement in any case shall be limited to $1,200 per year. 2. Dollar Limitations Employees admitted to a degree program prior to October 1, 1977 shall not be subject to the limitations described in Section V, C. above, providing there has been continuous progression toward the degree. "Continuous Progression" means that degree program courses must be taken in each semester, trimester or quarter until the degree is achieved. 3. Employee Groups Provisions included in Section V, C., D. and E. 2 shall apply only to non-represented employees and to represented employees whose labor agreement provides for these changes. REIMBURSEMENT NOT ALLOWED A. Law School Courses There shall be no tuition reimbursement for law school classes. B. Seminars, Conferences, etc. There shall be no tuition reimbursement for seminars, conferences or other programs no I LI1 ally covered by a department's budgeted provisions for travel and confer-ace. C. Degree Limitations There shall be no tuition reimbursement for any course work, seminars, conferences or other educational programs from the Tuition Reimbursement fund for employees possessing a Dr. of Philosophy or equivalent advanced degree. -7- D. Costs other than Tuition Tuition costs only are reimbursable under this program. The applicant may be required to provide evidence that the following items are not covered by the reimbursement request, or a cost breakdown on items that are covered by tuition payment: 1. Books 2. Lab Fees 3. Enrollment Fees 4. Student Activity Fee 5. Material Fees 6. Non-resident Fees 7. Other Fees The cost of such items included under tuition payment shall be deducted from tuition reimbursement if not already excluded by the applicant in their reimbursement request. SECTION VII PREPAID TUITION Tuition may be prepaid directly to the educational institution under certain circumstances if the request meets the following requirements: A. Course work meets all the requirements of this Rule except for the prepayment of tuition and successful completion of the course work. B. The applicant is directed by Department Authority to enroll in the course. C. The Department Head shall request prepayment of tuition in writing, indicating why the course must be prepaid as opposed to following normal reimbursement procedures. Such request shall be made in advance of the registration date of the class. #81171 May 5, 1981 Moved by McDonald supported by Cagney the resolution be adopted. The Chairperson announced pursuant to the Merit System Rules the matter shall be laid over 30 days.