VCOM Institutional Policy and Procedure Manual

VCOM Policies and Procedures

Policy #U003

• The employee missing the deadline for submitting the initial application; • The course(s) or degree program is deemed by Administration not to provide a significant impact or benefit to VCOM; and/or • The employee not complying with any part of the application process. Denial of a request for educational aid may be for any of the aforementioned reasons or for reasons that are unforeseen. Employees must have full approval to participate in the educational aid program prior to matriculating into the desired courses or degree program. Employees who embark on taking courses or starting a program without prior approval for educational aid will not be reimbursed for any classes taken that were not approved prior to matriculation. VCOM may not approve future requests for educational aid if the employee is not making satisfactory progress in prior course(s) for which VCOM has reimbursed the employee or in the employee’s program of study. The budget to fund educational aid requests is established each fiscal year and is limited. When the number of applicants exceeds the funds available in a budgeted year, only applications that are deemed to have significant value to VCOM’s mission will be funded.

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PROCESS FOR REIMBURSEMENT Tuition and required course-related fees from an accredited institution of higher education are eligible for reimbursement under this policy. All additional fees and costs beyond tuition and required course-related fees (e.g. books, supplies, and travel) are the responsibility of the employee. Employees may be eligible for reimbursement for up to one three-credit hour course per semester, not to exceed three courses or nine credit hours per academic year. Reimbursement rates are as follows: • Undergraduate courses: Up to $300 per credit hour • Graduate courses: Up to $500 per credit hour In the case of lower tuition or accelerated programs, additional courses to be reimbursed may be approved by the President. All reimbursements are contingent upon prior approval and available budget funds. If courses are taken outside of VCOM’s partner institutions, VCOM will generally only reimburse the lower of the tuition(s) for the courses when compared to the cost of the course of the partner institutions. Employees approved to participate in the Employee Educational Aid Program are responsible for paying all tuition and fees directly to the college or university by the institution’s payment deadline. After successfully completing the approved courses with a course grade of B- or higher, employees may then request reimbursement for tuition and required course-related fees. The reimbursement request must be submitted to the Director for Human Resources within 30 days of completion of each course.

VCOM Employee Educational Aid Program Policy and Procedures

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