1 Approved:
City of Riverside, California
Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual
_________________________
Human Resources Director
_________________________
City Manager
Number: IV-3 Effective Date:________
08/20/202402/2018
SUBJECT: EDUCATION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
PURPOSE:
To support a learning culture employee career development, engagement and retention by encouraging City employees of the City to pursue educational courses, certifications, certificates, licenses and other training programs which will increase their job proficiency, prepare them for promotional opportunities within the City, and improve the overall level of service provided by the City in furtherance of the City’s strategic goals and initiatives.
POLICY:
The Human Resources Director or his/her designee is authorized, subject to the availability of funds, to provide training and educational assistance to City employees.
This program is contingent upon the annual appropriation of funds and is subject to change at any time. The Education Reimbursement Program reimburses employees, who meet minimum eligibility requirements, for the cost of tuition, registration, books, and course and/or exam fees (See Request for Reimbursement section below) course fees after successful completion of an individual course, exam, or program.
When an employee is required by the department to attend obtain a license or attend a course or program as a requirement of their job, the expense shall be the responsibility of the respective department and employee. Such a course or program will not be eligible for the Education Reimbursement Program.
As a general rule, ttime spent on approved educational courses should be completed on the employee’s own time, outside of scheduled working hours and shall not be considered as time worked for the City.
Employees are responsible for any income tax liability that may incur under this program.
Number: IV-3 Effective Date: 07/2208/20/2024
2 1. Employee Eligibility Requirement - To be eligible for the Education Reimbursement Program, an employee must:
a. B e a regular full or part-time benefitted employee with the City of Riverside at the time of application, and at the time of request for reimbursement, and at the time of reimbursement;
b. Be an employee in good standing, which means the employee has not Not received an overall rating of Unsatisfactory (2 or below) on a Performance Appraisal within the last twelve months.; and
c.a. Not combine and/or receive educational benefits (i.e. grants or scholarships) under another state or public program, such as the G.I. Bill, for the same course or program.
2. School/Course Eligibility Requirements - To qualify for reimbursement, the course, license, exam or program must be related to the employee’s current or future position within the City of Riverside and also meet one of the following criteria:
a. A course in a degree program offered at an accredited institution; or b. A course or exam that leads to a certificate or prepares the employee for a professional credential , or designation or license by from an accredited institution, professional society, or private certificate granting agency o r licensing board; or.
b. If the employee is receiving educational benefits Not combine and/or receive educational benefits (i.e. grants or scholarships) under another state or public program, such as the G.I. Bill, for the same course or program, the City will reimburse the difference in cost, after the Grant or scholarship has been applied up to the maximum reimbursable amount.
Likewise, if an employee is receiving a student loan to help pay for their education, the City will reimburse the difference in cost up to the maximum reimbursable amount. For example, if a course costs $1,000 and the employee is receiving a $500 scholarship, the remaining $500 shall be the amount eligible for the Education Reimbursement Program.
Course Drop, Cancellation, Extension or Non -Registration – If an employee is approved for reimbursement and subsequently does not register, does not complete the course, or drops the course, the employee will not be eligible to receive reimbursement for that course, and must notify Human Resources within 30 days of their change in registration status. Employees who were approved for reimbursement but do not move forward with the course may not use the allocated funds for another course – they must go through the pre- approval process again for the new course in order to be eligible for a reimbursement.
Course Extensions
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Number: IV-3 Effective Date: 07/2208/20/2024
3 If the educational institution offers the ability to extend the completion date of the course, and a fee is charged, the extension fee will not be eligible for reimbursement.
Conferences
Conference attendance is not reimbursable under the Education Reimbursement Program.
Equipment
Laptops, computers, and other special equipment are not eligible for reimbursement under this program.
c.
3. Request for Approval and Reimbursement
3.4. Request for Approval: a- An employee must request pre- approval by completing and submit ting t he Education Reimbursement Application Form to the Human Resources Department. To be eligible, the application must be received by Human Resources no later than 3 business days prior to the beginning of a course or exam. prior to the beginning of a course. Requests submitted after a course has begun will will not be approved. not be processed.
Requests are on a first-come-first-served basis and shall be reviewed in the order in which they are received. In the event of insufficient If Program funds budgeted funds,have been exhausted for the fiscal year, applications shall be placed on a waiting list in order of receipt and are subject to final approval based upon availability of funds , unless covered by a collective bargaining agreement which provides for alter nate terms. , subject to final approval upon the availability of budgeted funds. The waiting list will be maintained for the current fiscal year and shall terminate at the end of each fiscal year. Only courses that reimbursement requests that receive final approval shall be reimbursed. In no event will a course be reimbursed if there are insufficient funds.
The Education Reimbursement will be applied to the fiscal year in which the employee is reimbursed. An employee may apply for reimbursement for multiple courses within a fiscal year, but the total eligible reimbursement will not exceed the annual limit for reimbursement for any fiscal year.
5. Request for Reimbursement - Reimbursement under this program is subject to City Manager authority and availability of funds, and the reimbursement amounts will be determined and posted at the start of each fiscal year. Employees covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (MOU) shall be subject to reimbursement amounts in accordance with the terms of their MOU. will not exceed $1,000 per Formatted: U nderline
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Number: IV-3 Effective Date: 07/2208/20/2024
4 course or program inclusive of all qualified expenses per fiscal year ($1,500 for RPO Supervisory Unit and RPAA Management).
4. Reimbursable Covered costs include registration / , tuition, institution required fees, mandatory books and lab fees and exam fees . Costs that are not covered include Special special fees, optional student service fees, food/meals, parking and mileage/ transportation, subscription fees, professional memberships, license fees, and equipment / computers. are not eligible for reimbursement.
To receive reimbursement, employees must:
a. Oobtain a final course grade of “C” grade or better, or “pass” if the course is graded on a pass/fail basis . For Certificate s, Certifications , License s, Professional Designations or other programs which do not provide a course grade, an employee must provide a copy of their Completion Certificate, License or Professional Designation, or a copy of the notice that they passed the exam as proof of satisfactory completion.
b. I n order to receive reimbursement, an employee must Ss ubmit an Education Reimbursement Request for Payment Form and include:
i. with rRegistration confirmation,
ii. Itemized paid registration invoice, including proof of any grants or student loans applied to the tuition or registration fees.
iii. Vverification of grades or satisfactory completion, and iv. Ii temized receipts for all applicable expenditures
The Education Reimbursement Program Request for Payment Form needs to be submitted to the Human Resources Director or his/her designee withinDepartment within 30 days of course completion or the reimbursement request may be denied..
In the event that an employee loses their employment status with the City for reasons other than layoff, and has an approved application on file, he/shethe employee will not be eligible to submit a request for reimbursement.
Attachments:
1. Certificate Education Program Pre-Approval Form
2. Degreed Program Pre-Approval Form
3.2. Certificate Program Request for PaymentReimbursement Form
4. Degreed Program Request for Payment
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