Career Development

�� Corporation Career Development
Education Reimbursement Program

PURPOSE

�� Corporation's Career Development Education Reimbursement Program assists employees who aspire to higher levels of skills and professional competencies. Educational reimbursement may be used for successful completion of accredited courses leading to an undergraduate or graduate degree that supports the mission of �� Corporation. The �� Corporation Executive Director (or designee) has the sole discretion to determine whether a course relates to an employee’s current position and whether that course meets the guidelines of the Career Development Education Reimbursement Program.

Education reimbursements for career development may or may not be taxable depending upon current IRS regulations. Please consult with a tax advisor or the IRS publications for further information.

POLICY

Educational fee reimbursements, based upon availability of funds, will be made accessible to all Regular employees who have completed at least one year of service. Eligible employees are required to submit for approval an Application for Education Reimbursement prior to enrollment. To maintain eligibility, employees must remain on active payroll (regular employment) and be performing their job satisfactorily throughout the completion of each course.

This program provides support to employees who take courses at any accredited institution of higher education. Upon demonstration of successful completion of courses taken, �� Corporation will reimburse the employee's semester/quarter tuition costs or fees up to $3,200.00 per calendar year (prorated for all Regular employees not working full time or less than 40 hours per week).

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Career Development Courses are those required towards a Degree Program. Majors should be selected that directly relate to the duties and responsibilities of a position within �� Corporation. While education is expected to enhance employee’s performance and professional abilities, �� Corporation cannot guarantee that participation in formal education will entitle the employee to continued support, automatic advancement, a different job assignment, and/or pay increases.
Reimbursement of up to $3,200.00 per calendar year for grade "B" or better may be approved. Upon successful completion of the course the employee will receive allotted reimbursement. No reimbursement is available for a grade lower than “B”.
Eligible expenses for educational reimbursement are tuition and enrollment fees. Transportation expense, parking fees, books, lab fees and other related expenses are NOT covered.
Employees should be encouraged to take classes on their own time. However, for courses taken for fee reimbursement at Cal State University San Marcos, employees may request approval to attend a maximum of one class per semester during their regular work hours, provided such attendance does not interrupt or interfere with the operations of the employee’s department. Classes taken at other institutions must be on the employee’s own time. If a course is offered only during an employee’s normal work hours, the employee must obtain prior written approval from his/her supervisor to alter his/her work schedule.
�� Corporation invests in higher education with the expectation that the investment be returned through enhanced job performance. However, if an employee voluntarily separates from �� Corporation's employment within six months of course completion, the employee may be required to repay the entire amount, at the discretion of the Executive Director. As a condition of accepting educational fee reimbursement, you must agree in writing to repay �� Corporation if necessary. If you voluntarily leave prior to completion of an approved course, you will not be reimbursed for the course.

PROCEDURE

Application forms are available on �� Corporation's website or can be obtained from the �� Corporation (Corporation) Human Resources office. The application procedure is as follows:
Employee submits an Application for Education Reimbursement to their supervisor prior to taking the course. Along with the Application, include information justifying the course’s or class’s support of position and/or career goals. The employee’s supervisor, in consultation with Corporation Human Resources, shall make the determination of the degree to which the course relates to the job and make the appropriate recommendations. If there is a time off requested for one class, this must be approved by the project director prior to submitting the application.
Forward the Application to the Corporation Human Resources office, hrcorp@csusm.edu.
Once the application process is complete, Corporation Human Resources will return a copy of the approved/denied Application to the Employee.
Within 30 days of receiving the grade for the course, the employee must submit to Corporation Human Resources, hrcorp@csusm.edu, proof of payment (an enrollment form showing fees paid, invoice from educational institution, copy of cancelled check or other proof of payment) and grade for each class covered under the application for reimbursement.
The is completed via the Workflow Selector, with the proof of payment and approved Tuition Reimbursement application attached. At the bottom of the approved application, there is a place to submit the date the application has been forwarded to Accounts Payable – Corporation Human Resources approval should be added there. �� Corporation will only reimburse for fees at Cal State University San Marcos or fees incurred at other institutions not to exceed $3,200 per calendar year (prorated for Regular employees not working full time or less than 40 hours per week).

Revised 2022, February

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