Illinois Administrative Code › Title 80 - PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES › Part 303 - CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT › Subpart F - TUITION REIMBURSEMENT › Section 303.390 - Tuition Reimbursement

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a)
				Tuition reimbursement is intended to serve as a management tool for the
				development of employees and for the attainment of agency goals. It should be
				administered as a mechanism through which mutual advantages are gained by both
				the employee and the State. Tuition reimbursement is not an unconditional or
				unilateral employee right or benefit.
b) Each agency is responsible for providing
				budgetary funding for its tuition reimbursement program. The policy
				administered pursuant to these rules is not intended to alter, replace or
				diminish the content or use of Federal Grant in Aid, agency sponsored stipend
				or educational leave of absence programs. In administering this policy, other
				programs should be distinguished from tuition reimbursement programs and
				treated separately.
c) Policy
				Guidelines.
The following tuition reimbursement guidelines have been
				  developed so as to provide maximum flexibility and a framework within which a
				  decentralized, but uniform, policy can be administered. These guidelines do not
				  preclude agencies from imposing additional requirements or procedures with
				  regard to tuition reimbursement in response to unique training requirements or
				  budgetary restrictions.
1)
				Eligibility: Any full time employee is eligible for reimbursement
				consideration. Employees hired on a temporary or emergency basis are not
				eligible for consideration.
2)
				Tuition and Fees: Reimbursement will apply only toward tuition and lab fees.
				Additional costs such as for books, matriculation, activity and health fees
				will not be reimbursable expenses.
3) Reimbursement: Reimbursement is not to
				exceed 100% of tuition and lab costs at public institutions, and 80% at private
				institutions. Agencies may establish an annual dollar cap per employee,
				depending upon funds available for the program.
4) Satisfactory Course Completion:
				Reimbursement for an approved course is contingent upon the employee submitting
				evidence of satisfactory completion (e.g., at least a grade of "C") together
				with receipts documenting the amount of tuition moneys paid. Reimbursement will
				be accomplished by means of a standard invoice voucher. At no time shall
				tuition be paid or reimbursed prior to completion of the course.
5) Course Load: Course load should be
				mutually agreed upon by the employee and his or her supervisor and should not
				harm an employee's on-the-job effectiveness.
6) Course Scheduling: Education and/or career
				development work should be scheduled as an off-duty activity. When a desired
				course is not available as an off-duty activity, an employee may use vacation
				or personal time. An employee and his or her supervisor may also arrange a
				flexible work schedule, provided such a schedule does not adversely affect work
				loads in his or her unit of assignment.
7) Full Participation: Priority should be
				given to those courses in which full participation is required on a regular
				basis and where final grades are issued since such conditions provide a
				reasonable basis against which satisfactory completion can be measured. In
				those cases where facilities for full participation in classroom instruction
				are not available or where attendance creates undue hardship, an agency
				director may approve enrollment in V.A. approved correspondence
				courses.
8) Degree Program:
				Reimbursement may be approved for work-related courses which are taken to
				complete requirements for a grammar school certificate or high school diploma,
				and for courses that lead to the upgrading of skills for the performance of an
				employee's assigned work responsibilities. Reimbursement may also be approved
				for work-related courses toward completion of college or graduate level degree
				programs.
9) Enrollment: Applicants
				will be required to gain approval from their supervisors and agency director
				(or authorized representative) prior to course enrollment.
10) Aid From Other Source: In applying for
				tuition reimbursement, an employee will indicate whether (s)he is or is not
				receiving aid from other sources (such as the G.I. bill, Federal Grants,
				Scholarships, etc.). The fact that an employee is eligible for or receiving aid
				from another source does not render him or her ineligible for participation in
				the Tuition Reimbursement Program. However, tuition reimbursement should be
				made only toward the balance between the outside aid awarded and the remaining
				tuition due.
11) Exclusions:
				Reimbursement is not intended to apply to in-service training conducted within
				the agency, nor is it intended to apply to workshops, professional conferences,
				seminars, or other short term programs.