Tuition Assistance
To support our commitment to the personal and professional growth of our employees, Shields Health may provide reimbursement for graduate, undergraduate, adult education and advanced certification courses related to one’s career path provided that the requirements of this policy are satisfied.
Section 1. Eligibility
$5,000 All regular employees, working 40 hours per week and who have completed a minimum of six months of service, are eligible to participate in the tuition assistance program. Eligible employees must be in good standing with the company at the time of their request for tuition reimbursement and must be on active status. All requests must be approved by the employee’s manager. Employees who voluntarily reduce hours to below 40 hours per week during the time between course approval and course completion will not be eligible for the $5,000 reimbursement.
$2,500 Regular employees, working 24-39 hours per week and who have completed a minimum of six months of service, are eligible to participate in the tuition assistance program, if the employee is enrolled in a MRI Technologist, Nuclear Medicine/PET Technologist, X-Ray Technologist, Surgical Technologist or Registered Nurse program. Eligible employees must be in good standing with the company at the time of their request for tuition reimbursement and must be on active status. All requests must be approved by the employee’s manager. Employees who voluntarily reduce hours to below 24 hours per week during the time between course approval and course completion will not be eligible for reimbursement.
Section 2. Course Guidelines
Shields will reimburse all eligible employees up to 100% of tuition costs, total reimbursement not to exceed $5,000 per calendar year, that meet all of the following criteria:
- Course is related to the employee’s current job, a future job at Shields, or is part of a job related degree or certificate program.
- The course is approved by the employee’s manager
- Course is taught by an accredited educational institution. Accreditation must be recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Certain exceptions for certification programs conducted by professional organizations may apply. Contact Human Resources with the details of such programs for approval.
- Employee received a grade of at least a B- or Passing (in pass/fail courses). If a grade less than B- (or a pass/fail course) is achieved, the employee is responsible for the cost of the course.
Section 3. Additional Eligible Expenses
In addition to the cost of tuition for the course, the following related expenses are also eligible for reimbursement.
- Lab fees
- Other required school fees, not including books, activity fees, library fees, student union fees and parking.
Section 4. Reimbursement Process
The reimbursement will be paid upon completion of the course provided that the grade requirements outlined above are achieved. Employee must complete the Tuition Assistance Approval Form prior to the start of the course and submit it to Human Resources with all necessary documentation and signatures. Upon successful completion of the course the employee must complete the Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Form and submit to HR.
Reimbursements will be made as soon as possible and after all necessary forms and all necessary documentation are received by HR.
All forms can be found on the Human Resources section of the Intranet. Completed reimbursement forms must be submitted within 30 days of the course end date.
Shields reserves the right to substitute or change this policy at any time without notice.
Tuition Assistance Form
Shields is proud to offer eligible employees the Fidelity Student Debt Program, to help you pay off your loan(s) faster and save money. Employees will be able to apply a maximum of forty (40) hours of accrued and unused PTO to be applied to active student loan debt. Enrollment information will be sent to employees via email annually.
Why are we doing this?
Because you asked and we listened. We know that student debt is a very real obstacle to everything from making ends meet to reaching your retirement goals. We worked with Fidelity to find a way to help you pay off your loan(s) faster so that you can focus on more important things.
HOW IT WORKS
