Emplyee Hardship Assistance Plicy Functinal Area: Human Resurces Applies T: All Faculty and Staff Plicy Reference(s): N/A Number: TBD Date Issued: March 4, 2013 Page(s): 6 Respnsible Persn The Directr f Human Resurces is respnsible fr maintenance f this plicy, and fr respnding t questins psed regarding this plicy. Purpse / Ratinale T establish an emplyee emergency assistance prgram fr emplyees wh experience hardships. Definitins (fr purpses f this Plicy) Types f Emplyment: Regular Emplyment psitins lasting fr a cntinuus perid that exceeds six calendar mnths. Regular psitins with a wrk cmmitment f thirty hurs per week r greater are benefits eligible. Regular/limited term Emplyment psitins lasting fr a cntinuus perid that exceeds six calendar mnths and are intended t have a limited term nt t exceed three years. Regular/limited term psitins with a wrk cmmitment f thirty hurs per week r greater are benefits eligible. Temprary Emplyment lasting less than six cntinuus mnths. Emplyment can be extended up t an additinal six mnths if needed. This categry includes student emplyees. Immediate Family Member An emplyee s spuse, dmestic partner (see belw), child, r parent. The term child des nt include individuals age 18 r ver unless they are incapable f self-care because f a mental r physical disability. The term "parent" des nt include a parent "in-law." Dmestic Partner Cuples wh live tgether but wh are nt married. Dmestic partners can be same-gender r hetersexual. Page 1 f 7
Plicy The Armstrng Atlantic State University Hardship Fund (the Fund ) has been established t prvide financial assistance t Armstrng emplyees wh experience a financial hardship due t an emergency situatin. The Fund shall be funded by vluntary charitable dnatins prvided by emplyees and any entities r individuals wh want t assist Armstrng emplyees facing unexpected financial challenges. GENERAL PROVISIONS Emplyee Eligibility fr Financial Assistance T be eligible t receive an award frm the Fund, an emplyee must be classified as regular r regular/limited term, and must have a wrk cmmitment f thirty hurs per week r greater. Persns wh are nt eligible t participate include temprary emplyees, thse emplyees wh d nt receive benefits, students, and emplyees f cntractrs. Qualifying Event The Fund is intended t assist emplyees wh have experienced an emergency situatin that has caused a temprary financial hardship. This event must be caused by a sudden and unexpected ccurrence, r cmbinatin f ccurrences, which causes a pressing financial need fr an emplyee. The event must be whlly unfreseen by the emplyee and beynd the emplyee s cntrl. Events that impact a family member f an emplyee, with nly an indirect effect n the emplyee, d nt qualify fr awards frm the Fund. Examples f events that will be cnsidered as qualifying fr assistance frm the Fund include, but are nt limited t, the fllwing: (1) uninsured medical expenses caused by the emplyee s severe illness r accident; (2) uninsured expenses incurred fr the medical care f, r caused by the death f an emplyee s immediate family member; r (3) uninsured lsses fr damage t an emplyee s primary residence caused by fire, crime, fld r ther disasters. The gal f the Fund is t help emplyees wh were nt experiencing financial distress befre the emergency t regain financial stability within a relatively shrt perid f time. Awards are nt intended t reimburse fr the cst f nn-essential, luxury r decrative items, r intended t place the recipient in the same ecnmic psitin as prir t the emergency. Lngstanding financial prblems nt related t a specific event d nt meet the criteria f the Fund. Financial assistance frm the Fund will be measured slely by need r distress and nt related t services rendered. Any benefit t the University frm such financial assistance shuld be, at mst, incidental and tenuus. Page 2 f 7
Recipient Regulatins All awards are subject t the availability f funds and extent f need. Because the Fund is supprted by dnatins, there is n guarantee that there will be available funds at a given time. The financial assistance awarded may nt exceed the fllwing mnetary limits: N mre than $500 may be awarded t any emplyee during any 12-mnth perid. N mre than $800 may be awarded t any emplyee during his/her lifetime. Financial assistance will be limited t ne recipient per husehld. N award shall be given if the fund balance is less than $1,000. After an emplyee receives ntificatin f an award, the emplyee must wait 6 mnths befre applying fr additinal assistance. The emplyee may nt resubmit an applicatin that was previusly denied. Fund Review Cmmittee The Fund Review Cmmittee will be respnsible fr the management f this fund. Members f the Cmmittee will serve n a rtating basis as determined by the apprpriate shared gvernance bdy. This Cmmittee will cnsist f fur members: One staff member designated by Staff Advisry Cuncil; One faculty member designated by Faculty Senate; One cmmunity member designated by the Directr f Human Resurces; and The Directr f Human Resurces (nn-vting). The Cmmittee shall meet within tw business days after receipt f an applicatin. Awards will be apprved by a majrity vte f the cmmittee. All financial assistance will be distributed in cmpliance with Armstrng s nn-discriminatin plicy. Any member f the Cmmittee wh has a cnflict f interest due t family, persnal r business assciatins shall refrain frm discussing r vting n such matters. In the event that the Directr f Human Resurces becmes aware f a cnflict f interest, the Directr shall cmmunicate this cnflict t the member withut vilating the annymity f the prcess, t the extent pssible r practical. Administratin The Cmmittee, with the assistance f the Office f Human Resurces, must maintain adequate recrds t shw that payments further the Fund s charitable purpse and that the persns served are needy r distressed in the manner described in this plicy. The Cmmittee s recrds will be retained in the Human Resurces Office. Generally, dcumentatin will include: A cmplete descriptin f the assistance prvided; Csts assciated with prviding the assistance, if any; Page 3 f 7
The bjective criteria fr disbursing financial assistance t each recipient; The name, address, and amunt distributed t each recipient; and Any cnflict f interest between a recipient and Cmmittee members. Related Prcedures P DONATING TO THE FUND Any persn r entity is eligible t dnate t the Fund. The fund will be administered by the Armstrng Fundatin. Emplyees may dnate t the Fund by cash, check, nline dnatin r via payrll deductin. Dnatins cannt be earmarked fr specific individuals. All dnatins are tax deductible t the extent prvided by law. Tax-benefit dnatin frms will be supplied t dnrs. APPLYING TO THE FUND Applicatins must be cmpleted and submitted t the Office f Human Resurces. Emplyees must demnstrate that they are taking reasnable actins, and attempting t use prudence, in reslving their crises. An immediate family member f an eligible emplyee may apply n the emplyee s behalf if the emplyee is unable t submit an applicatin. All decisins made by the Cmmittee will be based slely n the infrmatin submitted with the applicatin. Each applicatin must be accmpanied by supprting dcumentatin that demnstrates hw the hardship has affected the applicant s husehld finances. Recmmended dcumentatin includes the expenses f the applicant, the incme available t the applicant, and evidence f insurance. Examples f dcuments are prvided belw: Certificatin f medical cnditin Death certificate Obituary Medical bills Insurance claims Plice reprts Expense receipts Freclsure r evictin ntice Severance package r separatin ntice Apprval f applicatins is subject t availability f funds, extent f need, and satisfactry cmpletin f the applicatin. Page 4 f 7
Infrmatin prvided by applicants will be treated as cnfidential and shared nly with individuals directly invlved in award administratin and payment prcessing. The Cmmittee may request additinal infrmatin r dcumentatin frm an applicant befre making a decisin. Such requests will be cmmunicated by the Directr f Human Resurces. The applicant will be given tw weeks t prvide the requested infrmatin r t explain why it cannt be prvided. If the applicant des nt respnd t the request, the applicatin will be deemed withdrawn. Because the Fund is limited, applicants shuld seek assistance frm ther surces befre applying fr Fund assistance. The Cmmittee may recmmend that the applicant seek assistance frm ther surces in lieu f assistance frm the Fund, r in additin t it. The Directr f Human Resurces will cmmunicate the Cmmittee s decisin t the applicant. Payments will be made directly t the vendr(s) frm which the applicant has acquired, r needs t acquire, gds r services. The Directr f Human Resurces will submit a payment request(s) t the Office f Advancement fr apprval. Once apprved, the request will be frwarded t the Fundatin Cntrller fr payment. The Directr f Human Resurces will fllw up n each payment request t ensure payment is prcessed timely. All decisins by the Fund Review Cmmittee are final. N appeals prcess is available. Page 5 f 7
APPLICANT INFORMATION Applicatin Request Number Name, last and first Emplyee ID Department Street Address Hme Phne Wrk Phne City, State, Zip Email Preferred Cntact Methd APPLICANT REQUEST I wuld like t request $ in assistance due t an unexpected hardship. Hw quickly wuld yu like t receive the fund disbursement? Tday s date: I am an Armstrng emplyee wh has experienced the fllwing: Death in the family Unexpected expenses due t illness Uninsured lsses caused by fire, crime, r ther disaster Lss f family incme Other I understand that the University will take reasnable measures t prtect my privacy. Hwever, I understand that my annymity cannt be guaranteed. I understand that funds may nt be available at this time, and that my applicatin des nt guarantee f apprval f funds. I have prvided supprting dcumentatin and agree t prvide additinal infrmatin that may be requested by the Fund Review Cmmittee. (Please initial the statements abve and prvide details n next page.) Applicant Signature: Date Cmmittee cmments: Apprved Nt Apprved Page 6 f 7
Please prvide any infrmatin t help the cmmittee make a recmmendatin. Please nte that yu are nt required t prvide persnal infrmatin that wuld prve embarrassing r cause added emtinal stress. Hwever, the better the cmmittee understands the events that have ccurred, the better they will be able t evaluate yur request. This sectin shuld serve nly t clarify yur situatin and supprt yur applicatin. Will any f these expenses becme cvered by insurance? Please list cverage and deductibles. Please attach dcumentatin f any events fr which it is available. This may include, but is nt limited t: Certificatin f medical cnditin Death certificate Obituary Medical bills Insurance claims Plice reprts Expense receipts Freclsure r evictin ntice Severance package r separatin ntice Page 7 f 7