Reimbursement of Matriculation Fees for Spouses and Dependents of Current, Retired, or Deceased Employees

Purpose:

The purpose of this procedure is to provide reimbursement of tuition for courses taken by spouses and dependent children of current, retired, or deceased employees when approved by the District Board of Trustees. The procedure designates those courses for which reimbursement of tuition is available and defines the process to apply for the reimbursement.

Definitions, for purposes of this Procedure:

1. Current Employee: An individual with at least six months of continuous full-time employment with Seminole State College as of the end of the add/drop period for the term for which reimbursement is requested.
2. Retired Employee: A former employee who completed ten years of continuous full-time employment at Seminole State immediately prior to retirement from Seminole State College and is currently receiving retirement benefits through a Seminole State retirement plan.
3. Deceased Employee: An individual who was employed full-time by Seminole State College at the time of death and who completed three years of continuous full-time employment by the date of death.
4. Deceased Retiree: Former employee who met the definition of Retired Employee above by the time of death.
5. Dependent: Individual who was declared a dependent of a current, retired, or deceased employee.
6. Spouse: Individual who is married to a current employee, or who was married to a deceased employee or deceased retiree at the time of that employee or retiree’s death.
7. Seminole State Retirement Plan: A college sponsored defined benefit or defined contribution retirement plan offered through the Florida Retirement System (FRS), the Community College Optional Retirement Program (CCORP), Public Employees Optional Retirement Program (PEORP), or Local Annuity Program.
8. Matriculation Fees: The actual instructional fees charged by the institution to take college courses, also known as tuition.

Procedure

1. Guidelines
   1. Reimbursement per course shall not exceed the amount of in-state tuition per course.
   2. Reimbursement excludes fees, which are specified in the approved District Board of Trustee fee schedule.
   3. Reimbursement will be calculated and paid at the end of each term only for those courses in which a grade of at least a C or its equivalent has been earned.
   4. Reimbursement excludes courses taken at the Adult High School and those vocational and recreational courses ineligible for state support.
   5. Reimbursement for a spouse or dependent shall be limited to a lifetime total equivalent of 120 semester hours.
   6. Spouses and dependents of employees, retirees, deceased employees or deceased retirees whose tuition is fully paid by scholarships (federal, state, or institutional) or fee waivers are not eligible to receive reimbursement under this procedure.
2. Eligibility
   1. Dependents
      Dependents of an employee, a retired employee, a deceased employee, or a deceased retiree must document that dependent status.  A 1040 tax form or other appropriate documentation may be accepted by the College president or designee as evidence of dependent status.
      1. Dependents of an employee or a retired employee: must have been declared a dependent of the employee in the calendar year prior to the term of enrollment and must be eligible to be declared a dependent in the year in which enrollment occurs. Eligibility shall cease at the end of the calendar year in which the dependent reaches age 26.
      2. Dependent of a deceased employee or deceased retiree: must have been declared a dependent of the deceased employee or deceased retiree in the calendar year prior to the date of death and must have been eligible to be declared a dependent in the year in which the death occurred.
         Eligibility shall cease:
                 i. at the end of the calendar year in which the dependent reaches age 26, or
                ii. when more than five years passes from the death of the deceased employee or deceased retiree to the date of the reimbursement request, whichever comes first.
         The reimbursement request must meet one of the following conditions:
         1. The deceased employee must have completed three years of continuous full-time employment with the College, or
         2. The deceased employee must have completed six months of continuous full-time employment with the College and the dependent was enrolled in a post-secondary credit course at the time of the employee’s death.
   2. Spouses
      The spouse of an employee, a retired employee, a deceased employee, or a deceased retiree may apply for reimbursement, noting the following conditions.
      1. Spouse of an employee: The employee must have completed six months of continuous employment before the end of the published add/drop period for the term in which the spouse enrolls and requests reimbursement.
      2. Spouse of a retired employee: The retired employee must have completed ten years of continuous employment before the end of the published add/drop period for the term in which the spouse enrolls and requests reimbursement.
      3. Spouse of a deceased employee: Eligibility for reimbursement shall cease when more than six months passes from the death of the employee to the date of the reimbursement request.
         The reimbursement request must meet one of the following conditions:
         1. The deceased employee must have completed three years of continuous full-time employment with the College, or
         2. The deceased employee must have completed six months of continuous full-time employment with the College and the spouse was enrolled in a post-secondary credit course at the time of the employee’s death.
      4. Spouse of a deceased retiree: Eligibility for reimbursement shall cease when more than six months passes from the death of the retiree to the date of the reimbursement request.
3. Request for reimbursement

The employee, spouse, or dependent shall complete and submit the Request for Reimbursement of Matriculation Fees for Dependents of College Employees form prior to the end of the add/drop period of the term for which the reimbursement is requested.