Administrative Policies And Procedures

The State has developed a variety of benefits available to eligible employees. Participation in the various benefits is usually voluntary and predicated on meeting certain eligibility requirements. Some benefits have mandatory participation.

Employees hired on or after September 1, 2003, are subject to a waiting period that will delay their health insurance and retirement contributions for 90 days. Eligibility begins on the first of the month following the 90 th day. The minimum age for retiree insurance has increased from 60 years of age to 65 if an employee has not met the Rule of 80 (age + years of service).

Each benefit contained in this section is explained in general terms. For specific information employees should contact the Human Resources Office.

A. INSURANCE

Basic Coverage

The State pays for the full-time (100% FTE) employee's health coverage (HealthSelect) and for $5,000 of basic term life and an equal amount of AD&D.

The State pays for one-half the health care and basic life premiums for part-time (50-99% FTE) employee’s health coverage.

The Plan now includes a Prescription Drug Plan available at participating pharmacies ($10 generic, $25 preferred brand name or $40 non-preferred brand name). A 90-day supply of prescription drugs is available through mail order for $30 generic, $75 preferred brand name or $120 non-preferred brand name. Maintenance drugs purchased through retail instead of mail order will cost $15 for generic, $35 for preferred brand name or $55 for non-preferred brand name. There is a $50/person deductible each plan year for prescription drugs.

Elections must be made within the month in which the employee is hired, but may be changed up until the date of eligibility.

SKIP

The State Kids Insurance Program (SKIP) introduced September 1, 2000, provides a supplement toward the health insurance premiums of eligible children of employees. The SKIP supplement is available to employees in the state program who:

Meet eligibility criteria according to family income and size,

Are not eligible for Medicaid

Are U.S. citizens or legal residents, and

Have UGIP-eligible children under the age of 19 living with them in Texas.

OPTIONAL INSURANCE COVERAGE

Optional Coverage is available to employees immediately. Employees may elect optional coverage and waive health coverage.

Elections must be made within the first 30 days of employment.

Options available include:

Dependent health coverage.
Term life insurance; based on one, two, three or four times the employee’s annual salary.
Dependent life insurance.
Long-term and/or Short-term Disability Insurance.
Group Accident Insurance.
Tex-Flex Health Care and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts.
Dental Maintenance or Dental Choice Insurance.
Long Term Care Insurance.

The amount of state contribution, by current state law, is basic medical and life coverage for full-time employees only and one-half the amount of the premium for benefits-eligible part-time employees. The State of Texas provides a contribution towards the premiums if the employee elects medical coverage for dependents. The amount of the contribution is set each legislative session. The employee must pay for coverage beyond the basic plan.

B. PREMIUM CONVERSION

All employees are placed in Premium Conversion of insurance premiums as a means of reducing federal withholding. Premiums are paid with pre-tax dollars, thereby creating a tax savings for the participants. The IRS will not allow changes in coverage during the plan year unless there is a “Qualifying Life Event”.

C. TEXFLEX

Employees may also elect to participate in the TexFlex Plan as a means of reducing federal withholding and Social Security taxes. The TexFlex Plan consists of the Health Care Reimbursement Account and the Dependent Care Reimbursement Account.

The employee determines how much money to set aside in the appropriate account(s) for the plan year. That amount is withheld from the employee’s paycheck on a monthly basis and the employee does not pay taxes on that amount. As the employee incurs reimbursable expenses during the eligible period of coverage, he/she sends in a claim form along with the required documentation and he/she then receives reimbursement for the expenses. A new Flex Convenience Debit card will allow immediate access to the reimbursement account(s).

Employees should use extreme care when making an election to participate in TexFlex for the following reasons:

Election is irrevocable

Any money remaining in the account at the end of the grace period will be forfeited

Please refer to your Summary of Benefits Programs for additional information.

All regular (50% FTE or more for 4.5 months) employees must participate in a retirement program. Most staff employees will be enrolled in the Teacher Retirement System (TRS). Full-time Faculty and certain executive/professional staff will have the opportunity of enrolling in TRS or one of the programs approved as part of the Optional Retirement Program.

Employees hired on or after September 1, 2005, are no longer subject to a waiting period that will delay their retirement contributions. Retirement eligibility begins on the 1 st day of employment.

Deductions made for these plans and the amount contributed by the State of Texas are determined by the state legislature. The state also regulates conditions for withdrawal of contributions.

Employees anticipating retirement should contact the Human Resources Office for assistance. Employees who terminate prior to retirement should also contact the Human Resources Office to determine disposition of any funds accumulated in the employee's account.

DEFERRED COMPENSATION

Employees may defer a part of their pay for investment in a qualified “investment product” and will not be taxed on this amount until the employee receives a distribution from the plan. ERS administers the “TexaSaver” deferred compensation plan.

TAX SHELTERED ANNUITY

Employees also may also elect to defer a part of their pay into a 403b tax deferred plan for purposes of retirement. The money will not be taxed until it is withdrawn. Employees may select a company from a list of approved vendors.

DEFINITION OF A RETIREE

A “retiree” must meet the age and service eligibility requirements established by either the Teacher Retirement System or Optional Retirement Program of the State of Texas.

RETIREE RECOGNITION

No state appropriated funds may be used to provide recognition for retiring employees.

RETIREE BENEFITS

• eligibility for group health and life insurance as provided by state statute;
• Lamar State College-Orange ID card noting retiree status;
• library privileges;
• use of Student Center;
• e-mail service and Internet access.

RETIRED FACULTY

Retired faculty members possess unique experiences and talents that can benefit the campus community. If the opportunity is available, some faculty may choose to teach on a part-time basis or continue other academic pursuits. The following additional considerations apply to retired faculty.

• Those teaching on a part-time basis will receive 1.5 times the applicable adjunct compensation rate. (Faculty who retired prior to August 2001 will continue to be compensated on a proportional salary formula based upon their last faculty contract);
• full faculty library privileges;
• retired faculty are entitled to the same parking privileges afforded full-time faculty.

EMERITUS FACULTY

The President may bestow the title of professor emeritus, associate professor emeritus, or other such titles as authorized in the Texas State University System Rules and Regulations. The designation of distinguished emeritus faculty requires a nomination by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and approval by the TSUS Board of Regents as outlined in the Rules and Regulations.

A faculty member with emeritus or distinguished emeritus status is entitled to the following considerations.

• listing in the faculty directory and college catalog;
• assignment of office space and use of laboratory facilities, when available, contingent upon approval of the division chairs and vice president for academic affairs;
• eligibility for service on college committees when appointed by the president.

The following retirees are eligible for coverage in the Uniform Group Insurance Program:

Regular Service Retiree - a former employee is eligible for coverage in the UGIP provided he/she meets the following requirements:

Age and Service Requirements

1. has reached the minimum age (65) for retirement, and has at least ten years of retirement service credit in a benefits eligible position with an agency or institution that participates in the Uniform Group Insurance Program, or

2. Whose age and number of years of service credit when combined equals at least 80, provided the required ten years of service credit was in a benefits eligible position with an agency or institution that participates in the Uniform Group Insurance Program

Retirement Program Requirements

1. Meets applicable qualifications of one of the following:

Employees Retirement System
Teacher Retirement System
Optional Retirement System

2. A person who has membership in two or more of the above retirement systems is subject to the laws governing each of those systems for determination of the person’s eligibility for service retirement benefits, except that, for the purpose of determining whether the person meets the length-of-service requirements for service retirement of a system, the person’s combined service credit must be considered as if it were all credited in each system.

Disability Retiree

Persons who receive a non-occupational disability retirement must have 10 years of service at age 65 or meet the Rule of 80 to be eligible for health insurance.

Employees who Terminate Employment Prior to Retirement Age

A vested employee who terminates employment prior to retirement age, but does not withdraw deposits from either TRS or ORP, has the vested right in service retirement upon attaining retirement age (65) or the Rule of 80 (age + years of service). If the former employee has 10 years or more of service credit in an agency participating in UGIP, the employee is eligible for the UGIP retiree insurance benefit. The former employee will have a 90-day waiting period for eligibility when claiming the health insurance benefit upon meeting the eligibility requirement. Employees will be required to provide a copy of the birth certificate or proof of age and ORP participants must also submit a statement certifying they are receiving or eligible to receive an annuity under the carrier they elected.

Withdrawal of deposits from either retirement system prior to retirement terminates the retirement credit and the credit of years toward retirement health care eligibility.

Retiree Coverage

Retirees are eligible for health, dental, $2,500 term life, dependent life if in effect immediately prior to retirement, and the following options for Optional Term Life Insurance:

Option A

Persons who on the date of retirement had Election I may request, within 30 days from the date of retirement, to continue Election I after retirement, or

Persons who on the date of retirement had Election II, III, or IV may request, within 30 days from the date of retirement, to continue Election I or II after retirement. This option is subject to age related reduction when the retiree turns age 70 after the date of retirement; or

Option B

As an alternative to Option A, a person with no optional life may apply through evidence of insurability for $10,000. This option is not subject to age related reductions.

Important Note: Persons who turn 70 after the date of retirement and who selected Option B will not have a benefit reduction. However, Option A could eventually result in less coverage and/or a higher rate because persons who turn 70 after the date of retirement are subject to the same benefit reduction factors as active employees.

Employees hired prior to September 1, 1995, began receiving Benefit Replacement Pay in lieu of State paid social security with wages paid in January 1996. The Benefit Replacement Pay is computed according to the following formula.

Regular Employees

BRP = ACR (Annualized Compensation Rate) X F (Factor)

The Annualized Compensation Rate is based on the pay period that includes October 31, 1995 and consists of base compensation, longevity, and hazardous duty pay. The Factor is based on the retirement system of the employee.

RETIREMENT SYSTEM	FACTOR
Teacher Retirement System	0.0625
Optional Retirement System	0.062667381
Not Participating in a Retirement System	0.0585

Employees on Teacher Retirement receive a maximum BRP of $1,031.25 annually; employees on Optional Retirement receive a maximum BRP of $1,034.01 annually; and employees not participating in a retirement system receive a maximum BRP of $965.25 annually.

Hourly Employees

BRP = Hourly Rate X Actual Hours Worked

The Hourly Rate is calculated based on the number of hours worked during the October 31, 1995 pay period. Using the employee’s regular rate of pay:

Hourly Rate = pay rate X hours in October period X 12 X 0.0525/ % of actual hours worked in October to 2080

Once BRP is established for an employee, the amount does not change even though the employee’s salary may change. BRP will always be based on the October 1995 salary.

If an hourly employee moves to a staff position, multiply the hourly rate times 2,080 (for a full-time position) to get the maximum annual amount.

If a staff member moves to an hourly position, take the annual amount and divide by 2,080 to get the Hourly Rate.

Transfers

When an eligible state employee of an institution of higher education transfers to a state agency that is not an institution of higher education, the institution shall report to the agency the amount of BRP the employee has received from the beginning of the calendar year to the effective date of the transfer.

An eligible state employee transferring from a state agency to an institution of higher education, the receiving institution must insure that the employee’s compensation exceeds the amount of compensation that would be paid to an ineligible employee in the same position by at least the amount of the Benefit Replacement Pay increase the employee would have been entitled to based on their October 31, 1995, compensation.

Reemployment

An eligible employee who leaves state employment for 30 or more consecutive days August 31, 2005, becomes ineligible to receive Benefit Replacement Pay.

(Texas Gov’t Code Ann., Section 659.126)

Return-to-Work Retirees' Eligibility for BRP

An eligible state employee who retired from state employment on June 1, 2005, or after that date and who receives an annuity based wholly or partly on services as a state officer or state employee in a public retirement system, is ineligible to receive benefit replacement pay upon reemployment with the State. In order to remain eligible for benefit replacement pay, an eligible employee who retired before June 1, 2005, must have returned to work with the State before September 30, 2005.

Senate Bill 1863 (79th Legislature) Section 13.07

Employees may select from several options that allow payroll deductions to be put into some type of savings plan. Options available include:

U.S. Savings Bonds
State of Texas Deferred Compensation Plan
Tax Sheltered Annuities

For additional information, contact the Human Resources Office.

The Employee Education and Training Plan ("the Plan") provides employees of Lamar State College-Orange with assistance in obtaining additional college-level education and training to increase their value to Lamar-Orange. The Plan is intended to operate such that payments made under it qualify, in the case of undergraduate classes required in a degree plan, as qualified tuition reduction under Section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code; or, for all other courses, as business expenses for courses related to the employee’s present position, under Section 162 and thus excludible from taxable income under Section 132(d). Graduate level courses that are related to the employee's present position are eligible under the Plan. However, payment is considered a fringe benefit and will be reported as taxable income. As such, the Plan represents an internal administrative procedure for the Lamar components. It is not intended to operate as a fringe benefit plan under Section 127 of the Internal Revenue code.

DEFINITIONS

Benefits-Eligible Employee : Any Lamar employee defined as a regular full-time employee by the Teachers Retirement System of Texas is a Benefits-Eligible Employee. This includes all persons employed for a definite period of at least four and one-half months or one long semester at a workload not less than one-half of the standard workload, excluding those employees who are required as a condition of employment to be enrolled as students.

Course : Any course offered by a Texas state institution of higher education for which Academic or Technical credit is awarded upon successful completion of the course. The term “course” shall include any associated laboratory or other practical instruction only if such instruction is an integral part of the course, and is not separately numbered. The term course shall include “Developmental” and “Pre-Collegiate” courses and laboratories that are offered on a regular basis by a Lamar component and published in its official undergraduate academic catalog.

First Class Day : For a class offered under any regularly published semester or term schedule, the official “first class day” established for that semester or term regardless of the actual date of the first meeting of the specific class. For any class for which an official “first class day” is not established or cannot be determined under the preceding definition, the date of the first scheduled meeting of the class.

Standard Workload : The standard workload for an employee (100% FTE) shall be the workload defined in State law or regulation as the standard workload. If no such definition is available, the percent FTE reported for that employee to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in accordance with Lamar State College-Orange rules and procedures shall be used for purposes of the plan.

ELIGIBILITY

A Benefits-Eligible Employee is eligible to make application for payment under the plan for any course, the first class day of which falls on or after the day that the employee has been a Benefits-Eligible Employee for a continuous period of six (6) calendar months.

An employee whose application is significantly incorrect in fact, who violates the provisions or procedures of the plan, or who fails to complete his or her obligations under the Plan, may be declared ineligible for any subsequent participation in the Plan.

PAYMENTS

Payments will be made, subject to the other provisions of the Plan, for any course that will maintain or improve the skills required for the employee's current job. The institutions have determined that, since the primary business of each is to provide courses leading to a degree, any undergraduate degree will improve the skills required of any employee. Payment will thus be made for any undergraduate course that is required on any degree plan that the employee may be pursuing. Payment for graduate classes or other undergraduate classes will be made only if the employee’s supervisor certifies that the specific course is directly relevant to the employee’s current position.

Payments will be made, subject to the other provisions of the Plan, for no more than one course per semester for any employee.

Payments are applicable only to the course for which approval was granted. A new application must be fully approved as specified under “Applications for Payment” before a different course may be substituted under “drop and add” procedures for the originally approved course.

If an employee has previously been the beneficiary of payment under this plan for a course, payment will not be made a second time for the same or an equivalent course, except when the course was officially dropped (or the student officially withdrew) owing to documented medical causes or at the request of the employee’s supervisor on account of workload considerations.

Payments will be made, subject to the other provisions of the Plan, for no more than two courses per academic year (nominally September 1 through August 31) for any employee. Payments will be made during summer terms for eligible employees even though they are not employed during the summer months if such employees are Benefits-Eligible during the semester immediately preceding the summer, unless they have resigned or their employment has been permanently or indefinitely terminated.

The maximum payment for any one course shall comprise tuition and all fees associated with the course. In the event that an employee is enrolling in more than one course at Lamar during the same semester, the employee shall pay the incremental charges for tuition and other fees resulting from the additional course(s). Payments will not be made for any deposits or other charges which are refundable at the end of the course or subsequently.

Payments for courses taken at a Lamar component will be paid directly to the component.

Travel expenses will not be reimbursed under this Plan.

Refunds for dropped or withdrawn Lamar component courses will be refunded back to the Lamar account from which they were paid.

In order to conform with IRS regulations and guidance, payment will be made for Physical Activity Courses (PEGA or PHED prefixed courses) only to the extent that such courses are required for graduation.

AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE PLAN

Payments under the Plan are subject to funds being available in the Lamar State College-Orange budget. Lamar State College-Orange is not required to make any funds available in any given fiscal year. In the event that funds available in any given year are not sufficient to fund all applications for payments, payments shall be funded in order of receipt by the finance office of the employment component until available funds are exhausted.

APPLICATIONS FOR PAYMENTS

An employee applying for payments under the Plan must complete the Employee Education and Training application form or the Graduate Level-Taxable Benefit Employee Education and Training application form, and submit it to his/her Account Manager and/or Dean, and Vice President for Academic Affairs (as indicated on the form) for approval of the course to be taken. The Account Manager or Dean may decline to approve payment for a course if the employee is not in good academic standing or is not making satisfactory academic progress as defined in the rules governing federal student financial aid. The application shall then be submitted to the Human Resources Office. Payment will be authorized only after completion by all administrative offices.

MISCELLANEOUS

Nothing in the Plan shall in any way modify or waive any Lamar component entrance or other academic requirements or course prerequisites. Approval of payment under the Plan does not constitute approval to be absent from assigned duties during normal working hours. The President of Lamar State College-Orange has approved a modification to the Plan that allows up to three hours of release time with approval of the appropriate supervisor to utilize the Employee Education and Training Plan. Additional time during working hours must be accounted for under leave and compensatory time procedures. A copy of the revised work schedule and fee statement must accompany the OF3.7.

Nothing in this policy shall be construed as requiring any component, administrator or supervisor to approve release time during normal working hours. Components my treat each application for release time based on the particular expertise, duties and responsibilities of the individual employee involved, even though this may result in some employees being permitted release time and others not.

An employee shall, within six weeks of the end of any semester in which a course was taken under the Plan, submit a copy of the Semester Grade Report, or a copy of a transcript which includes the grade for the course, to the Human Resources Office for inclusion in the employee’s general employment record file in that office.

Nothing in the Plan shall be construed as prohibiting a Lamar component from making payment outside this plan for any course or training for any employee when taking such course or training is initiated by a supervisor or administrator.

JPMorgan Chase has been named the charge card vendor for the state under the State Travel Management Program. Individual travelers who are issued a charge card accept an obligation to pay all charges incurred on a timely basis and to use a charge card only for official state business use. You will be responsible for full payment of monthly bills received from Bank One. We will continue to reimburse you for all business-related charges in accordance with the State of Texas Travel Allowance Guide published by the Comptroller of Public Accounts. We ask that you use it for all your official state business expenses.

Individual card holders must meet the following criteria: Employees must take, or be expected to take, three (3) or more trips per fiscal year, or expend at least $500 per fiscal year in business related expenses.

Some of the benefits which you will receive when using the State of Texas issued card are listed below:

. No annual fees

. No minimum salary requirements

. Credit limits and payment information are not reported to credit

reporting bureaus unless the account is charged off.

. $500,000 Business Travel Accident Insurance

. $1,250 for lost luggage insurance

. primary collision/loss damage insurance for car rentals

The delinquency assessments for individual accounts, in accordance with the State of Texas contract are as follows:

• All accounts are payable upon receipt of the statement.

• An account is considered by JPMorgan Chase to be delinquent 31 days after the billing date.

• When an account reaches 61 days past due, it is suspended until it is paid. Accounts reach 90 days past due will be cancelled and will not be reopened.

• If all or any portion of a payment is not received by JPMorgan Chase by the 58 th day after the first Statement date, JPMorgan Chase will assess a late fee equal to 2.5% of all past due balances on such day after the first Statement Date and every thirty days thereafter until payment is received by JPMorgan Chase.

• Delinquency assessments are not reimbursed by the State

If you meet the criteria established by JPMorgan Chase and wish to apply for a Bank One card, fill out the application and return it to the Human Resources Office.

An employee who believes that a personal problem may be affecting job performance is encouraged to use the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Lamar State College-Orange, through the Employee Assistance Program, offers short-term counseling and referral services to an employee or an employee’s immediate family member (as defined in the Sick Leave section). Short-term counseling services (when appropriate) are provided at no cost to the employee. Additional costs to the employee may result from referral. Some costs may be covered by the employee’s health insurance.

A. An employee wishing to use the EAP may call directly to schedule an appointment with one of the EAP counselors. Telephone numbers are available on posters throughout the campus, and in the Human Resources Office.

B. The EAP is completely confidential. The only exceptions to the guarantee of confidentiality are cases involving life- threatening situations or legal mandatory reporting requirements (for example, child abuse). Participation in the program is not included in an employee’s personnel file, and retaliation as the result of participation in the program is prohibited.

C. The employee may attend an EAP session during work hours without losing pay if the employee requests approval for the absence from his/her supervisor. Sick leave, vacation leave, or compensatory time leave may be used if available. If the employee doesn’t have accrued leave available, the time will be considered leave without pay.

Lamar State College-Orange is committed to providing the opportunities for professional growth for all employees, Goal II of the Agency Strategic Plan. Funds shall be made available to provide training and education for current or prospective duty assignments.

The potential purposes of the training and development programs are to prepare administrators and other employees to deal with new technologies and legal developments, to foster the development of additional work capabilities, to increase the competence of state employees, and to meet our commitment to continuous improvement.

The Human Resources Director is responsible for scheduling all in-house training and will maintain records on attendance for in-house training.

Each Supervisor will be responsible for ensuring that all employees within their supervision are complying with the professional development requirements and should maintain the appropriate documentation to include topics, dates, sponsors, etc. Documentation of professional development must be provided to Human Resources annually for entry into the database.

The following opportunities are available to employees:

In-Service Training and Education

Includes job-oriented training on topics such as customer service, team building, safety, continuous quality improvement and diversity provided within the campus.

There is no charge to the individual or department for this training. All employees are required to document on their annual performance appraisal that they have attended a minimum of one session per year. Some topics may be mandatory for particular classifications of employees.

Off Campus Staff Development

May consist of workshops, seminars, institutes, training sessions, and other programs or activities offered either within or outside the state.

Employees are required to complete a Request to Travel at University Expense form to receive approval for funds. Funds shall be provided to each department to allow each employee to attend at least one workshop or conference per year.

If appropriate, supervisors may require that faculty or staff demonstrate ways in which they will incorporate the knowledge gained from the training program. Employees may also be required to make presentations to their department or the campus on any expertise gained that would be beneficial to others.

Employees enrolled in specialized training costing in excess of $500 are required to complete a Training Reimbursement Agreement form. For additional information, see Specialized Training Reimbursement Policy, Section 5.17, in the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual.

In the 2001 General Appropriations Act the 77th Legislature stated that, in order to reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and minimize travel costs and other budget expense, state agencies and institutions of higher education should use Internet-based training to the extent available and appropriate.

Employee Education and Training Program

Provide employees who have been in a benefits-eligible position for at least six months an opportunity to take one course per semester (two per academic year) at college expense. Employees are required to complete the Employee Education and Training Plan Application (OF3.7). For additional information see the Employee Education and Training Plan, Policy 6.5 the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual.

Continuing Education Courses

Employees are entitled to take continuing education courses at a cost of one-half the advertised rate. This benefit only becomes available after the minimum class size has been reached by enrollment of those paying the full cost of the class.

Faculty Development Leave

All faculty members are obliged to remain current in their disciplines. Full-time tenured faculty are eligible to apply for developmental leave and/or funds in addition to the other options for development.

Details can be found in Professional Leave/Development Funds, Section I-F of the LSCO Faculty Handbook.

Ethics Training

The Texas State University System Administrative Office shall conduct, in even numbered years, training sessions for the personnel of each component institution responsible for ethics training in the various department of such institution, Chapter VIII, Section 8.2, the Texas State University System Rules and Regulations.

Employment Discrimination Training

All institutions of higher education are required to provide training programs to each new employee on the institution’s policies and procedures prohibiting employment discrimination, including sexual harassment, no later than 30 days after date of hire.

Supplemental training must be provided to each employee on a biennial basis. A signed statement from each employee documenting attendance at the training shall be placed in the employee’s personnel file.

The Staff Educational Development Program is designed to provide professional development opportunities that will be beneficial to both the institution and the employee in the performance of his/her job duties. Successful applicants qualify to have Lamar State College-Orange pay the required tuition and fees for enrolling in three (3) to six (6) credit hours per fall or spring semester at any state supported school in Texas.

Participants may enroll in additional courses at their own expense. It is the responsibility of the participant to pay the cost of books and supplies.

Regular, non-grant full-time staff employees who have been employed at Lamar State College-Orange at least one (1) year are eligible to participate in this program.

Each prospective participant will complete an “Application for Staff Educational Development Leave” and forward the application to the appropriate supervisor. Applications may be submitted at any time.

The supervisor will complete the “Supervisor Comments” on the application then forward the application to the appropriate Vice President.

The Vice President will review the application(s), taking into account the benefit to the institution, the applicant’s current academic standing (cannot be on academic probation), previous academic achievements, length of service at LSCO, job performance, and potential to succeed.

The Vice President will submit the recommendation to the President for approval by May 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester. No more than three (3) participants per semester will be chosen within the institution. The continuation of the Program is dependent upon the availability of funds.

Participants may apply for a maximum of four (4) semesters. A new Application must be submitted each semester.

Participants are expected to maintain adequate academic progress toward their stated goals in each course paid for under the program. Grades are to be submitted to the appropriate Vice President at the end of the semester. Payment for the next semester will not be considered without a copy of the grades.

All courses are subject to approval by the Vice President. Changes in courses requested on the original application should be submitted to the appropriate Vice President.

By signing the “Application for Staff Educational Development Leave”, the participant enters into a contractual agreement to remain at LSCO for Two (2) years after completing the staff development leave. Participants terminating employment prior to completing the two (2) year obligation will be required to reimburse salary and tuition and fees determined at the time of the application.

The Human Resources Director will provide an orientation session for participants and their account managers to acquaint them with the program, to clarify the expectations of the institution and to explain the reporting of leave.

State agencies are not prohibited from paying professional license fees that are imposed on certain professionals if the agency determines that such expenditures are directly related to its governmental function.

Lamar State College-Orange may pay up to $50 annually for the renewal of a professional license required as a part of the responsibilities of a full-time employee. Request for payment is to be made to the Supervisor.

Requests in excess of $50 may be submitted by full-time employees to their immediate supervisor. The request must include a rationale and “benefit to LSC-O” statement. If funds are available, a supervisor may authorize expenditure of funds in excess of $50 if such benefits are directly related to the mission and needs of LSC-O.

DEFINITIONS

Benefits-Eligible Employee : Any Lamar State College-Orange employee defined as a regular full-time employee by the Teachers Retirement System of Texas is a Benefits-Eligible Employee. This includes all persons employed for a definite period of at least four and one-half months or one long semester at a workload not less than one-half of the standard workload, excluding those employees who are required as a condition of employment to be enrolled as students.

Course : Any physical education activity course offered by Lamar State College-Orange for which credit is awarded upon successful completion of the course. The term course shall include courses that are offered on a regular basis by Lamar State College-Orange and published in its official undergraduate academic catalog.

First Class Day : For a class offered under any regularly published semester or term schedule, the official “first class day” established for that semester or term regardless of the actual date of the first meeting of the specific class. For any class for which an official “first class day” is not established or cannot be determined under the preceding definition, the date of the first scheduled meeting of the class.

Standard Workload : The standard workload for an employee (100% FTE) shall be the workload defined in State law or regulation as the standard workload. If no such definition is available, the percent FTE reported for that employee to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in accordance with Lamar State College-Orange rules and procedures shall be used for purposes of the Program.

ELIGIBILITY

A Benefits-Eligible Employee may make application for payment under the plan for any course, the first class day of which falls on or after the day that the employee has been a Benefits-Eligible Employee for a continuous period of six (6) calendar months.

An employee whose application is significantly incorrect, who violates the provisions or procedures of the Program, or who fails to complete his or her obligations under the Program, may be declared ineligible for any subsequent participation in the Program.

PAYMENTS

Payments will be made, subject to the availability of funds for the Program, for any physical education activity course.

Payments will be made, subject to the other provisions of the Plan, for no more than one course per semester for any employee.

Payments are applicable only to the course for which approval was granted. A new application must be fully approved as specified under “Applications for Payment” before a different course may be substituted under “drop and add” procedures for the originally approved course.

If an employee has previously been the beneficiary of payment under this Program for a course, payment may be made a second time for the same or an equivalent course.

Payments will be made, subject to the other provisions of the Plan, for no more than two courses per academic year (nominally September 1 through August 31) whether paid for under the Education and Training Plan or the Employee Wellness Program for any employee. Payments will be made during summer terms for eligible employees even though they are not employed during the summer months if such employees are Benefits-Eligible during the semester immediately preceding the summer, unless they have resigned or their employment has been permanently or indefinitely terminated.

The maximum payment for any one course shall comprise tuition and all fees associated with the course. In the event that an employee is enrolling in more than one course at Lamar State College-Orange during the same semester, the employee shall pay the incremental charges for tuition and other fees resulting from the additional course(s). Payments will not be made for any deposits or other charges which are refundable at the end of the course or subsequently.

Physical education courses may not be taken at another Lamar component under the Employee Wellness Program.

Refunds for dropped or withdrawn courses will be refunded back to the Lamar State College-Orange account from which they were paid.

AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE PROGRAM

Payments under the Program are subject to funds being available in the Lamar State College-Orange budget. Lamar State College-Orange is not required to make any funds available in any given fiscal year. In the event that funds available in any given year are not sufficient to fund all applications for payments, payments shall be funded in order of receipt by the finance office of the employment component until available funds are exhausted.

APPLICATIONS FOR PAYMENTS

An employee applying for payments under the Program must complete the appropriate application form, and submit it to his/her Account Manager and Vice President for Academic Affairs (as indicated on the form) for approval of the course to be taken. The Account Manager may decline to approve payment for a course if the employee is not in good academic standing, if the absence from regular duties would cause a hardship, or is not making satisfactory academic progress as defined in the rules governing federal student financial aid. The application shall then be submitted to the Human Resources Office. Payment will be authorized only after completion by all administrative offices.

MISCELLANEOUS

Nothing in the Program shall in any way modify or waive any Lamar entrance or other academic requirements or course prerequisites. Approval of payment under the Program does not constitute approval to be absent from assigned duties during normal working hours. The President of Lamar State College-Orange has approved a modification to the Program that allows up to three hours of release time per semester with approval of the appropriate supervisor to utilize either the Education and Training Plan or the Employee Wellness Program. A copy of the revised work schedule and fee statement must accompany the OF3.7.

Nothing in this policy shall be construed as requiring any administrator or supervisor to approve release time during normal working hours. Supervisors may treat each application for release time based on the particular expertise, duties and responsibilities of the individual employee involved, even though this may result in some employees being permitted release time and others not.

An employee shall, within six weeks of the end of any semester in which a course was taken under the Plan, submit a copy of the Semester Grade Report, or a copy of a transcript that includes the grade for the course, to the Human Resources Office for inclusion in the employee’s general employment record file in that office. The course may be taken for “No Grade.”

This policy establishes guidelines for the use, availability, and acquisition of wireless (cellular) communication services by Lamar State College - Orange (LSC-O) employees for business purposes which are in compliance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines.  Wireless cellular communications services include cellular instruments, PDA Data Plans, voice plans, SMS text messaging, and related features.

Lamar State College – Orange recognizes that job responsibilities of select positions may be enhanced through the utilization of cellular services.  Accordingly, LSC-O may choose to monetarily assist identified positions in the acquisition of cellular services through the provision of an allowance for cell phone use for business purposes.

Procedure

• Any request for a cellular stipend must be submitted on the wireless service stipend request.  The request must be submitted by the appropriate vice president and must have the final approval of the president.
• The stipend will be processed through LSC-O’s payroll system and included as additional compensation on the employee’s remuneration statement.
• LSC-O may establish different levels of cellular service stipend that reflect the specific needs of different positions and the current price of wireless services.  The appropriate allowance for each employee will be determined by their duties and their anticipated monthly business usage of the cellular services.  Stipend allowances are $30, $50, and $75.
• The individual employee is responsible for establishing and maintaining cellular service and obtaining the appropriate cellular communication device.
• An employee must apprise their supervisor and Human Resources of their cellular phone number.
• An employee receiving a stipend may be asked for proof that they are subscribed to an appropriate service and that the cost of the service is not less than stipend.
• In the event that an employee receiving a cellular stipend cancels their cellular service, the employee must immediately report the cancellation to their supervisor. 
• In the event that an employee changes positions, the cellular stipend must be re-approved.

Providers