Section 2.71.160 TUITION REIMBURSEMENT
a. The County may reimburse an employee for tuition and related fees paid for taking a course of study in an off-duty status if the subject matter content of the course is closely related to the employee’s present or probable future work assignments. Limits to the amount of reimbursable expenses may be set by the Director of Human Resources with concurrence of the County Manager. There is a reasonable expectation that the employee’s work performance or value to the County will be enhanced as a result of the course of study. Courses taken as part of a program of study for a college undergraduate or graduate degree will be evaluated individually for job relatedness under the above criteria. The employee must both begin and successfully complete the course while employed by the County in order to be eligible for reimbursement.
b. The employee must submit an application on the prescribed form to their department head giving all information needed for an evaluation of the request. The department head shall recommend approval or disapproval and forward the request to the Director of Human Resources for review and decision. In order to be reimbursed, the employee’s application must have been approved before enrolling in the course.
c. Upon completion of the course the employee must submit to the Department of Human Resources a request for reimbursement accompanied by a copy of the school grade report or a certificate of completion. The Department of Human Resources shall, if the employee satisfactorily completes the course, forward it to the Controller for payment. Reimbursement may include the costs of tuition and related fees. Effective July 1, 2007, the County will reimburse up to $25.00 per course for books under conditions specified by the Department of Human Resources. Reimbursement for books will only be made for community college, undergraduate level or graduate level courses.