2016 Hospital Employee Scholarship Program Technical Assistance Webinar

Agenda  Overview  Application Process  Scholarship Requirements  Selection  Guidelines  Miscellaneous

Overview

Missouri Hospitals Have Diverse Workforce Needs  Every hospital is unique, as are their workforce needs.  Registered nurse turnover and vacancies across the state highlight regional variances and volatility.

Overview- Scholarship Opportunity  A maximum of $10,000 in scholarship funds is available to each Missouri MHA-member hospital.  Enables hospitals to award scholarship funds based upon their unique, priority workforce needs for any job category or profession.  Available to current hospital employees or a future employee with a fully executed and accepted contract who wants to continue their education by advancing within or entering into their profession.

Award Information

 Option to expend all funds in 2016 or expend a partial amount in 2016 and the remainder in 2017 through the program end date of December 31,  MHA Center for Education will reimburse member hospital employees for tuition and academic fees associated with the educational or training program based upon their individual awarded amount  To receive payment, the recipient must submit proof (bill, invoice or receipt) of tuition or fees owed by the student.

Application Process

Eligibility Criteria  Applicants must meet the following criteria:  Be currently employed full-time or on a permanent part-time basis by a Missouri MHA member hospital or be a future employee with a fully executed and accepted contract from member hospital.  Complete the scholarship application.  Be recommended for the scholarship by appropriate hospital personnel.

Application  Application forms will be available online at  Applications must be submitted through a hospital’s human resources department to be eligible.  Three Parts  Section 1:completed by the applicant  Section 2: completed by the applicant’s manager/supervisor  Section 3: completed by the human resources director and signed by the chief executive

Link to Application

Application Form

Applicant List Excel Spreadsheet

Application Criteria and Process  Hospital H.R. department identifies and selects candidates based upon need, determines amount out of $10,000 maximum to be awarded to recipient(s) and is responsible to submit applications by deadline.  For funding initial funding opportunity, all applications must be postmarked on or before Friday, February 26,  NOTE: To be eligible, human resources (or other administrative) department must submit the application(s). Both human resources and the chief executive officer must sign off on the application.

Guidelines  Hospitals choose how much each recipient receives out of the $10,000 facility limit. It is possible one applicant could receive the full $10,000 or the funds could be dispersed to several recipients. Hospitals complete the applicant list Excel spreadsheet determining fund disbursement.  After notification of scholarship acceptance, recipients must submit requests including the payment request form and invoice/bill for reimbursement upon obtaining the tuition or fees for the educational program.  Educational offerings occurring on or after January 2016 are eligible for reimbursement. Bills and receipts will not be accepted for reimbursement after December 1,  Reimbursement could include continuing education units, degree programs, certification programs or general educational sessions on a given topic.  Student loans are not eligible for this program.

Selection

 Scholarships funds are distributed directly to employee.  Scholarship funds to be awarded out of the $10,000 are approved by the member hospital’s human resources director and CEO. It is essential that the total of all of the applications submitted does not exceed $10,000.  The MHA Center for Education will notify applicants of their selection status by April 1, 2016.

Miscellaneous

Important Dates 2015  November 9 – application available  Webinars to review program and answer questions.  9:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 17, 2015  1:30 p.m. Thursday, November 19,  February 26 – application deadline to receive funds initial funding opportunity.  September 30–application deadline to receive any remaining funds out of the $10,000 maximum scholarship amount  December 1 – last day to submit payment request forms.  December 31 – end of program; scholarship outcomes report due from participating hospitals, including scholarship recipient’s certificate of completion, if applicable.

Tips for Success  Give yourself plenty of time  It is suggested that the hospital implement its own deadline for application submissions to managers/supervisors to meet the application deadline. Any applications postmarked after Friday, February 26, 2016, will not be eligible for initial funding opportunity.  Be thoughtful in the selection and allotment process by envisioning your current workforce needs, but also planning and thinking through the future workforce needs of your organization.

Tips for Success  Follow the directions on application – exactly.  All sections must be completed on application.  Make sure all signatures are obtained, including supervisor, CEO and HR Director.  Applications must be received by mail, due to the information provided. Please do not the application.  Remember the deadline.  MUST be postmarked by Friday, February 26, 2016 for initial funding opportunity.

How Employees Receive Funds  Please submit invoices or receipts as they come in via the payment expense form on the website.  Please note: expenses can be submitted for reimbursement from start of program Feb. 26, 2016 through December 1,  The payment cap is determined by the excel applicant tracking spreadsheet, as determined by hospital HR department.

Frequently Asked Questions 1. Who makes the awarding decision? The employer determines the specific amount each applicant should receive on the tracking list excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet must be submitted with the application. The total amount awarded cannot exceed $10, Does this program coincide with any other program or matching loan repayment program? No. 3. Can we count on the name of the co-worker we place on the application to be awarded the scholarship or will that person still need to be approved by MHA? Applicant must be approval by MHA by way of verifying the applicant meets eligibility criteria, the application is completed in entirety and the total awarded amount is within the $10,000 max. 4. Can we have a contract with recipients? Yes, at the hospital’s discretion, an agreement between the hospital and the scholarship recipient can be signed. MHA will not monitor this.

Frequently Asked Questions 5. How does MHA award the funds? The funds are awarded directly to the awarded applicant. The hospital does not receive the funds. 6. How soon after the application is submitted are the funds awarded? Funding occurs upon receipt of a bill/receipt/invoice from the applicant, per the amount of the bill/invoice. It is expected that some invoices will come in with applications and other invoices will come in after acceptance. Only education received on or after February 26, 2016, is eligible for reimbursement. This includes employees with ongoing training through the application deadline. 7. Can we have a contract with recipients? Yes, at the hospital’s discretion, an agreement between the hospital and the scholarship recipient can be signed. MHA will not monitor this. 8. Is there a minimum grade required? We will not track grades.

Frequently Asked Questions 9. Are there tax implications? Applicants are urged to seek advice from their tax advisor of any potential tax implications. The MHA Center for Education is not required to provide the IRS Form 1099 for tuition reimbursement(s). 10. What is this employee quits? Please notify MHA, to stop payment on any future payment requests from applicant. 11. When is the last day to submit payment requests? December 1, 2017, as the program must close out on December 31, How are funds allocated for hospitals that are part of a system? Funds are allocated per Missouri member hospital, not per system. 13. Does is matter if the employee does not live in Missouri? No. 14. What if the employer pays for the training? It cannot be reimbursed through this scholarship program, being that any reimbursement goes directly to the employee.

Frequently Asked Questions 15. Are student loans eligible? No. 16. Can applicants submit their own applications directly to MHA Center for Education. No, all applications must be mailed by the HR Department. 17. What is the top reasons applications are not selected? Missing signatures and ed by applicant instead of mailed by HR. 18. What if I miss the deadline of 2/28/2016? If the $10,000 has not been used by your hospital, please apply in September 2016.

Contact Meredith Kenyon 573/ ext Jean Klindt 573/ ext