11—64.10(8A) Education financial assistance. Education financial assistance may be granted for the purpose of assisting employees in developing skills that will improve their ability to perform job responsibilities. Assistance may be in the form of direct payment to the organization or institution or by reimbursement to the employee as provided for in subrule 64.10(4).
	64.10(1) Employee eligibility. Any nontemporary employee may be considered for education financial assistance.
	64.10(2) Workshop, seminar, or conference attendance. The appointing authority may approve education financial assistance for an employee attending a workshop, seminar, or conference conducted by a professional, educational, or governmental organization or institution when attendance by the employee would not require a reduction in job responsibilities.
	a. 	Assistance for meeting continuing education requirements may be approved when the assistance is applied toward maintaining a professional registration, certification, or license and the workshop, seminar, or conference is related to the duties and responsibilities of the employee’s position.
	b. 	Payment of registration fees and other costs, such as lodging, meals, and travel, shall be in accordance with the policies and procedures of the department of administrative services.
	c. 	If attendance is outside the state of Iowa, travel must be authorized by the head of the employee’s department pursuant to Iowa Code section 8A.512A(2)“a.”
	64.10(3) Educational institution coursework. Education financial assistance to an employee taking academic courses at an educational institution, with or without educational leave, shall require the preapproval of the appointing authority and the director. Requests for reimbursement shall be on forms prescribed by the director.
	a. 	An employee may take academic courses at any accredited educational institution (university, college, area community college) within the state. Attendance at an out-of-state institution may be approved provided that there are geographical or educational considerations which make attendance within the state impractical.
	b. 	Reimbursement requests shall be made to the director before the employee takes the courses. If the director does not approve the request, the employee shall not be reimbursed.
	c. 	Reimbursement may be approved for courses taken to meet continuing education requirements when necessary to maintain a professional registration, certification, or license when the courses relate to the duties and responsibilities of the employee’s position.
	d. 	An employee receiving other financial assistance, such as scholarship aid or Veterans Administration assistance, shall be eligible to receive education financial assistance only to the extent that the total of all methods of reimbursement does not exceed 100 percent of the payment of expenses.
	e. 	In order for the employee to be reimbursed, the employee’s department shall submit to the department of administrative services the employee’s original paid receipt from the educational institution, the approved education financial assistance form, and proof of the employee’s successful completion of the courses as follows:
	(1)	Undergraduate courses shall require at least a “C-” grade.
	(2)	Graduate courses shall require at least a “B-” grade.
	(3)	Successful completion of vocational or correspondence courses or continuing education courses shall require an official certificate, diploma or notice.
	64.10(4) Repayment. As a condition of applying for reimbursement for education expenses, the recipient must sign an agreement to continue employment with the appointing authority. The agreement must be signed prior to approval and will stipulate the period of time deemed by the appointing authority to be commensurate with the amount of reimbursement received. The period of time commences upon successful completion of the course. In the event that the recipient leaves the department of the appointing authority for any reason, the recipient will repay to the appointing authority an appropriate fraction of the amount received for each month remaining in the period provided for in the agreement. If the recipient continues employment with the state, then the repayment will be subject to a repayment schedule approved by the director. If the recipient leaves state government, then the repayment will be recouped out of the final paycheck. Recoupment must be coordinated with the accounting enterprise of the department of administrative services to ensure proper tax reporting.
	64.10(5) Annual report. Rescinded IAB 11/21/18, effective 12/26/18.
[ARC 8265B, IAB 11/4/09, effective 12/9/09; ARC 2267C, IAB 11/25/15, effective 12/30/15; ARC 3041C, IAB 4/26/17, effective 5/31/17; ARC 4134C, IAB 11/21/18, effective 12/26/18]