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EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS

Children's Tuition Grant - Employee Eligibility

• Who is Eligible
• After Retirement
• Death of Employee
• Losing Eligibility
• Other Eligibility Issues (including transfers)

Who is Eligible

You are eligible to participate in the Children's Tuition Grant if you:

• Meet the established Duke payroll/benefit classifications to be eligible for benefits coverage (staff members scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week or faculty members scheduled to work at least 40 hours per week); and
   
• Have at least five years of consecutive full-time service during your current term of employment as a regular full-time employee. You must remain in this employment status to maintain eligibility; and
   
• You must also be either:
  • A current Duke University or Duke Medical Center employee who has completed service credit while employed within the University or Medical Center, or
     
  • A Duke University, Duke Medical Center, or Duke Hospital employee hired prior to January 1, 1999 with no break in service (this group will retain tuition benefits even after transferring to the Health System).

For your child to be eligible for the fall semester, you must have completed five years of full-time service on or before September 1; for the spring semester, January 1; and for summer school, May 1.

After Retirement

To continue to be eligible to receive the children's tuition grant after separation from service with Duke, you must meet all of the following criteria: 

1. You must have been eligible for the benefit at the time of retirement.

2. The sum of your age plus the years of service with the University must be equal to or greater than 75.

3. The separation must not have been due to disciplinary reasons.

4. When practicable, you must provide formal notice at the time of termination to Benefits that you have a child who is likely to use the benefit, and provide the child's name and date of birth.

5. Your child must meet the Child Eligibility requirements.

6. You must not be eligible for a similar tuition grant benefit from a subsequent employer.

Death of Employee

Your child would also be eligible for the tuition grant should you die while employed at Duke, if you were eligible for the grant at the time of death.

Losing Eligibility

If you terminate your employment with Duke, move into an ineligible classification, or decrease your work schedule, your eligibility will be affected. Also, Duke reserves the right at any time to change or terminate this program or your eligibility for benefits under the program.

Other Eligibility Issues (including transfers)

What happens if I transfer? Employees hired prior to January 1, 1999 within Duke University, Duke University Medical Center, or Duke Hospital will retain the tuition benefit when transferring to the Duke University Health System (DUHS).

Employees hired as Duke University or Duke University Medical Center staff after December 31, 1998 will not retain the tuition benefit when transferring to the Duke University Health System (DUHS). However, if the employee transfers back to Duke University or Duke University Medical Center with no break in service, then all their full-time service as a Duke University or Medical Center employee will count towards meeting the 5 year eligibility requirement.

If I change to part-time status after meeting the service eligibility requirement, will I have my service eligibility immediately restored if I return to full time?  Yes.

If I work full-time in a campus department but less than 52 weeks per academic year at the convenience of the University (campus positions for 9-10 months), am I still eligible at the end of the 5 year period?  Yes.

How does an approved leave of  absence affect my eligibility?  The period of the leave is added on to the 5 year service requirement. Participation in the plan is suspended during a personal leave of absence, but will continue in the event of an approved long-term disability leave, family medical leave, military leave, or sabbatical.

What happens when both parents are eligible for the grant? If both parents are eligible for the grant, the number of eligible semesters increases to 32, but the maximum grant level remains the same as does the eight 8 semesters limit per child.

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