Educational Assistance & Advanced Deg Stipend

WVEMS recognizes that the skills and knowledge of its employees are critical to the success of the EMS Council. The educational assistance program encourages personal development through formal education so that employees can maintain and improve job-related skills or enhance their ability to compete for reasonably attainable jobs within WVEMS.

WVEMS will consider educational assistance to all eligible employees who have completed 180 calendar days of service in an eligible employment classification, subject to available funds. To maintain eligibility employees must remain on the active payroll and be performing their job satisfactorily through completion of each course. Employees in the following employee classification(s) are eligible for educational assistance:

* Regular full-time employees

Individual courses or courses that are part of a degree, licensing, or certification program must be related to the employee's current job duties or a foreseeable-future position in the EMS Council in order to be eligible for educational assistance. WVEMS has the sole discretion to determine whether a course relates to an employee's current job duties or a foreseeable-future position. Employees should contact the Executive Director for more information or questions about educational assistance.

While educational assistance is expected to enhance employees' performance and professional abilities, WVEMS cannot guarantee that participation in formal education will entitle the employee to automatic advancement, a different job assignment, or pay increases.

WVEMS invests in educational assistance to employees with the expectation that the investment be returned through enhanced job performance. However, if an employee voluntarily separates from WVEMS's employment within one year of the last educational assistance payment, the amount of the payment will be considered only a loan. Accordingly, the employee will be required to repay up to 100 percent of the original educational assistance payment.

WVEMS offers an annual stipend of $2000 to any full-time employee who possesses an earned master’s degree in a related field and an annual stipend of $4000 to any full-time employee who possesses an earned doctorate in a related field. Such stipend is added to the annual base pay and paid proportionately with each pay period. Related fields of study include, but are not limited to, public administration, public health, healthcare administration, education, disaster management, and emergency health sciences. For more information, please contact the Executive Director.

For Contractual and Temporary Employees: Educational assistance and advanced degree stipend shall be in accordance with the employment agreement or contract between the employee and WVEMS.

Policy No.  3.14  Issued  1/1/2019  Applicable  12/13/2018