Education Financial Assistance

Community Member Opportunities

  • Foundation Healthcare Career Grant
  • Foundation Scholarships

Memorial Health Colleague Opportunities

  • Certification Reimbursement
  • Tuition Assistance

Memorial Health Colleague Opportunities

Overview

  • Certification must relate to colleague’s present job or prepare them for future advancement at Memorial Health.
  • Certification must be obtained through a recognized professional organization.
  • Certification must include a verification of knowledge through an exam and is awarded up to two attempts.
  • Eligible expenses include certification exam fees, renewal fees and required coursework to be eligible to sit for an exam.
  • Colleague is eligible for up to $1,000.00 toward one active certification.

Eligibility

  • The Certification Reimbursement program applies to all Memorial Health colleagues.
  • Program is available to full-time, part-time and per diem colleagues.
  • Requirement includes successful completion of three months of employment with favorable performance appraisal.
  • Colleague must be in good standing with no active corrective actions on file.
  • Colleague must demonstrate behaviors consistent with Memorial’s values and policies.

Application Process

Interested colleagues should visit Education Financial Assistance to complete Certification Reimbursement application process.

Please click here to see a quick overview of the for the Certification Reimbursement process.

Questions

For questions about the Certification Reimbursement program, please contact educationassistance@mhsil.com or call 217-788-3645.

Testimonials

Memorial’s certification assistance program allowed me the opportunity to focus my time and energy on enhancing my knowledge and skills to better serve the organization. To know that Memorial supported my development inspired and motivated me to achieve national board certification. Thank you to Memorial for investing in my growth and development!

AMY

The financial assistance I received last summer to pursue my dream to get certified in medical interpretation was life-changing. Since I started working at Memorial in 2016, I have always wanted to serve the local Chinese community with my bi-lingual skills, knowing that many are deterred from accessing health care services for language reasons. The medical interpretation certification process costs around $1,200, and I was so grateful for the certification reimbursement program here at Memorial that enabled me to realize my dream to become a professional interpreter. The application process was easy to navigate, and the team was there along the way to help me through every step. I was able to focus on studying and not worry about the cost. I now work as an interpreter in a part-time capacity and I couldn't be happier with the decision!

Lingling

Tuition Assistance

Memorial Health values education as a vital, lifelong process to keep our colleagues and future workforce informed of the latest advancements and ensure the best outcomes for patients. Tuition assistance provides dedicated support to ensure professional and academic success.

Purpose

The Tuition Assistance program supports academic activities that directly relate to Memorial Health's identified knowledge, skills and organizational competencies, which support the mission, vision and values of the organization.

Tuition Assistance provides financial support to help applicants reach their educational goals. Before applying for Memorial’s Tuition Assistance, applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine all alternate sources of financial aid that may be available to them. This includes but is not limited to Pell Grants, Vietnam Veterans Tuition Assistance, Department of Veterans Affairs Education benefits (GI Bill) and college stipends. If the student qualifies for alternate sources of tuition funding or financial aid, the Tuition Assistance program will pay any remaining amounts not covered by alternative sources, within program limits, and not to exceed the applicant’s overall program cost.

The Tuition Assistance program is a partnership between Memorial Health and the applicant and is not intended to cover all expenses related to the applicant’s education, but rather assist in relieving some of the financial burden.

Applicant Eligibility

The Tuition Assistance program applies to all Memorial Health colleagues.

Tuition assistance is available to full-time, part-time, or per diem colleagues who have worked a minimum of 200 hours in a 12-month period.

Colleague cannot have an active corrective action on file.

Colleague's selected education institution and program of study must both be fully accredited.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.

Eligible Expenses

The following expenses are considered eligible for Tuition Assistance:

  • Tuition
  • Books
  • Class-required fees
  • Exam/lab fees

Expenses not named above are not eligible for Tuition Assistance. These would include but are not limited to room and board, parking, testing, travel, student ID cards and late registration fees.

According to the IRS regulations that govern tax-free education assistance programs, an exclusion from income is not allowed for supplies (other than textbooks) that a colleague can retain after the course is over. Therefore items such as computers, calculators, printers, scrubs, etc. are not eligible for reimbursement.

Coursework in games, hobbies or sports not related to employer’s business are not covered under the Tuition Assistance program.

Please note that Memorial Health under no circumstances will provide tuition assistance that exceeds total program costs. This includes the combined total of outside scholarships/grants/ program discounts.

Eligible Funding Levels

Short Supply Needs

  • Eligible Funding: Up to $5250 in calendar year

Non-Short Supply Needs

  • Eligible Funding: Up to $2500.00 in calendar year

Application Process

Applicant should collect required documentation prior to completing the Tuition Assistance application.

  • Verifiable documentation of itemized tuition bill for upcoming coursework. Itemized receipts should identify the colleague and the educational institution. Receipts must provide an itemized breakdown of tuition, books, fees and any outside financial assistance applied to that coursework for upcoming semester/quarter ( i.e. outside scholarships, grants, discounts, and student loans).
  • Include most recent transcript verifying at least a 2.5 GPA.

Complete the Tuition Assistance application annually with all required documentation via Education Financial Assistance.

  • All required documentation must be uploaded with colleague's application in order to be considered complete and move forward in application process.
  • Application must be completed and approved prior to the start of the coursework.
  • An application will need to be completed prior to each quarter/semester that colleague will request tuition assistance for through Memorial Health. For example, if you are enrolled in spring and fall coursework for your academic program, you should complete a tuition assistance application and upload required documentation prior to each semester to be eligible to receive tuition assistance for your upcoming coursework.

Review Process

All applications will be reviewed by the Workforce Planning and Development department to be considered for Tuition Assistance program.

Decisions will be rendered based on the following criteria:

  • Education preparation will lead to a position that meets a business and/or strategic need of the organization.
  • There is funding available to support the assistance.
  • The applicant meets all eligibility requirements.

Timeline

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance or denial for the Tuition Assistance program.

To receive their tuition assistance disbursements, recipients must sign a contract agreeing to a work commitment with Memorial Health upon completion of coursework.

All signatures on the contract will need to be secured, and a fully executed agreement will need to be in place before tuition assistance can be processed to the recipient.

Please allow up to 45 days from application submission to disbursement of funds.

Disbursement Guidelines

Tuition assistance will be paid to the recipient over the course of their degree program.

Tuition assistance disbursements are processed bi-weekly and will be included via direct deposit through payroll. Colleague should allow up to two pay periods for processing. Tuition Assistance will be paid out to the recipient after their application has been approved and all signatures on the contract have been secured.

Throughout their program in order to maintain eligibility to apply for Tuition Assistance, recipient must:

  • Maintain full-time or part-time academic status
  • Must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA and a “B” average in core classes for each semester of academic study.

Questions

If you have questions about the Tuition Assistance program, please contact educationfinancialassistance@mhsil.com or call 217-788-3645.

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