Two funds were established in the pay-setting process: one for MSC employees, who are not eligible for collective bargaining, and one for NER employees in the Business and Administrative Unit, who are eligible for bargaining but have not elected an exclusive representative. The criteria for reimbursement are identical.

Applicants must have completed a required initial probationary period and be employed 40 percent or more of full time on a continuing (permanent) basis in a managerial, supervisory, confidential, or non-exclusively represented position as of the date of application for reimbursement.

Exclusively represented employees are not eligible for reimbursement from the Professional Development Fund. (If you are not certain, check with your Personnel Officer regarding your unit designation.) Employees in limited-term positions are not eligible, unless the employee previously obtained status in a permanent position and later transferred or was appointed to a limited-term position.

Yes. Therefore, initial probationary employees must wait until they gain civil service status before requesting reimbursement for a course they have completed.

The training must be related either to your current position or to career opportunities within state government. It can include college courses, professional conferences, continuing education credits, seminars offered by independent vendors, etc.

Applicants should expect to provide information confirming the relevance of the course or seminar to state service, if asked. If you have a question about whether the course you are considering is eligible, please contact the Office of the State Employer at the address or telephone number listed at the end of this web page.

Review courses intended solely to prepare for a professional licensure or certification exam (e.g., Bar Review or CPA Review courses) or credits for prior experience or a portfolio review are not eligible.

None.

Eligible costs are those that are related to the course or seminar, such as tuition, texts, registration and laboratory fees from accredited institutions. The fund will not reimburse for costs unrelated to the course, such as activity fees, facility or technology support fees, travel expenses or parking, late fees, finance charges, health insurance fees, typing, or graduation fees.

The primary responsibility for supporting employee development remains with the employing department. PDF reimbursement is not intended to be a substitute for departmental funding. Instead, it is a resource available directly to eligible employees who undertake professional development that is not funded by their departments.

Employees who attend school, training, or other professional development activities must comply with all requirements for obtaining funding in their own department or agency. They must exhaust all those resources before becoming eligible for PDF reimbursement.

Apply for department funds first. Then you may apply to the PDF for reimbursement of other eligible expenses. Your application must include documentation of any department funding or reimbursement for the courses included on your PDF application form.

Your application must include documentation from your department stating that it does not provide tuition funding or reimbursement.

10. How does the fund treat scholarships, grants or other stipends?

Such grants are not counted in the 50 percent limit or $1,200 per fiscal year ceiling. A grant is subtracted from allowable costs incurred by the employee. Any remaining cost not paid by the grant should be treated as any other reimbursement application; that is, apply for departmental funding first, and then apply to the PDF if there are costs remaining.

Student loans are the responsibility of the student/borrower. The State undertakes no responsibility for repayment of such loans.

You must submit your application, with the necessary proofs, within 35 working days after completing the course. Also see question 14.

The application form, DMB-115-OSE, can be obtained from the OSE website www.michigan.gov/ose. If you do not have access to a computer please see your personnel office for assistance.

13. May I apply before the start of a course or seminar?

Only under unusual circumstances, namely that you need to know before you take the course whether you will be reimbursed, and you call the Office of the State Employer (see phone number at the end of this page). However, we will be unable to make a final determination without seeing the entire application.

Yes. You must submit the application and supporting documentation within 35 working days after course completion, and before (September 30), the close of the fiscal year in which the course ended.

If it will be impossible to supply all proofs by that date, you must still submit the application and all available documentation within the deadline. Include a note explaining the circumstances and requesting an extension. Each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Application forms should be returned to the Office of the State Employer, at the address printed on page 2 of the form.

In most cases the reimbursement check for approved costs will be mailed three to four weeks after your application is reviewed and your eligibility is determined.

Effective January 1, 2002, Educational Assistance for all undergraduate level courses were made tax exempt on a permanent basis for amounts up to $5,250. In addition all graduate level courses were made tax exempt for amounts up to $5,250. This means that graduate and undergraduate courses are now non-taxable up to the limit of $5,250. Please note that the cap of $5,250 is an annual cap.

Departments are responsible for: