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MARICOPA COUNTY INTERNAL POLICY Policy Number: XXXX Policy Title: MEDICAL EXAMINER LOAN REPAYMENT Current Adoption x-x-xxxx Date: ASSISTANCE PLAN Current x-x-xxxx Implementation Date: Board Agenda Approved by: Number: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Original Adoption xx-xx-xxxx Date: I. PURPOSE The purpose of the Medical Examiner Loan Repayment Assistance Plan (MELRAP) is to enhance the recruitment and retention of medical examiners by providing financial assistance to those with high student loan debt. II. AUTHORITY This Policy has been authorized by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to A.R.S. § 11-251. III. APPLICATION This Policy applies to medical examiners employed with the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner. IV. DEFINITIONS A. Administrative Panel: A panel consisting of a representative from each of the following areas: County Management, County Human Resources, and the OME. B. MELRAP: Medical Examiner Loan Repayment Assistance Plan. C. OME: Office of the Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Department. DRAFT D. Participant: A medical examiner who meets all of the eligibility requirements and chooses to participate in the MELRAP. E. Plan Administrator: A member of OME administration designated by OME’s Appointing Authority to manage the MELRAP. V. POLICY A. Responsibilities 1. Plan Administrator: The OME’s Appointing Authority will designate a Plan Administrator who is responsible for: a. Making the official MELRAP application form available to employees. b. Verifying that applicants are eligible to receive benefits under the MELRAP during each quarter that they make a claim for educational loan reimbursement. Policy Title: Policy Number: XXXX MEDICAL EXAMINER LOAN REPAYMENT Current Adoption ASSISTANCE PLAN xx-xx-xxxx Date: c. Timely processing of all applications and subsequent documentation. d. Providing the County Human Resources Payroll Division with all documentation required to process loan repayments within 60 days of the end of each quarter. e. Maintaining all records related to the MELRAP including applications, eligibility verification documents, quarterly reimbursement requests, account update requests, a list of employees participating in the MELRAP, and any other materials relevant to the MELRAP and its participants. f. Tracking and reporting performance data relevant to the MELRAP. This includes but is not limited to: number of participants, amount of payments, recruitment statistics, and retention statistics. g. The Plan Administrator may not be a participant in the MELRAP. 2. Participant: Qualifying employees who opt to participate in the MELRAP are responsible for: a. Applying for and participating in all other sources of loan repayment assistance, forgiveness, and cancellation that are available to them. b. Submitting their initial application and supporting materials by the deadlines referenced in the application materials. This includes: i. The MELRAP application. DRAFT ii. Documentation verifying loan debt. iii. Documentation for each loan. This includes: (a) Verification of the eligibility of the loan(s) pursuant to Section (V)(C) of this Policy. (b) Account number. (c) Proof of the original principal loan amount. (d) Amount of debt remaining. (e) Calculated monthly repayment amount. (f) Lender contact information (name, address, phone number). iv. Any other documentation requested by the Plan Administrator. c. Providing updates and supporting documentation regarding any changes to approved loans, including but not limited to changes in the lender, servicer, and account number. This information must be submitted within the quarter in which the change occurs. d. An employee may appeal decisions of the Plan Administrator to the Administrative Panel. Appeals must be submitted in writing and within 30 days of the decision being appealed. 3. Administrative Panel a. The Administrative Panel shall develop administrative procedures required for this Policy. Page 2 of 5 Policy Title: Policy Number: XXXX MEDICAL EXAMINER LOAN REPAYMENT Current Adoption ASSISTANCE PLAN xx-xx-xxxx Date: b. The Administrative Panel shall be the final arbiter of any disputes that arise under this Policy, including but not limited to appeals from participants or potential participants. B. Employee Eligibility 1. Employee participation in the MELRAP is voluntary. A participant may decide to end his/her participation at any time. To be eligible, an employee must: a. Be assigned to a medical examiner, medical examiner (FP), deputy chief medical examiner or chief medical examiner market range title. b. Have obtained and maintained board certifications in Anatomic Pathology and Forensic Pathology. c. Be a regular employee who works at least 20 hours per week (contract and temporary staff are not eligible). d. Maintain qualifying employment during the entire quarter for which reimbursement is requested. e. Have a rating of at least "meets" or equivalent on his/her most recent evaluation prior to each reimbursement. A participant who receives an evaluation rating below "meets" or equivalent is ineligible for benefits from the MELRAP for the quarter during which the evaluation is completed, and remains ineligible for these benefits until the quarter in which the participant receives a completed evaluation with a rating of at least "meets" or equivalent. DRAFT f. Apply and be accepted for participation in the MELRAP in accordance with this Policy. C. Educational Debt Eligibility 1. A participant will receive loan repayment funding to be applied to the principal, interest, and related expenses for outstanding, eligible loans. 2. Loans must specifically be for undergraduate or medical school, and/or joint degree programs where one degree is an M.D., for school tuition, other reasonable educational expenses, and reasonable living expenses. 3. The following student or educational loans are eligible for repayment under the MELRAP: a. Government Loans i. Stafford Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loan: A loan made, insured, or guaranteed under Part B of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. § 1071, 20 U.S.C. § 1078-8, and 20 U.S.C. § 1087a, et. seq. ii. Perkins Loan: A loan made, insured, or guaranteed under Part D or E of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1087aa-1087ii. iii. Federal Consolidated or Federal Direct Consolidated Loan: A loan made, insured, or guaranteed under section 428C or 455(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. § 1078-3 and 20 U.S.C. § 1087e(g) to the extent that such loan was used to repay a Federal Direct Stafford, a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or a loan made under section 428 or section 428H of such Act. Page 3 of 5 Policy Title: Policy Number: XXXX MEDICAL EXAMINER LOAN REPAYMENT Current Adoption ASSISTANCE PLAN xx-xx-xxxx Date: iv. Graduate Plus Loan: A low, fixed interest rate student loan guaranteed by the U.S. Government. b. Health profession student loans available through an educational institution. c. Private commercial educational loans or private commercial educational consolidated loans, subject to the provisions of Section (V)(C)(4). 4. The following loans do not qualify for reimbursement under the MELRAP: a. Federal PLUS loans. b. Private loans from friends, family members, or other private entities. c. Credit card or other consumer debt used to finance education. d. Qualifying loans consolidated with non-qualifying loans. e. Educational loan debt that has been paid and satisfied and/or discharged. D. Benefit 1. Participants may be reimbursed for payments made on their student loans up to $6,250 per quarter with a maximum total benefit of $100,000. The reimbursement cannot exceed the actual amount of payment made for that quarter. DRAFT 2. Participants are eligible to request reimbursement at the beginning of the full quarter after acceptance into the MELRAP for payments made during the quarter in which they are accepted. 3. Reimbursements are prorated for part-time staff working at least 20 hours per week. 4. Receipt of a reimbursement does not constitute a legal entitlement to future benefits nor does it constitute a right, promise, or entitlement to continued employment. E. Service Commitment 1. Participants are obligated to maintain employment with the OME for at least one (1) year following their last MELRAP payment. 2. If a participant fails to meet their service commitment, they are obligated to repay the County for any MELRAP payments received for loan payments made during their final year of service. a. The County may elect to deduct the amount owed, or a portion thereof, from the employee’s final paycheck or otherwise work out terms of repayment prior to the employee’s last day of employment. b. The County may provide participants whose final paycheck is insufficient to cover the full amount owed a period of up to one (1) year from the date of employment termination to repay all amounts due to the County. Page 4 of 5 Policy Title: Policy Number: XXXX MEDICAL EXAMINER LOAN REPAYMENT Current Adoption ASSISTANCE PLAN xx-xx-xxxx Date: c. Failure to repay amounts owed to the County by the established due date may result in the amount being considered delinquent debt for collection and referral of the matter to a debt collection agency. DRAFT Revision History Version Revision Date Description of Revision 1 Initial version Page 5 of 5