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Current Openings
Extended Employment Benefits
Employment Documents
Personnel Policy Manual
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Extended Employment Benefits
1.0 POLICY Extended employment benefits may be added to regular employee contracts
for recruitment and/or retention purposes for employees who meet the
criteria listed below. These benefits include one or more of the following: transportation, transfer allowance, and housing.
- Transportation
(1)
The College will provide transportation for eligible
employees from the point of hire to the work location by the simplest,
most economical, and most direct route for the employee, spouse,
and up to three additional dependents who are 18 years or younger,
intellectually/developmentally delayed, or still in high school
as of the contract signing.
(2)
The College will provide return transportation from
the work location to the point of hire by the simplest, most economical,
and most direct route for the employee, spouse, and up to three
additional dependents who are 18 years or younger, intellectually/developmentally
delayed, or are still in high school as of contract signing.
a.
A different destination from the point of hire
may be authorized by the President or his/her designee if the
total charge to the College is less than or equal to what the
total charge would be if the employee were to return to his/her
point of hire. The College will not refund or pay cash for the
difference in fare if such different destination is authorized. If requested, such an alternate destination should be requested
at least 90 days in advance of the expected departure.
(3)
The College will
pay applicable per diem for the employee only for required recruitment/repatriation
layovers, caused by scheduling of the simplest, most economical,
and most direct route.
(4)
If the employee completes the first year of employment
under the contract providing for transportation, then the benefit
extended under subsection A. (1) becomes vested. If the employee
fails to complete the first year of employment, then this benefit
does not vest, and the employee is obligated to pay to the College
an amount equal to the expense undertaken by the College in providing
transportation.
(5)
If the employee completes the first contract which
provides for transportation, then the benefit extended in the contract
under subsection A.(2) becomes vested. If the employee fails to
complete the first contract, then this benefit does not vest, and
the College is not obligated to provide return transportation for
the employee, spouse, and dependents and per diem to the employee. If any member of the family leaves the work location prior to this
subsection becoming vested, then the College is not obligated to
reimburse the employee for the return fare when this subsection
becomes vested.
(6)
The vested benefits
described in Section X.1.A(5) must be used within 90 days of the
employee's termination date of the final contract, or the return
transportation is waived.
(7)
If an eligible employee
renews an existing contract with the College, that provides for
repatriation of more dependents than those allowed under the current
policy, then the employee can choose to renew this specific term
on his or her new contract.
- Transfer
Allowance
(1)
The College will provide transfer allowance to cover
costs associated with shipping/sending household effects and for
settling in to eligible employees according to the following formula:
Single Employee $2500
Employee with one dependent $3000
Employee with two or more dependents $4000
(2)
The College will pay only for the actual costs not to
exceed the maximum allowed as described in X.1.B.(1) for shipping
personal effects from the work location to the point of hire at
the termination of the final contract.
a.
A different destination
from the point of hire may be authorized by the President or his/her
designee if the total charge to the College is less than or equal
to what the total charge would be if the employee were to return
to his/her point of hire. If requested, such an alternate destination
should be requested at least 90 days in advance of the expected
departure.
(3)
If the employee completes the first year of employment
under the contract providing for transfer allowance, then the benefit
extended under subsection X.1.B.(1) becomes vested. If the
employee fails to complete the first year of employment, then this
benefit does not vest, and the employee is obligated to reimburse
the transfer allowance.
(4)
If the employee completes the first contract which
provides transfer allowance, then this benefit extended under subsection
X.1.B.(2) becomes vested. If the employee fails to complete the
first contract, then this benefit does not vest, and the College
is not obligated to provide the return shipment of household effects.
(5)
The vested benefits described in section X.1.B.(4) must
be used within 90 days of the employee's termination date of the
final contract, or the return shipment is waived.
(6)
If an eligible employee renews an existing contract
with the College that provides for return shipment of personal effects
by weight rather than cost as defined under the current policy,
then the employee can choose to renew this specific term on his
or her new contract.
- Housing:
(1) The
College will provide a housing benefit to eligible employees on
the Faculty Salary schedule, the Management Salary Schedule and
the Professional Salary Schedule who are on Pay Level 5 and above,
who qualify. The exclusions listed below apply to all persons potentially
eligible for the housing benefit:
(a)
If at any time during the term of the contract or at the execution
of the contract, the employee is living by himself or with the
employee's parent, spouse, spouse's parent or child, and that
parent, spouse, spouse's parent, employee or child owns
the residence which is within "normal commuting distance" of the
work location, the employee is not eligible to receive housing.
(b) If
more than one employee comes from the same household and is eligible
for housing, housing will be extended to the household and the
benefit not multiplied.
(2) Eligible
employees will receive up to $600 per month with the following conditions:
(a)
If two or more persons from the same household are eligible for
housing, COM-FSM is the provider of last resort, and other housing
policies apply first. Additionally, COM-FSM is not responsible
for greater than $600.00 in housing when counting housing benefits
from all sources.
(b)
If the rent exceeds
the allowed amount, the employee is responsible for the excess.
(c)
For eligible employees,
the College will pay the housing benefit directly to the Landlord,
and solely in the amount specified in the written rental agreement,
not to exceed the maximum amount for that eligible employee.
If the monthly rental is less than the maximum amount of the benefit
to the eligible employee, the amount of benefit in excess of the
monthly rental is waived by the employee.
(3)
Furnishings, appliances, utilities and telephone not
included in the lease agreement(s) are the sole responsibility of
the employee.
2.0 PURPOSE In order for the College to attract qualified employees,
extended benefits are needed to entice people to come and work for the
College. The purpose of this policy is to clearly describe the extended
employment benefits offered by the College and to define eligibility
for extended employment benefits.
3.0 APPLICATION
- Employees eligible for the extended benefit(s)
are:
1.
Off island hires. This may include FSM citizens
returning to their home island, if they meet the other criteria
for eligibility. However, the only benefits extended is one-way
transportation and shipping allowance.
2.
For COM-FSM
students who came to the island to attend school, and who are hired
within 90 days of completion of their schooling, their time in school
does not count as normally living on the island, and their home
island prior to attending COM-FSM will be used as their place of
hire.
3.
Those employees
hired from local agencies that hired the employee from off island
and provided extended benefits.
4.
Employees who are
hired while holding a visitor's permit and have been on island
for a month or less, and who prior to that time did not reside on
the island of hire.
5.
An employee whose
spouse loses the extended benefits regardless of where the spouse
is employed.
6.
An employee who
separates from a spouse who is receiving extended benefits,
and subsequently lives in a separate residence from the spouse regardless
of where the spouse is employed.
7.
An employee who is
an offspring of an employee receiving the extended benefits and
the offspring subsequently lives in a separate residence from the
parents.
8.
An existing employee
with a current contract up for renewal that provides extended benefits.
9.
Employees hired under categories 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7
and 8, are eligible for the extended benefits with the exception
of transportation from the point of hire to the work location. However, if they meet the other conditions for extended benefits
they may be eligible for transportation from the work location to
a location designated as their point of hire, at the conclusion
of their employment contract.
B.
Notwithstanding the requirements
of the previous section, the Board of Regents in order to retain or
hire qualified persons in areas of expertise important to the College
which could not otherwise be filled may waive the requirements of the
previous section.
4.0
RESPONSIBILITIES
The President has the overall authority of implementing the Extended
Employment Benefits Policy.
The Director of Personnel is responsible for the
day to day implementation of this policy. The Director determines eligibility
and includes the extended benefits in eligible employees' contracts. The Director works with the employee to make the travel arrangements
and arranges for shipment if the employee chooses this option and explains
the transfer allowance options to the employee.
Personnel Director/ State Campus Director or Designee is responsible for seeking
and negotiating the initial lease and ensuring that housing is acceptable.
The Employee is responsible for negotiating all subsequent
lease agreements and notifying the College and landlord of any changes.
An employee is also responsible for notifying the Director of Personnel
of any change in circumstances that may affect his or her eligibility
for the housing benefit, and for providing proof of adult child still
in high school and proof of receiving the extended benefits from the
previous employer. The employee is to submit all required documents
to the Personnel Office in a timely manner. The employee is also responsible
for making hotel reservations for any required layovers.
5.0 PROCEDURE The Personnel Director
will determine eligibility of the Extended Employment Benefits through
a questionnaire. If the employee is eligible for the benefits, the
Personnel Director gathers the required information to process the Travel
Authorization. If the employee is ineligible, the Director notifies
the employee at the time of the contract signing that they are not eligible
for the extended employment benefits and that they have a right to appeal
the determination.
A.
Transportation:
(1)
The Director of Personnel obtains from the employee
the names and ages of all dependents to be covered under this policy.
(2)
The employee provides the Director of Personnel with
proof of high school enrollment for dependents over the age of 18
prior to travel confirmation.
(3)
The Director of Personnel works with the employee to
determine the departure date and flight route for recruitment and
repatriation.
(4)
The employee makes arrangements, i.e. hotel reservations
for required layovers.
B.
Transfer Allowance:
(1)
The Director of Personnel explains the transfer allowance
policy and the options available. If the employee chooses to ship
his/her household effects from the point of hire to the work location,
the Director of Personnel contacts the shipping company to arrange
with the employee for the shipment of their household effects. The
College pays the shipping company and the employee receives the difference
if the bill is less than the allowance, or bears any cost beyond the
allowable transfer allowance. If the employee chooses to handle their
own shipment or to purchase items on island the employee receives
the allowance upon arrival at their work location.
(2)
At the end of the final contract, the employee determines
if and how to ship their household effects from their work location
back to their point of hire. If the employee chooses to ship his/her
household effects, the Director of Personnel contacts the shipping
company to arrange with the employee for the shipment of their household
effects and the College pays directly to the shipping company. If
the employee chooses to handle their own shipment the employee submits
the receipts to the Director of Personnel for reimbursement. The
College will pay/reimburse for actual costs not to exceed the maximum
allowed as described in X.1.B.(1). Any costs exceeding that amount
are the responsibility of the employee and no cash differential will
be provided for amounts lesser than that amount. At the end
of the contract, the College will not pay cash in lieu of the transportation
allowance.
C.
Housing:
(1) Personnel
Director/ State Campus Director or designee seeks temporary housing
based on the size of the immediate family who will be living with
the employee.
(2) Personnel
Director/State Campus Director/designee conducts an inspection of
the premises before the new employee arrives.
(3) The
Personnel Director/State Campus Director or designee informs the utility
company of the date of occupancy of the new employee.
(4) The
employee negotiates subsequent lease
agreement(s)and informs the College
and landlord beforehand in writing regarding changes in housing arrangements.
(5) The
employee informs the utility company of any changes in residence.
(6) The
employee inspects and documents the condition of the premises prior
to entering into a lease agreement and upon vacating the premises. The employee is responsible for any damage to the leasehold.
6.0 DEFINITIONS
Off Island Hire: Anyone recruited from outside the
FSM, who by accepting the job would be required to relocate to the FSM,
or any person recruited from inside the FSM, who resided beyond the
normal commuting distance from their prospective work location.
Regular Employee: Employee in a permanent position with an employment contract.
Home island: The island of birth of the person, or as customarily accepted as
their island of origin.
Local Agency: Local government or non-government organization,
or private business.
Normal commuting distance: All locations on the island
of Pohnpei are presumed to be within "normal commuting distance" of
the College. All locations on the island of Kosrae are presumed to
be within "normal commuting distance" of the Kosrae Campus. All locations
within Chuuk Lagoon are presumed to be within "normal commuting distance"
of the Chuuk Campus, except for Tol, Pata, Udot and Polle. All locations
on Ruming, Maap, Gagil, Tamil, and the island of Yap are presumed to
be within "normal commuting distance" of the Yap Campus.
Employee Dependents: employee's spouse, biological
child, legally adopted child, and biological child of spouse living
in the employees household who are 18 years or younger or are still
in high school as of the contract signing or intellectually/developmentally
delayed.
Intellectually/developmentally delayed: A biological
child, legally adopted child, and biological child of spouse living
in the employees household who by virtue of a physical or mental handicap,
has not graduated from high school and needs parental care and supervision
to fulfill their daily living needs.
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