The Education Fund was renegotiated by PEINU & Health PEI as part of the 2021-2025 Collective Agreement (Article 28.6):
“An Education Fund, funded by the Employer, shall be jointly administered by the Education Fund Committee. The monies will be distributed to the Education Fund Committee on the following dates in the following amounts:
July 1, 2021 – $400,000
July 1, 2022 – $400,000
July 1, 2023- $400,000
July 1, 2024 – $400,000
July 1, 2025 – $400,000
The Education Fund Committee shall provide the Employer and the Union with a quarterly report detailing the educational courses applied for, the educational courses approved by the Committee, the amount paid for each Employee course and work area of the Employee, the total amount of the Fund spent for the year to date, the amount of money remaining in the Fund, and such other information as either party may reasonably request.
Ed Fund Committee & Administration
In accordance with the collective agreement, the Ed Fund is jointly administered by the Education Fund Committee and includes representatives for both the Employer and the Union.
An Ed Fund Administrator is contracted by the Committee and is responsible for reviewing & approving applications (in accordance with the guidelines established by the Committee), issuing reimbursements to members (for direct costs) and to Health PEI (for salary compensation costs). Since July 2022, the Union has assumed the responsibility of acting as the Administrator of the Ed Fund; a function that has been delegated to the PEINU Office Administrator, Sarah Barter.
Eligible Members
PEINU Members are eligible to apply to the Ed Fund if, at both the time of their application and on the date(s) of the Education Activity, they are:
- Active* Members of the PEI Nurses’ Union;
AND - Employed by Health PEI in the PEINU bargaining unit as a either a:
- Permanent Employee; or
- Temporary Employee; or
- Casual Employee, provided they have worked a minimum of 500 hours in the previous Ed Fund fiscal year (or a minimum of 300 hours in the current Ed Fund fiscal year if they were not employed by Health PEI prior to July 1st).
*Note: Active Members are defined by the PEINU Constitution & By-Laws. (Excluded Employees, Employees who hold a position in another bargaining unit, and Casual Employees who have not worked/paid dues in the last 3 months are considered Inactive Members and are therefore ineligible for reimbursements by the PEINU Ed Fund.)
Available Funding
Eligible Members may apply for reimbursement up to a maximum of $2500.00 for expenses related to approved Education Activities.
Expenses eligible for reimbursement may include a combination of:
- Direct Costs – for registration fees and required books/course material costs; and/or
- Salary Compensation Costs – for the time required to participate in an Education Activity
Note: Individuals are responsible for keeping a record of the funding they receive throughout the fiscal year.
Submitting an Application
A separate application must be submitted for each Education activity for which funding is requested.
Except for Education Activities involving a Post-Secondary Course/Program (outlined below), PEINU Ed Fund Applications may be submitted:
- up to 90 days prior to the start date of the Education Activity; or
- a maximum of 10 working days after the start date of the Education Activity.
Applications received more than 10 working days after the start date of the Education Activity will not be accepted.
Post-Secondary Courses/Programs
Applicants enrolled in a Post-Secondary course/program, such as a Master of Nursing degree program, must submit their payment schedule and ensure the application for funding is received no later than 10 working days beyond the first payment due date.
Pre-Approval
PEINU Members will receive a confirmation email when the Ed Fund Application has been properly submitted. The Administrator reviews Ed Fund Applications on a bi-weekly basis and will communicate with Applicants by email to request additional information (if required). If an application is pre-approved, the Administrator will provide the applicant with a “Pre-Approval Letter” detailing the specific amount(s) of funding that have been approved and the procedures for submitting claims for reimbursement.
Direct Costs
- Cost for registration and course material costs related to the RN or NP professional practice are typically considered by the Ed Fund Committee to be eligible expenses, with the exception of courses/training that are mandatory/required in your job. (Mandatory training/certification/courses should be paid by the Employer.)
- CNA certification/re-certification are eligible for the education year in which the certification may be issued.
- When claiming reimbursement for approved registration, books, and course material costs, the receipt must be in the member’s name.
- Payments will not be made directly to an Employer for Direct Costs that are paid on behalf of an Employee.
Salary Compensation Costs
PEINU Members can apply to the Ed Fund for Salary Compensation Costs related to their attendance at an Education Activity.
- Straight Time Rate
The hours approved by the Ed Fund for Salary Compensation Costs will be paid or banked (if applicable) at the straight time rate. (i.e. Employees are not entitled to the Overtime Rate for the hours of Salary Compensation Costs provided by the Ed Fund.) - Permanent & Temporary Employees
For Education Activities up to 6 hours in duration for Employees scheduled to work 8-hour shifts, or up to 9 hours for Employees scheduled to work 12-hour shifts (i.e. less than 75% of the shift), Applicants may be approved for Salary Compensation Costs for Education Leave for the actual hours spent attending the Education Activity.(In some cases, this means that Employees may be required to request additional time off – whether paid or unpaid – for the remainder of a shift in order to attend the Education Activity. The additional time off is not eligible for reimbursement through the Ed Fund; it may be Employee-funded through Vacation or TIL banks, for example, or Employer-funded through an approved Paid Education Leave, for example, or it may be taken as an Unpaid Education Leave.)
Paid Time vs. Banked Time
For the hours of Salary Compensation Costs that are pre-approved by the Ed Fund, Casual Employees will be PAID for the hours. Part-Time Employees will be PAID for the hours regardless of whether they attend the Education Activity on a day off or during a scheduled shift (i.e. Part-Time Employees are not entitled to bank the hours). Full-Time Employees who request time-off in order to attend a pre-approved Education Activity will be PAID for the hours (i.e. Paid Education Leave). Full-Time Employees who attend an Education Activity on their day off may request to BANK the hours. - Casual Employees Casual Employees are eligible to be PAID for the actual hours spent attending an Education Activity.
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS
The pre-approval letter is required by the Employer to ensure the appropriate, timely billing of Salary Compensation Costs to the Ed Fund. It is the Applicant’s responsibility to provide their Nurse Manager with a copy of the pre-approval letter when submitting the Leave Request (or the Time Sheet) for Paid Education Leave (or Banked TIL) to attend an Educational Activity, and no later than 10 working days after the start date of the Education Activity.
The Ed Fund Administrator does NOT provide copies of the pre-approval letter to Nurse Managers or the Employer.
Submitting an Expense Claim
The Claim Form and Receipt(s) for Direct Costs must be submitted through the online form.
Claims Forms & Receipts must be submitted no later than 60 days following the completion of the education activity. (For online courses, claims, with receipts, must be submitted within 60 days of the start date of the course.)
Claims submitted after more than 60-days will not be processed or reimbursed by the Ed Fund.
Reimbursement of Expenses
The maximum total amount of funds that may be reimbursed by the Ed Fund is $2500.00 in the current Ed Fund fiscal year (July 2025-June 2026).
The PEINU Ed Fund will issue a cheque to the Applicant for approved claims for Direct Costs (subject to requirements outlined above). The Salary Compensation Costs will be paid (or banked) by the Employer, who will then submit a claim for reimbursement to the Ed Fund.