Page 12 - November 2020

Financial Secretary’s Report
Recent issues and results
Hello again. In the last two months, I have been tasked with addressing many tuition reimburse- ment issues. Upon speaking with the involved officer, I was able to learn the particulars of the re- imbursement issue and the reason for the holdup of the earned and deserved reimbursement check.
Many officers are utilizing Article 24 (educa- tional reimbursement) of our contract and have enrolled in schools that have committed to a 25 percent first responder scholarship. The officers
submitting reimbursement vouchers where issues have arisen have contacted the Lodge. The officers (you know who you are) and I have been inundated with emails from the Department’s Human Resources Office and, in isolated cases, from the Labor Relations Division. One of the issues was that the Department believed that a 25 percent public safety scholarship was not ear- marked just for police officers and first responders but for any run-of-the-mill student. We have had some success with our communications among FOP, the officer involved in the partic- ular case I’m writing about and the Department. After exhaust- ing all efforts, we have filed grievances as well.
As of Oct. 23, the date (as of this writing) of the most recent email communication with the Department regarding tuition
reimbursement, the email affirmed that a batch of checks was going out to about 110 officers for payment for spring 2020. The Department is currently working on summer 2020 payouts as well, involving 300 officers.
The Department has many civilian employees staffing Hu- man Resources, many working remotely due to the pandemic. These civilian employees handle tuition reimbursement. I have been notified via email that I will have a new contact person to deal with directly, and hopefully this will get us quicker results. (She will be on vacation until the end of the second week of No- vember.)
Officers, thank you for your patience and understanding in dealing with these frustrating issues. I hope that we can have a more streamlined process in the future. Please remember that once you complete 12 months on the job, you are eligible for educational reimbursement under Appendix P of the contract (pages 82–83). Also, for my veteran officers, remember that you cannot combine the Department’s education reimbursement with your veteran administration funds. Submit and file your applications for reimbursement and continue to utilize this outstanding job benefit.
Stay safe!
JIM JAKSTAVICH
12 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ NOVEMBER 2020