Due to the ongoing pandemic, Vanderbilt University has reset its COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund and increased the eligible salary to $150,000. The university established the fund to assist employees with financial burdens incurred as a result of COVID-19.
Eligible employees can request reimbursements up to $500 for expenses related to family care, medical bills or alternative housing arrangements required for COVID-19 self-isolation or quarantine.
Reimbursements from the Emergency Relief Fund are available to full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff employed by the university who have completed six months of service. Postdoctoral scholars employed by the university also are eligible. Only employees with an annual salary less than $150,000 are eligible.
Eligible employees may submit multiple requests for reimbursement from the Emergency Relief Fund, but the total amount requested across all applications cannot exceed $500. If you have applied or received funds prior to September 2021, you may re-apply for an additional $500 as long as it applies to new eligible expenses. Among the items covered are:
- Family care expenses, such as additional childcare or tutoring and increased costs to care for other family members due to COVID-19-required changes in normal care and/or schooling. (This does not include the cost of a laptop.)
- COVID-19 medical expenses not covered by insurance, including co-pays, deductibles and over-the-counter medications.
- Short-term housing needs related to self-isolation or quarantining required by health officials for management of a COVID-19 case.
Vanderbilt Unviersity Human Resources will evaluate and process applications for the employee COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund on a rolling basis and then communicate a decision within two weeks of submission. Expenses that have already been reimbursed, or may be reimbursed in the future, are not eligible. Documentation of expenses also may be required.