GED Reimbursement and Release Time Process

How the GED Certificate process works:

• Documentation

  Documentation to Supervisor:

  • Employees must obtain approval from their supervisor.
  • Employees must also submit the Release Time and Reimbursement for GED Attainment Form to their supervisor.

  Documentation to PD:

  • As each course is passed, employees must submit official verification to PD in order to process reimbursement.

• Registration and pretesting

  Prior to registration and assessment, consult with OD & Communications for important reimbursement information.

  Registration and assessment sessions occur during two separate days at the beginning of each month at the San Marcos Public Library (SMPL). Each session takes approximately three hours.

  • The first partial day involves GED program registration and orientation.
  • The second partial day involves assessment (pretesting). Pretesting measures skill levels in each of the following areas:
    • Language Arts - Reading
    • Mathematics
    • Science
    • Social Studies
  • Participants must attend both sessions. Attendance is confirmed to OD & Communications by the SMPL Coordinator. Time away from work during the employee’s normal working hours for these 2 sessions is paid time off and must be recorded as class release time in SAP.

• Course assessments

  Based on pretesting results, employees are either:

  • able to take course assessments immediately; or
  • assigned to study groups based on their skill level with SMPL Coordinator assistance. Employees progress on their own time schedule.

  • Employees use personal time for any study session time apart from the initial registration and assessment that is during their normal working hours.

  Keep in mind:

  • Taking all tests at once takes approximately seven hours.
  • There is no time frame for completing the GED Certificate.

• Test reimbursement conditions

  • Employees must have a regular full-time status.
  • Once employees pass each of the 4 courses, they are reimbursed for the corresponding assessment fee. 
    • _{Retaking any test has a reduced test fee of half. (Employees are only reimbursed the full amount once.)}
  • Once PD receives documentation that all four tests are passed, PD will also process a one-time $500 payment to assist with travel for study and testing.
    • _{The $500 payment is taxable income and is processed through a PCR using the SAP HR/Payroll system.}
    • _{The employee must be employed in a regular full-time capacity at the time of GED certificate attainment in order to receive the payment.}