 I am pleased to announce that the IRS is launching a new Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) which builds upon the long-standing Human Resources Investment Fund (HRIF), a program jointly negotiated by IRS and NTEU. Millions of dollars will be available to employees who wish to return to school to improve their jobs skills or to ready themselves for promotion. The new TAP will continue to help IRS employees defray the cost of tuition for classes that relate to the mission of the IRS but with some additional benefits. For starters, there will no longer be a cap on the number of applicants the program will accept. Additionally, the agency will cover the full tuition costs of up to two classes per semester. The first $5,200 per year of this assistance is tax-free; any costs paid by the IRS above that figure will be taxable income. The Tuition Assistance Program open season is in progress and ends November 2, 2007, so now is the time to apply for the help with the winter session of school. There is likely to be a second open season in the spring for summer and fall classes, but that will be decided by some on-going negotiations between NTEU and IRS. NTEU and the IRS are still working out some final details of the program but, we wanted to let you know immediately about the expanded program. Details and an application can be found on the IRS Intranet site. If you are thinking about taking classes that relate to the work you do or want to do at the IRS, apply for the Tuition Assistance Program. If you have questions about the program management cannot answer, or if you apply and are denied, contact a local NTEU representative for help. NTEU and the IRS have a joint interest in this program being successful for employees and for the IRS. Some of the best benefits IRS employees have were created through the collective bargaining process and/or are enforced through that process, e.g., the right to use alternative work schedules (Article 23 of the NTEU contract), the right to work flexiplace (Article 50 of the NTEU contract), the right to approximately $60 million dollars a year in performance awards (Article 18 of the contract), the right to approximately 3,000 extra step increases a year awarded to the highest performers (Article 18 of the NTEU contract), and the right to public transit subsidies (Article 29 of the NTEU contract). All of these benefits can put money in your pocket, but it all starts with knowing your rights and exercising them. If you are thinking about taking classes to improve
your skills and expertise in the work you do, or would like to do,
for the IRS, go to the IRS Intranet for information on the new Tuition
Assistance Program (TAP). And NTEU will continue to work with the
IRS to make TAP a solid and efficient program that we can build
on in the future, and that will benefit both employees and the IRS.
Colleen M. Kelley |
