Dependent Backup Care
Washington and Lee University offers expense reimbursement for child and adult care when unanticipated needs arise. The University subsidizes 60% of last minute or emergency child and elder/adult care in order for you to attend to work responsibilities. The benefit covers up to $200 per employee per year.
Subsidy Guidelines
Program Background: Washington and Lee University offers a backup dependent care expense reimbursement program for benefit-eligible faculty & staff ("employees"). The program is designed to support faculty and staff when there are unanticipated needs for child or adult care that would otherwise cause the employee to miss work. Any care provider can be used to provide the care.
Employees can submit a request for reimbursement of 60% per occurrence up to $200 per calendar year. Two employees from the same household are limited to one limit of $200 per year.
Eligible Expenses
Eligible expenses include:
- Care that is provided on short notice, and as a result of work responsibilities that have not been planned in advance explicitly so that an employee may conduct work on behalf of the University. These instances may include work conducted on behalf of W&L during normally scheduled hours, after hours events, meetings that are held on short notice, and employment related tasks performed at home, e.g. grading papers, conducting research, etc.
- Care that is provided when the regularly scheduled care provider is not available or is unable to provide care with less than 24 hours' notice. Examples would include: employee's child or dependent adult is not able to attend normally scheduled care/school because of illness; and the school or center is not open due to an unforeseen circumstance, e.g. because of inclement weather.
Ineligible Expenses
Employees are not eligible for reimbursement for care that is required when they have reasonable notice that their normally scheduled care provider is not available, or if they have not attempted to obtain care for an atypical work-related function, event, or requirement. These may include:
- Employee's school or care center has a scheduled closing.
- Employee's care provider has planned vacation/PTO and has provided more than 14 days' notice.
- W&L has a planned faculty/staff meeting or event that has been scheduled with more than 14 days' notice.
Claims
Claims must be submitted within 60 days of the date the care was received. Reimbursement will be included in the employee's paycheck within 4-8 weeks after the claim has been received and approved.
W&L will evaluate and approve expenses based on interpretation of the guidelines above.