Employee Emergency Fund

The Employee Emergency Fund provides assistance for OSU faculty and staff members facing immediate, severe and temporary financial hardships due to an emergency. The Fund is limited to a once per lifetime award. Funds granted to you are paid through OSU Payroll and subject to federal, state and local taxes. These funds will be dispersed the same as your regular payroll checks unless you indicate otherwise on page three of the application.

The Employee Emergency Fund (EEF) is made possible by the support of OSU/OSUMC faculty and staff, the efforts of the Ohio State EAP and the Employee Emergency Fund Committee.

Eligibility

You must:

  • be an active university staff or faculty member
  • have a temporary financial hardship because of an emergency situation
  • must be at least a 50% or greater full time equivalent
  • at least 12 months of continuous regular employment at the time of application
  • have considered other possible resources which were not available or are not sufficient to meet the need

A temporary* financial hardship is one cause by a defined, time-limited, specific event such as:

Examples of an Emergency:

  •  Natural disaster
  •  Domestic Violence
  •  Death of a family member – family member must be immediate as defined by the University
  •  Fire
  •  Serious illness (as defined in the vacation donation policy)
  •  Critical Injury (as defined in the vacation donation policy)

Events not covered by EE Fund:

  •  Legal fees or fines
  •  Any event that is a result of illegal activity committed by the staff member or one of their dependents
  •  Major purchases (car, appliances, etc)
  •  Chronic debt or sustained financial short-falls

*Temporary means that you were able to manage your finances before but are now in significant debt and these funds could assist you in regaining your financial stability within a couple of months. If you have longer-standing financial problems you would not meet the temporary hardship requirements and would not be eligible.

Given the limited amount of funds, all requests can’t be approved even though there may be a clear need for assistance. This fund may be insufficient in the case of widespread disasters, community crises, or war/terrorism. If you are awarded funds, please consider “paying it forward” in the future if the opportunity should arise. You can contribute to the fund during Campus Campaign. 

 

How to Apply

  •  Obtain the Employee Emergency Fund (EEF) Application form from the Ohio State EAP Office.
  •  Fill out EEF Application as completely as possible. Be sure to sign and date the form to verify that the information is valid and accurate. All applications are treated as confidential.
  •  Attach a copy of your most recent earning statement and copies of all bills related to the hardship. Other documentation may be requested during the application process.
  • Return the completed EEF application form to the Ohio State EAP office via fax, US. Mail, Campus Mail or hand delivery to the Ohio State EAP administrative office (address on form).
  • You may be contacted by an Ohio State EAP staff member to review the application and to discuss other resources or services.
  • Ohio State EAP will forward the last two pages of this form to the EEF Review Committee Chair for final decision.
  • The EEF Review Committee Chair will notify Ohio State EAP of their decision.
  • Ohio State EAP will notify the Office of Human Resources Fiscal Department who will dispense the funds through direct deposit into the bank account or payroll account set up for the employee.
  • The applicant will be notified by phone* of the approval or denial within 7 business days after a completed application is received.
  • Since some employees have split deposits, your funds may be split into each account. If you are subject to a current Garnishment, these funds may be subject to deductions.
  • If you would prefer to have a check cut and made available for pick-up, please designate this on page one of the application.

Note: If your application is found to contain misleading or inaccurate information it will be considered invalid and won’t be forwarded.

*If unable to reach the employee by phone at the number they provided, a message will be left advising the employee to contact the Ohio State EAP counselor who they are working with in regards to the application decision.

Content used from osuhealthplan.com.