SLAC Wellness and STAP Funds

The Staff Training Assistance Program (STAP) provides reimbursement of tuition costs, registration fees, and required textbooks for any training activity either related directly to an employee's job or career development effort undertaken with the knowledge and approval of his or her supervisor. Each employee has STAP funds ($800/year) available to offset training expenses.  For more information, please see the SLAC HR STAP webpage.

Change In Wellness Classes

Up until May of 2007, several Healthy Back exercise classes in the Stanford HIP program had been eligible for STAP funding.  However, Stanford University is only able to provide STAP reimbursements to the extent they qualify as tax-free "educational assistance" under the Internal Revenue Code. This means that reimbursement can be provided for HIP courses that improve or develop your capabilities, but not for HIP courses that involve a sport, game or hobby. A HIP course that instructs you on how to maintain or improve your health is considered to involve a sport, game or hobby if the course involves the use of athletic facilities or equipment or is recreational in nature. HIP courses must also meet the general STAP requirements that the education be directly related to performance requirements of the employee's current job or to training objectives for career development.

The Cardio Dance Fusion, Pilates, and Yoga classes that HIP conducts at the SLAC Aerobics Room were each affected by this change.  Stanford understands that this change is awkward with regards to the timing of registration. We must comply with the current interpretation of IRS regulations. The Health Improvement Program is committed to providing you with excellent classes that meet your health promotion needs and interests and we commit to providing these classes at the lowest possible cost. If you have questions please contact Wes Alles at walles@stanford.edu .

Other Wellness Classes

STAP funding is still available for other HIP classes held each quarter at Stanford, including Health Behavior, Wellness Coaching, Time Management, and Diabetes Management.  Please see the Stanford HIP catalog for the current quarter for all available classes.

Other Benefit Rewards

Stanford University employees who are enrolled in HealthNet, Pacificare, or Blue Shield HMO plans are able to receive wellness rewards ($75 and up) for taking HIP classes. Requirements for participation vary according to the health plans.  Please see the BenefitSU Wellness Program website for details.  You can also download flyers for PacifiCare and HealthNet [pdf] programs, and go to the Blue Shield HLR webpage for their information.  For more information, call Debbie Balfanz at 650-725-3185.