Employee Handbook

Section 7 — Employee Benefits

Fitness Reimbursement Program

The Fitness Reimbursement Program (FRP) is a benefit offered to all full and three-quarter part-time employees eligible to participate in the City’s health insurance program. The FRP is intended to encourage employees to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle through physical fitness, reduce the City’s health/medical care costs, reduce absenteeism, and improve employee productivity. Eligible employees may join a qualifying fitness facility of their choice or approved Smart Fitness Equipment, with the City providing a quarterly payment for membership fees based on reimbursement amounts established by the City.

Employee Eligibility Requirements

• Full-time or three-quarter part-time employees eligible for the City’s health insurance program.
• Employee must participate in the City’s annual Health Screen and Health Risk Assessment. If the employee does not complete the annual Health Screen and Health Risk Assessment, the employee will not be eligible for reimbursement for the quarter the screen and assessment is held, and the employee will also be disqualified from reimbursement until the employee completes the screen and assessment the following year. The employee would once again be eligible for reimbursement the quarter following the completed Health Screen and Health Risk Assessment.
• Employee must carry the City’s family health insurance in order to qualify for the quarterly family membership reimbursement amount and must provide verification of family membership on a quarterly basis.

Program Requirements

• Employee must be a member of a qualifying fitness facility that offers, at a minimum, cardiovascular equipment, circuit and/or free weights, and certified personal fitness trainers, or utilizing approved Smart Fitness Equipment.
• Employees are required to provide documentation verifying the minimum twelve (12) workouts per month for each month of the quarter at a qualifying fitness facility or Smart Fitness Equipment usage. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that workouts are accurately recorded by the fitness facility or Smart Fitness Equipment.
• Employee must meet the minimum of twelve (12) workouts per month for each month of the quarter in order to qualify for the reimbursement. An employee may not carry over additional workouts beyond the minimum of twelve (12) from one month to the next.
• In the event an employee is not able to meet the minimum of twelve (12) workouts per month for a period of three (3) months due to a medical condition, the City may temporarily and on a case-by-case basis waive or modify this provision. As a condition of this waiver, the employee may be required to obtain verification from a health care professional documenting that they are not to participate in any physical activity due to a bona fide medical condition. An employee must be an active participant in the FRP prior to requesting the waiver.
• Employee must complete the Fitness Reimbursement form on SharePoint and upload official attendance documentation provided by the fitness facility or Smart Fitness Equipment by the first Friday following the end of the quarter.
• In the event an employee retires from employment with the City during a quarter, the employee is eligible to receive reimbursement for the portion of the quarter they were employed with the City.
• In the event an employee separates from employment (other than a retirement) with the City during a quarter, the employee is not eligible for a reimbursement under the FRP.

Documentation Requirements

• Attendance documentation must be issued by the fitness facility or Smart Fitness Equipment and clearly show:
  1. Name of the fitness facility/Smart Fitness Equipment
  2. Name of participating employee/member
  3. Dates of participating employee’s attendance for each month of the quarter
  4. Family membership if requesting family reimbursement amount
• Attendance documentation must be submitted by the first Friday following the end of the quarter. Reimbursements will not be made for late or incomplete submissions.
• The City reserves the right to require additional documentation.

The Fitness Reimbursement Program is a benefit provided by the City and is not required for an employee to perform their job; therefore, this is taxable income paid through payroll. Reimbursements made through the FRP will be included in gross wages on the employee’s annual W-2 statement.

The City reserves the right to periodically audit FRP submissions, which may include verifying information directly with the fitness facility. Any misrepresentation or submission of fraudulent documentation will be considered a violation of City policy and shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Additionally, any misrepresentation or submission of fraudulent documentation will result in the immediate and permanent removal of the employee from the FRP.