The following words and terms in this chapter have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
  (1) Assistance--Financial aid provided by the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) to its employees for education expenses.
  (2) Commissioner--The commissioner of DHS.
  (3) Corrective action--DHS's process to correct employee performance and work rule problems.
  (4) DHS--The Texas Department of Human Services.
  (5) Employee--An individual employed with DHS in either a full-time or part-time position.
  (6) Full-time employee--An individual employed with DHS and working 40 or more hours per week.
  (7) Hardship--A serious or catastrophic illness, family emergency, or extenuating circumstance beyond the employee's control that prevents the employee from complying with the terms of an education assistance agreement.
  (8) Institution--An institution of higher education.
  (9) Institution of higher education--A public or private technical institute, junior college, senior college, university, medical or dental unit, or other institution offering an associate's, baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree program.
  (10) Part-time employee--An individual employed with DHS and working between 20 and 39 hours per week.
  (11) Professional development requirement--Educational or technical training required for an employee to maintain current skills, professional standards, or license requirements.
  (12) Training--Planned, structured activities designed to improve employee job performance and job-related skills by achieving specific, measurable, and predetermined learning objectives.
  (13) We, us, and our--The Texas Department of Human Services.
  (14) You, your, I, and my--An individual employed with DHS in either a full-time or part-time position.

Source Note: The provisions of this §77.2 adopted to be effective April 14, 2003, 28 TexReg 3067