Policies

Entrance Requirements

Many of the programs offered by the Lowcountry Regional EMS Council have specific prerequisites that must be met prior to admission into the various programs. These entrance requirements, where applicable, are listed under the course description for the program. It is the policy of the Lowcountry Regional EMS Council to admit qualified students without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, physical or mental handicap, veteran status, or marital status. Policies regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act were developed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Division of EMS, which is the regulatory authority for EMS training in South Carolina.

** Payment and Refund Policy**

All tuition and course fees are due and payable at the time of registration. With written authorization from the sponsoring agency, an invoice for tuition and fees will be issued to the sponsoring agency. Students who are unable to pay the full tuition at the time of registration may plan with the Council for payment to be made in installments. All tuition and fees must be paid in full at least seven days prior to final testing. Any student who has not met all financial obligations to the Council as described above will not be allowed to take the scheduled course final examination. Any applicant who is unsuccessful in their application to the course is entitled to a refund of all monies paid.

When the decision is made to run an EMT program, it is made based on the ability of the class to cover the cost of delivery, which in turn is based on the number of students enrolled.

If a student withdraws from the EMT program in writing, seven (7) or more calendar days before the program start date the student will receive a full tuition refund minus a $50.00 administrative fee.

If a student withdraws from the program in writing, within seven (7) calendar days after the start of class, fifty percent (50%) of the course tuition will be refunded. If the student withdrawals after seven (7) calendar days of the start of class, the student is responsible for the entire tuition amount.

A student who is experiencing extenuating circumstances may elect to re-enroll in a subsequent course within 6 Months and receive credit for the previous coursework and advanced placement. During the re-entry of a course the student will be responsible to pay a processing fee covering material, and technology costs of the course not to exceed $500.00. If a student enrolls in a subsequent course and completes all required material the student’s incomplete grade will be replaced with the corresponding course grade. Students are encouraged to speak with their instructor and the program director prior to dropping from the course to determine if they are eligible for re-enrollment in another course. No-shows on the course start date are responsible for the full tuition amount.

Federal law requires additional specific refund policies regarding recipients of Veterans Administration Education Benefits. These policies can be found below.

VA Policies

Title 38 of the United States Code and regulations of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) require that specific policies be in place for those receiving VA education benefits for enrollment in paramedic training. Veterans should be familiar with these policies and understand their academic and attendance responsibilities.

Veterans Attendance Policy

Veterans* enrolled in the paramedic program will be interrupted for unsatisfactory attendance when accumulated absences, tardies, and class cuts exceed twenty (20) percent of class contact hours in any module of the curriculum. The interruption will be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) within 30 days of the veteran’s last date of attendance using VA Form 22-1999b. A veteran may be re-enrolled for benefits at the beginning of the module following interruption because of unsatisfactory attendance only when the cause of unsatisfactory attendance has been removed. Veterans interrupted a second time for unsatisfactory attendance shall not be allowed to re-enroll for VA education benefits in the absence of mitigating circumstances.

Mitigating circumstances are issues which directly hinder a veteran’s pursuit of a course/program of study, and which are judged to be beyond the student’s control. General categories of mitigating circumstances include but are not limited to: Serious illness of the veteran Serious illness or death in the veteran’s immediate family Emergency financial obligations or change of place of employment or work schedule that preclude pursuit of the program/course Active duty military service, including active duty for training

Standards of Progress for Veterans

Academic progress will be measured at the end of each module. Failure by a student to achieve a score of at least 77% for EMT or 80% for Paramedic for any evaluation period will result in that student being placed on academic probation for the following module. Failure by the student to achieve a score of at least 77% for EMT or 80% for Paramedic during the probation term will result in academic suspension (termination of veteran’s benefits) for one module. The interruption will be reported to the Veterans Administration within 30 calendar days of the change in status using VA Form 22-1999b. Veterans who are reinstated for benefits after academic suspension who fail to achieve a score of at least 70% during that module will be placed on academic dismissal for 2 modules. Reinstatement after dismissal will be granted only if mitigating circumstances exist.

Mitigating Circumstances:

Mitigating circumstances are those which directly hinder pursuit of a course and which are judged to be beyond the student’s control. The following are some general categories of mitigating circumstances. This list is not all-inclusive. Serious illness of the veteran Serious illness or death in the veteran’s immediate family Emergency financial obligations or change of place of employment or work schedule which preclude pursuit of the course Unanticipated changes in child-care responsibilities Active duty military service, including active duty for training

Veterans Refund Policy

The Lowcountry Regional EMS Council has and maintains a policy for the refund of the unused portion of tuition, fees, and other charges in the event the veteran:

Fails to enter the program/course Withdraws, or Is discontinued therefrom at any time prior to completion of the program/course This policy provides that the amount charged to the veteran for tuition, fees, and other charges for a portion of the program/course shall not exceed the approximate pro-rata portion of the total charges for tuition, fees, and other charges that the length of the completed portion of the course/program bears to its total length, within the following limitations.

Prompt Refund – Refunds will be made promptly (within 40 days). Veterans are not required to file application for refund

• Wherever the word “veteran” is used, it is intended to include all persons receiving VA educational benefits.