Fellows' Benefits
The Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offers an excellent benefits package to its fellows, particularly in relationship to the cost of living in Cincinnati.
Benefits for Fiscal Year 2008
For Fiscal Year 2008 (7/1/07 - 6/30/08), benefits are:
Salary | Moving Expenses l Allowance l Conferences l Society Dues l Malpractice Insurance | Vacation l Health Benefits l Life Insurance l Disability Insurance l Travel Insurance
Salary Schedule
| PL IV | $48,500 |
| PL V | $49,500 |
| PL VI | $50,500 |
| PL VII | $51,500 |
| PL VIII | $52,500 |
Moving Expenses
Expenses for the first year fellows associated with moving will be reimbursed up to $1,500. You must have original receipts for reimbursement and these should be submitted to Teri Heckenmueller, Business Director, for processing.
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Discretionary Allowance Guidelines
Fellows are granted $2,375 during the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). These funds can be used to cover appropriate expenditures related to fellowship training needs, including conference participation, relevant books, dues, etc. If in doubt about whether something is covered, please check with Teri Heckenmueller in advance.
Funds may not be carried over from one fiscal year to another. All expenses incurred in June must be submitted no later than the third week of June to insure they are reconciled within the appropriate fiscal year. Expenses submitted after that time will be counted in the following fiscal year allowance.
Expenses must be related to the time that you are in your fellowship training. For those fellows on the training grant, additional items may be covered, such as tuition, books for coursework, etc. Please check with Teri Heckenmueller in advance.
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Conference / Travel
Each fellow may use some or all of the discretionary allowance to attend one division-supported educational conference or scientific meeting per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). Saving on travel, sharing a room and other appropriate cost-saving measures may permit you to attend a second conference and stay within your discretionary allowance budget. If there is a specific conference beyond this budget that a fellow feels would be beneficial to his / her research or career, a meeting prior to registering and / or submitting an abstract to this conference should be held with Mitchell Cohen, MD, and / or Ted Denson, MD, to make sure funding is available. While all reasonable requests will be considered, support cannot be guaranteed.
The division has a strong commitment to fellow education but needs to remain fiscally accountable. This conference allowance includes the cost of registration for the course, housing, transportation and a food allowance. Rental cars are not a covered expense for routine conference / travel.
If you travel with a spouse / significant other for a conference, the expenses of that second person are the traveler's responsibility and receipts must be itemized to exclude expenses of that person. If you exceed the amount, you will be expected to cover the difference.
Procedure for travel
Prior to any travel, the travel must be discussed and approved by either the Fellowship Training Director (Dr. Denson) or Division Director (Dr. Cohen) and the Business Director (Teri Heckenmueller). A travel request must be completed prior to making any travel arrangements. The fellows' secretary will provide assistance for the fellows in regards to travel arrangements. You are strongly encouraged to make travel arrangements as soon in advance as possible.
Upon return from a conference, expenses must be submitted for reimbursement within seven working days of the conference. You need to keep all original receipts associated with travel and document on the receipt the nature of the expense. For example, if you pay for two other fellows at a meal, please note on the receipt who participated in the meal.
When putting together the expense report, all original receipts must be taped on an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of paper (one side only) in date and category order. (All transportation expenses together by date, all food expenses together by date, etc.). It is important to keep the voucher for air travel as well, as this must also be included in the reimbursement. If you pre-pay a hotel by making a deposit on your credit card, a copy of the statement showing the expense must be submitted with the expense report for reimbursement.
Expenses are to be tabulated on the appropriate documentation and signed by the traveler. The fellows' secretary will review all submitted expense reports to ensure accuracy and submit for authorization and reimbursement. Reimbursement takes approximately 10 working days.
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Society Dues
Fellows are encouraged to use their discretionary funds to join the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA; first year is free; $95 for following years) and, if appropriate, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD; trainee dues $90). First year trainee membership in the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN is free, and you should be automatically added to the roster and receive notification of this early in your first year. You will be responsible for Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification and / or renewal, but can use your allowance to cover these expenses.
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Slides / Posters / Artwork
Charges for posters, etc., will be accrued to your discretionary fund or to a specific laboratory fund of your mentor.
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Malpractice Insurance
Coverage is provided through the self-insured policy of Cincinnati Children's for the duration of the fellowship-training program for fellowship related activities. Coverage for activities not associated with the training program is not provided. A certificate of such coverage will be provided to all fellows.
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Vacation
Each fellow is given 20 days of vacation time (includes Cincinnati Children's holidays) to use during the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). There is no carryover of vacation time from year to year.
Health Care Benefits
The selections of providers for health care and dental benefits change on an annual basis. For incoming fellows, this decision is made during orientation. Open enrollment for the medical center is typically in the spring, when changes in coverage can be made.
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Group Term Life Insurance Group
Term life insurance of $50,000 is provided without cost, effective the first day of employment.
Disability Insurance
Disability insurance is provided without cost, as detailed in the annual contract.
Travel Accident Insurance
Travel accident insurance is provided without cost, as detailed in the annual contract.
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