Eligibility

Last updated on February 12, 2024. Originally published February 12, 2024.

Initial Eligibility

Parent must be:

A full time (1.0 FTE) TEAMS* employee at the University of Florida. LEON* employees also qualify for this benefit; UPD full time (1.0 FTE) police officers, sergeants and lieutenants.

*For purposes of the HEO, all references to TEAMS employees include eligible UPD employees.

*The HEO is not available to OPS, USPS, Academic Personnel, or part-time TEAMS or LEON employees.

Student must be:

  • The natural, adopted, step, foster, or any other child for which legal guardianship can be documented, of a full-time TEAMS employee. Upon request, official documentation of legal guardianship, marital status, and/or age verification must be provided to UFHR.
  • In age between the date of their high school graduation and the end of the calendar year of their 26th birthday.

Continued Eligibility

To continue to participate in the HEO, the following conditions must be met on the first day of classes for each new semester:

  • The HEO participant’s qualifying legal guardian must be a full-time TEAMS employee on a regular annual or multi-year contract.
    • In the event that the HEO participant does not have a qualifying parent who is a full-time TEAMS employee on the first day of classes, the HEO participant will be ineligible to continue to participate in the program.
    • Should a qualifying parent terminate full-time TEAMS employment during the course of a semester in which the HEO participant is enrolled, the HEO participant will remain eligible for the remainder of that semester.
    • If a qualifying parent returns to full-time TEAMS employment at a later date, the prior HEO benefit does not carry over to a new TEAMS appointment after a break in service. The parent may submit their eligible child’s name for the next available HEO drawing.
    • In the event of the HEO participant’s qualifying parent’s death, the participant will remain eligible for the duration of their original eligibility in the program so long as the student maintains the GPA requirement.
  • The HEO participant’s cumulative GPA must be 2.75 or higher.
    • The HEO participant must give approval to UFHR to access their student records to determine their cumulative GPA.
    • If the student is attending a public or state community college, they must provide to the HEO Coordinator in UF’s Human Resources an official copy of each semester’s transcript of grades from the community/state college showing all courses attempted and grades received.
    • Transfer students and/or students who took dual enrollment community or state college courses in high school that count towards their GPA in college will be covered by the HEO program only if the student’s GPA is 2.75 or better.
    • Should an HEO participant’s cumulative GPA drop below a 2.75, the student will be classified as “GPA ineligible” and will remain ineligible for continued participation in the HEO until their cumulative GPA is 2.75 or higher.
    • The participant’s future benefit will be prorated to reflect any credit hours earned while GPA ineligible.
    • The University will not retroactively compensate the participant for any credit hours attempted while GPA ineligible
  • The HEO participant will continue to be eligible for the program through the end of the calendar year in which the child turns 26 years of age.
  • HEO participants may attend school part-time in this program; however, the total obligation of the University for each HEO participant will not exceed 132 credit hours.
  • Each semester, the student must complete the HEO Status Verification web form that confirms contact information and verifies where the student is attending school. The student will not be covered by the HEO for the coming semester if the form is not completed within the specified timeframe.