setting-up and managing trainee appointments
Whether you are a new or experienced research administrator, training grant administration is complex and ever-changing. BREO offers guidance and support, feel free to contact us.
Best Practices
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Plan Ahead: Managing appointments can be complex and time-consuming.
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Finalize recruitment and select trainees 2 months prior to trainee start-date.
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Submit ePR traineeship payments at least 1 month prior to trainee start-date.
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Communicate clearly and often with trainees and trainee home departments.
Appointment Process
T32 programs should issue award letters to each trainee appointed to the grant. This letter serves as an opportunity to discuss program requirements, compensation, and ensure all parties understand their roles and responsibilities. It is crucial that all parties understand and agree to any out-of-pocket costs that may be incurred by the trainee or the trainee’s home department during their appointment (e.g., health insurance, tuition, parking).
The training program administrator should collaborate with the trainee’s home department to draft the terms of the award letter. The specific contents and format of the award letter will vary depending on whether the trainee is a graduate student or a postdoctoral scholar.
At minimum, the award letter should include:
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Appointment dates.
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Overview of compensation and other financial support being offered by the T32.
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General list of allowable and unallowable costs, and information on purchasing guidelines (e.g., how to make purchases, timing).
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Language regarding tax liability.
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An overview of the NIH vacation, sick, and parental leave policy for NRSA trainees, which may be different than the policies for other graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
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NIH and T32 program-specific requirements.
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Payback requirements for postdoctoral trainees. This is significant since they may have to fulfill the payback requirement even when they are no longer a trainee.
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Signature lines for the T32 Program Director and the trainee.
Stipends: Stipends are not salary and may not be paid via payroll. NRSA stipends must follow NIH-established levels, which are set annually and may differ from current salaries. Home departments may supplement NRSA stipends.
NRSA Stipend Rates: Determined by the Fiscal Year of the individual T32 award, stated in the T32 Notice of Award (NOA) under Section I – Award Data, Fiscal Information.
Duration: Trainees are supported for 12-month full-time training appointments, typically for two years.
Adjustments: NRSA stipend amounts may only be adjusted at the time of appointment or reappointment. Once the appropriate NRSA stipend level has been determined, the trainee must be paid at that level for the entire grant year. For less than 12-month appointments, stipends are prorated.
Rate Changes: NRSA stipends remain unchanged for the entire 12-month appointment period, even if new NRSA rates are released. If a trainee continues on the training grant for another year, they will receive any stipend increase associated with the new fiscal year upon reappointment.
Graduate Students: One NRSA stipend level for all predoctoral candidates.
Postdoctoral Trainees: NRSA stipend levels are based on full years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of T32 appointment. Generally, the postdoc level is set by the number of years since the most recent degree date. However, the number of years of experience may need to be calculated on a case-by-case basis. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching assistantship, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in a health-related field beyond that of the qualifying doctoral degree.
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Example 1: A doctoral candidate defends their dissertation in January and starts a postdoc in February, though graduation does not occur until May. Relevant postdoc experience begins in February.
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Example 2: A doctoral candidate defends their dissertation in February, stays in their lab until March, and starts a postdoc in April. Relevant postdoc experience begins in April.
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Example 3: A doctoral candidate defends their dissertation in March, takes six months off, and starts a postdoc in September. Relevant postdoc experience begins in September.
Experience Calculation Example:
Appointment start: 07/01/2024
Ph.D. awarded: 05/30/2021
Postdoctoral experience began: 12/01/2021
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12/21-11/22: Level 0
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12/22-11/23: Level 1
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12/23-11/24: Level 2
Payment Process: Stipends are paid through Accounts Payable via ePR. The ePR type will be Scholar/Fellow/Traineeship. ePRs should be submitted 1 month prior to appointment start date.
Supplementation: Home departments may provide additional financial support with no obligation to the trainee. Verify support levels with trainee's home department and obtain non-federal chartfield for payment. Supplemental stipends are paid via ePR.
Examples of Acceptable Circumstances for Supplementing the NIH Stipend:
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Predoctoral Graduate Students: Most HSC graduate stipends are set at $37,000 annually, which is higher than the current NRSA predoctoral stipend. Therefore, a supplement should be provided to match the department/division stipend level.
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PhD Postdoctoral Scholars: If a PhD postdoctoral scholar's salary exceeds the applicable NRSA stipend level, the trainee’s home department may choose to supplement the stipend.
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GME MD Fellows: GME MD fellows must be paid according to their GME contract, which typically exceeds the NRSA stipend levels. If the GME contract exceeds the NRSA stipend level, a supplement is required. Important Note: GME and NRSA stipend levels are typically one year apart (e.g., a GME level 2 will be an NIH level 1). GME supplemental pay may be paid via payroll.
Tuition
Tuition and fees are awarded by NIH as a lump sum. However, these funds may be allocated (without the prior approval of the NIH awarding IC) based on recipient needs.
Example: Predoctoral tuition is awarded at 60% of costs proposed in application up to $16,000 single degree/ $21,000 dual degree per individual trainee. However, 100% of an individual predoctoral trainee's tuition may be paid from the grant if sufficient grant funds allow.
Tuition for postdoctoral trainees is limited by NIH to that required for specific courses outlined in the Program Plan and requires Program Director approval.
The process for reporting tuition will vary depending on the individual trainee circumstance. Coordinate with the trainee's home department to process tuition payments each semester.
Health Insurance
Health Insurance costs (self-only or family) are allowable trainee related expenses. Health insurance may include coverage for costs such as vision and/or dental care. Life and Disability Insurance may NOT be paid by the training grant and must be paid by an activity.
Insurance coverage and plans will remain unchanged during the grant appointment; however, the method of billing and payment will be revised while the trainee is appointed to the training grant.
Predoctoral Trainees. Communicate with the trainee's home department to determine how they would like to handle insurance during the T32 appointment. The department may choose to pay United HealthCare directly by check for the insurance, or they may require trainees to pay up front and be reimbursed.
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Department Pay: In this scenario, once the trainee is set-up on billing, the department will receive a United Healthcare invoice and will request the T32 chartfield to pay the invoice.
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Student Pay: If a student pays, the trainee will submit an invoice that may be reimbursed up to the allowable grant budget authorized by the T32 Program Director.
Postdoctoral Scholars. Postdoctoral Health Insurance should be moved to manual billing by emailing HR Benefits. HR Benefits will send out a monthly statement reflecting the trainee’s Health insurance, Disability insurance, and Life insurance.
The Postdoc/Trainee Billing Form must be filled out at the start of appointment, reappointment, termination of appointment, or any other changes. Changes include: Initial enrollment, change to benefits, annual open enrollment, stipend increases (e.g. reappointments).
Grant vs. Department Costs
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Health insurance costs in excess of the training grant budget will be paid by trainee's home department. Life and Disability insurance will also be paid by the trainee’s home department from an activity or an unrestricted project, as these costs are unallowable on the grant. This expectation should be discussed with the home department at the beginning of the award.
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The trainee is generally responsible for paying the EMPLOYEE PORTION of health insurance costs though some departments pay this portion on behalf of the trainee. The trainee will complete the ACH Form to have the EMPLOYEE premiums withdrawn from their personal checking account once a month. The ACH Form should be completed and submitted to HR Benefits at the time of setting-up the trainee on manual billing.
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It is recommended that you outline the anticipated insurance costs and obtain a chartfield from the trainee's home department at the beginning of each appointment year for processing monthly or quarterly insurance payments.
A Statement of Appointment (SOA) is required at the time of initial appointment and subsequent reappointment of trainees.
Steps for setting up xTrain appointment:
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eRA Commons Account: Verify each trainee has an account. If not, initiate one through xTrain.
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Complete SOA: The Program Director (PI) or an authorized administrator (with the ASST role) completes the SOA.
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Trainee Approval: Trainees must approve both new and reappointment SOAs before submission to NIH.
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PI Approval: The PI approves and routes the appointment to NIH after trainee approval.
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Payback Agreement: Required for postdoctoral scholars within their first 12 months of Kirschstein-NRSA postdoctoral support. Refer to your Notice of Award (NOA) for guidance.
BREO has developed a checklist to help guide you through the annual trainee appointment and reappointment process.
