Employees must meet the following criteria to be eligible for assistance:
- Employed at Research Medical Center, Research Medical Center Brookside, or Research Psych Center.
- Employed for a minimum of 90 calendar days.
- Classified as full-time, part-time, or PRN employee & work a minimum of 20 hours per week.
Applications from HCA employees who are employed on other HCA payrolls (such as Parallon) and who are currently making a one-time, monthly, or quarterly donation to ECHO will be considered.
Employee Assistance Fund (EAF) Policy: (revised September 2025)
The purpose of the Employee Assistance Fund (EAF) is to help employees struggling due to:
- Loss of income due to a serious illness, injury or surgery of the employee* or an immediate family member (immediate family members: spouse, domestic partner, children, step-children, children employee has legal guardianship over).
- Loss of income due to a natural disaster.
- Disability or handicap as a result of an accident or natural disaster.
- Support for homeless employees (not those living with other family members).
- Support for employees to escape a domestic violence situation.
*Employees must access/exhaust Short Term Disability (STD) benefits prior to accessing the Employee Assistance Fund (EAF). EAF will cover short gaps such as if an employee does not have 40 hours of PTO accrued to cover the STD waiting period. EAF will also cover wait periods and gaps between STD payments and regular pay. Employees can apply for a maximum of $2,500 from EAF every three years.
Discretionary Fund Policy: (revised September 2026)
If an employee experiences an emergency financial hardship that falls outside the scope of assistance available through the Employee Assistance Fund (EAF), they may be considered for support through the Discretionary Fund. Employees can receive a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year based on their length of service.
- 3–6 months of employment: Up to $500
- 6–12 months of employment: Up to $750
- 1 year or more of employment: Up to $1,000
Effective October 1, 2026, employees may submit only one Discretionary Fund application per calendar year. Employees are encouraged to submit a single application that addresses their immediate financial need as well as other anticipated financial needs. Additional applications will not be considered even if the employee has not reached the maximum annual amount for which they are eligible. A six-month waiting period is required between Discretionary Fund applications.
If an employee experiences a situation that would qualify for assistance through the Employee Assistance Fund (EAF), they may apply for EAF assistance within the same calendar year. The six-month waiting period does not apply when transitioning from Discretionary Fund to EAF. If an employee withdraws their initial Discretionary Fund application or their application is denied, they may submit another application within the same calendar year, subject to the applicable eligibility requirements.
All applications received on or after October 1, 2026, will be limited to only one Discretionary Fund application per calendar year and will be subject to the six-month waiting period.
This application submits information to be considered for the purpose of granting financial assistance under the guidelines of Employee Assistance Fund Policy and Procedure. It is understood that the decision to grant financial aid shall rest with the Employee Assistance Fund Committee and you shall abide by the committee’s decision. All information submitted shall be treated confidentially.
Please note that you must submit all information at the same time. You will not be able to start your application and come back to it at a later time. Please call 816-276-3163 or email info@theresearchfoundationkc.org with questions. If you prefer to complete an application in person, please contact the Pastoral Care Department at 816-276-4120.
