Heart & Soul Assistance Fund Guidelines

The Heart & Soul Assistance Fund was created to provide gift assistance to eligible employees of Mood Media Corporation, or one of its subsidiary entities, with short-term, unforeseen financial hardship or immediate expenses due to circumstances resulting from an emergency. This document is designed to serve as a guide to those individuals who wish to explore the availability of emergency assistance from Heart & Soul Assistance Fund. It also serves as the source for the guidelines to be followed by the Emergency Assistance Committee (hereafter referred to as EAC) in carrying out its responsibilities.

1. Emergency Assistance Fund

All eligible employees may be considered for financial assistance from the Heart & Soul Assistance Fund. This fund originates from employee contributions and donations. Because of the limited sources of income for this fund, a grant of €50 to €400 gross may be allowed for each emergency situation. The actual amount of the financial assistance grant is determined by the EAC and is based on an analysis of need, as described in the ” DETERMINATION OF NEED” section of this document and the funding available at the time of the request.

2. Eligibility

Financial assistance from the Heart & Soul Assistance Fund is limited to employees of Mood Media Corporation’s ’s international subsidiary entities who demonstrate Need (as defined in Section 4). Assistance is limited to one award per employee per 12-month period. Exceptions may be granted to any of the above requirements with majority approval by the EAC. Members of the EAC and Board of Directors are excluded from eligibility.

3. Application for Assistance

The application form may be obtained and completed online from the web site at https://heartandsoul.moodmedia.com. In the event an Eligible Employee cannot personally seek an application, forms may be obtained and completed with assistance by a designated representative; e.g. spouse, child, friend of the family, or co-worker with prior notification and approval of the Eligible Employee.

Only COMPLETE applications will be considered by the EAC.

4. Determination of Need

“Need” exists when an Eligible Employee lacks resources to purchase the basic necessities of life or meet the contingencies created by an emergency situation. Verification of the emergency is necessary to determine need. Upon application submission, documentation or copies of invoices or bills that are to be considered for payment should be submitted to [email protected].

5. Procedures
   • In order to determine whether the problem presented is within the scope of the Heart & Soul Assistance Program, the following questions will be considered by the EAC:
     • Is the applicant eligible for these services?
     • Has the “Category of Need” been established?
     • HR will conduct a preliminary review to verify eligibility that best accommodates the situation. Below are the steps for the application process:
     • An application for assistance is submitted and a case number is assigned. To ensure confidentiality, only the case number will be used in all transactions concerning the application.
     • HR will present the request to the committee for evaluation and appropriate action. At all possible times, the committee will meet as a group.
     • HR notifies applicants of the committee’s decision. Decisions by the EAC are final.

6. Examples of Financial Hardships: The following examples are types of emergencies or destitute situations given rise to Need which the EAC will consider. However, this list is not exhaustive and each application will be considered on an individual basis.
   • Following a disaster – If Eligible Employee has an immediate need due to devastating circumstances as a result of a disaster. Financial assistance shall be granted as soon as possible to alleviate immediate expenses.Impact from COVID-19 qualifies.
   • Unexpected medical/dental expenses not covered by local public health system – Upon recommendation by the committee, financial assistance up to €400 gross, may be allocated to an Eligible Employee as a result of extended illness, medical bills and care, or incidental expenses resulting from an illness or emergency situation once sick leave and/or annual leave is exhausted.
   • Death of immediate family related to COVID-19- Assistance may be provided to relieve an Eligible Employee of immediate financial concerns. Immediate family is defined as spouse, children or parents.
   • Miscellaneous – If the requested emergency assistance is within the guidelines, basic utilities (electricity, gas, and water/sewer) will be considered for payment.

7. Exclusions: Heart & Soul Assistance Fund will consider each case individually; however, the following are examples of circumstances or events that will not be considered emergencies:
   • Finance a leave of absence or vacation
   • Moving expenses
   • Finance a marriage, divorce, child support or adoptions
   • Pay income taxes or related penalties and interest
   • Debt consolidation/Attorney fees
   • Cable television
   • Payment of credit cards or loans
   • Donations to other charities
   • To pay for other employees requests that were denied
   • Any other category the EAC deems inappropriate for the fund

8. Examples of Supporting Documents: The following are examples of supporting documents to submit with your application:
   • Eviction or Foreclosure:
     1. Documentation from the landlord or financial institution indicating that eviction or foreclosure will occur if payment is not made
     2. The amount in arrears needed to prevent the eviction or foreclosure
     3. Documents must include the applicant’s name or address and must be dated within the last 3 months
   • Past Due Utilities (Electric, Gas, Water, etc.):
     1. Past due bill or disconnection notice warning disconnection will occur if payment is not made
     2. The amount in arrears
     3. Documentation must include applicant’s name or address and must be dated within the last 3 months
   • Medical/Dental Expense not covered by local health care:
     1. Copies of medical bills for services that show out of pocket expenses
     2. Health care notice for coverage refusal
     3. In the case of ongoing medical treatment, a licensed physician’s statement estimating planned treatment and associated costs.
     4. Documents must include the name of the patient and must be within the last 3 months.
        Note: No private healthcare or cosmetic treatments will be covered.
   • Funeral/Burial Expenses:
     1. A copy of a bill, invoice or estimate from the cemetery or funeral home for covered expenses.
     2. Information supporting that this expense is for a deceased individual such as: the funeral date, the name of the deceased, the date of death, etc.
     3. Documents must be dated within the last 3 months.