The only issue that I can think of that you'd want to be aware of is the regulation on the number of hours that work-study students are allowed to work while also taking classes. If the student in question isn't taking classes at all, or is taking only a minimum load (I forget what the actual credit hour requirement is, and that may vary from state to state--check with either the financial aid office or the HR office at the university in question), then s/he should be eligible to work a 40-hour week (or whatever the normal work week is at your institution). But if the student is taking more than that minimum number of hours over the summer, s/he may only be eligible to work for 20 hours in the week.

The student would also still have to have work-study eligibility to take advantage of the pay subsidy (the work-study award usually pays for around 60% of the student's wage, meaning that your researcher's grant would only be responsible for the remainder). Otherwise, you'd have to hire the student as a regular worker. And you have to pay at least the prevailing minimum wage.

Michael Spires
Proposal Development Specialist
Office of Sponsored Projects
Smithsonian Institution
Mail: MRC 1205, P. O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Voice: (202) 633-7436
Mobile: (202) 251-4317
Main office: (202) 633-7110
Fax: (202) 633-7119
http://prism.si.edu/osp/FundingSources/ProposalDevelopment/PropDev.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org] On Behalf Of Charlotte Johnson
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2013 11:23
To: xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org
Subject: [RESADM-L] Work Study Students

Hello,

I have an investigator who wants to hire a work study undergraduate student from a local university
to work with him this summer.    Is there any regulation that would prohibit us from paying the
school from a federal grant?

Thanks,
Charlotte

Charlotte A. Johnson
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs I  Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc.
133 Brookline Ave., 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215
Telephone:  617/509-9929 I  Fax:  617/509-9859 www.harvardpilgrim.org/providers (research and teaching)

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