Global External Certification Reimbursement Policy 2021

External Certification Reim bursem ent Policy - 2021 Controlled Copy
Global External Certification

Reimbursement Policy – 2021
Author (Employee Rev iewer(s) Approv er(s) Issuer(s) Authorizer(s) SME

Artifact Name
ID) (Employee ID) (Employee ID) (Employee ID) (Employee ID) (Employee ID)
Sellakumarasamy, PB, PB,

External Certification NN Murthy NN Murthy NN Murthy
Senthil Kumar Ramachandran Ramachandran
Reimbursement Policy - 2021 (146283 ) (146283 ) (146283 )
(145537 ) (156728) (156728)
Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

C3: Protected 1 of 24
Table of Contents
1.0 Purpose and Scope 3
2.0 Reimbursement Guidelines- Eligibility Criteria 3
2.1 Guidelines for EAS Associates 6

2.2 Guidelines for CIS Associates 7
2.3 Guidelines for Consulting & Corporate Associates 8
2.4 Guidelines for GenC Year 1 India associates 9
2.5 Certification and Geography specific terms 9
2.6 PMP Certification Reimbursement process 10
2.7 Exceptions/Exclusions 10
3.0 External Certification Pre-approval request ID creation and Recording & approving the
certification in My Learning Studio 10
3.1 How to generate Pre-approval request ID in the portal 10

3.2 How to record the certification in My Learning Studio by the associates 11
3.3 How to approve the request in the My Learning Studio by the Supervisors 12
4.0 Expense Report Creation Process 12
5.0 Acronyms 13
6.0 FAQs 14
7.0 Change Log 16

1.0 Purpose and Scope

Industry recognized Certifications are key in benchmarking our associate’s capabilities
and this policy provides the guidelines on reimbursements, processes and applicability.
1. This policy is effective from Jan 2021 (applicable for all external certifications
taken from 01st Jan 2021 until 30th Nov 2021). Associates are required to submit
the claims for the certifications completed during the above period by 15 Dec 2021
2. This policy is applicable for All Associates “Active” on Cognizant payroll (with an
exception of DBO associates who are governed by a separate policy which can
be accessed in Be.Cognizant).
3. Academy will reimburse the recertification cost/renewal cost for certifications

on the lapse of their validity period. However, Academy will NOT reimburse
membership fee or renewal of membership fee of any institution.
4. Academy will NOT reimburse any in person/virtual training & other related (T&E,
training material etc.) costs for the certifications except for the certifications
where the course and exam costs are bundled together by the vendors. This
policy does not cover reimbursements of course fee of online courses like
Coursera, Udemy etc.,
5. Each BU/Service Line has a fixed budget and reimbursements will be subject to
availability of funds and processed on a First come/First serve basis depending
on the business justification/outcomes. Academy can withhold reimbursements
based on the consumption/budget availability for the BU.
6. Academy also reserves the right, to incorporate changes to the policy
terms/withdraw the policy at any time during the year after due consultation of
relevant stakeholders in HR/Finance/Works councils. Associates are required to
refer to the latest version of the policy document in the learning policies section
in Be.Cognizant before taking any certification.
2.0 Reimbursement Guidelines- Eligibility

Criteria
1. Any associate (with an exception of DBO associates who are governed by a
separate policy) is eligible to take the required Technical or Functional external
certification that is relevant to his/her current role.
2. There are separate guidelines for EAS, CIS & Consulting associates. Please refer
to
Sec 2.1 for EAS Associates
Sec 2.2 for CIS Associates
Sec 2.3 for Consulting & Corporate Associates
3. Associates must provide a valid business justification along with the approval of
M+ supervisor in the same hierarchy
4. This approval has to be mandatorily taken before the associate enrolls for the
certification.

5. The M+ approver must endorse the justification by mapping the same against one
of the business outcomes mentioned in the Reimbursement approval template.
Please refer to guidelines for approvers of external certification requests.
6. The Manager should not provide the consent/approval if there is no valid business
outcome associated with the associate taking the certification.
7. The list of outcomes are mentioned in the Reimbursement approval template.
8. Associates are required to register their requests along with the above pre-
approval mail in a separate portal. This portal will capture the certification and
approval details and assign a request ID. This request reference ID has to be
quoted by the associate while raising the claims. Reimbursement claims submitted
without the pre-approval reference ID would not be processed. We recommend
you to use IE/Edge to launch this app.
9. Associates planning to take any Microsoft professional certifications listed in
https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE2PjDI are
requested to mail to Microsoft Academy (Cognizant)
<MicrosoftAcademy@cognizant.com> DL to avail free exam vouchers before
making any payment on their own and registering for the certification.
10. Associates planning to take any Google Cloud professional certifications listed
in https://cloud.google.com/certification are requested to mail to Google
Academy (Cognizant) <GoogleAcademy@cognizant.com> DL to avail free
exam vouchers before making any payment on their own and registering for the
certification.
11. Associates planning to take AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification
(course code - SAA-C02) are requested to use the voucher code
“AWS17E1E5445” to avail 50% discount on the exam cost. The voucher thus
procured needs to be utilized before Nov 1st 2021 and exam to be taken
before Dec 4th 2021. Please email Sangeetha Gopal (187800) for any further
AWS certification related queries.
Below are the other conditions:
12. The reimbursements to an associate are limited to max. of two certifications per
calendar year (Jan 2021 – Nov 2021)
13. If the cost of the external certification is >= 500 USD, associates are required to
take prior approval from their respective BU Academy leads listed below, in
addition to M+ approval before appearing for the external certification.
Reimbursement Pre-Approval required with justification

Amount in standard template
< USD 500 M+ approval mail to be attached
Approval from the Capability Academy

leader (refer table) in addition to M+
>= USD 500 approval

Guidelines for approvers of External certification requests
The M+ Supervisor while approving an external certification request submitted by any

associate is required to provide a business justification that details how the certification will
produce a quantifiable business impact.
Examples of a quantifiable business impact include:
 M1: SO fulfillment of a specific role with an identified account

 M2: Increase in revenue/higher billing rate
 M3: Revenue sustenance
 M4: Pyramid optimization by backfilling a position
 M5: Capability building thru certifications for Pipeline demand & winning
clients
 M6: Reducing voluntary attrition thru opportunity provided to apply newly
acquired skill
If the justification is found to be untrue or does not come to fruition after reimbur sement
approval, the associate’s project at the time of certification will be charged back the cost of
the reimbursement
Details of Global BU Academy Approvers for Certification cost >= 500 USD
Associate
Academy Leader Name BU
ID
102541 Paromita Ghosh MDU
128033 Kiruthiga Srinivasan ADM & DX
114285 Varalakshmi Raja EAS
129330 Tripti Jain CIS
127759 Mangala Preetha Sairaman DATA
107398 Meeraa Jayaraman IoT
115751 Mahesh Kunder QEA
180397 Chandrakala Balakrishnan EE
138119 Vincent D’Souza Corporate
617984 Barry Manno Sales
14. Associates should submit the reimbursement request in CONCUR within 30

c a l e n d ar d a y s from the date of qualifying / passing the Certification exam
along with all supporting documents as mentioned in Section 4.0.
15. Academy will reimburse Taxes as applicable for the exam fee in the expense
report. Split up of taxes must be available in the fee receipt.
16. Any kind of membership fee, transport expenses, training expenses or the study
material cost will not be reimbursed.
17. Once a claim is uploaded in CONCUR with all requisite supporting documents
as mentioned in Section 4. 0, the SLA for expense report verification and
approval by Academy is 10 business days (from the last date of submission as
appearing in the expense report).
18. Associates are required to ensure that the fee receipt is in the name of the person
taking the Certification examination. If not, a “No Objection” Certificate from the
person whose name is specified in the receipt should be uploaded in CONCUR

while claiming the reimbursement.

19. Associates should not submit their time against the Ext. Certification
Projects. Time should be submitted against the associate’s own project by
selecting training under the activity dropdown.
20. Associates should NOT use their corporate AMEX card for the certification
expenses.
21. If an expense report is sent back for revision to the Associate, the modified report
should be resubmitted within two weeks.
Note : In the case of an associate relocating to a different country at the
time of claiming reimbursement (within Cognizant), then the respective
countries’ local regulatory requirements (for taxation or payout) would be
applicable as appropriate, which has to borne by the respective associate.
22. For QEA Associates – Reimbursement of certifications related to EAS skills
like SAP, Oracle Products and Applications will not be done by Academy.
Associates must reach out to their Supervisors and Competency leaders for
certification vouchers before taking up certifications for these skills.
Please contact the following QEA-EAS leaders for guidance and
approvals:
Nagaraj Birur (196005); Supratik Sen (110056); Gopalakrishnan
Jambunathan (273671)
23. For Argentina Associates – Prior to applying for reimbursement or
appearing for external certification, please reach out to Academy POC
Edwin Denson (191979) to get approval. Associates from Argentina will be
eligible for reimbursement only with approval from Academy POC
24. For associates whose physical location is Mexico, please obtain the invoice
of your External Certification cost over Cognizant Mexico´s name and not
on individual associate´s name. Please use the below fiscal address to be
mentioned in the invoice while submitting in concur.
COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V.
AVENIDA AVIACION N°. 3800 COL. SAN JUAN DE OCOTAN,
ZAPOPAN, JALISCO, MEXICO.
CP. 45019
RFC: CTS061006HD7”
2.1 Guidelines for EAS Associates

Associates are enrolled for Technical certifications through closed nomination
process only. Associates as identified and pre-approved by EAS
COE/competency Leads/Learning champions would be eligible for
certifications and respective reimbursements. Such associates would get
intimation from academy/COE on their eligibility for reimbursements.
Associates cannot claim certification reimbursements for alternate
certification courses (including PMP and other functional certifications) other
than the ones pre-approved by Academy. Below are the EAS Specific
guidelines, Copy of the email from COE is required to be attached in the
claim.

a) Oracle, Salesforce & SAP associates are not eligible for

reimbursements for their respective technical certifications, as
vouchers will be assigned by Academy only.
b) SAP certification reimbursements can be availed only by SAP
associates tagged to SAP BU. Please refer to the SAP Certification
reimbursement policy doc for further detail. Only applicable to
nominated associates from Offshore who were part of the SAP
Certification drive.
c) DCX, IPM & Pega associates are eligible for reimbursements through
closed nominations and are also required to update the Academy
pre-approval portal on the certification details and upload copy of
academy/COE pre-approvals received. The pre-approval request ID
needs to be updated in CONCUR while submitting the expense
report.
d) All associates can write to MicrosoftAcademy@cognizant.com for
Microsoft Certifications, GoogleAcademy@cognizant.com for Google
Certifications and Sangeetha.Gopal2@cognizant.com for AWS
certifications.
e) Associates who are not part of the COE Nominated list, but aspire to
appear for these Certifications, should approach their respective
Learning champions/Onsite Learning partners listed in the SBU wise
Be.cognizant Page.
2.2 Guidelines for CIS Associates

1. Only associates having skill usage/deployment plan for 90 days post Certification
completion are eligible for any external certification expenses claim from academy.
Such associates should be nominated through PMO portal by
Managers/Supervisors. Please click here to access PMO portal (Accessible to only
SA+ associates in CIS)
2. Certification requests submitted in PMO portal are to be approved by SBU skilling
SPOC -> Practice leads and then by Academy team.
Once the request has been approved by all parties-
a. Associates would be receiving pre-approval mails from CIS academy
which contains the detailed steps to be followed for raising the claims
b. Associates are then required to update the Academy pre-approval portal
on the certification details and pre-approvals received and make note of
the pre-approval ID generated therein. This ID needs to be updated in
CONCUR while submitting the expense report.
c. Associates can proceed and complete the certifications within the
stipulated timelines as mentioned in the pre-approval mailer
d. Upon Successful competition of the certification, associates need to attach
the pre-approval mail from Academy, while submitting the reimbursement
requests in CONCUR portal.
e. Pre-approval email attachment from CIS Academy mailbox is mandatory to
process claims.
3. Reimbursement is applicable to ONLY those who successfully complete the
certifications with pre - approval
4. Wherever free certification vouchers are available, the same would be offered to
the associates. Such associates are expected to only utilize the vouchers and
cannot avail the external certification claims. Associates are expected to read the
policy document thoroughly to understand the availability of free vouchers. If free
vouchers are available and for the same certifications, associate has submitted
claims, the claims will be rejected, even though the request is approved in PMO
portal.
5. Restriction on cap amount of $500 for paid certification applies to CIS associates.

6. Associates cannot claim certification reimbursements for alternate certification

courses (including PMP and other functional certifications) unless pre-approved by
Academy.
7. Associates not having skill usage/deployment plan for 90 days post Certification
completion are NOT eligible for any external certification expenses claim from
academy. Such claims by CIS associates submitted without proof of pre-approvals
given from CIS academy would be REJECTED.
8. External certification completion for the purpose of SkillUp learning goal is not
recommended for CIS associates.
9. This policy is applicable to all CIS associates and across Technical and Functional
certifications.
10. All other clauses mentioned under sections- Purpose, scope,
Exceptions/Exclusions are applicable to CIS associates as well and specific
attention to be given to the timelines of submission of reimbursement request.
11. Associates to note that they need not reach out to academy learning partners
for any exception approvals on external certification reimbursements as only
eligible nominations received through PMO portal that adheres to be above
clauses will be processed.
2.3 Guidelines for Consulting & Corporate Associates

1. For all Consulting & Corporate associates, where the Certification cost is <500 USD,
Manager or above can approve any eligible CC associate to be reimbursed for a
certification by updating the standard justification template. Managers should refer to the
Guidelines for nomination approvers before approving the external certification
requests.
2. Associates are then required to update the Academy pre-approval portal on the
certification details and pre-approvals received and make note of the pre-approval ID
generated therein. This ID needs to be updated in CONCUR while submitting the
expense report
3. For all external Certifications costing >= 500 USD, The following process outlines the
steps that need to be taken before an associate registers for a certification, expecting
reimbursement.
a. A Manager or above can nominate any eligible associate to be reimbursed for a

certification by updating the standard justification template and submitting it to the
supervisor (D+) of the associate in the same hierarchy .Supervisors should refer to
Guidelines for approvers of external certification requests before approving the
external certification
b. The D+ supervisor is then expected to review the form to ensure the associate and
the selected certification meets the eligibility requirements and guidelines listed.
c. Once the Supervisor & the D+ leader approves, the nominator can then send the
nomination form and supervisor approval to the appropriate Academy Learning
Partner below to receive final approval. The Learning Partner will require up to 10
business days to review the reimbursement nomination.
Consulting Academy Learning Region

Partner Approver
Simran Bajwa (137785) North America

Natasha Jasrotia (784642) Global Growth Markets
Sumitha Sriram (148191) India
Corporate Academy Learning Region

Partner Approver
Vincent D’Souza (138119) Global
2.4 Guidelines for GenC Year 1 India associates

Year1 GenC associates ( PT,PAT,AT) are eligible and are required to complete Year
one learning or RDP aligned INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS ONLY and are NOT eligible
to claim for External certification reimbursements. If there are any exceptions to this,
there would be a pre-approval mail from the GenC HR team shared with the Year 1
GenCs and it would be mandatory to attach the same along with the reimbursement
request. Adhoc claims without the pre-approval mail proofs from the GenC HR team
would be rejected. Also, such GenC associates cannot claim certification
reimbursements for alternate external certifications other than the one pre-approved
by the GenC HR team.
Note: An exception allowed is for EAS – Pega Competency .Year1 GenCs from EAS
Pega practice pre- identified and pre-approved by GenC HR team would be eligible
for Pega CSA certification (EXCE1336 Certified System Architect (CSA) 74V1) and
its respective reimbursements. Such pre-identified GenCs would get email intimation
from GenC HR team on their eligibility for reimbursements. The email from GenC HR
team is required to be attached in the reimbursement request being submitted and
claims without the pre-approval mail proofs would be rejected.
2.5 Certification and Geography specific terms

PMP & PMI – ACP Certifications please refer section 2.6.
Eligibility for Prince 2 Certification reimbursement is for Associates at grades “SA
and above” only and they should be part of UK/Europe client project.
The above grade level restriction is not applicable for associates
working in UK/Europe.
Note: Exceptions will be applied to the Associates at grade ‘A’ level, playing a
lead role. Additionally, there should be a requirement from Client to have the ‘A’
level Associate to get certified. The below mentioned mail approvals need to be
enclosed while raising the expense report.
1) Manager’s justification 2) Client’s requirement

The membership fee and renewal cost (including PMP Certification), transport
expenses, training expenses or the study material cost will not be reimbursed.
(Please refer to sec 2.5 PMP Certification reimbursement process)
o Language Certifications for CE Associates: Please refer to the language
policy document for further details.

2.6 PMP Certification Reimbursement process

Eligibility for PMP Certification by PMI reimbursement is for Associates at
grade “M and above” only. This Grade level restriction is not applicable for
Consulting associates.
Academy will not reimburse PMP renewal fee. It is the sole accountability of the
Associate for cost incurred towards renewal and associated costs.
Academy does not reimburse the PMI membership fee for Associates renewing
their membership / taking up a new membership.
It is mandat ory for A ssociates to obtain t he approval of t heir P roject
Manager/Account Manager before appearing for any external Technical/PMP
Certification exam.
The exam may be taken at any Pro-metric™ (https://www.prometric.com/en-
us/Pages/home.aspx) / Pearson™ VUE center (https://home.pearsonvue.com/)
2.7 Exceptions/Exclusions
1. Associates employed on contract are not eligible for reimbursement of any
Certification exam cost.
2. Certifications completed prior to joining Cognizant are not eligible for
reimbursement.
3. Associates who have submitted their resignation and are s erving notice
period will not be eligible for External Certification reimbursement
irrespective of the date of completion of the certification.
4. Associates who have taken the Certification during their contract tenure and got
confirmed on a later date on regular payrolls, will not be eligible for
reimbursement.
5. This reimbursement policy is not applicable for associates tagged to DBO. There
is a separate policy for DBO associates.
6. Academy will not reimburse claims for the same certification more than once
unless the validity of the certification has got expired.
3.0 External Certification Pre-approval request ID

creation and Recording & approving the
certification in My Learning Studio
3.1 How to generate Pre-approval request ID in the portal

Steps:
1. Log in to the External certification pre-approval portal using the below

link using IE/Edge. This app may not work optimally on google chrome
https://cognizantonline.sharepoint.com/sites/academy-
cms/ExtCert/SitePages/preapproval.aspx
2. Click on the New request button.

3. System will generate the reference # automatically.

4. Enter the name of the certification, which you have planned to complete
in the field.
5. Check for the existing certification details in the hyperlink available in the
page.
6. Incase of certification that is not available in the list; please follow the
steps provided under Sec 3.2 for new code creation in External
credential app
7. Enter the relevant details in the fields such as Issuing Authority,
Certification code, expected cost, certification planned month, HCM
Manager details, select the right business justification and the business
outcome.
8. If in case of the certification is not reflecting in the list mentioned (pt 6),
you can ignore the certification code field.
9. Finally attach the mail approval (in PDF/.msg format only) as stated in
sec 2.0 and submit the request.
10. The request ID available in the home screen needs to quoted in the
Concur portal (business purpose field) at the time of claim submission.
11. Post submission of the request, you can use edit/delete options for
making any changes in details entered/for deleting the request.
3.2 How to record the certification in My Learning Studio

by the associates
External Certification recording feature is accessible through the below link.
https://be.cognizant.com/sites/cognizant-academy/SitePage/697937/record-your-
external-credentials
Steps:
1. Login to:
https://onecognizant.cognizant.com/?GlobalAppId=1738&URL=https%3a%2f%
2fonecognizantapps.cognizant.com%2f1738%2fExternalCertificates%2fExtern
alCertification%3fCourseCode%3d
2. You will be redirected to the ‘External Credentials’ page.
3. Click on ‘New Request’
4. Search with the certification name/code. Click on the certification code
hyperlinked under ‘Activity Code’ section.
5. You would be redirected to the page where the mandatory details need to be
filled in.
6. Upload the Copy of the Certificate
7. Click on ‘Submit for Approval’
After these steps, one approval mail request triggers to your supervisor. Once he
approves, completion will be automatically updated in the My Learning App.
A detailed guide on recording the same is also accessible here.

The above link can be used for recording certifications that are not currently
available/catalogued in Cognizant LEARN as well.
3.3 How to approve the request in the My Learning Studio

by the Supervisors
Associate supervisor can approve request raised by their team members via the below
link.
https://be.cognizant.com/sites/cognizant-academy/SitePage/697937/record-your-
external-credentials
Steps:
1. Login to:
https://onecognizant.cognizant.com/?GlobalAppId=1738&URL=https%3a%2f%
2fonecognizantapps.cognizant.com%2f1738%2fExternalCertificates%2fExtern
alCertification%3fCourseCode%3d
2. You will be redirected to the ‘External Credentials’ page.
3. Please click on the Bell Icon on top of the page
4. The system will display the list of pending approvals under your queue.
5. Please select the request under the Actions header
6. It will direct to the details provide by the associates.
7. Supervisor can view the certification uploaded by the associates
8. Post validation supervisor can approve/reject the request to the associates.
After these steps, notification mailer will be triggered to the associates and the queue
status will be updated in the My Learning App.
A detailed guide on recording the same is also accessible here.
4.0 Expense Report Creation Process

1. For the complete procedure to create an expense report in Concur please refer
to the link – Expense report Creation process concur tool
2. Associates need to upload legible scanned copies of the below documents to
approve the claim in CONCUR
 Score Card / Certificate
 Fee Receipt
 Pre-approval ID needs to be mentioned in the “Business Purpose” tab
 Proof of Certification being recorded in My Learning studio App.
 Exception approval mails if any need to be uploaded while resubmitting
the claim
3. The Project ID and Project name to be used for tagging the expense reports is
as follows.

Geo/Region Project Id Project Name
India 1000024498 External Certifications - India
GGM 1000221000 External Certifications – GGM
North America 1000220995 External Certifications - NA
4. Associates need to raise a request through GSD for reimbursement related

clarifications / assistance. (GSDAcademyExternal Certification 
Reimbursement)
Note: Associates are requested to ensure that the examination fee receipt is
purchased in his/her name if appearing for the examination; else a “No
objection Certificate” (NOC) from the person whose name is specified in the
receipt is required to be uploaded while applying for reimbursement in Concur.
Submission of Expense reports for associates working in Spain:
Associates are then required to update the Academy pre-approval portal on the certification
details and pre-approvals received and make note of the pre-approval ID generated therein.
Associates have to mention the pre-approval request ID while sending the claim.
As per the tax rules of the country of Spain, all reimbursements are taxable and hence the
payouts to associates would be made through the payroll after deduction of the necessary
taxes. Associates are required to mail all the required documents (as mentioned above in
Sec 4.0.3) to lucas.muthujoseph@cognizant.com instead of submitting the claims in
CONCUR.
5.0 Acronyms
The description of Acronyms used in this document is provided for easy reference
Acronym Description
APAC Asia Pacific
BU Business Unit
DBO Digital Business Operations
CDP Cognizant Deployment Pool
CE Continental Europe
GGM Global Growth Markets
GSD Global Service Desk
HCM Human Capital Management
NOC No Objection Certificate
OPN Oracle Partner Network
PDU Professional Development units
PM Project Manager
PMI Project Management Institute
PMO Project Management Office
PMP Project Management Professional
REP Registered Education Provider

TSC Talent Supply Chain

VSL Vertical Serviceline Leader
6.0 FAQs
1. What are the key changes in the 2021 version when compared to previous versions?
Any claim for external certification reimbursement must have some valid business outcomes
associated as mentioned in the policy and the same needs to be endorsed by the M+
Supervisors.
All Associates are required to register the request along with the above pre-approval mail in
a separate portal. This portal will capture the certification and approval details and assign a
request ID. This request reference ID has to be quoted by the associate while raising the
claims in CONCUR.
2. Is the above registration in pre-approval portal applicable for CIS, EAS, Consulting &
Corporate associates also?
Yes, it is applicable for all associates. All associates are required to update the portal on all
approvals received (Academy pre-approval mails/any other exception approvals received)
before taking up the certifications.
3. Is this policy applicable to all associates of Cognizant?

No. Please refer section 2.7 on exclusions.
4. What are those Certifications that Cognizant Academy reimburses?
Please refer to section 2.0
5. Where do I take up the external certification exam?
Associates can take up the certification assessments from any of the Prometric / Pearson
Venue testing centers / through any authorized vendor partner.
6. Is there a cap on the number of certifications reimbursed from the approved list?
Yes, an associate is eligible to take maximum of two certifications per calendar year. In the
case of associates based out of Europe this count is inclusive of language certifications.
7. Is Supervisor pre-approval and recording the same in pre-approval app mandatory
before taking up any certification?
Yes, supervisor pre-approval (M+) and the recording of the same in the pre-approval app is
mandatory before taking up any certification. If the cost of the certification is above USD 500
additional approval from Academy leader is also required. Claims submitted without the pre-
approval request ID’s would be rejected.
8. How do I apply for reimbursement after the completion of my External Technical
Certification?
Associates depending upon their region/payroll need to raise the expense report with all the
mandatory documents in CONCUR. The steps for raising an expense report are explained in
Sec 4.0
9. What are the mandatory documents that needs to be attached while submitting a
claim for reimbursement?
a) Scorecard or Completion Certificate.
b) Fee receipt copy received from vendor/ prometric center.
c) External credentials Supervisor approval screenshot.

d) Pre- approval app Request ID

10. Does concur support all formats as attachments?
No, the list of accepted formats in concur is mentioned in the concur portal itself at the time
of attaching the documents. Associates are required to the attach the documents in these
formats only.
11. Is Concur applicable to all Geos?

Yes, since Concur has been rolled out in all Geos, associates have to submit their expense
reports in Concur only.
12. From when is the new reimbursement policy is applicable?
The revised reimbursement policy is applicable for all certifications taken from January
2021.
13. Can I claim a certificate completed in 2020 or earlier under the new 2021 policy?
No, the new policy shall be applicable only for certificates completed from 1st January 2021.
Associates who have taken the certifications in 2020 are expected to have claimed
reimbursements by Dec 2020 itself. Any claims pertaining to previous years are subject to
exception approvals from Academy leadership.
14. What is the time line by which a claim should be submitted for reimbursement?
Associates should submit their claim for reimbursement within 30 days of the certificate
completion.
15. What will happen to claims submitted after 30 days’ time period?
Associates are required to submit their claims submitted within 30 days of the certification in
order to avoid any delays in processing the same.
16. How do i modify project id when a claim is sent back for that reason?
Associates can refer to the below link for modifying project id details.
https://ecm.cognizant.com/cs/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=50386752&dDocNa me=ctsecmin_58
993920&Rendition=web&allowInterrupt=1&noSaveAs=1&fileNa me=ctsecmin_58993920.pdf
17. The certification I wish to take is not in the External Credentials App. Does that mean
I will not be reimbursed for the same?
No, you can place a request for adding the same in External credentials by following the
same workflow mentioned in Sec. 3.0
18. What is the eligibility and policy for PMP certification reimbursement?
The eligibility for PMP certification reimbursement is for associates at Grade "M" and above
only. Please refer to Section 2.5 for further details.
19. What is the maximum amount that can be reimbursed for an external certification?
There is no maximum threshold. Approval of the BU Academy leader is required for all
certifications exceeding USD 500. Refer section 2.0
20. Will the external certification training cost will be reimbursed by Academy?
No, Academy would reimburse only the certification cost and not any training related
expenses
21. What is the timeline by which submitted expense report will be processed by
academy?
Usually the expense reports are processed within 10 business days from the date they are
tagged to Academy POC.
22. What are the Project codes that need to be used for claiming the reimbursement?
The Project codes vary from Geo to Geo. Please refer Sec 4.0.4 for details pertaining to the

same.
23. Are the associates eligible for PDU’s for the time spent on training for PMP
certifications?
Cognizant is no more a REP and hence cannot provide any PDUs to associates. Hence, if
it is an internal training associates will not be able to claim any PDU’s.
24. What is the policy on Language certifications?
Language certifications are applicable only for associates based out of Europe. Please refer
to section 2.4 for further details on the same.
25. I am unable to launch/update the Pre-approval portal. What do I do?
Please try launching it through a different browser (we recommend using IE/Edge). You may
not be able to access the portal from a client network/device. In such cases you may update
the details in this template and mail the same to Senthil (145537) along with the pre-
approval documents. A preapproval request ID would be generated and shared with you to
facilitate the expense claim submission.
7.0 Change Log

Docume Current Previous Change Release Approved
Artifact Name nt ID Version Version Summary Date by
Removed few
points under
Section 2.0 –
Process for
CIS & EAS
External associates
Certification
Reimbursement Added links in 21-Feb-
Policy 2019 1.1.0 1.0.0 section 3.0 2019 N N Murthy
Added one
clause in
section 2.0.
External
Certification Removed PDP
Reimbursement clause on 06-Mar-
External
Certification Included LP’s
Reimbursement table under 10-Apr-
Included
External Guideline
Certification amount for
Reimbursement CSM,PMP and 15-May-
Policy 2019 1.3.0 1.2.1 Prince 2019 N N Murthy
certifications in

section 2.0
Updated the
FAQ
Included the
preapproval
standard
template
Removed SAP
and AVM SAP
policy links in
the document.
External Removed few

Certification certifications in
Reimbursement the course 22-May-
Policy 2019 1.3.1 1.3.0 catalog 2019 N N Murthy
Included a
clause on the
SAP Policy
status
Updated the
Course catalog
and refreshed
slots
Updated the
External links pertain to
Certification steps to submit
Reimbursement expense in the 12-June-
Policy 2019 1.4.0 1.3.1 Concur portal 1029 N N Murthy
Included a
detail in FAQ
section on the
PDU’s claim.
Updated the
Course catalog
and refreshed
slots.
Modified the
content in the
pre-approval
template.
Modified EAS
External list as EAS-
Certification India list
Reimbursement 03-July-
Policy 2019 1.5.0 1.4.0 2019 N N Murthy

Update the
clause under
section 2.0
Reimbursemen
t guideline
Added new
clause for QEA
associates
under the
section 2.0
Updated the
Course catalog
and refreshed
slots.
External
Certification Modified EAS
Reimbursement list as EAS- 07-Aug-
Policy 2019 1.6.0 1.5.0 India list 2019 N N Murthy
Updated the
Course catalog
and refreshed
slots.
External
Reimbursement list as EAS- 20-Aug-
Added new
clause for
GTO/Corporat
External e Consulting
Certification associates
Reimbursement under the 30-Aug-
Updated the
Course catalog
and refreshed
slots.
External
Reimbursement list as EAS- 04-Sep-
Added new
clause for
External Argentina
Reimbursement under the 06-Sep-
External 1.6.5 1.6.4 Updated the N N Murthy

Certification Course catalog 20-Sep-

Reimbursement and refreshed 2019

Policy 2019 slots.
External
Reimbursement India list as 24-Sep-
Policy 2019 1.6.6 1.6.5 EAS list 2019 N N Murthy
Updated the
Course catalog
and refreshed
slots
Updated the
clauses in
section 1 & 2
External Added the
Certification Learning
Reimbursement partners for NA 15-Oct-
Policy 2019 1.7.0 1.6.6 region 2019 N N Murthy
Updated the
process
document to
upload &
approve the
certification in
the system
External Updated the

Certification Course catalog
Reimbursement and refreshed 06-Nov-
Policy 2019 1.7.1 1.7.0 slots 2019 N N Murthy
Modified the
LP’s for the NA
region

Certification Course catalog
Reimbursement and refreshed 21-Nov-
Policy 2019 1.7.2 1.7.1 slots 2019 N N Murthy
Policy will be
applicable only
for India
associates
Modified the
Pre approval
External template
Certification Changes in the
Reimbursement CIS
Policy India – reimbursement 29-Jan-
2020 2.0.0 1.7.2 process 2020 N N Murthy
External 2.1.0 2.0.0 Updated the N N Murthy

Certification Pre-approval 14-Feb-

Reimbursement template 2020

Policy India – Included the
2020 clause for CIS
Guidelines
Updated the
clauses under
EAS
Guidelines
External
Certification Incorporated
Reimbursement the EAS
Policy India – DCX,IPM Pega 19-Feb-
2020 2.1.1 2.1.0 certification list 2020 N N Murthy
Updated the
clauses under
section 2.2
External
Certification Updated the
Reimbursement EAS DCX, IPM
Policy India – & Pega 03-Mar-
2020 2.2.0 2.1.2 certification list 2020 N N Murthy
Incorporated
the SAP
Certification
reimbursement
External policy
Certification document
Reimbursement Updated SAP
Policy India – Academy 13-Mar-
2020 2.3.0 2.2.0 Leader details 2020 N N Murthy
Updated the
approver
External details in SAP
Certification Certification
Reimbursement reimbursement
Policy India – policy 20-Mar-
2020 2.3.1 2.3.0 document 2020 N N Murthy
Updated the
EAS
Certification list
Removed the
version details
External for Safe Agile
Certification Included the
Reimbursement BU Academy
Policy India – leader details 07-Apr-
2020 2.3.2 2.3.1 for MDU 2020 N N Murthy
External Included 30-Apr-

Certification 2.4.0 2.3.2 guidelines for 2020 N N Murthy
Reimbursement Consulting

Policy India – associates

2020
Updated
clauses for
EAS
associates
External
Certification Included a
Reimbursement clause in SAP
Policy India – policy 21-May-
2020 2.4.1 2.4.0 document 2020 N N Murthy
Included a
clause for QEA
associates.
Updated the
NA region
External approving POC
Certification in section 2.3
Reimbursement Updated the
Policy India – section series 01-Jun-
2020 2.5.0 2.4.1 in EAS SAP 2020 N N Murthy
policy
Updated the
process steps
External in recording
Certification and approving
Reimbursement certification
Policy India – request in the 22-Jun-
2020 2.6.0 2.5.0 My Learning 2020 N N Murthy
app
External
Certification
Reimbursement Modified the
Policy India – clause of QEA 25-Jun-
2020 2.6.1 2.6.0 associates 2020 N N Murthy
reimbursement
Included a
clause under
section 2.0 for
Microsoft
External Azure
Certification certifications.
Reimbursement Updated POC
Policy India – details in 19-Aug-
2020 2.7.0 2.6.1 Consulting 2020 N N Murthy
policy
Updated the
EAS SAP
External policy under
Certification EAS
Reimbursement Guidelines
Policy India – policy 09-Sep-
2020 2.7.1 2.7.0 Changed the 2020 N N Murthy
Academy

Leaders for
MDU and CDB
INT
Modified the
Academy
Leader for CIS.
Modified the
External wording
Certification “CLEARN” with
Reimbursement “My Learning
Policy India – App” for 14-Oct-
2020 2.7.2 2.7.1 recording the 2020 N N Murthy
certification.
Launched new
portal in which
External associates
Certification need to submit
Reimbursement the pre- 15-Jan-
Policy – 2021 3.0.0 2.7.2 approval 2021 N N Murthy
requests.
Updated FAQ
section for
Preapproval ID
External request
Certification Updated
Reimbursement clauses in SAP 25-Jan-
Policy – 2021 3.0.1 3.0.0 certification 2021 N N Murthy
policy
Updated the
Academy
Leads details
Modified ESA
with Concur in
Language
policy
Certification clause for QEA
Reimbursement associates in 16-Feb-
Policy – 2021 3.0.2 3.0.1 EAS skills 2021 N N Murthy

Certification Academy Lead
Reimbursement details for CIS 22-Feb-
Policy – 2021 3.0.3 3.0.2 BU 2021 N N Murthy
Updated the
Academy Lead
details for
Consulting
Associates
External Included the
Certification clause on
Reimbursement certification 02-Mar-
Policy – 2021 3.0.4 3.0.3 duplication 2021 N N Murthy

Updated the
Academy Lead
External details for DX
Certification BU
Reimbursement Modified ADM 31-Mar-
Policy – 2021 3.0.5 3.0.4 to AVM 2021 N N Murthy
Included new
clause for
External GenC Year 1
Reimbursement under section 13-Apr-
Policy – 2021 3.1.0 3.0.5 2.0 2021 N N Murthy
Included new
clause for
External Mexico
Certification associates on
Reimbursement the invoice 19-Apr-
Policy – 2021 3.1.1 3.1.0 details 2021 N N Murthy
Updated
Approving CA
lead for AIA
Modified the
External section for
Certification EAS
Reimbursement Associates 24-May-
Policy – 2021 3.1.2 3.1.1 guideines 2021 N N Murthy
Modified the
BU names as
per new
organizational
change
External Change of
Certification Academy
Reimbursement Leader for 15-Jun-
Policy – 2021 3.2.0 3.1.2 Corporate 2021 N N Murthy
Updated the
Academy
External Approver for
Certification NA region
Reimbursement Consulting 07-Jul-
Policy – 2021 3.2.1 3.2.0 lead 2021 N N Murthy
Updated
clauses on
External certification
Certification eligibility under
Reimbursement section 2.1 & 13-Jul-
Policy – 2021 3.2.2 3.2.1 2.2 2021 N N Murthy

Updated the
clause on
Microsoft
certifications
Included new
clauses for
AWS and
Google
certification
External Updated
Certification language
Reimbursement certification 11-Aug-
Policy – 2021 3.3.0 3.2.2 policy 2021 N N Murthy


Global External Certification Reimbursement Policy 2021

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Global External Certification Reimbursement Policy 2021

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

External Certification Reim bursem ent Policy - 2021 Controlled Copy

Global External Certification

Author (Employee Rev iewer(s) Approv er(s) Issuer(s) Authorizer(s) SME

Sellakumarasamy, PB, PB,

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

2.0 Reimbursement Guidelines- Eligibility Criteria 3

2.1 Guidelines for EAS Associates 6

3.1 How to generate Pre-approval request ID in the portal 10

7.0 Change Log 16

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

1.0 Purpose and Scope

3. Academy will reimburse the recertification cost/renewal cost for certifications

2.0 Reimbursement Guidelines- Eligibility

Sec 2.2 for CIS Associates

Sec 2.3 for Consulting & Corporate Associates

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

Below are the other conditions:

Reimbursement Pre-Approval required with justification

< USD 500 M+ approval mail to be attached

Approval from the Capability Academy

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

Guidelines for approvers of External certification requests

The M+ Supervisor while approving an external certification request submitted by any

Examples of a quantifiable business impact include:

 M1: SO fulfillment of a specific role with an identified account

14. Associates should submit the reimbursement request in CONCUR within 30

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

while claiming the reimbursement.

2.1 Guidelines for EAS Associates

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

a) Oracle, Salesforce & SAP associates are not eligible for

2.2 Guidelines for CIS Associates

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

6. Associates cannot claim certification reimbursements for alternate certification

2.3 Guidelines for Consulting & Corporate Associates

a. A Manager or above can nominate any eligible associate to be reimbursed for a

Consulting Academy Learning Region

Simran Bajwa (137785) North America

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

Natasha Jasrotia (784642) Global Growth Markets

Sumitha Sriram (148191) India

Corporate Academy Learning Region

Vincent D’Souza (138119) Global

2.4 Guidelines for GenC Year 1 India associates

2.5 Certification and Geography specific terms

1) Manager’s justification 2) Client’s requirement

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

2.6 PMP Certification Reimbursement process

3.0 External Certification Pre-approval request ID

3.1 How to generate Pre-approval request ID in the portal

1. Log in to the External certification pre-approval portal using the below

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

3. System will generate the reference # automatically.

3.2 How to record the certification in My Learning Studio

A detailed guide on recording the same is also accessible here.

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

3.3 How to approve the request in the My Learning Studio

A detailed guide on recording the same is also accessible here.

4.0 Expense Report Creation Process

Release Id : QPCA-EXCEREP / 3.3.0 /11-Aug-2021

Geo/Region Project Id Project Name

India 1000024498 External Certifications - India

GGM 1000221000 External Certifications – GGM

North America 1000220995 External Certifications - NA