Americorps!vista

Member Handbook
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created in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service engages more than 2 million

Americans in improving communities through service. The Corporation supports service at national,

state, and local levels through: AmeriCorps, whose members serve with local and national organizations

to meet community needs while earning educational awards to help finance college or training; 

Learn and Service America, which helps link community service and learning objectives for youth from

kindergarten through college as well as youth in community-based organizations; and the National

Senior Service Corps (Senior Corps), the network of programs that helps Americans ages 55 and older

use their skills and experience in service opportunities that address the needs of their communities.

Senior Corps includes the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Foster Grandparent

Program, and the Senior Companion Program. 

May 2002

Upon request, materials will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities.

This handbook applies to all full-time AmeriCorps*VISTA members serving 12-month terms of service.
Member Handbook

MAY 2002

www.americorps.org

Americorps!vista
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Table of contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter I: Background and Purpose . . . . . . . . 9

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Role of Sponsoring Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Role of the AmeriCorps*VISTA Member. . . . . . 10

Role of the AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader . . . . . . . 12

Role of the Corporation State Office . . . . . . . . . 12

Role of the Area Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Role of the Service Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Role of the AmeriCorps*VISTA 

Headquarters Office. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Chapter 2: Overview of Your Year 

in AmeriCorps*VISTA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Before Pre-Service Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Pre-Service Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The First Week on Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Early Service Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The Tenth Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The Eleventh Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

The Last Three Weeks on Your Project. . . . . . . . 18

After You Have Completed Your Year of Service. . 19

Chapter 3: Your Sponsoring Organization . . . 21

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Project Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chief Executive’s Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Project Renewal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Termination of Project or Assignment 

at Governor’s Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Memorandum of Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Memorandum of Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Project Advisory Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Supervision of AmeriCorps*VISTA Members . . 23

Provision of Supervision and Transportation Funds. . 24

Future Plans Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 4: AmeriCorps*VISTA Training and 

Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Pre-Service Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

On-Site Orientation and Training . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Early Service Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

In-Service Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Chapter 4: continued

Career Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Technical Assistance and Information 

Resources (Internet, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 5: Financial Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

AmeriCorps*VISTA Member Allowances 

at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Standard Allowances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Discretionary Allowances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

How Do AmeriCorps*VISTA Members Get Paid?. 36

Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Deductions from Allowances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Life Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Chapter 6: Education Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The National Service Trust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Education Award Amount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

How to Qualify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Pro-Rated Education Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Number of Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

The Two-Term Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Release for Cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Transfer between AmeriCorps Programs . . . . . . 45

Time Limit on Use of Education Awards . . . . . . 46

Ineligibility for Controlled Substance Conviction. . 46

Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Tax Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Postponing Repayment of a Qualified 

Loan while Serving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Partial Cancellation of Student Loans . . . . . . . . . 48

Qualified Institutions of Higher Education . . . . 50

Qualified Expenses to Attend School . . . . . . . . . 51

Payment of Accrued Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

For More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
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Table of contents continued

Chapter 7: Travel and 

Transportation Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Travel Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Travel Payment at End of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Baggage Shipment within the Continental 

United States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Baggage Shipment outside the Continental 

United States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Service-Related Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Chapter 8: Health Care Support . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Pre-certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Personal Health Insurance Coverage. . . . . . . . . . 64

Coordination of Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Medicare and Medicaid Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Conversion Privilege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Medical Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Maternity Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Medical Termination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Federal Employees Compensation Act . . . . . . . . 66

Death Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Chapter 9: Administrative Policies. . . . . . . . . 69

Trainee Deselection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Early Termination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Removal from Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Administrative Hold Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Resignation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Continuation of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Personal Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Emergency Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Project Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Reinstatement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Military Reserve Leave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Representation Regarding Terms and 

Conditions of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

AmeriCorps*VISTA Grievance Procedure . . . . . 77

Property Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Notification of Change of Address . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Disclosure and Use of Member Addresses . . . . . 79

Member’s Home of Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Certification of Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Notification of Change of Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Commercial Creditors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Supplies and Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Donated Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Chapter 10: Basic Laws and 

Federal Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Oath of Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Civil Rights Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Discrimination Complaint Procedures . . . . . . . . 84

Sexual Harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Prohibitions on Political and Lobbying Activities. . 86

Corporation Guidelines on Service of Members 

in Church-Related Organizations or Religious 

Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Limitation on Demonstrations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Limitation on Displacement of Employed Workers 

and Impairment of Contracts for Service . . . . . . 88

Limitation on Receiving any Compensation for 

Service of AmeriCorps*VISTA Members . . . . . . 88

Limitation on Labor or Anti-Labor Activity . . . 89

Nepotism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

AmeriCorps*VISTA Fraternization . . . . . . . . . . 89

Protection of Benefits while Serving in 

AmeriCorps*VISTA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Income Exclusion of AmeriCorps*VISTA 

Allowances from Benefit Calculations under 

Federal, State, and Local Assistance Programs . . . 90

Food Stamps and WIC Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Social Security Disability Payments. . . . . . . . . . . 91

Housing Assistance Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Liability Coverage (Federal Tort Claims Act). . . 92

Legal Support (Legal Expenses). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Unemployment Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Civil Service Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Welfare Reform Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act . . . 96

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
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Foreword

as a new member of AmeriCorps*VISTA, you have proudly answered President Bush’s call to service

at this unique time in our nation’s history. You will become an important part of America’s longstanding tradition of service. The greatest reward for yourself and others will be the difference you make 

for our communities and our country.

Whether you are helping a single mother get a job, an immigrant family buy a home, a senior stay 

independent, or a generation of children escape poverty, you are helping every American reach his or 

her full potential. You may be serving in a school, a church, a Boys and Girls Club, or one of 1,200

small nonprofit organization all over America that are close to the community and can address 

problems at the most local level. 

In AmeriCorps*VISTA, you will help build a foundation-the opportunity for an organization and 

community to eventually help themselves. Although the fruits of your labor may not be evident until

the project is complete one or two years after you end your term of service, the impact will last for 

years afterward, and your service will become a part of the community and give hope to those who 

may have little today.

You will be challenged by the problems you face. The nature of poverty today is complex and, in 

many cases, deep-rooted. You will need to dig deep within yourself to find the stamina, energy, and 

creativity needed to achieve your goals. But any AmeriCorps*VISTA alumnus will tell you, the 

rewards of success are tremendous and will remain with you for the rest of your life.

Work hard, remain optimistic, and know that there are thousands of others like you striving 

to make a difference. 

Thank you for your commitment. 

Rosie Mauk

Director of AmeriCorps
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Chapter I: Background and Purpose

In July 1971, the VISTA program was transferred

from the Office of Economic Opportunity to a

newly created federal volunteer agency, ACTION.

Other volunteer programs administered by

ACTION included the Foster Grandparent

Program, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program,

and the Senior Companion Program. With the

enactment of the National and Community

Service Trust Act of 1993, the Corporation for

National and Community Service was established,

and all of ACTION’s programs were transferred

to the Corporation for National and Community

Service (hereinafter referred to as the Corporation). The Corporation oversees a wide range of

national service initiatives, including AmeriCorps.

In 1994, VISTA joined this network and became

known as AmeriCorps*VISTA.

The purpose of the AmeriCorps*VISTA program

has remained the same since its inception. That

purpose is contained in its authorizing legislation,

the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as

amended (Public Law 93-113), which states that

AmeriCorps*VISTA’s mission is: 

to strengthen and supplement efforts to eliminate and alleviate poverty... in the United States

by encouraging and enabling persons from all

walks of life, all geographic areas, and all age

groups, including low-income individuals...to

perform meaningful and constructive volunteer

service in agencies, institutions, and situations

where the application of human talent and dedication may assist in the solution of poverty

and poverty-related problems...to generate the

commitment of private sector resources, to

encourage volunteer service at the local level,

and to strengthen local agencies and organizations to carry out the 

purpose (of the program)” (42 U.S.C. § 4951).

The AmeriCorps*VISTA program rests on three 

basic assumptions:

" Private citizens can contribute on a voluntary 

basis to the solution of problems confronting 

low-income communities;

" The skills and energies of AmeriCorps*VISTA 

members are used most effectively when they 

live and work in the low-income communities 

they are serving; and

" The full-time personal involvement of

AmeriCorps*VISTA members brings an 

added dimension to local public and private,

nonprofit organizations working to develop

lasting solutions to the problems of lowincome communities.

Although AmeriCorps*VISTA is a national 

program that provides full-time members to

organizations whose missions are congruent 

with AmeriCorps*VISTA’s mission, it is not 

a self-contained or independent social action 

HISTORY AND INTRODUCTION

Authorized originally in 1964 by the Economic Opportunity Act, the Volunteers in Service to America

(VISTA) program has provided full-time volunteers to help nonprofit organizations and public agencies

build the permanent infrastructure needed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. Over

the years, more than 135,000 individuals have served in VISTA and AmeriCorps*VISTA on thousands

of local projects, committing at least one year of full-time service to poor communities in every state, 

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
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program. AmeriCorps*VISTA achieves its 

mission by assigning members to Sponsoring

Organizations in order to expand the ability 

of those organizations to fight poverty.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members mobilize community resources and increase the capacity of the

low-income community to solve its own 

problems. It is crucial to the concept of local 

self-reliance that Sponsoring Organizations plan

for the eventual phase out of AmeriCorps*VISTA

members and the absorption of their functions by

other facets of the organization or community. 

To address community problems, the

AmeriCorps*VISTA program requires the

merged interests and efforts of four distinct

groups: low-income individuals, the Sponsoring

Organization, the community, and the

AmeriCorps* VISTA members. The details of 

this merger are explained in the remainder of 

this chapter.

ROLE OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATION

AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring Organizations

may be federal, state, or local government agencies, or private nonprofit organizations that are

committed to solving problems affecting lowincome communities. Sponsoring Organizations

are responsible for managing AmeriCorps*VISTA

resources and providing the support necessary to

achieve project goals including dedicated supervision of the AmeriCorps*VISTA member, a clear

work plan, and the mentoring needed to promote

the professional growth of the AmeriCorps*VISTA

member. Many Sponsoring Organizations share

the cost of AmeriCorps*VISTA members by

committing to pay all or part of their members’

allowances.

Sponsoring Organizations also must ensure that

each project achieves the following:

" Engages residents of the low-income community 

in planning, developing, and implementing 

the project to ensure that it is responsive and 

relevant to the low-income residents served;

" Leverages community resources (including

part-time community volunteers) from the

public and private sectors; and

" Expands community and organizational 

capacity to sustain the project once the

AmeriCorps*VISTA member(s) finishes

his/her term.

This type of program development by the

Sponsoring Organization helps to ensure that 

the work performed will provide permanent,

long-term solutions to problems confronting 

low-income communities.

ROLE OF THE AMERICORPS*VISTA MEMBER

AmeriCorps*VISTA members pledge themselves

to serve on a full-time basis for a term of one 

year (in addition to time spent in Pre-Service

Orientation), and it is expected that this pledge

will be honored. In certain circumstances, members may be invited to extend or re-enroll in their

service beyond one year, for a period not to

exceed three years. AmeriCorps*VISTA members

are not entitled to an extension or re-enrollment

of their service beyond their first year. However,

they are encouraged to pursue a second year of

service - be it with their initial project or within

another area of interest. A member may not

accept any benefit from the Sponsoring

Organization or the community served that

relates to the AmeriCorps*VISTA assignment,
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i.e., the member is expected to serve the community, not him or herself.

During their term of service, members live at the

economic level of the people they serve. They

remain available for service, without regard to

regular working hours, at all times during their

term of service, except for periods of approved

leave. A member may not be absent from the

project site without approval from the Sponsoring

Organization or supervisor. Full or part-time

employment is not permitted during AmeriCorps*

VISTA service. Full or part-time enrollment in 

an educational institution is prohibited except as

described in Chapter 9. A member may not

receive any additional monetary compensation

beyond the standard allowances for services 

rendered as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member.

In general, AmeriCorps*VISTA members may

not assume, accept, or retain positions of leadership, or become identified with a particular faction

or group or with a partisan or nonpartisan political

group in the communities in which they serve.

The assumption of such positions on the part 

of the member would hinder the community’s

ability to develop its own leadership capacity.

Each member’s assignment depends on the particular problem(s) being addressed by the project 

to which he/she is assigned. Each AmeriCorps*

VISTA project application includes a project

work plan and assignment description that clearly

indicates the nature of the member’s activities and

duties, and describes how, when, and why the 

member is to accomplish them. This work plan

and assignment description are given to the member

before the Pre-Service Orientation.

AmeriCorps*VISTA assignments should focus on

building the capacity of private citizens, nonprofit

organizations, and communities to respond to

problems confronting communities in need.

AmeriCorps*VISTA assignments must not

include the delivery of individual services to a

limited number of clients (direct service) nor

activities more appropriately performed by the

Sponsoring Organization’s administrative support

staff. AmeriCorps*VISTA members serve as

community and organizational catalysts, assist 

in creating or expanding programs, and mobilize

community resources to sustain these programs.

Each AmeriCorps*VISTA member has a supervisor

responsible for managing the project. Members

receive direction and guidance in their assignments from their supervisors, who work for 

the Sponsoring Organization, rather than the

Corporation.

Members 

live at the 

economic level 

of the people 

they serve.

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ROLE OF THE AMERICORPS*VISTA LEADER

In certain circumstances, AmeriCorps*VISTA

Leaders may be assigned to projects or regions 

to assist Sponsoring Organizations and members

in achieving program objectives and developing

new project activities and sources of community

support. 

AmeriCorps*VISTA Leaders are former

AmeriCorps*VISTA members or Returned Peace

Corps Volunteers who have demonstrated exemplary skills and leadership in community service.

They have exceptional abilities to work 

constructively with community volunteers, supervisors, Sponsoring Organizations, and the lowincome community.

AmeriCorps*VISTA Leaders do not supervise

other AmeriCorps*VISTA members. Rather,

they provide support and coordination for members in order to increase the impact of the project. 

ROLE OF THE CORPORATION STATE OFFICE

Staff members from the Corporation State 

Office seek out and respond to technical assistance requests from potential Sponsoring

Organizations who wish to develop proposals 

for AmeriCorps*VISTA projects. State staff

members assist the potential Sponsoring

Organization in defining project goals and 

objectives, determining whether the project is 

in accordance with the AmeriCorps*VISTA 

program mission, and ensuring that a selfsustaining activity will be achieved within the

low-income community or the Sponsoring

Organization. 

Once a project has received final approval by the

State Director and AmeriCorps*VISTA candidates have been selected, the candidates attend

Pre-Service Orientation and, if deemed suitable

for AmeriCorps*VISTA service, take the oath 

of service before they begin their project assignments. After members are assigned, the

Corporation State Office helps the Sponsoring

Organization provide in-service training and

technical assistance for the members. 

The Corporation State Office will review the

Sponsoring Organization’s use of AmeriCorps*

VISTA members toward achieving the goals and

objectives in the project application during 

periodic project monitoring visits.

ROLE OF THE AREA MANAGER

All Corporation State Offices fall within the

jurisdiction of one of the Corporation’s five 

Area Managers. Area Managers oversee

Corporation State Offices. They establish strategies for program development and delivery, 

allocate resources, and coordinate activities.

ROLE OF THE SERVICE CENTER

Five Service Centers throughout the country provide administrative, fiscal, grants management,

and training support to State Offices. Service

Centers implement and monitor systems for

tracking AmeriCorps*VISTA resources allocated

to the Clusters by the AmeriCorps*VISTA

Headquarters Office. 
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ROLE OF THE AMERICORPS*VISTA 

HEADQUARTERS OFFICE

The AmeriCorps*VISTA Headquarters Office 

is located at the Corporation Headquarters in

Washington, D.C. This office, in consultation

with Area Managers, State Offices, and Service

Centers, determines policy, administrative procedures, goals, and budgetary requirements for

effective program operation. The AmeriCorps*

VISTA Headquarters Office also monitors

progress toward achieving national program 

goals and priorities. The Headquarters Office

allocates AmeriCorps*VISTA resources among

the Clusters and ensures that Corporation staff

and Sponsoring Organizations adhere to

AmeriCorps*VISTA policies and procedures.

The Headquarters Office also reviews and makes

final decisions on certain AmeriCorps*VISTA

project applications as specified in the “Notice 

of AmeriCorps*VISTA Program Guidelines.”

The AmeriCorps* VISTA

Headquarters Office also

monitors progress toward

achieving national program 

goals and priorities.

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15

Chapter 2: Overview of Your Year in AmeriCorps*vista

BEFORE PRE-SERVICE ORIENTATION 

Travel to Pre-Service Orientation

As an AmeriCorps*VISTA candidate, you are

expected to attend a Pre-Service Orientation

(PSO) conducted by the Corporation for

National and Community Service. The

Corporation will arrange the most economic

mode of travel for you to and from this event. 

It is important that your sponsoring organization

submits a PSO Travel Form to the Corporation

State Office when recommending you for service.

To make sure that all of your expenses are covered, it is essential that the arrangements be made

through the Corporation. There are many policies

and federal regulations covering member travel.

Do not make your own travel arrangements.

Registration Packet

During the time your travel arrangements are

being made, the Corporation State Office will

send you a packet of forms that you need to 

complete before arriving at the Pre-Service Orientation session. These forms will establish your

benefits, tax withholding, and other conditions of

your service as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member.

Protection of Benefits

AmeriCorps*VISTA members receive protection

of certain federal and state benefits they may be

receiving when they become members. This subject is covered in Chapter 10 of this handbook in

a section on “Income Exclusion of

AmeriCorps*VISTA Allowances from Benefit

Calculation under Federal, State, and Local

Government Assistance Programs.” It is important to make sure that your pre-existing benefits

are in place and documented before you attend

the Pre-Service Orientation. 

Child Care for Dependents during 

Pre-Service Orientation

Because of the intense nature of the orientation

and the facilities used for the training, no spouses,

children, or other family members may accompany you to Pre-Service Orientation. It is your

responsibility to arrange for appropriate child

care during this period and not to bring 

dependents to the training.

Bank Account Information

You will be asked to fill out a form at Pre-Service

Orientation that will enable your biweekly 

subsistence allowance to be directly deposited

into your bank account. Direct deposit is now

required for all federal payments. 

Make sure you bring a copy of your bank

deposit slip so that you can complete the form

(SF 1199A) that you will then take to your 

bank (or credit union) for them to complete.

Then, you should send the form back to 

the Corporation Headquarters office in 

Washington, D.C. 

This chapter will provide you with a summary of the key events that occur during your year of

AmeriCorps*VISTA service. This handbook is designed to provide information for challenges that

might occur during your year of service. It is intended to point out decisions you will have to make 

at certain junctures of your service in order to maximize your benefits and experience. 
16

PRE-SERVICE ORIENTATION

Chapter 4 describes the orientation, training, 

and technical assistance you will receive as an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member. An exciting and

meaningful event, the Pre-Service Orientation

will be the starting point of your year of service.

It is also another opportunity for Corporation

staff and Sponsoring Organizations to determine

whether you will be a successful AmeriCorps*

VISTA member, or should be deselected from the

program. As part of this orientation, you will

complete all the administrative forms necessary to

establish your benefits during your year of service. 

Each of the following topics may become relevant

during your year of service. We strongly encourage you to review each of these topics before the

Pre-Service Orientation, and be prepared to make

a decision or ask questions during the administrative portion of the Pre-Service Orientation:

" You will be expected to make decisions 

concerning life insurance coverage. 

See Chapter 5. 

" You will decide whether to receive an education award or a cash stipend established for

you as an end of service benefit. See Chapter 5

for a discussion of the cash stipend and Chapter 

6 for a discussion of the education award. 

" You will complete a tax form (W-4) to establish income tax withholding for your year 

of service. If you are eligible for an earned

income tax credit, you will be expected to 

fill out a W-5 form. See Chapter 5.

" Certain members may be eligible for child care 

assistance in order to facilitate their service in

AmeriCorps*VISTA. If you think you may 

be eligible for this benefit, contact your

Corporation State Office and request an application and information packet. Pre-Service

Orientation is the time to ask questions of the

staff and make sure you have taken the proper

steps to receive this benefit.

" Another important administrative detail is to

confirm that your home of record, as identified

on page one of your AmeriCorps*VISTA

application, is correct. This address will establish the location to which you will return

immediately following your year of service.

Some members recruited directly out of college

may consider their parents’ address as their

home of record, not the “temporary” address

they used while in college. See Chapter 8.

The Pre-Service Orientation has been designed 

to provide you with the necessary information to

begin a successful year of national service. You

will receive information defining your role as an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member, the role of your

Sponsoring Organization, and the role of the

Corporation State Office. You will be expected

to attend all program sessions on time and act in 

a professional manner at all times. Failure to act

appropriately, as decided by Corporation staff,

may result in your deselection from the

AmeriCorps*VISTA program.
17

THE FIRST WEEK ON YOUR PROJECT

If you have relocated to a new community, you

will need to secure housing. Before arriving, you

might ask your Sponsoring Organization to send

you an apartment guide or other information to

acquaint you with the area. If you will not have

permanent housing upon arrival, check with your

Sponsoring Organization for recommendations 

of temporary housing while you conduct 

your search. 

If you are relocating to a new community as 

part of your service, remember to notify your

Corporation State Office of your new local home

address and phone number as soon as possible.

Your Sponsoring Organization has agreed to 

provide you with an On-Site Orientation and

Training during your first one to three weeks on

the project. This will provide you with an introduction to your Sponsoring Organization, 

the community at large, and your role during

your year of service.

During this first week, it is essential that you 

take your SF 1199A (direct deposit form) to 

your bank or credit union to ensure that your

subsistence allowance is deposited on time.

EARLY SERVICE TRAINING

Sometime during your first 90 days of service,

your Corporation State Office will contact you 

to make arrangements for you to attend a second

training event called an Early Service Training

(EST). Attendance at EST is required for all

AmeriCorps*VISTA members. The purpose of

this event is to provide you with additional skills

that will further your effectiveness in successfully

completing your work plan.

THE TENTH MONTH

You will receive a Future Plans Form and other

relevant materials from your Corporation State

Office. The Future Plans Form will ask you to

notify the Corporation if you will be ending 

your service on your scheduled termination 

date, which, under usual circumstances, is 365

days following the day after your Pre-Service

Orientation ended, or if you would like to 

be considered for another year of service.

Sometimes AmeriCorps*VISTA members find

that the task to which they have committed their

service cannot be completed within one year. In

this case, members and their supervising agencies

may request an extension of the first year of service for a specific period of time. This option is

explained on the Future Plans Form. Another

option is to request re-enrollment for a second

year of service. You are encouraged to pursue a

second year with your current project or another

project. You also may want to consider applying

to become an AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader.

The decision to extend or re-enroll requires permission of the Director of AmeriCorps*VISTA 

as delegated to the Corporation State Office and

can be dependent upon funding available to the

Corporation, the nature of the agreement between

the Corporation and the Sponsoring Organization,

and your performance and conduct as an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member. Members are not

entitled to an extension, reinstatement, or reenrollment in the AmeriCorps*VISTA program. 
18

The Future Plans Form should be completed by

you and your supervisor and returned to the

Corporation State Office at least forty-five (45)

days before your end-of-service date. 

At any time prior to the end of the 10th month,

AmeriCorps*VISTA members who originally

elected the cash stipend have the opportunity 

to change their decision and elect the education

award instead. You must be a United States citizen or a lawful permanent resident alien in order

to elect the education award. Members who initially elected the education award cannot switch

their decision. To make this change, members

must request and fill out a “Second Choice Prior

to End of 10th Month AmeriCorps*VISTA

Member Benefits Election Form”. This form 

will not automatically be sent to you. 

If you are considering pursuing a second term 

of service, you should visit the web-based recruitment system at www.americorps.org/join to

search for AmeriCorps*VISTA openings by 

location, skill areas, or issues of interest.

THE ELEVENTH MONTH

As part of their agreement with the Corporation,

your Sponsoring Organization may have agreed

to provide you with assistance in post-service

career planning. This process is described in

Chapter 4.

THE LAST THREE WEEKS

You are now in the last three weeks of your service and preparing to move on. The following is a

list of things you should do to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible:

" Make sure your supervisor has mailed your

Future Plans Form to your Corporation 

State Office.

" Talk to your Corporation State Office to 

confirm your return travel plans to your 

home of record. 

" Make sure your Corporation State Office 

has an accurate forwarding address for you.

" Contact your local post office for the appropriate form to request that all of your mail 

be forwarded to your new address.

" If you elected to receive a stipend at the end 

of your year of service and not an education

award, you will receive $300.00 of your

accrued stipend in the check for the nextto-the-last full pay period in which you are

scheduled to serve. 

" Complete the End of Term/Exit Form, which

will be sent to you by the Corporation State

Office. This form will end your term as a

member in the National Trust and report 

on your eligibility for an Education Award.
19

AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED 

YOUR YEAR OF SERVICE

You have up to 30 days to convert your health

benefits to a private plan. See Chapter 8.

If you have elected a stipend, you should expect

the balance to be paid with your last subsistence

payment if your service is completed as scheduled,

and your termination documents are submitted 

to the Corporation State Office as directed. This

check will be sent to your home. If you have

elected the education award, see Chapter 7. 

Upon completion of service, AmeriCorps*

VISTA encourages you to become involved in 

our Alumni Network. As Alumni, you can help

develop new initiatives, mentor or house current

members, or help recruit. For more information,

visit www.americorps.org/vista or call (202) 

606-5000 extension 316. 

Upon completion of 

service, AmeriCorps*

VISTA encourages you to

become involved in 

our Alumni Network.

!

!
20
21

Chapter 3: Your Sponsoring Organization

PROJECT APPLICATION

Every AmeriCorps*VISTA project is based on 

an application developed by the Sponsoring

Organization. This application details the specific

problem the project will address within the lowincome community. It includes a work plan,

which describes the specific activities the member

will undertake, and a set of goals and objectives

for the overall project.

The project application serves as an important

assessment and recruitment tool. The goals/

objectives portion of the application is the basis of

subsequent Project Progress Reports, which are

used by Corporation staff to monitor the achievement of individual project goals. The assignment

description portion of the application is used to

recruit and assign AmeriCorps*VISTA members

and to summarize their required duties and skills.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S APPROVAL

Before a member is assigned, the AmeriCorps*

VISTA project application must be submitted to 

the state or territories’ governor, chief executive, or

tribal chairperson, chief or governor of an Indian

reservation. If the governor or another chief 

executive officer disapproves the project, the 

project will be terminated.

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT

A Memorandum of Agreement is the legal document signed by the Corporation State Office 

and the Sponsoring Organization establishing a

project. The Memorandum of Agreement identifies federal laws and regulations applicable to

AmeriCorps*VISTA projects and outlines the

specific obligations of each party. The project

application is incorporated as an official part of

the Memorandum of Agreement. Amendments

can be made to the Memorandum of Agreement

only by mutual agreement between the Corporation and the Sponsoring Organization. The

Memorandum of Agreement covers a period of 12

months and upon review may be renewed for a

full year, or extended for a shorter period of time.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

A Memorandum of Understanding is a document

negotiated between an AmeriCorps*VISTA

Sponsoring Organization (signatory to the

Memorandum of Agreement) and a participating

agency or organization responsible for part of the

overall project goals/objectives. The participating

agency is assigned AmeriCorps*VISTA members

directly from the Sponsoring Organization under

circumstances specified in the Memorandum of

Understanding. 

INTRODUCTION

Sponsoring Organizations develop AmeriCorps* VISTA projects to address the needs of low-income

communities as identified by them and the community at-large. The Sponsoring Organization must be

able to direct the project, supervise the members, and provide necessary training and administrative support to the project. The Sponsoring Organization must ensure that the rules, regulations, and guidelines

of the AmeriCorps*VISTA program are met. Members’ assignments must be designed so that once the

project is completed, the low-income community is better equipped to solve its own problems, and the

systems, services, funding, and/or personnel will remain in the community to continue the efforts initiated by the project.
22

The Memorandum of Understanding runs concurrently with the Memorandum of Agreement

signed between the Corporation and the

Sponsoring Organization.

The Memorandum of Understanding contains

required language but also may include other

items that the Sponsoring Organization and the

participating agency desire. Any proposed

changes or additions to the standard Memorandum of Understanding form must be approved 

by the Corporation State Program Director. 

PROJECT RENEWAL

Sponsorship of an AmeriCorps*VISTA project

can be continued beyond the duration of the 

original agreement if: 

" progress toward achieving sustainable

goals/objectives is evident; 

" the project has met its obligations as 

outlined in the Memorandum of Agreement; 

" Corporation resources are available to 

continue the project; 

" the project conforms to the

AmeriCorps*VISTA annual unified 

plan; and

" the governor or chief executive does 

not disagree. 

Once the State Program Director approves 

the renewal application, both the Sponsoring

Organization and the Corporation State Office

will sign a new Memorandum of Agreement 

for the new project period.

TERMINATION OF PROJECT OR ASSIGNMENT 

AT CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REQUEST

An AmeriCorps*VISTA project, or the assignment of a member to a project, shall be terminated

no later than 30 days after the governor or chief

executive of the jurisdiction, or tribal chairperson

or governor of an Indian reservation, concerned

has filed such a request in writing with the director of AmeriCorps*VISTA. The request must

contain reasons for this action. The 30-day 

period may be extended if mutually agreed to 

by the Corporation and the governor or chief

executive or tribal chairperson.

PROJECT ADVISORY GROUP

AmeriCorps*VISTA requires each potential project Sponsoring Organization to establish a project

advisory group before submitting the project

application to the Corporation. The advisory

group must include substantial membership of

potential project beneficiaries or their chosen 

representatives. 

The purpose of this requirement is to ensure the

project is responsive to the specific needs of the

community and that community members who

would benefit from the project have the opportunity

to play a role in its design and implementation.

In many instances, potential Sponsoring

Organizations that already have an established

governing, policy, or advisory group, of which 

at least 50% of its membership is composed of

the beneficiary population, are not required to

establish a separate project advisory group. 
23

The project advisory group has the following

responsibilities:

" To the extent practicable, assist the Sponsoring

Organization in the initial planning of a new

project proposal and in the planning of a 

continuation project application;

" Review and provide written comment on the

project application before it is submitted to 

the Corporation;

" Meet with the Sponsoring Organization’s staff

at least twice per project year and comment 

on the development and implementation of 

the project; and

" Submit, if the group chooses, written reports

and copies of minutes of its meetings to the

Sponsoring Organization to accompany 

the Sponsoring Organization’s completed 

“Project Progress Report.”

SUPERVISION OF 

AMERICORPS*VISTA MEMBERS

All AmeriCorps*VISTA members are assigned to

a Sponsoring Organization that must designate a

supervisor for the AmeriCorps*VISTA project.

It is the Sponsoring Organization and supervisor,

rather than the Corporation, who provide dayto-day direction and guidance to the members.

From time to time, Corporation State Office staff

may offer advice and technical assistance such as

clarifying a Sponsoring Organization’s project

application or a member’s assignment description,

or responding to questions about AmeriCorps*

VISTA policy and procedure.

In planning for the support of assigned

AmeriCorps*VISTA members, the supervisor has

been asked to consider all aspects of the member’s

assignment including:

" The member’s day-to-day tasks;

" The relationship of these tasks to the work of

staff members of the Sponsoring Organization;

" The Sponsoring Organization’s staff’s understanding of the member’s role;

" The target community’s expectations for 

the project and the member; and

" The resources, facilities (e.g. reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities), and

supplies needed for the member’s assignment.

The member’s role in the project should be made

clear to members of the target community and

with Sponsoring Organization staff well before

the member arrives. Much of the supervisor’s

role will be to anticipate needs and reactions of

the member and of those with whom the member

comes in contact while working on the project.

It is the Sponsoring

Organization and 

supervisor, rather than the

Corporation, who provide

day-to-day direction and

guidance to the members. 

!

!
24

AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring Organizations

and supervisors are responsible for structuring 

the assignments so that the members’ health and

safety are not jeopardized during their

AmeriCorps*VISTA service. These determinations are based on facts, not stereotypes, and 

consider specific task or service requirements.

Sponsoring Organizations must not require 

members to perform duties that would cause

them to sustain injuries.

PROVISION OF SUPERVISION AND

TRANSPORTATION FUNDS

Adequate supervision and service-related transportation for AmeriCorps*VISTA members are

primarily the responsibility of the Sponsoring

Organization.

In some instances, Sponsoring Organizations may

be unable to pay for supervision and service-related transportation for members. In some states,

the Corporation has limited funds available to

offset some or all of these costs.

Whether an AmeriCorps*VISTA supervisor is

funded by the Sponsoring Organization through

a cost-share agreement, by the Corporation, or

serves on a voluntary basis, that individual is

under the direct supervision of the Sponsoring

Organization on a daily basis.

FUTURE PLANS FORM

The AmeriCorps*VISTA Future Plans form

requires the Sponsoring Organization to evaluate

the performance of a member approaching the

end of his/her term of service or requesting an

extension of service, see Appendix A. This form

must be sent to the Corporation State Office 45

days before the member’s end of service date.
25
26
27

Chapter 4: AmeriCorps*VISTA Training and Technical Assistance

PRE-SERVICE ORIENTATION

Pre-Service Orientation is the first stage in your

learning process about AmeriCorps*VISTA. It is

typically a three-day event in which you are oriented to your role in the community and on the

project as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member. 

The Corporation issues an invitation to you to

attend a Pre-Service Orientation session. The

invitation includes registration materials, this

handbook or excerpts from it, a training agenda,

arrangements for travel to training, and a statement of what to expect as a trainee from the

workshop. 

Pre-Service Orientation is conducted by

Corporation staff, assisted by project Sponsoring

Organizations and supervisors, professional 

training consultants, and often attended by 

current and former members. The orientation 

is generally conducted on a multi-state basis 

with candidates participating from several 

geographic locations. 

All AmeriCorps*VISTA candidates are required

to attend Pre-Service Orientation before beginning service. On rare occasions, for good cause,

attendance at Pre-Service Orientation can be

deferred by the Corporation State Office and the

member allowed to attend orientation shortly

after enrollment in the AmeriCorps*VISTA 

program. 

At the end of Pre-Service Orientation, you will

have a basic knowledge or understanding of the

following: 

" Philosophy and goals of AmeriCorps 

and the AmeriCorps*VISTA program;

" The mission and structure of the Corporation

for National and Community Service;

" Your role in working with community 

organizations and low-income persons;

" The role of the Sponsoring Organization, 

project work plan, and member assignment

description;

" Your role as a developer of sustainable efforts;

" Basic skills development in community development, networking, and problem-solving;

" Your equal opportunity and civil rights 

and responsibilities as an AmeriCorps*

VISTA members;

INTRODUCTION

AmeriCorps*VISTA training is a shared responsibility among Corporation staff, the Sponsoring Organization, and members themselves. During training, you will be challenged to take an active role in the

process. The training experience will serve as an opportunity for you to develop and test your own

skills and to examine carefully your commitment to AmeriCorps*VISTA and its goals.

Once in the community, you will need to continue to improve your skills, knowledge of national and

local resources, and understanding of the attitudes that contribute to or inhibit effective working relationships. Here, the training required may be as formal as workshop sessions organized by Sponsoring

Organizations or as informal as self-initiated evening study in the local library. In other words, training

is a continuous process of building capability for an assignment in which you will have to supply much

of the initiative and make many of the decisions.
28

" Terms, conditions, and benefits of your

AmeriCorps*VISTA service;

" AmeriCorps*VISTA’s legal and administrative

requirements; and

" Role of the Corporation State Office.

You are expected to attend all program sessions

and act in a professional manner at all times.

Failure to attend program sessions or acting 

inappropriately as decided by Corporation 

staff may result in your deselection from the

AmeriCorps*VISTA program. Pre-Service

Orientation is used by Corporation staff to

make a final determination on a trainee’s qualifications for AmeriCorps*VISTA service. If

you are deemed suitable for AmeriCorps*VISTA

service, you will be given the oath of office. If

you are deemed unsuitable, you will be removed

from Pre-Service Orientation and will be deselected from the AmeriCorps*VISTA program.

ON-SITE ORIENTATION AND TRAINING

On-Site Orientation and Training, which is an

extension of Pre-Service Orientation, takes place

immediately after you report to your project site.

It is conducted by the Sponsoring Organization

and builds on the concepts presented during 

Pre-Service Orientation. On-Site Orientation

and Training can last for an extended period of

time because it involves your introduction to 

the Sponsoring Organization, the communityat-large, and your role within the community.

On-Site Orientation and Training plans are 

developed by the Sponsoring Organization, 

and reviewed and approved by the Corporation 

State Office.

At the end of On-Site Orientation and Training,

you will have a basic knowledge or understanding

of the following:

" Background, purpose, and structure of the

Sponsoring Organization;

" Background of the local community and identification of community leaders;

" Nature of the low-income population served

by the project;

" Potential resources that can be applied to

achieve project goals;

" Authorities and action clearance procedures

for you and other members;

" Personnel and attendance policies of the

Sponsoring Organization including use of

equipment such as computers and the Internet;

" Specific member assignment and skills needed

to accomplish tasks; and

" Performance evaluations used by the project

Sponsoring Organization.

EARLY SERVICE TRAINING

All AmeriCorps*VISTA members must attend

Early Service Training within the first 90 days

after Pre-Service Orientation. Failure to attend

Early Service Training may result in your early

termination from the AmeriCorps*VISTA 

program. Early Service Training focuses on 

specific skills needed to accomplish project 

objectives and strategies for overcoming challenges and obstacles. 
29

Early Service Training topics may include but 

are not limited to: fundraising, volunteer development and management, grassroots leadership

development, community analysis, group dynamics, working with the media, project sustainability, and specific training in program issue areas.

You will be able to choose those topics that are

most relevant to your assignment and skill needs. 

IN-SERVICE TRAINING

The purpose of In-Service Training is to provide

you with specific skills needed to perform your

assignment. In-Service Training should be

designed to improve program quality and enhance

networking among both members and Sponsoring

Organization’s staff engaged in similar activities.

The Sponsoring Organization or supervisor

should identify the In-Service Training needs of

each member. In-Service Training is conducted

by the Sponsoring Organization, by other organizations or individuals, or by the Corporation.

Prior approval by the Corporation is required for

all In-Service Training plans as well as the organizations and individuals that will be delivering 

the training. 

AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring Organizations

are expected to identify training opportunities,

workshops, etc., for members at no or minimal

cost. Because Corporation funds for In-Service

Training are limited, Sponsoring Organizations

requesting such funds should provide ample 

justification to the Corporation State Office. 

CAREER DEVELOPMENT 

The Sponsoring Organization must develop a

plan that includes career goal setting, skill and

interest identification, and building confidence

and competence in the areas of job search and job

application. The career plan also will assist you

in translating your AmeriCorps*VISTA experiences into skills that can be marketed after you

have completed service. 

Sponsoring Organizations are encouraged to use

their own and local resources to enhance career

development for members. With prior approval,

limited Corporation In-Service Training funds

may be used for career development assistance 

if the training activities relate directly to the

member’s assignment. 

Sponsoring Organizations

are encouraged to use their

own and local resources to

enhance career development for members.

!

!
30

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND 

INFORMATION RESOURCES 

AmeriCorps*VISTA has created a series of web

pages designed to complement training and 

provide member support services for current

members, leaders, prospective members and

Sponsoring Organizations, and the media. 

The pages are updated on a regular basis. 

Any suggestions for changes or enhancements

should be e-mailed to smaynard@cns.gov. 

Members:

http://www.americorps.org/vista/member.html

The member page provides links to useful information for trainees and members at various 

stages of their year of service including the terms,

conditions, and benefits of service along with a

downloadable version of the latest AmeriCorps*

VISTA Member Handbook. 

Prospective Members/Sponsors or Press:

http://www.americorps.org/vista/main.html

The page for prospective members, Sponsoring

Organizations, and press provides links to the

information one would need to decide to and

know how to apply to become a member or

sponsor an AmeriCorps*VISTA project. The

page also serves as a place where media can be

directed to learn more about VISTA’s history 

nd current activities.

Leaders:

http://www.americorps.org/vista/leader.html

This page is dedicated to providing information

for AmeriCorps*VISTA Leaders including links

to the training calendar, descriptions of their roles

and responsibilities, and other information to

help them support AmeriCorps*VISTA members.

Becoming a Leader: 

http:/www.americorps.org/vista/leaderinfo.html

This page informs members of the opportunity 

to be considered for an AmeriCorps*VISTA

Leader position.

There are several other websites that provide

information related to AmeriCorps*VISTA and

the Corporation for National and Community

Service including:

www.nationalservice.org: The official site of 

the Corporation for National and Community

Service, this website provides information to 

help the public understand the mission of the

Corporation for National and Community

Service. It includes information on all the programs, legislative updates, program directories,

forms, and press releases.

www.cns.gov/americorps/resources/edawards.html:

This is the website for information about the

AmeriCorps education award. It also contains

downloadable forms and forms that can be 

completed online.

www.etr.org/nsrc: This is the website for the

National Service Resource Center, a library for

participants in national service. You can subscribe to the Center’s 22 listservs or download

service-oriented guides and other resources.
31

In addition to the websites listed above, there 

are a number of discussion groups, listservs, or

mailing lists that AmeriCorps*VISTA members

can join. Members can enroll in online discussions with other members and supervisors working in the field of national service. For example,

VISTAnet is a listserv used by former VISTA

members, current AmeriCorps*VISTA members,

and project supervisors. To subscribe, send an email to: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu with the

message: subscribe VISTANET Your Name.

VISTAnet is not sponsored, endorsed, or maintained by the Corporation for National and

Community Service.

To learn about other listservs, visit 

www.americorps.org/vista/member.html.
32
33

Chapter 5: Financial Support

INTRODUCTION

The support allowances that the Corporation provides to you are intended to cover the cost of food,

housing, and other basic necessities during service. The amounts are low because you are expected to

live at approximately the same economic level as the people you are serving. The allowance is an

approximation of the poverty guidelines. 

The Corporation assumes no financial responsibility for a member other than the allowances 

and benefits provided to a member, as discussed in this Handbook or as determined by the Corporation.

The Corporation assumes no financial responsibility for a member’s spouse or dependent children. 

Relocation Allowance Discretionary allowance

varies by location.

! Amount may not

exceed $550.00

! Intended primarily 

for members who 

have to relocate

One-time payment 

connected with settlingin expenses

Federal taxes withheld 

at time of payment

ALLOWANCE AMOUNT RECEIVED 

AND WHEN

PURPOSE INCOME TAXES

AMERICORPS*VISTA MEMBER ALLOWANCES AT A GLANCE

Subsistence Allowance Amount is variable by

location.

! Rate is determined by

the Corporation.

! Paid biweekly.

! AmeriCorps*VISTA

Leaders receive an

additional $200.00 per

month.

Housing, food, 

and utilities

Federal Taxes withheld

on a biweekly basis

State taxes not withheld

but member is responsible for paying them

Stipend 

(Only for those 

not choosing the

Education Award)

$1,200 after completing

12 months of service

! $2,400 after 12 months

for AmeriCorps*

VISTA Leaders who

have previously served

one year as a member.

! Remainder paid with

the last subsistence

check upon successful

completion of service

Readjustment

allowance at end of

service Federal Taxes and FICA

(Social Security) withheld

at time of payment
34

AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring Organizations

may not supplement the subsistence allowances

that you receive from the Corporation unless

specifically authorized by the Memorandum of

Agreement. The Memorandum of Agreement

will specify what the Sponsoring Organization

and the Corporation are providing the member 

in each case. 

STANDARD ALLOWANCES

Subsistence Allowance

Upon assignment as an AmeriCorps*VISTA

member, you will begin receiving a subsistence

allowance. The subsistence allowance rate is

determined by the Corporation and will vary

based on the local cost of living within the area 

in which you are serving. AmeriCorps*VISTA

Leaders receive an additional $200.00 per month

subsistence allowance.

Member subsistence allowances are computed on

a daily rate and paid every other week. For

example, if your subsistence allowance is $600.00

a month, you will receive approximately $276.00

each pay period. Allowance checks cover a 14-

day period and are paid 10 days after the end of

the pay period in which the allowance is earned.

There are 26 pay periods in a calendar year. 

Federal income tax and life insurance premiums,

if applicable, are withheld from the subsistence

allowance. No state, county, or city tax deductions are made. You are responsible for paying

their appropriate taxes. See Chapter 10 for information on income exclusion of benefits under 

federal, state, and local assistance programs.

Stipend

During Pre-Service Orientation, you must select

to receive either the post-service cash stipend or

the education award. Candidates who choose the

stipend may be eligible for other education benefits even though they did not select the education

award. See Chapter 6 for information on education benefits. The post-service stipend, which is

equal to $1,200, is given to members who complete 12 months of service. Members do not

receive a stipend if they do not complete a full

term of 12 months. 

AmeriCorps*VISTA Leaders who have already

completed a term of AmeriCorps*VISTA service

receive $2,400 for completing a full year of service. Members who re-enroll for a second or 

third year of service receive an additional stipend

($1,200 for members, $2,400 for Leaders who

have previously served as members) if they complete the full year. Members who opt to extend

their year of service for additional months will

receive an additional stipend at the rate of $100

per month of the extension. 

The stipend is intended as a post-service readjustment allowance to offset expenses after termination because AmeriCorps*VISTA service is not

credited when determining eligibility for unemployment compensation. Refer to Chapter 10

Basic Laws and Federal Regulations.

On rare occasion, such as for medical emergencies

when a member intends to continue his or her

AmeriCorps*VISTA service after a brief period 

of recuperation, a member can seek approval

from the Director of AmeriCorps*VISTA for 

an advance to his or her stipend. 

The stipend will be paid automatically with the

last subsistence check if service is completed as
35

scheduled and termination documents are submitted to the Corporation State Office. Members

who continue their AmeriCorps*VISTA service

will receive their stipend in the pay period in

which continuation of service begins, provided 

all documentation has been submitted on a 

timely basis.

Federal income tax and Social Security (FICA)

deductions are withheld from the stipend at the

time of any payment. 

Pro-Rated Stipend

In rare circumstances, AmeriCorps*VISTA 

members who leave service early (other than

those members who were terminated by the

Corporation State Program Director for misconduct and for cause) may qualify for a pro-rated

stipend. The Corporation State Program

Director has the authority to approve member

eligibility for a pro-rated stipend if the member

must leave service early because of a compelling

personal circumstance such as:

! Serious or critical illness or disability of the

AmeriCorps*VISTA member.

! Death or critical illness or disability of an

immediate family member (spouse, parent,

sibling, child, or guardian) if this makes 

completing a term unreasonably difficult 

or impossible.

! Conditions attributable to the program or otherwise unforeseeable and beyond the member’s

control such as a natural disaster, strike, relocation of a spouse, or premature closing of a

project or program that makes completing a

term unreasonably difficult or impossible. 

Members have the primary responsibility for

demonstrating that compelling personal circumstances prevent them from completing the term 

of service.

A pro-rated stipend may be given for public 

policy reasons as determined by the Corporation,

including:

! Military Service obligations; or

! Acceptance by a member of an employment

opportunity if the member is a recipient of

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

(TANF is the successor program to AFDC.)

Compelling personal circumstances do not

include leaving a program to enroll in school,

obtain employment (other than described above),

or enroll in another Corporation program, or

because of dissatisfaction with the program.

If you leave AmeriCorps*VISTA service for 

compelling personal circumstances and have completed at least 15 percent of the required term of

service, you are eligible for a pro-rated portion of

the stipend corresponding to that portion of your

term served. The stipend is accrued at a rate of

$100 a month. If you served 7 months, for example, you would receive $700. In order to qualify

for a pro-rated education award, a minimum of

55 days must be served. Any term of service

short of 55 days is ineligible for any credit 

toward the stipend.

Education Award

When you attend Pre-Service Orientation, you

receive a Benefits Election Form to complete.

This form gives you the choice of either the 

end-of-year stipend or the education award. 
36

At any time prior to the end of the 10th month 

of service, a member who initially elected the

stipend can change his/her decision and elect the

education award if he or she meets the eligibility

requirements. To do so, the member must

request and fill out the Second Choice Prior to

End of 10th Month Benefits Election Form from

the Corporation State Office. The Corporation

does not send these forms out automatically. 

No further changes may be made by the member.

See Chapter 7 for a complete discussion of the

education award.

DISCRETIONARY ALLOWANCES

Relocation Allowance

A relocation allowance is normally given to members serving a 12-month term of service who

move from their home of record to their project

site. A relocation allowance may be authorized

by the Corporation State Office either on initial

assignment or on project transfer. This is intended to cover initial moving expenses (security

deposit, utility deposit, etc.). The amount may

not exceed $550.00. The relocation allowance 

is paid and taxed in the regular biweekly

allowance check. 

Emergency Expense Allowance

The Corporation State Office may authorize a

one-time expense allowance to cover extraordinary expenses such as reimbursement for theft,

fire loss, or special clothing necessitated by severe

climate. This allowance is not intended to supplement the living expenses of members. Expense

allowances are paid directly to the member by 

the Corporation’s Service Center. 

HOW DO AMERICORPS*VISTA MEMBERS GET PAID?

Direct Deposit

As an AmeriCorps*VISTA member, you are

required to have your biweekly subsistence

allowance sent via electronic funds transfer. The

U.S. Treasury requires that federal payments be

made by direct deposit except when this would

cause unusual hardship on the payee. To set this

up, you and your financial institutions must 

complete the Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form 

and return it to: 

Accounting Division

Corporation for National 

and Community Service

1201 New York Avenue, NW, 7th Floor

Washington, DC 20525

Or a form 1199A can be obtained from any 

bank, filled out, and sent to the address above. 

If you do not currently have a bank account, 

you can open an Electronic Transfer Account 

for a nominal monthly fee. To learn more, 

visit www.eta-find.gov.

The Corporation for National and Community

Service will process your direct deposit request

form within five (5) business days of receipt. If

you change your bank or bank account number 

at any time or close the account, you must inform

the Corporation immediately. If you believe that

receiving the payment electronically will cause

unusual hardship, please explain this in writing

and submit it to your Corporation State Office,

and your payments may be made by paper check. 

All regular biweekly allowances, as well as any

other taxable allowances, are recorded on the

member’s earning statement.
37

Paper Checks

For those members who, for hardship reasons, 

are allowed to receive a paper check, it will normally arrive every other Tuesday, but may be

delayed in the mail. The earnings statement is

mailed separately for both types of payments

(electronic funds transfer or paper check) by the

Corporation and may arrive a few days after 

the check or electronic funds transfer deposit. 

The Corporation will mail checks to the

Sponsoring Organization or the member’s 

home address. Checks mistakenly sent to the

Sponsoring Organization for members who have

terminated early or who are no longer on the

project must be returned immediately to the 

U.S. Treasury, and the Corporation for National

and Community Service should be immediately

notified. Members’ check envelopes must not 

be opened by any Sponsoring Organization 

personnel.

Allowances not subject to federal income or

Social Security taxes are paid directly by the

Corporation and are not reflected in the earnings

statement. However, the member receives an

explanation of any payment along with the 

check. Such checks usually cover travel and 

per diem expenses.

Lost Checks

If an AmeriCorps*VISTA member does not

receive a check, the member should confer with

his/her supervisor to make sure the check has not

been misplaced or is a few days late. If the supervisor determines the check is lost or stolen, the

member should notify the Corporation State

Office immediately by phone. The member also

must report the loss in writing, indicating the 

pay period covered by the missing allowance, and

mail or fax the signed letter to the Corporation

State Office. Due to mail delivery times, one

week will elapse before the Corporation

Headquarters Payroll Office will be able to begin

tracing lost checks. The use of electronic funds

transfer eliminates this problem.

The Corporation office issuing the check will

notify the appropriate U.S. Treasury office of 

the loss and arrange for another check to be 

sent. This process can take up to six weeks. 

TAXES

All AmeriCorps*VISTA allowances except service-related travel payments, baggage allowances,

and special expense allowances are subject to federal and state income taxes (where appropriate). 

The Corporation withholds federal income tax

from the regular biweekly allowance check. 

You must complete a W-4 form to determine the

amount of income tax withheld. If you believe

you are exempt from having federal income taxes

withheld from your allowance check, you must

claim exempt status on the W-4 form. The W-4

form explains the eligibility requirements for tax

exempt status. The W-4 form must be renewed

every calendar year in January when an exempt

status is claimed. The form may be obtained

from a local Internal Revenue Service office and

should be sent to the Corporation State Office.

The Corporation does not withhold any state,

county, or city income tax from your allowance

payment. However, you must determine and

conform to state tax laws by contacting the state

tax office where you are assigned or maintain a
38

permanent residence. In addition to state taxes,

you also are responsible for paying any other

appropriate taxes. 

For Social Security (FICA) purposes, the postservice cash stipend is taxable. The tax is withheld

at the time the stipend is paid to the member.

The total stipend the member receives after one

year of service may be counted under Social

Security regulations toward credits of coverage.

The term "coverage" refers to the accumulation

of 40 credits (10 years) necessary for an individual

to receive Social Security benefits at retirement.

The amounts required for credits of coverage 

are adjusted annually by the Social Security

Administration. Members seeking to obtain

“coverage” should contact a local Social Security

office to determine if the stipend amount is 

sufficient to be applied. 

W-2 Form – Earnings and Taxes Withheld

The Corporation will mail a W-2 form to you by

January 31st of each year showing the amount of

earnings and the amount of federal taxes withheld

for the preceding calendar year. If the W-2 form

has not arrived by February 15th, you should

advise your supervisor, who will then inform 

the Corporation State Office.

If you do not complete your term of service

before the end of a calendar year, a W-2 form 

will be mailed in January of the following year

reflecting AmeriCorps*VISTA earnings and taxes

withheld during the preceding year in which the

termination occurred. The Corporation must be

advised of any mailing address change that occurs

between the time you terminate from AmeriCorps*

VISTA service and the Corporation mails the 

W-2 form. Change of address notices after 

termination should be sent to the Corporation

Headquarters Office indicating that the address

applies to a former AmeriCorps*VISTA member. 

W-5 Earned Income Credit

Under the Tax Reform Act of 1986, certain 

families with limited income may be eligible for

earned income credit. The IRS determines eligibility. Earned income credit is an amount that

you may be able to subtract from your taxes. 

If your credit is larger than your tax, or if there 

is no tax, you may be eligible for a refund from

the IRS even if you had no tax withheld from

your pay. The earned income credit is based on 

a percentage of your earned income including

your AmeriCorps*VISTA allowances. 

If you expect to qualify for earned income credit,

you should contact the IRS to verify eligibility. 

It is not the responsibility of the Corporation to

verify eligibility. Thereafter, if eligible, you can

choose to get credit in advance as part of the 

regular AmeriCorps*VISTA allowance payment. 

To receive the earned income credit in advance,

you must complete and file a form W-5, “Earned

Income Credit Advance Payment,” with the

Corporation at the beginning of each calendar

year. If you receive advance payments, you must

file a form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ for the tax

year. The W-2 form, “Wage and Tax Statement,”

provided by the Corporation, will reflect the

amount of advance earned income credit paid.

Earned income credit advance payments do 

not constitute wages and are not subject to

income tax.
39

Members who are eligible for earned income

credit, but do not receive the advance payment

can still claim the earned income credit on their

tax returns. A form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ

must be filed to claim earned income credit 

even if no taxes were withheld from allowances

during the year. 

Receipt of earned income credit may affect the

your benefit levels under certain public assistance

programs. Therefore, it is advisable to check 

with these programs before filing for earned

income credit. 

DEDUCTIONS FROM ALLOWANCES

With your permission, the Corporation will make

deductions from your biweekly allowance payment to cover court-ordered or voluntary child

support or alimony payments, and court-ordered

bankruptcy. IRS tax levy deductions will be

made without your permission. Such deductions

will be shown under “Tax and Court Levies” 

on your earnings statement. 

Treasury Offset Program

Effective January 1998, the Treasury Department

implemented a program for collecting debts owed

to the United States. This program is called the

Treasury Offset Program, and it works automatically to reduce the amount of federal payments

made to people or companies that have delinquent federal debt. 

Currently, this program covers all payments that

the Corporation makes to AmeriCorps*VISTA

members except subsistence payments. In the

near future, this program may cover subsistence

payments. Currently, it includes travel, other

miscellaneous reimbursements, and education

award payments. The money will be taken from

payments made to AmeriCorps*VISTA members

who are identified by the Treasury as having

delinquent federal debt. Any federal debt older

than six (6) months can be collected through this

program. If you owe a debt of this kind, payments that the Corporation would have made to

you will be taken by the Treasury Department 

to offset the debt. You will receive a letter from

the Treasury explaining that the deducted amount

is being applied to your outstanding debt. The

Treasury Department’s letter will include the

name of the creditor agency and contact points,

including telephone numbers for the creditor

organization. The Corporation plays no role 

in this process. 

The Treasury Department has entered into agreements with some states for the collection of debts,

so debts owed to those states also will be collected.

If you owe a debt of this

kind, payments that the

Corporation would have

made to you will be taken

by the Treasury Department to offset the debt.

"

"
40

Recovery of Overpayment

If you are overpaid at any time during your term

of service, the overpayment is collected at the 

rate of $25.00 per pay period from your regular

biweekly check, with some exceptions. If your

overpayment is excessive, the amount may be 

collected at a rate higher than $25.00 per pay 

period. Any overpayment still outstanding 

when you terminate will be collected from the

final allowance and/or stipend payments. 

Overpayments, when they occur, include subsistence or travel allowances greater than the

amount to which the member is entitled, and 

subsistence allowances paid to members who 

terminated early before the Corporation was

advised of their termination. To avoid such 

overpayments, you should give the Sponsoring

Organization and the Corporation two weeks

notice if you must terminate early from

AmeriCorps*VISTA service. If an overpayment

still remains after deduction from the final payments, former members must pay the balance to

the Corporation. Any overpayment remaining 

90 days after completion of service will be turned

over to a collection agency. 

LIFE INSURANCE

AmeriCorps*VISTA members may purchase life

insurance under a group policy with the ReliaStar

Insurance Company. Enrollment in the group

plan is voluntary and takes place during PreService Orientation. If you wish to purchase

insurance, you must complete a “Designation 

of Beneficiary” form during training. If you 

do not wish to enroll in the group policy, 

you must complete the “Waiver of Coverage”

section at the bottom of the form.

Currently, insurance coverage is $19,600 for

members under the age of 60 at the time of their

death, $9,800 age 60-69, and $4,900 for those who

are age 70 and over. Those who set up life insurance coverage also will benefit from “employee

assistance program” counseling and personal 

support services.

The cost of the insurance premium is deducted

from the member’s biweekly subsistence

allowance. Coverage begins at the time 

of enrollment in the plan. 

If you waive coverage during training, you 

cannot subsequently be covered during current

service without undergoing a physical examination at your own expense and submitting a

“Group Evidence of Insurability” form to 

the Corporation State Office. This form 

may be obtained from:

ReliaStar 

P.O. Box 1548

Minneapolis, MN 55440-1548 

The insurance company, at that time, determines

solely whether to accept your application. 

You may cancel your life insurance at any time 

by informing the Corporation State Office either

in written form through the mail or by fax. Life

insurance coverage ends 31 days after the date

your service terminates. You may convert to an

individual life insurance policy without a medical

examination if you apply for conversion within

one month of termination. Conversion forms 

are available from the Corporation State Office. 
41

CHILD CARE

AmeriCorps*VISTA offers child care benefits 

to qualifying members. The maximum amount 

of child care assistance a member can receive is

$300.00 per month. AmeriCorps*VISTA members may have up to two caregivers, and it is the

members’ determination on how they would like

to divide up the child care amount. Benefits are

non-taxable to members, but may be taxable to

caregivers. Reimbursement parameters, including

what type of caregivers are eligible for reimbursement in each state, are set by the Child Care and

Development Block Grant. 

To receive child care benefits, you must have 

children under the age of 13 and be determined

eligible based on income guidelines. 

Whose Income is Counted:

Income received by all members of the family

unit who reside in the household is counted to

determine income eligibility. The family unit

consists of all children in the home under age 

18, biological parents of the children (married 

or non-married), and any legally responsible

adults. Each state has income eligibility requirements, which are set by the National Association

of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies – 

not by the Corporation. If your income is above

the limit, you cannot receive child care benefits.

The subsistence allowance cannot be adjusted 

to make you eligible.

Types of Income Counted:

The following types of income are counted 

to determine income eligibility:

! Money, wages, and salary;

! SSI, TANF, public assistance;

! Unemployment; 

! Child support or alimony; 

! Worker’s compensation; 

! Retirement, pensions, and annuities; 

! Social security; 

! Self-employment; and

! AmeriCorps*VISTA subsistence allowance.

If you re-enroll for a second or third year of 

service as an AmeriCorps*VISTA, you must 

be recertified for child care benefits for each 

term of service.
42
43

Chapter 6: Education Award

An education award can be used in the 

following ways:

! To repay qualified student loans;

! To pay for all or part of the cost of attending a

qualified institution of higher education; and

! To pay qualified expenses incurred while 

participating in an approved school-to-work

opportunities system program.

The education award cannot be used to repay

all types of student loans or to attend all

schools. It is up to the member to contact 

those institutions in which they are planning 

to utilize the education award in advance 

of electing the education award. Please see 

the section of this chapter that discusses what 

“qualified” institutions and “qualified” loans are.

THE NATIONAL SERVICE TRUST

The National Service Trust is a fund established

by Congress that is used to pay for education

awards and interest that accrues on qualified 

student loans during a term of service, for those

who have completed approved terms of service. 

The Office of the National Service Trust, 

frequently referred to as the Trust, is the office

within the Corporation that manages all the 

various functions related to the AmeriCorps 

education award. See the end of this chapter 

for resource information provided by the Trust.

EDUCATION AWARD AMOUNT

A full-time education award is $4,725.00.

Occasionally, a special program will be offered,

for example, a summer associates program, that

includes a “less than full year” award, which will

be reduced proportionally to reflect the length of

the program. Such education awards still counts

as one of the two awards that an individual may

receive during his or her lifetime.

HOW TO QUALIFY

To be eligible for an education award, you must

successfully complete the required “term of 

service” for the program in which you are 

participating. You must be a permanent resident

alien (i.e. have a greencard) to be eligible for a

national service education award.

Your election is made when you complete a

Benefits Election Form at the beginning of each

term of service and indicate whether you want 

to receive the education award or a post-service

cash stipend. The decision to accept an education

award in lieu of the post-service cash stipend is

irrevocable once you elect the benefit at the

beginning of the term of service. 

At least forty-five (45) days before your end 

of service date, you must complete a Future 

Plans Form and the End of Term/Exit Form, 

see Appendix A. The project Sponsoring

Organization/supervisor will then complete the

evaluation portion, sign, and send both forms to

You may choose to receive an education award upon successfully completing your service (instead of

receiving a stipend) for each of your first and second completed years of service provided you have not

earned an education award from another Corporation program or served for any period in which you

would have been eligible for an award had you continued service with any Corporation program,

including AmeriCorps*VISTA. You may receive a total of two education awards, from any source.
44

the Corporation State Office. You are entitled 

to review the evaluation portion before it is sent

to the Corporation State Office. 

The Corporation State Office is responsible for

determining whether you have successfully completed a term of service and are eligible for an

education award. The Corporation State Office

will indicate this on the End of Term/Exit Form. 

Once notified by the Corporation State Office

that you are eligible for an award, the Trust will

send you a packet of information needed to access

the award within 30 days after the Trust is notified. The packet will include a Voucher and

Payment Request form and instructions for filling

it out. This is the document you need to authorize that a payment be made from your account 

in the Trust. You are strongly encouraged to

keep copies.

You must complete one section of the voucher 

to authorize the payment. Then, the loan holder

or school must complete another section and send

the voucher to the Corporation for payment.

Within 30 days of receipt, payments will be made

directly to the school or loan holder, not to you.

The Corporation will notify you that a payment

has been made and send you another voucher to

be used for future payments. This voucher will

reflect the new balance in your Trust account.

If you withdraw or fail to complete a period of

enrollment in an institution of higher education

or in an approved school-to-work program for

which the Corporation has made payments, the

approved program that received the education

award payments will need to provide a fair and

equitable refund to the Corporation as described

in 45 CFR § 2528. Any refund will be credited 

to your Trust account.

PRO-RATED EDUCATION AWARD

In rare circumstances, AmeriCorps*VISTA 

members who leave service early (other than

those members who were terminated early by 

the Corporation State Program Director for 

misconduct) may qualify for a pro-rated education award. Members have the primary responsibility for demonstrating that compelling personal

circumstances prevent them from completing the

term of service. The Corporation State Program

Director has the authority to approve member

eligibility for a pro-rated education award if the

member must leave service early because of 

a compelling personal circumstance such as:

! Serious or critical illness or disability of the

AmeriCorps*VISTA member.

! Death or critical illness or disability of an

immediate family member (spouse, parent, 

sibling, child, or guardian) if this makes 

completing a term unreasonably difficult 

or impossible.

! Conditions attributable to the program or 

otherwise unforeseeable and beyond the member’s control such as a natural disaster, strike,

relocation of a spouse, or premature closing of

a project or program that makes completing a

term unreasonably difficult or impossible. 

A pro-rated education award may be given for

public policy reasons as determined by the

Corporation, including:

! Military Service obligations; or

! Acceptance by a member of an employment

opportunity if the member is a recipient of

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

(TANF is the successor program to AFDC.)
45

Compelling personal circumstances do not

include leaving a program to enroll in school,

obtain employment (other than described above),

enroll in another Corporation program, or

because of dissatisfaction with the program.

If you leave AmeriCorps*VISTA service for compelling personal circumstances and have completed at least 15 percent of the required term of service, you are eligible for a pro-rated portion of the

education award corresponding to that portion 

of your term served. For example, if you served

219 days (which is 3/5 of a service year), you

would earn an education award of $2,835.00

($2,835.00 = 3/5 of $4,725.00).

In order to qualify for a pro-rated education

award, a minimum of 55 days must be served.

Any service short of 55 days (15 percent of your

term of service) makes you ineligible for any

credit toward an education award.

NUMBER OF AWARDS

Individuals are eligible to receive up to two

awards. Participants may not qualify to receive

more than two education awards regardless 

of whether they are for full-time or less than 

full-time terms of service. For example, if an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member had previously

served for four months as an AmeriCorps*

NCCC member and received a pro-rated education award for his/her service, he/she is only eligible to receive one more education award. Or, 

if an AmeriCorps*VISTA member previously

served part-time with an AmeriCorps state program, he/she is only eligible to receive one more

education award. 

THE TWO-TERM RULE

Although you may serve in Corporation programs for three years, you are only eligible to

receive two national service education awards.

Once you elect the education award--, even if you

do not complete your service requirement and do

not receive an education award, that term of service counts as one of your two terms of eligibility. 

RELEASE FOR CAUSE

If you are terminated early, before completing an

originally-approved term of service, you are not

eligible for any portion of an education award

unless compelling personal circumstances are

demonstrated and you were not released for 

cause (misconduct). A term of service from

which a member is terminated early counts as 

one of the two terms of service for which an 

individual may receive an education award 

even if no award is received.

TRANSFER BETWEEN AMERICORPS PROGRAMS

A member who transfers from one AmeriCorps

program to another (to or from AmeriCorps*

VISTA, National Civilian Community Corps, or

AmeriCorps State or National programs) before

completing a full term of service will not receive

credit toward an education award for that service. 

Moreover, the two-term rule will apply to those

who leave an AmeriCorps program and enroll 

in another before completing the term of service.

This distinction is important because each program limits the number of terms of service an

individual may perform. A term of service for 

an AmeriCorps*VISTA is defined as 365 days 

following the completion of Pre-Service

Orientation. 
46

To earn an education award, a full term of service

is required. The only exception to this policy is

discussed under “Pro-Rated Education Award” 

in this chapter. 

TIME LIMIT ON USE OF EDUCATION AWARDS

Each education award must be used within seven

years of the completion of the service period for

that award, unless the Corporation authorizes an

extension. The education award can be divided

up and used any of three ways described at the

beginning of this chapter. For example, a portion

of the award could be applied to repay existing

qualified student loans and the remainder saved 

to pay for authorized college costs in the future.

INELIGIBILITY FOR CONTROLLED 

SUBSTANCE CONVICTION

An AmeriCorps*VISTA member who is convicted under federal or state law of the possession or

sale of a controlled substance is not eligible to use

the education award from the date of the conviction until the end of a specified time period based

on the type of conviction. Contact the Trust

Office to learn more about this restriction. 

TAXES

The IRS has determined that any education award

payment made on behalf of a member during a

particular calendar year will be considered taxable income and reported to the Internal Revenue

Service. Before January 31, the Trust will send

you an IRS Form 1099 that states the amount that

was reported to the IRS. This amount must be

included as income on your tax returns. The

Trust does not withhold any amount from the

education award. Form 1099 is generated for

payments made in a year, not when you sign 

the paperwork.

Additionally, any payments of accrued interest

made on behalf of a member will be reported 

to the IRS as taxable income.

TAX CREDITS

As a result of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997,

many AmeriCorps*VISTA members using their

education awards may obtain substantial relief

from federal taxes. This relief comes in the form

of the Hope Scholarship Credit and the Lifetime

Learning Credit, as well as a deduction for certain

interest payments on qualified student loans.

These benefits are available generally to people

who are paying qualified tuition and related

expenses to an eligible institution of higher education either for themselves or for members of 

their families. 

If you are eligible for the education tax credits,

you will need to fill out a Form 1040 (line 44), 

or 1040A (line 29) and attach form 8663. You

should become familiar with the details of the

new credits. For example, the education credits

designed to reduce your taxes are based only on

tuition and related expenses required for enrollment at an eligible educational institution and not

on books, room and board, student activities,

equipment, or transportation.

If you are eligible for the qualified student loan

interest deduction, you need to file a Form 1040

(see line 24) or 1040A (see line 16). Payments

toward interest, not principal, lower your 

taxable income.
47

For help with specific questions, please contact the

IRS at 1-800-829-1040, or your tax professional.

POSTPONING REPAYMENT OF 

A QUALIFIED LOAN WHILE SERVING

You may be eligible to postpone the repayment 

of your qualified student loans while serving as 

an AmeriCorps*VISTA member. AmeriCorps*

VISTA members may be eligible for more than

one type of postponement under federal government regulations, but those who have opted for

earning an education award are uniquely eligible

for a postponement based on their national service.

During this postponement, called a forbearance,

interest will continue to accrue on the loans, but

you will not be required to make any payments

during the period in which you are earning an

education award. See the “Payment of Accrued

Interest’ section later in this chapter for information on having this interest paid. 

To place a loan in forbearance, you need to

request it from the loan holder. Only the loan

holder has the authority to grant forbearance. 

In the forbearance process, the National Service

Trust merely verifies that you are serving in an

approved national service position. If the loans

are in default, there is no requirement for the 

loan holder to place the loans in forbearance.

However, there may be ways to bring a loan 

out of default, which would make it eligible for

forbearance. You should contact your lenders 

for further information.

Process for Requesting Forbearance

In order to be granted any of the various types 

of postponements on qualified student loans, 

borrowers must request it. The request for forbearance based on national service can be made

easily by using the Federal Education Loan

Forbearance Form provided at Pre-Service

Orientation, see Appendix A. The form may 

be photocopied. Forms also are available from

the Corporation State Office.

Occasionally, a loan company may ask for additional information or require that the borrower

complete one of its own forms. After filling out

the borrower’s portion of a forbearance request

form (either the standardized form or the lender’s

form), you should submit it to the Trust Office

address listed at the end of this chapter.

Make sure to include the loan holder’s name 

and address. Once the Trust receives the request,

it will certify that you are participating in an

AmeriCorps*VISTA project, and will then forward the documents to the loan holders. Make a

copy for your records. Normally, the loan holder

will notify the borrower when forbearance has

been granted. If you have not heard from the

loan company within three weeks from the time

you mailed the form to the Trust, you should 

call the loan holder (most have toll-free lines) 

to make sure that the paperwork has been

received and that forbearance has been granted.

Forbearance or Deferment?

National service is one of several circumstances

that allow borrowers to postpone the repayment

of their qualified student loans. Other situations

include being a student, serving in the military,

unemployment, teaching in specific high-need

areas, or working as a volunteer with a nonprofit

organization. Some of these postponements are

called deferments, and some are called forbearances. 
48

The responsibility for paying the interest that

accrues, whether the borrower or the U.S.

Government is responsible for paying it, depends

upon the type of loan and when it was made.

Often, forbearance or deferment is not offered 

for consolidated loans.

Special requirements and conditions are associated with each of the deferments and forbearances,

depending on the type of loan and when it was

made. These may include time limitations and

quarterly interest payments. 

AmeriCorps*VISTA members who are earning 

an education award may be eligible for loan forbearance or deferment based on the fact they are

earning an award or for one of the other circumstances described above. However, there are several advantages for obtaining forbearance based

on national service, over another type of forbearance. Forbearance based on national service does

not “count against” the three-year time limits that

go with other types of postponements. Interest

payments are not required during the term of

national service, even on a quarterly basis.

Remember that any accrued interest paid on

behalf of a member is subject to income taxes.

If members wish to learn more about other types

of postponements for which they might be eligible, they should review their promissory note or

contact their loan holder.

Perkins Loans/State Agency Loans 

and Forbearances

There are two types of qualified student loans 

for which the education award can be used that

are not currently covered by the federal laws

requiring loan holders to approve forbearance

based on national service. There currently is no

federal requirement for a loan company to grant

forbearance for federal Perkins loans or loans

issued to a member by a state agency.

If an AmeriCorps*VISTA member finds that a

holder of one of these two types of loans will not

grant forbearance based on national service, there

may be other postponement options available.

For example, he/she may be eligible for a deferment or forbearance based on economic hardship

during the service period. Members should contact their loan holders if they wish to learn about

other types of postponements for which they 

may be eligible.

Since both Perkins loans and loans issued to a

member by a state agency are included in the

Trust’s legal definition of qualified student loan,

AmeriCorps*VISTA members can use their 

education awards to make payments against them.

PARTIAL CANCELLATION OF STUDENT LOANS

AmeriCorps*VISTA members who earn education awards are not eligible to receive the Perkins

loan partial cancellation for the same service period for which they earned the award. Members

who choose to earn a stipend may be eligible for

the cancellation.

Qualified Loans

You can use your education awards to repay

qualified student loans you have or may acquire.

Generally speaking, a “qualified student loan” 

is any federally backed student loan that is in 

the student’s name. The Trust’s legislation has
49

been modified to include loans made directly 

to members by state agencies including the 

Alaska Commission on Post-secondary

Education. This is subject to change each year

with the Corporation’s appropriation statute. 

A list of the most common qualified loans is

shown below.

The technical definition of a qualified student

loan, stated below, is contained in the legislation

of the National Service Trust and the regulations

for the National Service Trust.

A qualified student loan is any loan made,

insured, or guaranteed pursuant to Title IV of the

Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 

et seq.), other than a loan made to a parent of a

student pursuant to section 428B of the Act, and

any loan made pursuant to Title VII or VIII of

the Public Service Act.” (42 U.S.C. 292a et seq.).

The regulation further defines a qualified student

loan as “any other loan designated as such by

Congress.”

If you do not know if your loans are qualified,

you should ask your lenders. There should also

be a citation on the loan papers, referring to Title

IV of the Higher Education Act, Title VII or VIII

of the Public Health Services Act, or the Alaska

Commission on Post-Secondary Education.

There may be student loan programs offered by

schools that are not qualified. Members must be

sure to ask their loan holders to see if the loans

are qualified, using the definition in the Trust’s

legislation. They should get written confirmation

if there is any question. A loan program that

pays off previous qualified education loans and

creates a new loan for the purpose of offering 

a single payment option, such as credit card

consolidation, is not a qualified loan. However,

there is a federal consolidation loan specifically

for that purpose that is a qualified Title IV loan.

Members who want to consolidate qualified 

student loans need to make sure that they do it

through a Title IV Federal Consolidation Loan, 

if they want to use their Education Award to

repay it or have the interest paid on it. 

COMMON QUALIFIED STUDENT LOANS

! Federal Family Education Loans

! Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

! Supplemental Loans to Students (SLS)

! Federal Consolidated Loans

! Guaranteed Student Loans (predecessor to Stafford Loans)

! Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL)

! William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans

! Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford

DIRECT SUBSIDIZED AND UNSUBSIDIZED FORD LOANS

! Direct Consolidation

! Loans under the Public Health Service Act

! Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL)

! Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL)

! Loans for Disadvantaged Students (LDS)

! Nursing Student Loans (NSL)

! Primary Care Loans (PCL)

! Loans in the Federal Perkins Loan Program

! National Defense Student Loan

! National Direct Student Loan

! Loans made directly to students by State government agencies
50

Schools Matching the Education Award

The schools listed below offer a limited number

of competitive scholarships that match the funds

available from the AmeriCorps education award.

These funds may be used with any of the programs of study in these schools:

! Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota

! The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA

! Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois

! Sterling College, Craftsbury Common, Vermont

! Union College, Borbourville, Kentucky

! Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts

! New Rochelle College, New Rochelle, New York

Other schools may offer matching funds or 

special opportunities for former AmeriCorps*

VISTA members. For an updated listing, 

visit www.americorpsalums.org. 

QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

U.S. SCHOOLS

For purposes of the education award, a “qualified

institution of higher education” is an institution

that has a Title IV Program Participation

Agreement with the U.S. Department of

Education (Title IV refers to a section of the

Higher Education Act that authorizes student

aid). This simply means that the school participates in the federal student aid programs, – i.e., 

it has an agreement with the U.S. Department of

Education whereby students are eligible to receive

federal financial assistance to attend the school.

This assistance includes Pell grants or one of the

federal loans listed under “Common Qualified

Student Loans.”

A school may be fully accredited and offer 

quality graduate degrees, but unless it is a school

that participates with the U.S. Department of

Education in Title IV financial assistance, by law,

the education award cannot be used there. You

should ensure that the school you wish to attend

or one in which you expect to repay an existing

school loan is “qualified” before selecting the

education award.

It is not possible to determine whether a school 

is Title IV merely by the name of the school.

Most two and four year institutions in the 

United States are Title IV schools. Thousands of

technical and trade schools are Title IV as well.

Art schools, beauty schools, and truck driving

schools may be Title IV. In order to become a

Title IV school, an institution has to meet certain

requirements and obtain an agreement with the

U.S. Department of Education. This agreement 

is called a Title IV Program Participation

Agreement.

To Find Out if a School is Qualified

Students can ask their financial aid office if the

school is a Title IV institution. Another way 

to find out is to learn if students who attend the

school are eligible to use Pell grants, Perkins

loans, or Stafford loans to attend the school. 

If they are eligible, it is a Title IV school. These

are examples of some of the most common types

of Title IV assistance.

Another way to find out if a school is a Title IV

school is to call the toll-free number at the U.S.

Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid

Information center between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00

p.m. (Eastern time), Monday through Friday.

That number is 1 (800) 433-3243. You also can

conduct an online search from the Department 

of Education’s website at www.ed.gov.
51

Foreign Schools

The education award may be used to attend 

many schools outside the United States. You

should always check to see if the school qualifies

before enrolling if you intend to use the education award to pay for schooling.

If the schools outside the United States participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s

Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program,

the AmeriCorps education award can be used

there. You can find out if a particular school

»participates by calling the Department of

Education at 1 (800) 433-3243. Individuals who

use this number should ask if the school "participates in the FFEL Program." The caller should

have the name and location of the school before

making the call. This number is not for questions

concerning using the education award; it is to 

see if a foreign school participates in the 

FFEL program.

Another way to approach attending schools 

overseas is to obtain a qualified student loan to

attend the foreign school and use the education

award to repay the loan. The loan would be 

paid like any other qualified student loan.

Also, many Title IV post-secondary institutions

in the United States offer educational opportunities abroad. As long as the member is considered

by the qualified U.S. school to be a student at the

school and the payment goes to the U.S. school,

this is an allowable use of the education award.

QUALIFIED EXPENSES TO ATTEND SCHOOL

The AmeriCorps education award can be used to

pay the portion of a member’s cost of attendance

that is not covered by other sources of financial

aid such as scholarships, loans, grants, and tuition

or fee waivers. The U.S. Department of

Education developed the term “cost of attendance” for use by Title IV schools. Schools use 

it whenever a student applies for federal financial

assistance. It is the school’s estimate of what it

will cost for a student to attend for a specific 

period of time.

For a full-time student, it can include tuition and

fees, an allowance for books, room and board,

transportation, and other expenses. It is important to note that every Title IV school determines

the cost of attendance for its students. This is not

an amount determined by the member or by the

Trust. The cost of attendance should be used by

the school to calculate the amount for which the

student is eligible to use the education award. 

The AmeriCorps education award can be used for

that portion of the cost of attendance that has not

already been covered by other sources of financial

assistance. For example, if a school has determined that the cost of attendance for a academic

year is $12,000.00 and the student is receiving

$8,000.00 worth of scholarships and loans, the

student would be eligible to use up to $4,000.00

of their education award to pay the remaining

cost of attendance. In other words, $8,000.00 of

the $12,000.00 of expenses has already been paid,

leaving $4,000.00 to be covered. 

The cost of a computer may be included in the

cost of attendance. However, the school’s financial aid office will know if that particular school

includes computers in the cost of attendance.

Students should be able to learn from the financial aid office what the cost of attendance is

before submitting their voucher for payment.

Schools receiving a check from the Trust often

will keep the amount that is owed them (such as
52

tuition, fees, and if applicable, dorm fees) and

release to the student any allowances that the student pays to other parties (such as allowances for

books, transportation, and room and board) if the

full-time student is living off campus. The school

should follow the same rules for the education

award that it follows for other federal financial

assistance regarding reimbursements to students.

Reimbursement can be handled in a variety of

ways. Some schools write the student a check

while others establish an account in the student’s

name. Some schools handle book and supply

purchases by issuing students vouchers that can

be used at the school’s bookstore. Members

should ask their financial aid office if they have

specific questions about the school’s reimbursement policies.

Schools may reimburse students for allowable

expenses that were previously paid by the student

as long as the costs are for the current enrollment

period.

Bookstores and the Education Award

The law requires that the AmeriCorps education

award be designated to a qualified school (and

holders of qualified loans). The Trust strongly

encourages you to first take your education

awards to the financial aid office of the qualified

school you wish to attend. The financial aid

office monitors financial assistance received by

students and is able to determine how much of 

a student’s award he/she is eligible to use and

whether a student’s cost of attendance has been

met by other sources. The financial aid office 

can legally represent the school in verifying that

certain requirements are met. A bookstore 

cannot do this.

In order to avoid a series of small payments to a

bookstore throughout the semester, it is better to

consult the financial aid office for the calculated

budget figure for books and supplies for the term

and receive that amount as a lump sum.

Because school bookstores are unable to monitor

the amount of financial assistance a student is

receiving and cannot determine if the education

award will cause a student to exceed their cost of

attendance in financial assistance, these vouchers

will be returned to the school for additional 

certification by the financial aid office before 

a payment can be made. 

PAYMENT OF ACCRUED INTEREST

You are eligible to have the National Service Trust

pay all or a portion of the interest that accumulates on your qualified student loans while you

are earning your education award. These payments are made above and beyond the education

award, and they will not be deducted from your

education award account. To be eligible to have

“accrued” interest paid, the loan must have been

in forbearance or deferment status during the

service period and the member must have 

successfully completed a term of service.

The Trust cannot pay for interest that accrued

outside a member’s service period. It also cannot

pay interest if the member did not earn an education award.

Generally, the Trust will pay all of the interest for

full-time members who complete their term of

service and a portion of the interest for members

who had to end their service early for compelling

reasons. The portion that the Trust pays is based

on a formula contained in the regulations that

govern the National Service Trust.
53

Process for Getting the Interest Paid

The Trust will pay the interest when it has:

! Verification from the project that the 

member has completed service and is 

eligible for an education award, and

! Documentation from the loan holder showing

the total amount of interest that accrued.

The Trust can make payments from statements or

bills produced by loan companies if they contain

the actual dates of service (month, day, and year)

and the total amount of interest that accrued.

However, completing the Interest Accrual Form

(see Appendix A) is a more accurate and convenient method for having this information forwarded to the Trust. The Interest Accrual Form may

be used to request this interest information from

a holder of a qualified student loan.

Benefits of using the Interest Accrual 

Form include:

! The Form puts in written form a request 

that the information be provided to the Trust.

Lenders usually require written permission 

to share loan information with a third party,

and this form accomplishes that. 

! It allows members to ask for the information

based on the dates they put on the form.

Statements from lenders frequently have to 

be returned because the interest amount is

based on incorrect dates.

! It includes the option for the loan holder 

to provide a daily interest accrual amount.

Up to 30 days prior to the end of your term of

service, you may initiate the process to have your

interest paid. This action also may occur following the completion of service. You need to make

sure that your loan holder informs the Trust of

the total amount of interest that accrued during

your service period. To have this interest information sent to the Trust, you should complete 

the top portion of the Interest Accrual Form and

send it to your loan holder(s). Each loan holder

will complete the lender portion of the form and

forward it to the National Service Trust at the

address on the form. You may want to ask the

loan company for a copy of the completed form

for your records.

When the Trust receives the form, it will be

reviewed to make sure that you have completed

the service and the dates are correct. Then a 

payment will be made to the loan holder. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Corporation State Office may be able to

answer many questions on AmeriCorps education

benefits. The National Service Trust also has a

toll free number that has recorded messages to

answer award questions of a general nature, to

make address changes, and to request a duplicate

voucher. The number is 1-888-507-5962. For

more detailed information about specific awards

or payments, call the National Service Trust at

(202) 606-5000, ext. 347. Or you can write to

them at edawardvoucher@cns.gov or:

National Service Trust

Corporation for National and 

Community Service

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525
54
55

Chapter 7: Travel and Transportation Support

This includes:

! Home to site;

! To and from training events;

! Project site to events, conferences, etc.; and

! Project site to home of record upon close 

of service.

The Corporation will pay for official travel only

within the continental United States, except for

AmeriCorps*VISTA members who are serving 

in or whose home of record is in Alaska, Hawaii,

Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, or

American Samoa. All members who are authorized by the Corporation to relocate from their

home of record to serve in AmeriCorps*VISTA

will be reimbursed for travel and baggage 

expenses as described in this chapter. All travel

payments are subject to Treasury Offset

(see Chapter 5).

Travel by Commercial Carrier 

(Air, Train, Bus, or Boat)

AmeriCorps*VISTA candidates or members who

are authorized to travel by air, train, bus, or boat

will receive a prepaid ticket and $15.00 each way

(from home of record to destination and return)

for miscellaneous travel expenses such as taxi

fares, parking fees, etc. If costs exceed $15.00,

members will be reimbursed for actual expenditures after providing receipts to their Corporation

State Office. All travel provided by commercial

carriers will be at the lowest rates available. 

In exceptional circumstances, members may 

have to purchase their own tickets, which will 

be reimbursed at the lowest commercial carrier

fare available.

Mileage costs incurred by members between home

and commercial carrier stations will be reimbursed

at the federal mileage reimbursement rate.

Travel by Automobile

AmeriCorps*VISTA candidates or members

authorized to drive their own cars (from home 

to destination and return) will be reimbursed at

the federal mileage reimbursement rate, which 

is currently 36.5 cents per mile, plus $10.00 for

every whole multiple of 100 miles. This covers

per diem expenses while en route. If the candidate or member is a rider in the vehicle, or 

drives a vehicle for which his/her Sponsoring

Organization covers mileage reimbursement,

he/she will be paid only $10.00 for every whole

multiple of 100 miles traveled. Mileage is computed on the basis of the Rand McNally standard

mileage guide. Reimbursement rates for members

driving to Alaska may vary depending on project

location, travel routes (highways vs. ferry), and

Sponsoring Organization agreements with the

Corporation.

If a candidate relocates using a privately owned

vehicle to attend the Pre-Service Orientation, and

the car is not authorized for use on the project by

the Corporation, the candidate will receive the cost

TRAVEL PAYMENTS

All AmeriCorps*VISTA candidate and member official travel outside the project area, as well as the

mode of travel outside the project area, must be approved in advance by the Corporation State Office.
56

of common carrier or the federal mileage reimbursement rate, whichever is less. The candidate

also will receive $15.00 for miscellaneous expenses.

Travel by Motorcycle

AmeriCorps*VISTA members traveling by

motorcycle or motor scooter are reimbursed at

the federal mileage reimbursement rate of 28 cents

per mile, plus $10.00 for every whole multiple 

of 100 miles traveled. 

Food and Lodging Expense

Per diem, a daily expense allowance for food,

lodging, and miscellaneous expenses, may be

authorized for conference or consultation travel

that the AmeriCorps*VISTA member is required

to make during service. Members will be reimbursed for actual expenses not to exceed $85, the

standard federal government per diem rate. The

State Director will adjust rates for high-cost cities

on an individual basis. For example, if the member attends a conference at an expensive facility

and is required to stay there, additional per diem

may be authorized.

Reimbursement

To claim reimbursement for all travel except

close-of-service travel or service-related travel,

you must complete part I of the “AmeriCorps*

VISTA Payment Voucher,” Form 531, see

Appendix A. The Corporation will complete 

part II of the form, and the U.S. Treasury 

sends you a reimbursement check.

TRAVEL PAYMENT AT END OF SERVICE

In the 10th month of service, you will receive 

the “AmeriCorps*VISTA Future Plans or Early

Termination Request” (FPR) form to indicate 

the mode of travel to be used in returning home,

see Appendix A. Based on that information, the

Corporation will send you either a prepaid ticket

or a check for travel from the project site to your

home of record. The ticket or check will arrive

before your scheduled departure. If you fail to

sign and return the termination voucher within 

30 days after completion of service, no reimbursement will be made. You should also follow up

with your supervisor to make certain that the

FPR is sent to the Corporation State Office 

Members terminating early also must complete

the “AmeriCorps*VISTA Member Future Plans

or Early Termination Request” form indicating

the mode of travel to be used for their return

home. The Corporation will send a prepaid ticket or check to the project. If there is insufficient

time to process the ticket or check before the

member’s termination, it will be sent to the 

forwarding address specified on the form.

Payment for termination travel by private automobile will be made only if one of the following

is true:

! The member was authorized to bring a car 

to training, and the member used the car for

project activities during service; 

! The member was authorized to use a car when

on site and purchased on arrival at site; or

! The cost of reimbursement for private vehicle

travel is less than that for common carrier.

If none of these is true, the member will be 

reimbursed at the rate of the lowest commercial

carrier fare.
57

BAGGAGE SHIPMENT WITHIN THE 

CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

Provided you must relocate to serve, you are

authorized a baggage allowance for shipment 

of personal effects between home of record and

project site both on initial assignment and at 

close of service. 

In the event of transfer to a new project, an

allowance is authorized for shipment between the

two project sites. In order to receive reimbursement, you must submit a “Volunteer Payment

Voucher” with receipts attached to the

Corporation State Office within thirty (30) days

of shipment of any baggage, see Appendix A. 

The baggage allowance, based on direct mileage

between two points, is $25.00 per 100 miles,

rounded down to the nearest hundred, with a

maximum of $500.00. The weight of the shipment is not considered in determining the 

reimbursement. In all cases, members must 

provide receipts.

The baggage allowance is paid by check from the

Corporation and should reach the member within

his/her first month on the project. For shipment

related to close of service, the check should be

received before or within a month following

departure.

BAGGAGE SHIPMENT OUTSIDE THE 

CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

On initial assignment, termination, or transfer,

you may request a government bill of lading

(GBL) to pay for the cost of shipping up to 100

lbs. by air freight between home of record and

project, or between project sites. 

You should send a written request for a

Government Bill of Lading to the Corporation

State Office at least three weeks before shipment

is to be made. Addresses where the baggage will

be shipped from and to must be provided.

SERVICE-RELATED TRANSPORTATION

The Sponsoring Organization is responsible for

determining the service-related transportation

needs of members. As a general rule, you 

are expected to use public transportation in 

connection with your work when it is available

and adequate.

When public transportation is not adequate, the

Sponsoring Organization has the primary responsibility for providing or supporting vehicles used

by members in the performance of their assignments. In some instances, AmeriCorps*VISTA

may assist in the provision of funds for mileage

reimbursement or leasing a vehicle. 

While performing your assigned duties, you may

not transport passengers other than those determined by supervisory authority to be directly

related to and within the scope of your official

responsibilities. There will be a presumption that

you are not in the performance of official responsibilities when transporting unauthorized persons.

In the event it is determined that you were performing official activities while transporting

unauthorized passengers, the passengers will 

not be covered by the government for personal

injury; and you may be personally liable for

injury to the passengers and subject to appropriate administrative action.
58

Vehicles Owned by Another Person

Ordinarily, you will not be authorized to use a

vehicle owned by another person (including that

of a relative or another member) while conducting official project-related travel. If unusual 

circumstances require the use of a vehicle owned

by another person, prior approval must be

obtained from the State Director.

Authorization to Use Vehicle

The Sponsoring Organization or supervisor must

fill out Form V-81, “AmeriCorps*VISTA Use of

Vehicles and Public Transportation,” whenever

you use any or all of the following for servicerelated transportation, see Appendix A:

! Sponsoring Organization-owned or

Sponsoring Organization-leased vehicle;

! Member-owned or member-leased vehicle;

! Vehicle owned or leased by another person 

and approved for member use by the State

Director; or

! Public transportation.

Form V-81 is needed to provide coverage under

the Federal Tort Claims Act. Completed Form 

V-81’s must be sent to the Corporation State

Office by the Sponsoring Organization before 

the member uses any vehicle. 

The types of approved member service-related

transportation and the reimbursement responsibilities of the Sponsoring Organization and/or 

the Corporation must be clearly stated in the

Memorandum of Agreement between the

Corporation and Sponsoring Organization.

Licensing and Insurance

Sponsoring Organizations and AmeriCorps*

VISTA members are responsible for complying

with all laws concerning vehicle registration,

operator licensing, and insurance on any vehicles

used officially or unofficially by members in the

state and locality where they serve/reside. You

are covered by the Federal Tort Claims Act (see

Chapter 10) for third-party liability (e.g., damage

or injury to others only while in the performance

of official duties). However, the Corporation is

not responsible for any damage to your own

vehicle; thus it is essential that you maintain 

adequate insurance on your own vehicle.

Privately Owned Vehicle

If a privately owned vehicle is necessary to carry

out your assigned duties, authorization for its 

use on the job must be obtained from the

Corporation State Office.

! The Memorandum of Agreement between the

Corporation and the Sponsoring Organization

specifies what portion of the member’s mileage

expenses for assignment-related purposes will

be provided by the Sponsoring Organization.

In these cases, the member will receive reimbursement directly from the Sponsoring

Organization.

! In some instances, the Corporation may provide all or a portion of the member’s mileage

expenses for assignment-related purposes.

This payment may be accomplished through 

a transportation grant to the Sponsoring

Organization in which the Corporation 

provides the Sponsoring Organization with

funds to reimburse the member.
59

! Before members can receive service-related

transportation reimbursement, the Corporation State Office must authorize in writing 

that the member may drive a car for assignment-related purposes. To request such

authorization, the member and project supervisor must submit a completed Form V-81 to 

the Corporation State Office.

! The Corporation or the Sponsoring

Organization, as specified in the terms of the

Memorandum of Agreement, will reimburse

members for approved service-related mileage 

at the rate established under the Sponsoring

Organization’s reimbursement policy, but not to

exceed the federal mileage reimbursement rate. 

! These reimbursement rates are intended to

cover gas and oil, wear and tear, and routine

maintenance.

! If the Corporation is reimbursing the member

directly for service-related mileage expenses,

the member must submit a completed

“Statement of Mileage” form (See Appendix A)

at the end of each month to the Corporation

State Office. The Corporation reimbursement

is subject to the Treasury Offset, if applicable

to the member.

! If the Sponsoring Organization is reimbursing

the member for service-related transportation

expenses through a grant from the

Corporation, the member should submit a

mileage statement form to the Sponsoring

Organization. The Sponsoring Organization

will reimburse the member within one month.

! If a member is not authorized by the

Corporation to drive a vehicle on the job, 

the Corporation will provide no reimbursement for operating expenses.

Sponsoring Organization Owned 

or Leased Vehicle

Vehicles owned by or leased to a Sponsoring

Organization may be authorized for servicerelated transportation if necessary to carry out

your project assignment.

The Memorandum of Agreement between the

Corporation and the Sponsoring Organization

specifies what part of the operating, maintenance,

and insurance costs of vehicles the Sponsoring

Organization owns or leases will be paid by the

Sponsoring Organization. In some instances, 

the Corporation may provide funds for these 

purposes through a grant to the Sponsoring

Organization. In either case, the member will

receive reimbursement directly from the Sponsoring Organization for out-of-pocket expenses.

Public Transportation

Sponsoring Organizations may pay for servicerelated public transportation expenses. However,

in exceptional circumstances, the Corporation

may authorize a public transportation allowance

that will be paid directly to the member on a

monthly basis or to the Sponsoring Organization

through a transportation grant. To be eligible to

receive such payment, you and project supervisor must submit a completed Form V-81 to the

Corporation State Office for authorization.
60

AmeriCorps*VISTA members who work in

urban projects ordinarily are not authorized to

drive privately owned vehicles on the job.

However, State Directors may make exceptions to

this policy when, in their judgement, circumstances warrant the use of privately owned vehicles for project work.

Accidents

In case an accident occurs while you are driving a

privately owned vehicle within the scope of your

AmeriCorps*VISTA duties, the exclusive remedy

for your liability for injuries or property damage

sustained by third persons is the Federal Tort

Claims Act (FTCA). The Corporation is not

responsible for any damage to your own vehicle.

If an accident occurs, you must summon the local

police, comply with local requirements, and within two days of the accident make sure the following actions are taken:

! You must complete Form SF-91, Sections 

I-IX, “Operator’s Report of Motor Vehicle

Accident,” see Appendix A. Your supervisor

must complete Section X, Blocks 71-80. The

supervisor does not complete Blocks 81-82c.

Sections XI-XIII are completed only if bodily

injury, fatality, and/or damages exceed $500.00.

! You and your supervisor must properly complete GSA Optional Form 26, “Data Bearing

Upon Scope of Employment,” which indicates

whether the member was within the scope 

of the project assignment at the time of the

accident, see Appendix A.

! Where appropriate, you must obtain the names

and addresses of witnesses and, if possible,

obtain a completed SF-94, “Statement of

Witness” from each witness, see Appendix A.

Where there are no witnesses and therefore a

SF-94 cannot be prepared, a statement to this

effect will be included in both the operator’s

report (SF-91) and certified by the supervisor.

In all instances where state laws require an official

police report based on the extent of damages, a

copy of such report must be included along with

the other forms mentioned previously. In all

cases involving damage to property (regardless of

how minor), an official police report, if available,

must be included and attached to Form SF-91. In

any accident where personal injury has occurred,

you must notify the Office of General Counsel

within 24 miles.

An original and one copy of all reports noted in

the bulleted paragraph as well as the police

report, if appropriate, must be submitted to the

Corporation State Office. The Corporation State

Office will forward the original report(s) to the

Corporation’s Office of General Counsel. Both

the member and the Sponsoring Organization

should retain copies of all forms submitted for

their own records.
61

All members and Sponsoring Organizations are

prohibited from making any representations to

other parties of accidents concerning the ultimate

liability of the federal government on a particular

claim. The Corporation’s Office of General

Counsel and, where applicable, the Department

of Justice will make the final determination on

whether an accident occurred within the scope 

of the member’s project-related activities and the

extent of the government’s liability. (Travel to

and from home residence to project site is not

covered under the Federal Tort Claims Act.)

Members and Sponsoring Organizations are

expected to cooperate fully with the

Corporation’s Office of General Counsel in

obtaining necessary evidence and materials, 

and with the Department of Justice or U.S.

Attorney in the event legal action is taken in 

connection with the accident. If requested,

Sponsoring Organizations, supervisors, or members are authorized to provide third parties with

copies of SF-95, “Claim for Damage, Injury, or

Death” and advise that the claim must be submitted to the Corporation’s Office of General

Counsel or to the Corporation State Office having authority over the member, see Appendix A.

If a civil action is brought in a local court against

either you or the Sponsoring Organization as 

a result of an accident, or if you are asked or

ordered to testify or be deposed, the Corporation’s

Office of General Counsel must be notified

immediately by the Corporation State Office.

Copies of all legal documents must be transmitted

to the Corporation for National and Community

Service, Office of General Counsel, 1201 New

York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20525. 

The Corporation is not responsible for any

indemnification or contribution to the Sponsoring

Organization for any damages sustained by the

Sponsoring Organization.

Members and Sponsoring

Organizations are expected

to cooperate fully with the

Corporation’s Office of

General Counsel.

"

"
62
63

Chapter 8: Health Care Support

COVERAGE

Coverage begins automatically on your first day

of AmeriCorps*VISTA training and applies only

to you. It does not extend to your spouse or

other dependents. Coverage ends on the date of

your termination as an AmeriCorps*VISTA

member or trainee.

Coverage under the health benefits program

includes payment for most medical and surgical

costs, hospitalization, prescription drugs, and 

certain emergency dental, vision, and maternity

care. However, these benefits may be affected by

restrictions on payment for pre-existing conditions as well as other exclusions to coverage.

These exclusions are set forth in the Member

Health Care Guide distributed by AmeriCorps*

VISTA’s health plan contractor.

If you have questions concerning coverage for

certain medical procedures, contact the appropriate department of AmeriCorps*VISTA’s health

plan contractor listed in the health care guide 

and on the health identification card via the 

toll-free customer service telephone number: 

1-800-VISTA17. The health plan contractor’s staff

will provide information about eligibility for care.

PRE-CERTIFICATION

AmeriCorps*VISTA’s health plan contractor

manages a pre-certification program designed to

review the use of your health care benefits for all

inpatient care. The program aims to ensure that

the care you receive is medically necessary and that

the setting in which it is received is appropriate.

Failure of you to consult and obtain pre-certification for inpatient hospital admission will

result in a $300.00 reduction in benefits. You 

will be responsible for paying that amount. 

Nurses administer the pre-certification program.

There are no forms for you to complete. All 

that is needed to begin the process is a telephone

call from you or your physician to the AmeriCorps*

VISTA health plan contractor’s pre-certification

number located on the health identification card.

In emergency cases, pre-certification should occur

within 48 hours of hospital admission.

Full benefits are available when the stay is certified and you use a provider from the participating

provider listing. Participating providers are

bound by agreement to accept payments on a 

pre-determined fee schedule. A non-participating

INTRODUCTION

You are covered by the AmeriCorps*VISTA Health Benefits Program, which includes health benefits,

coverage for service-related injuries or illnesses, and staff support. These benefits and related procedures

are explained in detail in AmeriCorps*VISTA’s Member Health Care Guide. A copy of this guide is

given to you along with a health identification card shortly after enrollment into AmeriCorps*VISTA.

In case of an accident or illness, you must notify your project supervisor. If hospitalization or extended

absence from the project is required, the project supervisor must notify the Corporation State Office

immediately.
64

provider can charge more, and you could be

responsible for fees in excess of “usual, customary,

and reasonable” fee limits, a health industry standard. If a participating provider is not available,

all allowable services are covered up to “usual,

customary, and reasonable” fee limits. 

The pre-certification program consists of the 

following services:

! Pre-admission and Admission Review of 

all hospital admissions, including inpatient

psychiatric and obstetrical admissions;

! Continued Stay Review of all 

hospitalizations; and

! Individual Case Management of 

potentially catastrophic cases.

AmeriCorps*VISTA’s health plan contractor also

provides a Patient Information Service to answer

questions about the pre-certification process and

to help you get the maximum health care benefits

available. The phone number is located on your

health identification card.

PERSONAL HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE

You may continue your own private health 

insurance during your service. The AmeriCorps*

VISTA Health Benefits Program is not an insurance policy. Members with dependents may 

wish to continue private coverage because 

spouses and dependents are not covered under the

AmeriCorps*VISTA Health Benefits Program.

Also, members with pre-existing conditions may

wish to do so to ensure that they will have the

type and amount of coverage they need during

and after service. If you decide to maintain a 

private insurance policy, AmeriCorps*VISTA’s

health plan ordinarily will pay only for those

benefits not paid by your private plan.

COORDINATION OF BENEFITS

If you are covered by more than one health insurance plan, most health care programs, including

this program, contain a Coordination of Benefits

provision. This provision is used when a member

is eligible for payment of claims under more than

one health program. Coordination of benefits

assures that the your covered expenses will be

paid but that the combined payments of all the

programs do not amount to more than the 

actual cost of care.

Coordination of benefits prevents duplicate payments and helps to hold down the cost of health

care coverage. Members with additional coverage

are required to use their private plan as the primary insurer to the maximum extent of coverage

before submitting claims to AmeriCorps*VISTA’s

health plan contractor for payment.

MEDICARE AND MEDICAID COVERAGE

AmeriCorps*VISTA’s Health Benefits Program 

is considered the primary provider of benefits 

for members who also are covered by Medicare,

Medicaid, or other similar federally funded government health benefits programs. Therefore,

members who are eligible for coverage under 

such programs should first send their claims to

AmeriCorps*VISTA’s health plan contractor.
65

CONVERSION PRIVILEGE

AmeriCorps*VISTA’s health benefits coverage

ends at midnight on the day you terminate.

However, upon termination from service, you

may convert from the health plan provided by

AmeriCorps*VISTA's health plan contractor 

to a designated private health insurance plan as

described in the Member Health Care Guide.

Your option to convert to this private insurance

plan must be exercised within 31 days of the date

of termination from service. If you exercise this

conversion option, the private plan becomes

effective on the day after termination from

AmeriCorps*VISTA service.

MEDICAL LEAVE

AmeriCorps*VISTA members are entitled to up

to 10 workdays of medical leave during each full

year of service to cover illness, injury, or medical

appointments. Members who extend their term

of service for less than a full year receive up to

five workdays of medical leave for that period.

Partial days of medical leave also may be granted

to the member. All allowances and stipends 

continue during medical leave periods.

You should request approval for medical leave, 

in advance when possible, from the Sponsoring

Organization/supervisor. Also, you should 

specify the hours or dates of leave requested.

The AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring Organization/supervisor must notify the Corporation

State Program Director immediately if it appears

that you will not be able to resume project duties

within the 10 workday maximum medical leave

period. The Corporation State Program Director

may approve an extension of your medical leave

for up to five days, in cases of extended recuperation in which you are likely to return to the project within the approved leave period, or in the

event of undue delay in obtaining a diagnosis 

of your medical condition.

MATERNITY LEAVE

AmeriCorps*VISTA members are entitled to use

a combination of medical and personal leave (20

workdays) for maternity leave. The Corporation

State Program Director may approve an extension

of up to five days, for a total of 25 workdays in

cases where extended recuperation is required.

MEDICAL TERMINATION

If you are unable to resume project duties, or if it

reasonably appears that you will not be able to do

so within the approved medical leave period, you

will be subject to medical termination or be given

the opportunity to resign from service. The State

Director will decide whether to terminate you 

for medical reasons on the basis of information

received from your attending caregiver or other

information obtained by the Corporation. You

will be provided with a written notice of termination, including the proposed termination date, as

promptly as possible. Written notice of termination to you must precede the date on which you

are proposed to be medically terminated.

You may appeal a State Director’s medical 

termination. If you choose to appeal the State

Director’s medical termination decision, you

should submit a written appeal and supporting

documentation within 15 days of receiving the

written notice of proposed termination. The

written appeal and supporting documentation

should be submitted to the Office of the

AmeriCorps*VISTA Director, Corporation for

National and Community Service, 1201 New
66

York Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20525. 

If you wish to file a discrimination complaint

related to the medical termination, you should

utilize the procedures in 45 CFR Part 1225, 

see Appendix B.

The Office of the AmeriCorps*VISTA Director

will review all information submitted and may

request additional information from your attending physician or other sources. After review of

all pertinent documentation, the AmeriCorps*

VISTA Director will render a final decision on

your appeal. If the appeal is upheld, you will 

be reinstated into AmeriCorps*VISTA service

retroactive to the date of termination. Your

appeal of a medical termination decision is not

subject to the administrative appeals procedure

set forth in 45 CFR Part 1210 or the grievance

appeals procedure set forth in 45 CFR Part 1211,

see Appendix B.

If a former member wishes to re-enter service 

following medical termination and a recovery

period, he/she must submit a request to the

Corporation State Program Director along with 

a statement from the attending physician on the

former member’s ability to return to service. The

Corporation State Program Director may reinstate the member if an appropriate placement is

available provided the member is deemed to be

physically and/or mentally able to perform the

duties of the position. The Corporation may 

seek additional medical consultation in such 

cases if deemed necessary.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION ACT

Under section 415(b) of the Domestic Volunteer

Service Act of 1973, as amended (42 U.S.C, §

5055) you are considered an employee of the 

federal government for purposes of coverage

under the Federal Employees Compensation Act

(FECA), which is administered by the Office of

Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) of

the U.S. Department of Labor. This office is solely

responsible for the adjudication of FECA claims.

Benefits

FECA provides compensation benefits for an 

illness or injury if it is judged by OWCP to be

service-related (i.e., caused or aggravated by the

performance of a member assignment). However,

you will not be covered by FECA if the injury 

or disability results from your own misconduct,

intoxication, or willful intent to bring about

injury or death to yourself or others.

Benefits approved under FECA begin after termination from AmeriCorps*VISTA service and

include payment for continuing medical care and

compensation for wage loss and permanent

impairment of certain members or functions of

the body in the event of a service-related disability. FECA also contains provisions for payment

of certain death benefits such as shipment of the

body, funeral and burial costs, and survivor’s benefits if the member's death results from an injury

or illness sustained in the performance of official

project duties.
67

Claims Procedures

If you are injured or experience an emergency 

illness related to your assignment, the project

supervisor and the Corporation State Office must

be notified immediately. The Corporation State

Office will provide you with the necessary federal

employment compensation forms (CA-1 or CA-2),

to protect your right to apply to OWCP for compensation. The CA-1 form, “Notice of Traumatic

Injury,” should be filed when an accident or

physical injury occurs during performance of

duties. The CA-2 form, “Notice of Occupational

Disease or Illness,” should be filed when a disease

or illness is suspected of being caused by job 

performance. Although an illness or injury may

not appear to be serious enough to result in compensation eligibility, the claim forms should be

completed to protect your rights in case future

complications develop. You have up to three

years from the date of injury or up to three years

from the date you realize your assignment caused

an injury to request your completed form be 

filed with OWCP.

The Corporation State Office will:

! Advise and assist individual claimants regarding the preparation, submission, and followup of their respective FECA claims.

! Provide appropriate assistance in compiling

and submitting all pertinent information 

relating to FECA claims.

Submit all FECA claims and relevant material 

to the AmeriCorps Health Benefits Office,

Corporation for National and Community

Service, 1201 New York Ave., N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20525. This office is responsible for review,

submission, and follow-up with OWCP concerning all claims. The Corporation will not file the

claim with OWCP until after you terminate

because you are not eligible to receive workers

compensation payments while receiving an

AmeriCorps*VISTA subsistence allowance.

Appeal Procedures

You may appeal any claim rejected by OWCP 

by following the three-step appeal rights process

outlined by OWCP: Reconsideration, Oral

Hearing, and the Employees' Compensation

Appeals Board. 

DEATH BENEFITS

If a member dies during service, the next of 

kin or designated beneficiary is entitled to 

the following:

! Coverage of expenses incurred at the place 

of death (ambulance service, transportation 

of the body, etc.);

! Funeral and burial benefits from either the

Corporation (to a maximum of $1,000), or

from OWCP if the death is found to be 

service-related;

! Shipment of member's personal effects; 

! Unpaid compensation of reimbursement 

owed the member;

! Life insurance (if the member had enrolled 

in the group policy); and

! Any benefits available to spouse or dependents

from OWCP if the death is determined to 

be assignment-related.
68
69

Chapter 9: Administrative Policies

! Failure to meet training selection standards

which include, but are not limited to, the 

following types of conduct:

- Inability or refusal to perform 

training assignments;

- Disruptive conduct during training 

sessions; or

- Failure to attend sessions.

! Conviction of a criminal offense under 

federal, state, or local statute or ordinance; 

! Violation of any provision of the Domestic

Volunteer Service Act, Public Law 

! 93-113, as amended, or any Corporation 

regulation, policy, or guideline;

! Intentional false statement, omission, 

fraud, or deception in obtaining selection 

as a member; and

! Refusal to accept member placement.

Procedures for deselection of AmeriCorps*

VISTA trainees are reprinted 

in full in Appendix B.

EARLY TERMINATION

GROUNDS FOR MEMBER TERMINATION

The Corporation may terminate or suspend you

as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member based on 

your conduct (for cause termination) for the 

following reasons:

! Conviction of a criminal offense under federal,

state, or local statute or ordinance; 

! Violation of any provision of the Domestic

Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as amended, or

a Corporation regulation, policy, or guideline;

! Failure, refusal, or inability to perform prescribed project duties as outlined in the project

application and/or assignment description and

as directed by the Sponsoring Organization 

to which you are assigned;

! Involvement in activities that substantially

interfere with your performance of project

duties;

! Intentional false statement, omission, fraud, or

deception in obtaining selection as a member;

! Any conduct on your part that substantially

diminishes your effectiveness as an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member including skipping mandatory training sessions at state, 

cluster or national training events; or

! Unsatisfactory performance of assignment.

TRAINEE DESELECTION

In order to ensure that AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring Organizations receive members who have met

or exceeded the expectations of Pre-Service Orientation, the Corporation may deselect an AmeriCorps*

VISTA trainee out of Pre-Service Orientation before assignment for any of the following reasons:
70

REMOVAL FROM PROJECT

Removal of an AmeriCorps*VISTA member

from the project assignment must be requested 

in writing and supported by a statement of 

reason from:

! The governor or chief executive officer of 

the state or similar jurisdiction in which 

the member is assigned, or

! The Sponsoring Organization.

The sole responsibility for terminating or transferring a member rests with the Corporation.

The Sponsoring Organization’s request for

removal of a member, including a written statement addressing the circumstances of the situation, must be submitted to the Corporation State

Program Director who will, in turn, notify the

member of the request. The State Director, or

designee, after discussions with the member, will

attempt to resolve the situation within 15 days

with the Sponsoring Organization or the governor’s office. If the situation is not resolved within

the 15-day period, the member will be removed

from the project and placed on Administrative

Hold status. For some activities or because of a

perceived disrupting situation in permitting the

member to remain at site, the State Director may

remove the meber before the 15-day period elapses. The member will be notified in writing of

his/her Administrative Hold status, whether

he/she will receive allowances, and of the prohibition on engaging in any project-related activities

during that period.

The Corporation State Office will take one of the

following actions concerning a member who has

been removed from a project assignment:

! Accept the member’s resignation.

! If removal was requested for reasons other

than those listed under “Grounds for Member

Termination” above, the Corporation State

Office will attempt to assist the member in

locating another assignment. If reassignment 

is not possible, the member will be terminated

for lack of a suitable assignment, and will be

given special consideration for reinstatement. 

! If removal from the project is based on any 

of the reasons set forth under “Grounds for

Member Termination (for cause termination),”

the member may appeal the termination in

order to establish whether such termination is

supported by sufficient evidence. Termination

appeal procedures are contained in 45 CFR

Part 1210, see Appendix B. There are no 45

CFR Part 1210 appeal rights for early termination for lack of suitable assignment. Members

may grieve lack of suitable assignment terminations under 45 CFR Part 1211. 

! If the Corporation determines that the removal

based on reasons cited under “Grounds for

Termination” is not established by adequate

evidence, the Corporation will attempt to 

reassign the member to another project as 

outlined in paragraph (2) above.

Your removal from a project assignment during 

a term of service may also occur as a result of

either the termination of or refusal to renew 

the Memorandum of Agreement between the

Corporation and the Sponsoring Organization.
71

In such cases, you will be placed in Administrative Hold status while the Corporation State

Office attempts to reassign you to another project. If no appropriate reassignment is found within the Administrative Hold period, you may be

terminated but will receive special consideration

for reinstatement as soon as an appropriate

assignment becomes available. If appropriate

reassignment is offered to you and declined, the

Corporation has no obligation to offer additional

or alternative assignments. If at this time you

wish to file a discrimination complaint related to

the termination, you should utilize the procedures

set forth in 45 CFR Part 1225, which is reprinted

in full, see Appendix B.

SUSPENSION

The Corporation State Program Director may

suspend an AmeriCorps*VISTA member for 

up to 30 days in order to determine whether 

sufficient evidence exists to start termination proceedings against the member. Suspension is not

appropriate if the State Director determines that

sufficient grounds already exist for the initiation

of termination. In that event, the termination

procedures contained in 45 CFR part 1210.3-4,

will be followed, see Appendix B.

Notice of suspension may be written or verbal

and is effective upon delivery to the member.

Within three days after initiation of the suspension, the member will receive a written notice 

of suspension setting forth in specific detail the 

reason for the suspension. During the suspension period, the member may not engage in 

project activities but will continue to receive 

all allowances.

At the end of the suspension period, the member

must either be reassigned to a project or termination proceedings must be initiated. 

ADMINISTRATIVE HOLD STATUS

During the course of AmeriCorps*VISTA service,

you may be placed in administrative hold status

by the Corporation State Program Director, or

designee, when/if it is determined that you, for a

period of time, will not be able to function effectively on the project. If it is anticipated that you

will be able to resume the assignment within 

30 days, you are placed on administrative hold.

Any or all allowances may be discontinued during

a period in which you are on administrative hold

including but not limited to:

! The subsistence allowance may continue if you

have ongoing obligations for food and rent.

The subsistence allowance may cease, however,

if you are engaged in activities in which the

Corporation would not appropriately be

responsible for support (e.g., while you are 

on extended emergency leave, serving in the

military) or when you have been involved 

in egregious circumstances (e.g. while you 

are detained by law enforcement or 

corrections officers).

! The accrual of your post-service cash 

stipend may cease.

! Service-related travel reimbursement 

normally will cease.
72

Allowances may continue for members placed 

on administrative hold status for reasons beyond

their control, depending upon the reasons for

their administrative hold. Members who are

removed from their projects will be notified

whether or nor they will receive allowances.

Payments on a member’s life insurance 

premium are continued while a member 

is in Administrative Hold status.

Placement in administrative hold status will not

affect a member’s scheduled termination date. If 

a member’s stipend has been discontinued during

this period of time, the amount of the stipend

accrued at the time of termination will reflect

only the period of service during which the 

member was not on administrative hold.

RESIGNATION

In instances where the Corporation State Office

believes that you may be subject to “for cause 

termination” for any reasons cited under “Grounds

for Member Termination,” a Corporation State

Office staff member will discuss the matter with

you. If after the discussion, the staff member

believes that grounds for termination exist, you

will be given an opportunity to resign. You, or 

a designee, may inform the Corporation State

Office orally or in writing that you have resigned.

If you choose not to resign, the administrative

procedures outlined in 45 CFR part 1210.3-4 et.

seq., will be followed, see Appendix B.

You also may choose to resign at any time 

by providing two weeks notification to the

Sponsoring Organization and to the Corporation

State Office. When practical, notice should be

given 30 days in advance to ensure that your

departure would be minimally disruptive to 

the project. Abandonment of an AmeriCorps*

VISTA project site by a member may be treated

as a voluntary or defacto resignation.

Members who intend to resign early from their

assignment should complete Form A-732,

“AmeriCorps*VISTA Future Plans or Early

Termination Request,” and forward it to their

supervisor for submission to the Corporation

State Office, see Appendix A. 

CONTINUATION OF SERVICE

It is at the discretion of the Corporation to afford

you the opportunity of AmeriCorps*VISTA 

service beyond the initial year of enrollment.

There is no entitlement to any term of service

with the AmeriCorps*VISTA program.

However, you are strongly encouraged to 

consider serving a second term of service. 

Additional service is predicated upon a clear 

indication that you will provide a substantial 

contribution to the program. Approval is

required for all continuations of service following

endorsement by the Sponsoring Organization.

By statute, no member may be enrolled in

AmeriCorps*VISTA for more than a total of five

(5) years. However, the Corporation has established a policy that limits AmeriCorps*VISTA

members to serving no more than three (3) terms 

of service. The Corporation State Program

Director, with concurrence from the Area 

Manager, may waive this policy in certain cases. 
73

In the tenth month of service, you will receive 

the “AmeriCorps*VISTA Future Plans or Early

Termination Request” form asking whether 

you wish to:

! Complete service as scheduled;

! Continue service for less than one year 

at the same project (extension); or

! Continue service for one year at the same 

project or at a different project (re-enrollment).

After the Future Plans form is completed, you

should submit it to the project supervisor who

will fill out the Performance Evaluation section

and forward the form to the Corporation State

Office. Member performance, as evaluated by 

the project supervisor and the Corporation State

Program Director, along with your skills and

experience, are considered in approving a request

for continuation of service. Continuation of service is also subject to the availability of an appropriate assignment and to the availability of funds

for member support. 

Applications to continue service must be submitted to the Corporation State Office at least six

weeks before your scheduled termination date.

Otherwise, the normal processing for terminating

allowances will go into effect. At least four weeks

before the end of service, you and the Sponsoring

Organization will be notified as to whether the

request for continuation of service has been

approved. The early termination provisions and

the volunteer grievance procedures do not apply

to continuation of service denials, see Appendix B.

PERSONAL LEAVE

You are entitled to 10 workdays of personal leave

during each full year of service. If you re-enroll

or are reinstated, you are not entitled to any personal leave earned in your prior term of service.

Members continuing service for less than a year

but at least six months receive five workdays of

personal leave. You must request approval in

advance from the Sponsoring Organization/

supervisor for all personal leave, specifying dates

of leave requested. 

Normally, no leave is granted during the first

three months or during the last month of service.

During leave, all regular member allowances are

continued. The Corporation pays no travel

expenses for your personal leave.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members enjoy whatever

national holidays are recognized by their

Sponsoring Organization and given as time off to

the rest of their personnel. Members do not get

federal holidays that are not recognized by their

Sponsoring Organization. For example, if your

organization does not give its staff a holiday for

Veterans Day, you are also expected to work

unless you request and receive approval for one

day of annual leave. Or, if you want the day off

for a religious observance, you should request a

day of personal leave. 

If your Sponsoring Organization provides its staff

additional “floating holidays,” “spring breaks,”

“summer recesses,” etc., you are expected to 

continue to serve on your assignment unless

authorized to take the time off as part of your

annual leave. Your work plan should spell out 

the assignments expected of you during these periods. If it does not, consult with your supervisor.
74

EMERGENCY LEAVE

The Sponsoring Organization may grant you up

to one week of emergency leave if an immediate

family member (spouse, parent, sibling, child,

grandparent, or guardian) becomes critically ill or

dies. Any additional time away from the project

requires the approval of the Corporation State

Program Director. Emergency leave does not

count against your personal leave time.

If circumstances require you to take emergency

leave, you should notify the Sponsoring

Organization or supervisor at once, and if

requested, provide the Sponsoring Organization

or supervisor with some evidence of the emergency. If the Sponsoring Organization determines that an emergency exists, the Sponsoring

Organization will inform the Corporation State

Office. AmeriCorps*VISTA will pay for transportation by the fastest, regularly-scheduled

means to and from the site of the emergency, or

to your home of record, provided the destination

is located within the United States or a U.S. territory. You will be reimbursed for actual travel

expenses and will receive no additional allowances.

In the event that the Corporation cannot pay 

for or provide a prepaid ticket in advance of 

the approved emergency leave, the Sponsoring

Organization should furnish the needed travel

assistance. This would include advancing up to

$500.00 from its own funds to you if approved 

in the Memorandum of Agreement between the

Sponsoring Organization and the Corporation. 

Such advances, however, should be authorized

(by telephone) by the Corporation State Office.

Both the Sponsoring Organization and the member must complete and sign the “AmeriCorps*

VISTA Payment Voucher” form to record receipt

of any emergency travel advance, see Appendix A.

The form is then forwarded to the Corpora-tion

State Office for processing so that the Sponsoring

Organization is reimbursed for the advance.

All regular member allowances continue for 

10 days. If an emergency leave extends beyond 10

days, all allowances, including stipend, may be 

discontinued by the Corporation State Office until

you return to the project. Upon returning from

emergency leave, you must notify the Sponsoring

Organization/supervisor who in turn will notify

the Corporation State Program Director.

PROJECT TRANSFER

In exceptional circumstances, the Corporation

may transfer an AmeriCorps*VISTA member to 

a different project during or at the end of a term

of service. The Corporation State Program

Director may approve transfers when all three 

of the following conditions are met:

! The member has the necessary qualifications

and desires to continue service but through no

fault of his/her own is unable to do so at the

current project assignment.

! The member must have at least six months 

of service remaining in his/her current term,

although the State Director may waive this

requirement in exceptional cases.

! The project Sponsoring Organization that

would be receiving the member concurs in the

transfer after contacting the former Sponsoring

Organization or the Corporation State Office

for an evaluation or assessment of the

AmeriCorps*VISTA member.
75

REINSTATEMENT

A member may be reinstated into AmeriCorps*

VISTA service within one year of termination

without resubmitting an entire member application form and usually without attending a 

Pre-Service Orientation. The Corporation State

Program Director who is responsible for the reinstated member will require those portions of the

application necessary to update the member’s

activities since leaving the program. The

Corporation State Program Director also will

request a recommendation from the former

Sponsoring Organization/supervisor and former

State Director, as appropriate, regarding the 

member’s previous AmeriCorps*VISTA service

and qualifications.

If more than one year has elapsed since the member’s termination date, a new application form 

and updated references must be submitted to the

Corporation for evaluation and clearance before

reinstatement. The member usually does not

need to attend another Pre-Service Orientation.

Reinstatement into AmeriCorps*VISTA service 

is subject to the availability of funds for member

support and a suitable assignment for the former

member.

EDUCATIONAL COURSES

Because the AmeriCorps*VISTA program is a full

immersion experience requiring its members to be

able to attend community meetings and dedicate

themselves to understanding and serving the community to which they are assigned, full or parttime enrollment in an educational institution is

prohibited except in the following circumstances:

! You may take, at any given time, no more than

one educational course that must be directly

related to your project assignment and/or be

part of your career development plan.

Advance permission of the project supervisor

and the Corporation State Program Director is

required to take such a course. The hours in

which a course may be taken should in no way

interfere with your assigned project duties and

work performance.

! You may be enrolled in an institution of higher

education for the minimum number of hours

required to maintain eligibility for a partial

federal Pell grant. To qualify for a partial federal Pell grant, you must be enrolled at least

quarter-time during the academic year. At

schools measuring progress by credit hours

and academic terms (semesters, trimesters, or

quarters), quarter-time means at least six

semester hours or nine quarter hours per year.

! There are pilot programs at several schools and

universities where AmeriCorps*VISTA members may receive credit hours towards a degree

for completing their term of service. You may

be enrolled in one of these pilot programs during your term of service. For more information on these programs, visit www.americorps.org/vista/member.html. 
76

Member Housing

One of the three fundamental assumptions of

AmeriCorps*VISTA is that the skills and energies

of AmeriCorps*VISTA members are used most

effectively when they live and work with the 

low-income people whom they are serving. In

keeping with this philosophy, you are expected 

to secure housing using your living allowance,

which is provided to cover the basic costs of

food, housing, and utilities. You should look for

housing within the community to which you are

assigned. Because members’ living allowances are

limited, you are allowed to accept offers of free or

low-cost housing made by community members,

local organizations, educational institutions, or

Sponsoring Organizations. 

Some examples of housing that you may accept:

! A community resident offers unused free

housing space to you because he or she is

proud to have an AmeriCorps*VISTA 

member in the community.

! A local business wants to offer a vacant 

apartment over the shop area.

! A national housing company offers reduced

rate housing for volunteers who are serving 

in a given community and you meet the 

eligibility requirements.

! A local, state, or federal government agency

provides free or low-cost housing in areas 

with limited housing opportunities.

! A Sponsoring Organization rents housing

space on your behalf.

! A Sponsoring Organization allows you 

to occupy a portion of existing space the 

sponsor already owns or rents.

Important notes:

Under no circumstances may you accept money

directly from a Sponsoring Organization or others to supplement your living allowance or pay

for rent. You should be aware that accepting free

or reduced-cost housing from an individual or

organization may increase the amount of your

reportable income for tax purposes.

Jury Duty

AmeriCorps*VISTA members are subject to jury

duty when called upon to do so. Sponsoring

Organizations shall give members the necessary

time away from project duties in order to serve

on a jury. Allowances will be paid as usual during the period of jury duty. Time spent in jury

duty is not counted as part of your personal

leave, nor is it deleted from the term of service 

or count against the education award.

MILITARY RESERVE LEAVE

If you enter AmeriCorps*VISTA service before

completing a military reserve obligation, you

must change the location of your reserve unit if

necessary. AmeriCorps*VISTA members should

seek to minimize the disruption in service as a

result of discharging responsibilities related to

their reservist duties. If you have a choice of

when to fulfill your annual two weeks active duty

requirement, you should do so when it will not

disrupt your AmeriCorps*VISTA service.

A member will be granted military reserve leave

to attend monthly reserve training sessions as well

as two weeks of active duty training. Such leave

will not count against personal leave, nor is it

deleted from the term of service or count against

the education award. You should notify the

Sponsoring Organization/supervisor before 
77

taking military reserve leave and upon returning

from such leave. You may not receive time off

for active duty or other reserve-related service

beyond the two weeks and monthly training

activities usually required for reserve status. 

Any other reserve-related service will not be

applied as service time for purposes of the 

education award.

The Sponsoring Organization/supervisor will

notify the Corporation State Office of the 

exact dates during which you are on military

reserve leave.

During any period of military reserve leave in

which you receive pay from the military, all

AmeriCorps*VISTA subsistence allowances 

will be discontinued.

REPRESENTATION REGARDING TERMS 

AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

Terms and conditions of service refer to those

rights and privileges accorded you through

statute, Corporation regulations, or policies. 

The procedures allow for systematic and open

communication of your views, and for effective

resolution of your concerns regarding the terms

and conditions of service. These procedures are

established by the Corporation and include the

following provisions:

! Free and open opportunity for you to 

communicate your views to appropriate

Corporation officials;

! An opportunity for you to be heard with

respect to your views in connection with the

terms and conditions of your service either

personally, or through democratically 

selected representatives; and

! Response to or resolutions of your 

problems or concerns by appropriate

Corporation officials.

If you feel your concerns regarding the terms and

conditions of service have not been properly

addressed, you may communicate those concerns

directly to AmeriCorps*VISTA Headquarters

program staff.

AMERICORPS*VISTA GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE 

During your service, a situation may arise that

directly affects your service situation or that you

believe violates regulations governing the terms

and conditions of service, resulting in a denial or

infringement of a right or benefit to you.

You may present and obtain resolution of grievances either informally or formally. The member

grievance procedure is contained in 45 CFR Part

1211, which is reprinted in full, see Appendix B.

You should read the procedure in its entirety

before initiating any grievance. Under this procedure, you are not permitted to grieve matters 

for which separate administrative procedure 

(e.g. discrimination complaints) is provided.

Consequently, you may not grieve a “for cause

termination” or matters that are processed

through the Volunteer Discrimination 

Complaint Procedure.
78

PROPERTY LOSS

The Corporation does not insure personal 

property; it can reimburse AmeriCorps*VISTA

members for lost, damaged, or stolen property

only under certain circumstances and in limited

amounts. Therefore, you are strongly urged not

to take expensive property to assignments and 

are encouraged to maintain your own insurance

against property loss or damage during your 

service.

The Corporation State Program Director may, 

at his/her discretion, replace or authorize reimbursement for lost, damaged, or stolen property;

equipment and supplies; and cash representing

certain allowances if: 

! reimbursement is essential to the member’s

capacity to serve effectively for the duration of

the term of service, or incident to service; and 

! the loss, damage, or theft did not result from

the member’s own negligence.

Lost or stolen cash may be reimbursed only up 

to a limit of two weeks’ subsistence allowance

plus (when it is part of the loss) any lump sum

payment essential to your service such as servicerelated travel. Lost or stolen cash representing

payment of stipend or other allowances will not

be reimbursed. 

If essential belongings are lost, you will be reimbursed only with sufficient funds to obtain

replacement items adequate to function on your

assignment. For example, if part of a wardrobe is

lost, although expensive items may be part of the

loss, reimbursement will be based on the cost of

replacing the items with clothing suitable for the

project assignment. No reimbursement will be

made for luxury items such as photographic or

electronic equipment unless they are essential to

your assignment and had been authorized for 

that purpose by the Sponsoring Organization

prior to the loss.

If you suffer a loss, the Corporation State Office

will require the following information:

! A written statement, signed and dated by 

you, which:

1. describes in detail the circumstances 

surrounding the loss;

2. itemizes the property or allowances lost;

3. explains why the property or allowance is

essential to your ability to serve effectively,

or incident to service;

4. indicates whether or not the property or

allowance was covered by insurance; and

The Corporation 

does not insure 

personal property.

"

"
79

5. if the property or allowance was covered by

insurance, includes the number of the policy

(if known), whether and when a claim has

been presented to the insurer, and the action,

if any, which the insurer has taken with

respect to the claim. You must agree to 

reimburse the Corporation from any such

recovery for the cost of replaced property 

or payments in reimbursement.

! In the case of theft, evidence that such theft 

has been reported to the appropriate law

enforcement authorities. Such evidence should

include a copy of the police report. Lost or

stolen allowance checks are not covered by

these procedures. Please refer to Chapter 5,

Financial Support, under the section “How Do

AmeriCorps*VISTA Members Get Paid?” for

the specific policy dealing with missing checks.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS

If you change your mailing address, you must

notify the Corporation State Office immediately

in writing. 

DISCLOSURE AND USE OF MEMBER ADDRESSES

The Corporation will use members’ private

addresses for internal administrative purposes

only. Your private address (at home of record 

or residence during service) may be disclosed by

the Corporation only with your prior written

permission, except that disclosure may be made

to duly authorized representatives of federal

investigative agencies, including the Corporation’s

Office of Inspector General, and pursuant to 

the Freedom of Information Act.

This non-disclosure policy is based on the fact

that disclosure of a private address constitutes an

unwarranted invasion of your privacy. The mailing addresses of AmeriCorps*VISTA projects are

public knowledge and may be disclosed freely.

MEMBER’S HOME OF RECORD

Upon completion of service, the Corporation 

will provide transportation for you to the home

of record designated during training. Home of

record shall be either:

! The legal residence of your parent(s) or legal

guardian if you had been residing with your

parent(s) or legal guardian immediately prior to

entering AmeriCorps*VISTA service, or if you

were a full-time student whose permanent residence was with parent(s) or legal guardian, or

! The residence established by you:

1. while attending college immediately prior 

to entering AmeriCorps*VISTA service;

2. while employed immediately prior to e

ntering AmeriCorps*VISTA service; or

3. for purposes of voting or payment of 

state tax.

Modification of the home of record can be

authorized at the discretion of the Corporation

State Program Director if one of the following

conditions exists:

! You designated the official home of record 

as the legal residence of a parent or legal

guardian, and the parent or legal guardian 

has established a new residence (if the new 

residence is outside the United States, the

Corporation will provide transportation 

to the nearest port of exit);
80

! The parent or legal guardian has died. The

Corporation will transport you to the legal

residence of your surviving parent or legal

guardian, then to the next of kin. Transportation will be limited to a site within the

United States;

! You have married another member and request

travel to the home of record of your spouse; or

! Travel to the new home of record would be

more economical to the United States government than the originally declared home 

of record. 

The trainee, upon entry into the Corporation,

shall designate a home of record on the

AmeriCorps*VISTA Member Payment Voucher

in accordance with the policy. This form will be

maintained in your personnel record. You may

request that your Corporation State Program

Director authorize a change in the home of

record in accordance with the policy. This

request must occur at least 60 days in advance 

of the scheduled date of termination. The State

Director may waive the 60-day requirement in

extenuating circumstances, such as an early 

termination or in the event of an emergency.

CERTIFICATION OF SERVICE

The Corporation issues a Certification of 

Service for the period of time actually served in

AmeriCorps*VISTA upon request of the member

or former member, see Appendix A. Such a

request should be submitted in writing to:

Corporation for National and 

Community Service

AmeriCorps*VISTA Certifying Officer

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE OF NAME

The Corporation State Office and Sponsoring

Organization must be notified in writing of a

change in your name and/or marital status for

record keeping and payroll purposes.

The Corporation assumes no financial responsibility for a non-member spouse or for dependents.

COMMERCIAL CREDITORS

The Corporation is not responsible for debts

incurred by you to commercial creditors. The

Corporation has no authority to act as an intermediary to collect private debts on behalf of a

claimant, nor does the Corporation have the

authority to direct you to take specific action

concerning your financial affairs. 

You are encouraged to pay all legal debts promptly to avoid creating a situation that would impair

your ability to effectively complete your term of

service. In cases of continued financial irresponsibility to the extent of embarrassment or adverse

reflection upon the Sponsoring Organization’s

project or the AmeriCorps*VISTA program,

administrative or disciplinary action may be taken

by the Corporation up to and including termination.

Neither you nor the Sponsoring Organization 

is authorized to obtain extension of credit by 

representing you as an employee of the federal

government.
81

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

The Corporation, by law, provides only

AmeriCorps*VISTA members to Sponsoring

Organizations. As such, and because it is the 

policy of the Corporation to encourage self-help

and mobilization of resources, the Corporation

does not provide equipment or supplies required

by members in their project assignment. If any

special equipment or supplies are necessary to the

successful implementation of a project, they must

be provided by the Sponsoring Organization.

DONATED GIFTS

The Corporation will not pay any shipping costs

for gifts or materials that have been donated or

that you obtain for the benefit of the project to

which you are assigned. Such costs should be

borne by the Sponsoring Organization.

COPYRIGHT 

You have the right to copyright any work that is

subject to copyright including software designs,

training manuals, curricula, videotapes and other

products that you produce while serving as an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member. However, you

may not sell any work that includes an AmeriCorps

logo without prior written approval from 

the Corporation.

By enrolling in AmeriCorps*VISTA, you are

agreeing to give the Corporation and the

Sponsoring Organization an unlimited, royaltyfree, non-exclusive, and irrevocable license to

obtain, use, reproduce, publish or disseminate

products, including data produced for the

Sponsoring Organization, and to authorize others

to do so. The Corporation may distribute such

products through a designated clearinghouse. 
82
83

Chapter 10: Basic Laws and Federal Regulations

OATH OF OFFICE 

Upon enrollment in service, you take an oath of

office as prescribed in section 3331 of Title V,

United States Code. Persons legally residing

within a state but who are not citizens or nationals

of the United States may serve in AmeriCorps*

VISTA without taking or subscribing to such

oath if the Corporation determines that the service of such persons will further the interest of 

the United States. Such persons are required to

take an alternative oath or affirmation, as the

Corporation deems appropriate. 

To be eligible to serve as AmeriCorps*VISTA

members, all non-U.S. citizens must have a 

permanent resident visa (e.g. green card).

CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS

Title VI of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public

Law 88-352), ensures that no person shall, on the

basis of race, color, or national origin, be excluded

from participation in, be denied the benefits of, 

or be otherwise subjected to discrimination by

any recipients of federal financial assistance. 

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794)

extends this provision on the basis of disability.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

(20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) extends it on the basis of

sex (see 65 F.R. 65297, November 2000). The Age

Discrimination Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-135)

extends it on the basis of age. The Domestic

Volunteer Service Act (Public Law 93-113)

extends it on the basis of religion or political 

affiliation. It also extends the nondiscrimination

prohibitions to the employment practices of

Sponsoring Organizations. This provision specifies that any program, project, or activity to

which you are assigned shall be deemed to be

receiving federal financial assistance.

Executive Order 13160 (June 23, 2000) prohibits

discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color,

national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual 

orientation, and status as a parent in federally

conducted education and training programs,

which includes AmeriCorps*VISTA training 

conducted by the Corporation.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended,

requires Sponsoring Organizations to make their

programs and facilities accessible to persons with

disabilities, be they AmeriCorps*VISTA members, beneficiaries, employees, or the general 

public. Accessibility includes physical accessibility of buildings (including buildings where public

meetings are held), public information dissemination (for the sight, hearing, or mentally impaired),

and workplace accessibility. It also requires them

to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified members, beneficiaries, employees, or members of the public. Corporation regulations dealing with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of

1973 are contained in 45 CFR Part 1232, which 

is reprinted in full, see Appendix B.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires

Sponsoring Organizations to eliminate, to the

maximum extent possible, English proficiency as

an artificial barrier to full and meaningful participation by beneficiaries, AmeriCorps*VISTA

The following policies, established by law or regulation, must be observed and implemented 

by the Corporation, AmeriCorps*VISTA project Sponsoring Organizations, and AmeriCorps* 

VISTA members.
84

members, and members of the public in federally

assisted programs.

No federal financial assistance may be extended

to a Sponsoring Organization unless the grant,

contract, or agreement authorizing it specifically

assures that no person with responsibilities for

the operation of the organization will discriminate with respect to the program because of 

race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, 

disability, or political affiliation (section 417a 

of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, 

as amended, Public Law 93-113). The Corporation monitors continued compliance with 

this assurance.

DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT PROCEDURES

Any applicant for enrollment for service as an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member, as well as any

trainee or member who believe that he/she were

subjected to discrimination based on race, color,

national origin, religion, age, sex, disability, or

political affiliation in connection with recruitment, selection, placement, service, or termination

by the Corporation may utilize the discrimination

complaint procedures set forth in 45 CFR Part

1225, which is reprinted in full, see Appendix B.

Any program beneficiary who believes he/she

was subject to discrimination in the services 

provided by an AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring

Organization on the basis of race, color, or

national origin may file a written complaint 

with the Director of the Corporation’s Equal

Opportunity Office or the Chief Executive

Officer of the Corporation using the procedures

set forth in 45 CFR Part 1203, “Nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs-effectuation 

of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

Although there are no regulatory procedures

established for a beneficiary who believes he/she

was subjected to discrimination on the basis of

age, disability, religion, sex, or political affiliation,

such a person should follow the complaint procedures set forth in 45 CFR, Part 1203.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The overarching federal legislation authorizing

the AmeriCorps*VISTA program and the

National Service Trust prohibits any kind of 

sexual harassment.

Sponsoring Organizations, as the recipients of

federal financial assistance from the Corporation,

are ultimately responsible for violations of prohibitions against sexual harassment and for taking

corrective action and/or disciplinary action if 

violations occur. The Sponsoring Organization 

is responsible for:

! Acts of “quid pro quo” sexual harassment,

where a supervisor demands sexual favors for

service benefits, regardless of whether the

Sponsoring Organization, its agents, or 

supervisory employees knew or should 

have known of the acts.

! Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct

of a sexual nature that have the purpose or

effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or

offensive service environment, where the

Sponsoring Organization, its agents, or 

supervisory employees knew or had reason 

to know of acts and failed to take immediate

and appropriate corrective action.
85

! Acts of sexual harassment toward fellow

AmeriCorps*VISTA members, where the

Sponsoring Organization, its agents, or its

supervisory employees knew or should have

known of the conduct, unless it took immediate and appropriate corrective action.

! Acts of sexual harassment by non-employees,

where the Sponsoring Organization/grantee,

its agents, or its supervisory employees knew

or should have known of the conduct and

failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. This provision may depend on

the extent of the Sponsoring Organization’s

control over the non-employees and other

legal responsibility it might have with respect

to the non-employee.

Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual

advances, requests for sexual favors, and other

verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature

when:

! Submission to such conduct is made either

explicitly or implicitly a term or condition 

of an individual’s service.

! Submission to or rejection of such conduct by

an individual is used as the basis for service

decisions affecting the individual.

! Submission to or rejection of such conduct 

has the purpose or effect of unreasonably

interfering with an individual’s performance or

creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive

working or service environment.

“Sexual” means because of one’s sex; it does not

mean sexy. The key is that the conduct is unwelcome. Sexual harassment includes, but is not 

limited to, the following conduct:

! Explicit or implicit demands for sexual 

favors in return for service benefits.

! Unwelcome letters, telephone calls, or 

distribution or display of materials of a 

sexual nature.

! Physical assaults of a sexual nature.

! Unwelcome and deliberate touching, 

leaning over, cornering, or pinching.

! Unwelcome sexually suggestive looks 

or gestures.

! Unwelcome pressure for sexual favors 

or dates.

! Unwelcome sexual teasing, jokes, 

remarks, or questions.

! According favorable treatment to those 

who grant sexual favors.

Sexual harassment is not limited to prohibited

conduct by a male toward a female or by a supervisor toward a subordinate. A man may be the

victim of sexual harassment. A woman may be

the harasser. The victim does not have to be 

the opposite sex from the harasser.

The harasser does not have to be the victim’s

supervisor. The harasser could be a supervisor

who does not supervise the victim, a non-supervisory employee, volunteer, or participant, a coworker or another volunteer or participant, an

agent of the Corporation, or a non-employee 

in the Corporation’s work place.

The victim does not have to be the person toward

whom the unwelcome sexual conduct is directed,

but may be someone who is affected by such 

conduct when it is directed toward another person.
86

Sexual harassment of an AmeriCorps* VISTA

member may create an intimidating, 

hostile, or offensive working environment for

another AmeriCorps*VISTA member.

Sexual harassment does not depend on the victim’s

having suffered an economic loss as a result of 

the harasser’s conduct. Improper sexual advances

that do not result in the denial of a promotion 

or the discharge of the victim may, nonetheless,

constitute sexual harassment where they interfere

with the victim’s service, or create an offensive

service environment.

It is preferable for an AmeriCorps*VISTA member who feels he/she may be a victim of sexual

harassment to first bring it to the attention of

his/her Sponsoring Organization. If because 

of the circumstances it is not appropriate or 

possible to bring it to the attention of the

Sponsoring Organization, the member should

contact the Corporation State Office or the Equal

Opportunity Office at Corporation Headquarters

in Washington D.C. at (202) 606-5000, ext. 312.

PROHIBITIONS ON POLITICAL AND 

LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

No Corporation appropriated funds shall be used

to finance, directly or indirectly, any activity

designed to influence the outcome of any election

to federal, state, or local office or any voter registration activity, or pay the salary of a Corporation

employee who engages in any such activity.

In addition, AmeriCorps*VISTA programs are

prohibited from using funds or personnel in a

matter supporting or resulting in the identification of such programs with partisan or nonpartisan election activities, in voter registration 

activities, and in providing transportation to the

polls. Additionally, no AmeriCorps*VISTA

member or employee of a Sponsoring Organization may take any action with respect to a partisan or nonpartisan political activity that would

result in the identification or apparent identification of the AmeriCorps*VISTA program with

such activity, see 42 U.S.C. § 5043 for additional

restrictions and prohibitions.

AmeriCorps*VISTA programs also are prohibited

from any activity intended to influence the passage or defeat of legislation or proposals by initiative petition, see 42 U.S.C. § 5043 (c) for additional restrictions and prohibitions.

You may participate in political activities allowed

under the Hatch Act. The Domestic Volunteer

Service Act at 42 U.S.C. § 5055 applies the restrictions of the Hatch Act, Title V, United States

Code, Chapter 73, to AmeriCorps*VISTA members. The Hatch Act applies to you at all times

during your service, including off duty hours.

Permissible activities under the Hatch Act apply

to AmeriCorps*VISTA members unless prohibited by other statutory authority when the members are on authorized leave or are not perceived

to be performing as an AmeriCorps*VISTA

member (e.g., while not engaged in performing

service, or on service time), 42 U.S.C. § 5055.

You have the right to register and vote as you

choose, express opinions about candidates and

issues in a non-public context, contribute money

to political organizations, and attend political

meetings. You also may join and be a member 

of a political party or club, and sign nominating

petitions if you do not identify any of these 

activities with AmeriCorps*VISTA or your

Sponsoring Organization.
87

Corporation regulations prohibiting electoral 

and lobbying activities are contained in 45 CFR

Part 1226, see Appendix B. The approach of 

the regulations is twofold:

1. Restrictions on the assignment of

AmeriCorps*VISTA members to, or the

receipt of funds by certain organizations

because of the nature of the organizations 

or their activities; and

2. Restrictions on member assignments 

and activities.

The organizational restrictions are based on the

premise that the assignment of members or the

receipt of Corporation funds by certain organizations (regardless of the proposed assignment or

activity of the member) is precluded because of

the organization’s stated purpose or the nature 

of its activities.

The restrictions on member assignments and

activities contain four basic areas of prohibited

activities:

1. Electoral;

2. Voter registration, except that programs

assisted under this Act may make voter registration information available to the public

on the premises of such programs;

3. Voter transportation to the polls; and

4. Efforts to influence legislation. The 

prohibitions are directed to the use of

Corporation funds, the assignments of 

members, and any other activities 

supported by Corporation funds.

The Domestic Volunteer Service Act provides 

two exceptions to the prohibition on efforts to

influence legislation:

1. At the request of a legislative body, committee, or member of a legislative body, and

2. Regarding an authorization or appropriation

measure directly affecting the operation of the

project or program. The regulation, found at

45 CFR Part 1226, describes the conditions

under which activities pursuant to these exceptions may be undertaken. The regulation also

describes the applicability of the restrictions to

Sponsoring Organization employees and the

obligations of Sponsoring Organizations to

ensure observance of the regulation.

CORPORATION GUIDELINES ON SERVICE 

OF MEMBERS IN RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS 

OR ACTIVITIES

Each AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring

Organization must ensure that:

! Members will not give religious instruction,

conduct worship services, or engage in any

other religious activity as part of their

AmeriCorps*VISTA duties, or which would

be perceived as part of their duties by members

of the community in which they serve. 

! No religious instruction, worship, proselytizing, or other religious activity will be conducted as part of a project to which members are

assigned or referred. Textbooks and other

materials used in connection with the project

should not have religious or sectarian content. 
88

! Members who serve in an institution that gives

religious instruction or engages in other religious activities will not be used as replacements for regular personnel of the institution.

For example, members assigned to serve in a

program conducted under the auspices of a

church-related school may not be used as substitutes for regular teachers in the school.

However, they may work in new programs

that are carried on in addition to the school’s

regular programs and that are conducted in

conformance with the preceding rules.

! The opportunity to receive the benefits of any

project in which members serve will be open

to persons in need without regard to their 

religious affiliation. The availability of the

project’s benefits to all needy persons in the

area served will be publicized.

! Participation in an AmeriCorps*VISTA 

project, by members or recipients, shall not 

be used as a means of inducing participation 

in sectarian or religious purposes.

! Admission to any programs supported by

AmeriCorps*VISTA shall not be based directly or indirectly on religious affiliation or on

attendance at a church, church-related school,

or other church-related institution or organization. Affirmative steps shall be taken to alert

the general public to the availability of such

programs in the area served.

LIMITATION ON DEMONSTRATIONS

No Sponsoring Organization shall approve the

involvement of any AmeriCorps*VISTA member

assigned to the Sponsoring Organization in planning, initiating, participating in, or otherwise aiding or assisting in any demonstration whatsoever. 

You will be permitted, either while on authorized

leave or while not engaged in performing service

or on service time, to participate in lawful

demonstrations that are not related to projects 

of your Sponsoring Organizations, so long as 

you do not attempt to represent the views of

AmeriCorps*VISTA members on any public

issue; so long as your participation could not reasonably be understood by the community to be

identified with the AmeriCorps*VISTA program,

the project, or other elements of your service; 

and so long as participation does not interfere

with the performance of your duties.

LIMITATION ON DISPLACEMENT OF 

EMPLOYED WORKERS AND IMPAIRMENT 

OF CONTRACTS FOR SERVICE

The Domestic Volunteer Service Act prohibits

you as a member from performing activities or

duties that would otherwise be carried out by

employed workers, or would supplant the hiring

of, or result in the displacement of, employed

workers, or would impair existing contracts 

for service, 45 U.S.C. § 5044.

Corporation regulations on non-displacement 

of employed workers and non-impairment of

contracts for service are contained in 45 CFR 

Part 1216, see Appendix B.

LIMITATION ON RECEIVING ANY COMPENSATION 

FOR SERVICE OF AMERICORPS*VISTA MEMBERS 

The Domestic Volunteer Service Act prohibits

agencies or organizations to which AmeriCorps*

VISTA members are assigned, or which operate

or supervise an AmeriCorps*VISTA project,

from requesting or receiving any compensation

from members or from beneficiaries for the services of members supervised by such agency or
89

organization, 42 U.S.C. § 5044. In addition, it 

is the policy of AmeriCorps*VISTA that members not accept any benefit from the Sponsoring

Organization or the community served by their

AmeriCorps*VISTA assignments, i.e. the member

is expected to serve the community, not him 

or herself.

Cash or in-kind contributions to an AmeriCorps*

VISTA project, provided under the terms of a

Memorandum of Understanding between the 

primary AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring Organization and another participating agency, is not

considered compensation for member services.

The Corporation must, however, review and 

concur in all such Memoranda of Understanding

prior to implementation.

LIMITATION ON LABOR OR ANTI-LABOR ACTIVITY

The Domestic Volunteer Service Act prohibits

Corporation funds from being used, directly or

indirectly, to finance labor or anti-labor organizations or related activities, 42 U.S.C. § 5044.

Consequently, you must not be assigned to 

activities or duties that assist, directly or indirectly, any labor or anti-labor organizing activity 

or related activity.

NEPOTISM

Persons selected as AmeriCorps*VISTA 

members shall not be placed or assigned to an

AmeriCorps*VISTA project when related by

blood, marriage, or adoption to project staff,

Sponsoring Organization staff, officers or members of the Sponsoring Organization’s Board of

Directors, or Corporation program staff responsible for the AmeriCorps*VISTA project. No 

person shall hold a position as AmeriCorps*

VISTA supervisor if a member of his/her immediate family exercises supervisory authority over

that position or if the individual is related to the

Corporation program official responsible for 

the AmeriCorps*VISTA project.

AMERICORPS*VISTA FRATERNIZATION 

Relationships between AmeriCorps*VISTA

members and the staff members (including 

volunteer and contracted personnel) of the

Corporation, Sponsoring Organization, and

Project Site that are exploitive or that have the

appearance of partiality, preferential treatment, 

or the improper use of position for personal 

gain, are prejudicial to the morale of AmeriCorps*

VISTA members and will not be tolerated.

Relationships between AmeriCorps*VISTA

members and the aforementioned staff members

are forbidden if the relationship compromises or

appears to compromise supervisory authority 

or could result in preferential treatment.

Relationships are prohibited if they appear to

involve the improper use of rank or position 

for personal gain. 

You must avoid nonprofessional relationships

with other members or staff members that create

real or perceived conflicts of interest, discord or

distractions that interfere with other members’

productivity, or potentially could result in charges

of sexual harassment. These problems are serious

in situations in which one person has authority

over another.
90

Inappropriate relations include, but are not 

limited to:

! A Corporation State Office staff member and

an AmeriCorps*VISTA supervisor within 

that state;

! A Corporation State Office staff member and

an AmeriCorps*VISTA member or Leader;

! An AmeriCorps*VISTA supervisor and 

an AmeriCorps*VISTA member; and

! An AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader and an

AmeriCorps*VISTA member.

Such relationships are strictly forbidden and will

not be tolerated. Violators may be subject to 

disciplinary action, up to and including removal.

Nonprofessional relationships between members

and the aforementioned staff includes, but is not

limited to:

! Intimate/sexual relationships.

! Borrowing or lending money, automobiles, 

or other personal property.

! Engaging in financial or business dealings, 

or acting as an agent or sponsor with any 

commercial services.

! Allowing services to be performed (compensated or uncompensated) that have no reasonable connection with AmeriCorps*VISTA

activities.

! Gambling for goods, services, or money.

! Any activity and/or relationship that, in the

judgement of the Corporation State Program

Director, may reasonably be perceived to

undermine discipline, good order, and/or

morale.

! Socializing that might lead to the perception 

of a relationship or overtures to activities 

listed above.

PROTECTION OF BENEFITS WHILE SERVING 

IN AMERICORPS*VISTA

AmeriCorps*VISTA members who are eligible 

to receive assistance or services under any governmental program (e.g., TANF, Medicaid, etc.) prior

to enrollment as a member or who are receiving

such assistance or services during AmeriCorps*

VISTA service shall not be denied such benefits

or given a decreased benefit because of the member’s failure or refusal to register for, seek, or

accept employment or training during the period

of service. This law, provided at 42 U.S.C. 5044,

applies to any governmental program including,

but not limited to federal, state, and local programs.

INCOME EXCLUSION OF AMERICORPS*VISTA

ALLOWANCES FROM BENEFIT CALCULATIONS

UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL

GOVERNMENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Payments received by AmeriCorps*VISTA 

members under this Act (including subsistence

allowances) shall not in any way reduce or eliminate the level of, or eligibility for, assistance or

services that any AmeriCorps*VISTA member

may be receiving or are eligible to receive under

any governmental program. This legislative provision is designed to ensure that persons, and

families of persons, receiving assistance or services under any federal, state, or local governmental

program before entering AmeriCorps*VISTA
91

service do not lose benefits, or have benefits

reduced, as a result of their service. However,

this provision does not apply when the Director

of AmeriCorps*VISTA determines the value of

AmeriCorps*VISTA payments, adjusted to reflect

the member hours served, is equal to or greater

than the federal or state minimum wage.

For example, persons who were receiving public

assistance benefits before entering

AmeriCorps*VISTA service will not have their

allowances counted in determining whether they

are still eligible for benefits for their dependents.

In addition, the Domestic Volunteer Service Act

clearly indicates the Congressional intent that the

same treatment be given to any benefits for which

AmeriCorps*VISTA members were eligible,

although not actually receiving, prior to their

service, 42 U.S.C. § 5044 (This does not apply 

to food stamps, see below).

This provision also applies to persons who

become eligible for assistance or services while

serving as AmeriCorps*VISTA members (e.g., 

a member reaches the age of 65 while serving 

and becomes eligible for Social Security benefits).

AmeriCorps*VISTA income shall not be counted

in determining eligibility for, or the level of,

Social Security retirement benefits.

FOOD STAMPS AND WIC PROGRAM

Regulations issued by the Department of

Agriculture, which administers the Food Stamp

program, stipulate that members who were

receiving food stamps before joining AmeriCorps*

VISTA will not have their food stamp allotment

reduced or eliminated as a result of their

allowances. Members not receiving food stamps

before joining AmeriCorps*VISTA will have

their allowances counted as income for purposes

of determining their level of food stamp eligibility.

Department of Agriculture Food Stamp regulations pertaining to AmeriCorps*VISTA income

exclusion are contained in the Code of Federal

Regulations, Title 7, section 273.9.

Department of Agriculture regulations on the

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program

that pertain to AmeriCorps*VISTA income

exclusion are contained in the Code of Federal

Regulations, Title 7, section 246.7.

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PAYMENTS

Under regulations and rulings issued by the Social

Security Administration, neither payments made

to nor the activities performed by AmeriCorps*

VISTA members are to be considered in determining the member’s continued eligibility for

Social Security disability benefits. This policy

means that persons receiving disability payments

before joining AmeriCorps*VISTA may continue

to receive benefits during their service regardless

of the level of allowances received or the nature

of the duties performed.

In regulations dealing with Supplemental Security

Income for the aged, blind, and disabled (SSI),

payments to AmeriCorps*VISTA members are

specifically excluded in determining the resources

of an individual (Code of Federal Regulations,

Title 20, section 416.1236).

Social Security Administration instructions pertaining to SSI, as well as to the Federal Old Age,

Survivors, and Disability Insurance program, 

stipulate that none of the "substantial gainful
92

activity" tests (e.g., earnings, comparability of

work activity, or worth of work activity) is to 

be applied to AmeriCorps*VISTA activity 

performed under the Domestic Volunteer Service

Act (POMS DI 10505.025B2). Similar language is

also contained in Social Security Ruling 84-24,

Titles II and XVI: “Determination of Substantial

Gainful Activity for Persons Working in Special

Circumstances—Work Therapy Programs in

Military Service—Work Activity in Certain

Government-Sponsored Programs.”

Veterans Benefits

Under regulations issued by the Department 

of Veterans Affairs in the Code of Federal

Regulations, Title 38, sections 3.261 and 3.262,

compensation or reimbursement received by

AmeriCorps*VISTA members will be excluded

from income in claims for compensation, pension,

dependency, and indemnity compensation.

HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

The Department of Housing and Urban

Development regulations govern certain programs

that exclude from the definition of annual income

amounts specifically excluded by any other federal statute from consideration for purposes of

determining eligibility or benefits under a category of assistance programs. In accordance with the

HUD Notice of Federally Mandated Exclusions

from Income, payments to AmeriCorps*VISTA

members cannot be considered an income for 

the purpose of determining income eligibility 

for section 8 programs and other federally 

subsidized housing. 

LIABILITY COVERAGE (FEDERAL TORT CLAIMS ACT)

AmeriCorps*VISTA members are considered 

federal employees for the purpose of coverage

under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The federal

government assumes liability for any damage to

property or injury to persons caused by a member that arises only out of his/her official duties

and for which the member would be liable under

local law. If any claim is made against you with

respect to an automobile accident or other damage allegedly caused during the course of your

service activities, you should immediately report

such claim to the project supervisor or Sponsoring Organization, who in turn will contact the

Corporation State Office. Refer to Chapter 7 

for procedures to be followed in the event of 

an automobile accident involving a member.

In cases of potential liability on the part of the

AmeriCorps*VISTA member for damage to

property or injury to persons, other than motor

vehicle accidents, the Sponsoring Organization 

AmeriCorps*VISTA 

members are considered 

federal employees for 

the purpose of coverage 

under the Federal 

Tort Claims Act.

"

"
93

or supervisor must immediately inform the

Corporation State Office, which after consultation with the Corporation’s Office of General

Counsel will advise the Sponsoring Organization

on what steps to take.

Members and Sponsoring Organizations are 

prohibited from making any statements to other

parties to accidents concerning the ultimate 

liability of the government on a particular claim.

Statements concerning responsibility for an accident should only be made to government investigating officers. The Corporation’s Office of

General Counsel or the Department of Justice, if

appropriate, will make the final determination as

to whether an accident occurred within the scope

of the member’s project-related activities and the

extent of the federal government’s liability.

Members and Sponsoring Organizations are

expected to give full cooperation to the Corporation’s Office of General Counsel in obtaining

necessary evidence and materials and to the

Department of Justice or United States Attorney

in the event any legal action is begun in connection with an accident.

During off-duty hours, or in any situation in

which members are not engaged in project-related

activities, members are as personally liable as any

other citizen for any damage or injury they cause.

LEGAL SUPPORT (LEGAL EXPENSES)

The Corporation has the discretion to pay

expenses incurred in the defense of AmeriCorps*

VISTA members in judicial and administrative

proceedings that relate to AmeriCorps*VISTA

service. These include counsel fees, court costs,

bail, and other costs incidental to the member’s

defense. There is, however, no provision for the

payment of attorney fees when members are

involved in disputes addressing the denial or

decrease of government benefits (see income 

disregard disputes under 42 U.S.C. § 5044), under

AmeriCorps*VISTA termination (45 CFR Part

1210) and grievance (45 CFR Part 1211) procedures. The Corporation’s regulations on payment

of member legal expenses are contained in 45

CFR Part 1220, see Appendix B.

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

AmeriCorps*VISTA members assigned to local

Sponsoring Organizations are not in an employment relationship with either the federal government or the project Sponsoring Organization for

employment compensation purposes. They are

therefore not covered by unemployment compensation. AmeriCorps*VISTA members are 

provided with a stipend or an Education Award

in lieu of unemployment compensation.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members are regarded as

federal employees only for certain purposes 

under 42 U.S.C. § 5055, including the Hatch Act,

the Federal Employees Compensation Act, the

Federal Tort Claims Act, the IRS Code, and Title

II of the Social Security Act. They are not

regarded as federal employees for purposes of

unemployment compensation, and allowances

received from the Corporation are not regarded

as wages, except for income tax and Social

Security purposes.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members are not employees

of Sponsoring Organizations. Since members

serve under the authority of federal statute, 

their limited employment relationship is with 

the federal government, not the Sponsoring

Organization, and is governed by federal law, not
94

state law. The AmeriCorps*VISTA Sponsoring

Organization is not authorized to make contributions to any state unemployment compensation

fund on behalf of AmeriCorps*VISTA members

assigned to the organization.

CIVIL SERVICE BENEFITS

AmeriCorps*VISTA members enrolled for a 

period of service of at least one year are entitled

to the following federal civil service benefits, 

see 42 U.S.C. § 5055 for additional information.

Non-Competitive Eligibility 

in Federal Civil Service

AmeriCorps*VISTA members who have successfully completed at least one full year of service are

eligible for non-competitive appointments in the

competitive federal civil service. This means that 

a federal agency may hire a former member by

establishing that the individual meets the minimum qualifications for a job including any written test requirement. If the former member meets

the qualification standards, they do not have to

compete with the general public to be hired. 

AmeriCorps*VISTA service, however, is not

creditable toward the service requirements for

career tenure or toward completion of a probationary period. The probationary period begins

with the appointment to federal civil service. 

Non-competitive hiring privileges extend for a

period of one year after completion of AmeriCorps*

VISTA service, except that the employing agency

may extend the period for an additional two years

for a former member who enters military service,

studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in activities that, in the view of the

appointing authority, warrant an extension of 

the one-year limit.

Former AmeriCorps*VISTA members are not

guaranteed a federal civil service job. Civil service openings are limited; obtaining employment

will depend on the member’s ability to locate an

agency with a vacancy and to interest that agency

in hiring the member. Information on available

federal positions may be obtained from Federal

Job Information Centers across the country,

which are listed in metropolitan area phone 

directories under “U.S. Government.”

To establish non-competitive status, the member

will need proof of eligibility for job consideration

under the special hiring procedures described. 

A verification statement certifying that the

AmeriCorps*VISTA member has completed at

least one year of satisfactory service can be

obtained by writing to:

AmeriCorps*VISTA Certifying Officer

Corporation for National and 

Community Service

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525

Federal Civil Service Credit

One of the benefits to a member if he/she is 

hired into the federal civil service is that his/her

time as an AmeriCorps*VISTA will be credited

toward a federal pension in either the Civil

Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal

Employees Retirement System (FERS) if the

member is subsequently employed by the United

States government. A condition to receiving this

benefit is that payment of the employee’s portion

of his/her retirement contribution must be made

to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

The payment is based upon a statutorily mandated percentage of the cash stipend payment. The

education award, like the stipend, is considered 
95

a form of payment. Therefore, AmeriCorps*

VISTA members who elect the education award

also will be required to make the same percentage

cash payment to their retirement account as if

they had actually received the cash stipend. 

The payment is usually made within two years 

of the individual becoming a federal employee. 

If the payment is delayed for a period greater than

two years, interest will be payable to the U.S.

Office of Personnel Management. 

AmeriCorps*VISTA service may be credited in

connection with subsequent federal employment

in the same manner as a like period of regular

civilian employment by the federal government.

AmeriCorps*VISTA service will apply toward

purposes of determining seniority, reduction in

force and layoff rights, leave entitlement, and

other rights and privileges based on length of

service under laws administered by the U.S.

Office of Personnel Management and other laws

establishing terms and conditions of service of

federal civilian employees.

AmeriCorps*VISTA service, however, is not

credited toward completion of any probationary

or trial period or completion of any service

requirement for a career appointment.

WELFARE REFORM LEGISLATION

The Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Act of 1996, Public Law 104-193,

welfare reform legislation, affects AmeriCorps*

VISTA members who are eligible for or receiving

public assistance in a number of ways even

though the income disregard provisions of the

Domestic Volunteer Service Act remain in effect.

The members receiving cash assistance from states

should discuss any issues directly with their state

(or county) agency worker to ensure that their

AmeriCorps*VISTA service will not adversely

affect their eligibility for cash assistance.

The welfare reform law prohibits states from

using federal money to keep a family on welfare

beyond a five-year cumulative lifetime limit. In

each state, however, 20% of welfare recipients 

can be made exempt.

The language in the Domestic Volunteer Service

Act does not affect any state’s ability to impose

time limits on AmeriCorps*VISTA members who

are currently receiving cash assistance. In many

states, any cash assistance they receive from the

state while in AmeriCorps*VISTA will be counted against the state’s time limits.

Within the framework of the welfare reform legislation, states can impose unique requirements

regarding registration for employment or training

programs. The federal law allows for a two-year

time limit on cash assistance payments before

welfare recipients must be working or enrolled 

in job training or vocational education programs.

States, however, can impose even shorter time

limits than the two years allowed by federal law. 

AmeriCorps*VISTA members should contact

their state (or county) agency workers and inform

them that persons who are serving in AmeriCorps*

VISTA are not available for employment or job

training programs. The language in the ‘Income

Exclusion of AmeriCorps*VISTA Allowances

from Benefit Calculations” section of this handbook should be cited to substantiate that fact. In

some cases, welfare workers may determine that

AmeriCorps*VISTA service satisfies the state’s

requirement for participation in an employment
96

or training program. Preferably, welfare workers

will determine that AmeriCorps*VISTA service 

is an exemption from any employment or 

training program.

When you are dealing with state or county officials, you should remember to identify yourself 

as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member serving under

the Domestic Volunteer Service Act because the

income disregard provisions of the Domestic

Volunteer Service Act may not apply to other

AmeriCorps programs. You also must inform

your Corporation State Office immediately if 

you are having difficulties explaining this. Your

Corporation State Office can supply you with 

a letter, which explains the income disregard provisions, that can be given to your case worker.

Depending upon the situation, you may need to

seek assistance of a legal aid attorney to represent

you if your payments will be decreased or denied.

The Corporation is unable to pay for legal assistance, but staff will assist in providing documentation to assist your legal representative. 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND PRIVACY ACT

The Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552)

gives citizens the right, with a few basic exceptions, to inspect federal records or have access 

to information maintained by the federal government. Corporation regulations on implementation of the Freedom of Information Act are 

contained in 45 CFR Part 2507.

The Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) gives citizens a

proprietary right to their records and to control

access to information maintained about them,

with a few exceptions, by the federal government.

This right applies to systems of records that contain personal data and where an individual record

can be located by name or an assigned personal

identifier. Corporation regulations on implementation of the Privacy Act are contained in 45 

CFR Part 2508.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members may access information regarding the Freedom of Information

Act and Privacy Act through the Corporation’s

Internet site at: http://www.nationalservice.org.
97

Appendices

APPENDIX A

Forms

1. AmeriCorps*VISTA Payment Voucher - 

CNCS Form V-531 

2. AmeriCorps*VISTA Use of Vehicles/Public 

Transportation - CNCS Form V-81

3. AmeriCorps*VISTA Statement of Mileage - 

CNCS Form V-37

4. Operator’s Report of Motor Vehicle Accident - 

SF-91 

5. Data Bearing Upon Scope of Employment of 

Motor Vehicle Operator - Optional Form 26

6. Statement of Witness - SF-94

7. Claim for Damage, Injury, or Death - SF-95

8. Interest Accrual Form 

9. AmeriCorps*VISTA Future Plans or Early 

Termination Request - CNCS Form V-732 

10. Certification of AmeriCorps*VISTA 

Service/Student Loans - CNCS Form 507a

11. Certification of AmeriCorps*VISTA Service -

CNCS Form 507 

12. Federal Education Loan Forbearance Form - 

OMB #3045-0030

13. End of Term/Exit Form

APPENDIX B

Regulations, Rules, and Guidelines

1. Notice of AmeriCorps*VISTA 

Program Guidelines

2. AmeriCorps*VISTA Supervision and 

Transportation Support Guidelines

3. AmeriCorps*VISTA Trainee Deselection and 

Volunteer Early Termination Procedures

4. Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Handicap

5. Volunteer Discrimination Complaint 

Procedure

6. Prohibitions on Electoral and Lobbying 

Activities

7. Nondisplacement of Employed Workers and 

Nonimpairment of Contracts for Service

8. Payment of Volunteer Legal Expenses

APPENDIX C

Special Policies from the Chief Executive 

Officer of the Corporation for National 

and Community Service

1. Civil Rights Statement Regarding Volunteers, 

Service Participants and Other Beneficiaries

2. Policy Against Sexual, Racial, National 

Origin, Or Religious Harassment

3. Equal Opportunity and Workforce Diversity 

Policy for Employees and Applicants for 

Employment
98

Index

A

Accidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Administrative Hold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 71

Administrative Policies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

AmeriCorps*VISTA Headquarters Office . . 12, 13

AmeriCorps*VISTA Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 10

Area Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13

Authorization to Use Vehicle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

B

Baggage Shipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Bank Account Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Bookstores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

C

Career Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 75

Certification of Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Change of Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 79

Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 36, 37, 79

Child Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 40, 41

Civil Rights Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Civil Service Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Continuation of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 72, 73

Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Corporation State Program Office . . . . . . . . . . . 12

D

Death Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 67

Demonstrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Direct Deposit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 17, 34, 36

Discrimination Complaint . . . . . . . . . 66, 70, 76, 84

Displacement of Employed Workers. . . . . . . . . . 97

Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 . . 9, 66, 69, 84

Donated Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

E

Early Service Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 28, 29

Early Termination . . . . . . . . . . 28, 56, 69, 70, 72, 97

Earned Income Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Economic Opportunity Act. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Education Award. . . . . . . . . . . 35, 43, 44, 44, 50, 52

Education Award, Pro-Rated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Educational Courses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Emergency Expense Allowance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Emergency Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 74

F

Federal Employees Compensation Act . . . . . 66, 93

Federal Regulations. . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 34, 83, 91, 92

Financial Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 79

Food and Lodging Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Food Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Forbearance or Deferment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Freedom of Information Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79, 96

Future Plans Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 18, 24, 73

G

Governor’s Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Grievance Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 77

H

Health Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Home of Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Housing Assistance Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

I

Income Exclusion of VISTA Allowances . . . 15, 34, 

90, 91, 95

Information Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

In-Service Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

J

Jury Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

L

Labor or Anti-Labor Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Legal Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Liability Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Life Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 34, 40, 67, 72

Lost Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 37

M

Maternity Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Medical Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 65

Medical Termination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Medicare and Medicaid Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
99

Index

Memorandum of Agreement. . . . . 21, 22, 34, 58, 70

Memorandum of Understanding . . . . . . . 21, 22, 89

Military Reserve Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76, 77

N

Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Name, Change of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

National and Community Trust Act of 1993 . . . . 9

National Service Trust . . . . . . . 43, 47, 49, 52, 53, 84

Nepotism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

O

Office of Economic Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

On-site Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

On-site Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 28

Overpayment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Overpayment, Recovery of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

P

Partial Cancellation of Student Loans . . . . . . . . . 48

Personal Leave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 73, 74, 76

Political and Lobbying Activities. . . . . . . . . . 86, 87

Pre-Service Orientation. . . .10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 27,

28, 34, 35, 40, 45, 47, 55, 69, 75

Privacy Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Project Advisory Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 23

Project Application . . . . . . 11, 12, 20, 21, 22, 23, 69

Project Renewal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Project Transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 74

Property Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Protection of Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 90

Public Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 58, 59

Q

Qualified Expenses to Attend School . . . . . . . . . 51

Qualified Loans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 49, 52

R

Reinstatement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 70, 74

Release for Cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Religious Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Relocation Allowance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 36

Removal from Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Resignation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 72

S

Sexual Harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 85, 86, 89

Social Security Disability Payments. . . . . . . . . . . 91

Sponsoring Organization . . . . . . . . . . 10, 19, 20, 21

Standard Allowances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 34

Stipend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Subsistence Allowance . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 16, 32, 34

Supervision and Transportation Funds . . . . . . . . 24

Supervision of AmeriCorps*VISTA Members . . 10, 23

Supplies and Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 71

T

Tax Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 37, 38, 46

Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 16, 23, 27, 30

Terms and Conditions of Service . . . . . . . 76, 77, 95

Trainee Deselection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68, 97

Training and Technical Assistance . . . 12, 27, 68, 97

Transfer between AmeriCorps Programs . . . . . . 45

Travel and Transportation Support . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Travel by Automobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Travel by Commercial Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Travel by Motorcycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Travel Payment at End of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Travel Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37, 55

Travel to Pre-Service Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Treasury Offset Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Two Term Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

U

Unemployment Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 93

V

Veterans Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

W

W-2 Form – Earnings & Taxes Withheld. . . . . . . 38

W-5 Earned Income Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 38

Welfare Reform Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

WIC Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91