Appendix B: AmeriCorps Seniors SCP

Performance Measure Instructions

References and Authorities Definitions, Suggestions regarding Data Collection, and

Additional Notes

Last Updated: September 2021

This document explains specific performance measure instructions for the AmeriCorps Seniors SCP program. It

contains the menu of available service activities and output and outcome measures, with additional information

on how to use each of them. This document should be used in tandem with the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Contents

AmeriCorps Seniors SCP Performance Measure Requirements ........................................................................................................ 2

Complete List of AmeriCorps Seniors SCP National Performance Measures.................................................................................. 3

Focus Area: Healthy Futures .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Other Community Priorities............................................................................................................................................... 3

Healthy Futures Focus Area Focus Area Notes:.............................................................................................................. 4

Other Community Priorities Notes: .................................................................................................................................. 6

Change Log ........................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Independent Living Performance Measure Survey ........................................................................................................ 8

Respite Performance Measure Survey ............................................................................................................................ 10

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AmeriCorps Seniors SCP Performance Measure Requirements

Measured in Unduplicated Volunteers*

1. Primary Focus Area: The AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion Program Primary Focus Area is

Healthy Futures, Aging inPlace.

2. Work Plans: All unduplicated AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers or Volunteer Service Years (VSY), which

is 1 VSY equals 1,044 hours of service, must be placed in the work plan. The maximum cost per

unduplicated volunteer or VSY in all Performance Measures included in the Work Plan may not exceed

the allowable cost per volunteer or VSY as stated below.

3. National Performance Measures. Every national performance measure output must be paired with a single

outcome. For each Performance Measure, applicants must select one output and one of the associated outcomes.

While beneficiaries may receive benefits associated with more than one available outcome, select only one outcome

for each beneficiary served. “Other Community Priorities” work plans are not considered national performance

measures.

4. Other Community Priorities. A work plan consisting of “Other Community Priorities” may be created by the

grantee to address community activities not captured in national performance measures.

5. Unduplicated Volunteers. Count Volunteer Service Years (VSY), which is calculated by taking the total hours of

services spent on each performance measure divided by 1044 hours. To complete the Performance Measures module,

stipended programs must enter volunteer service years into the number of unduplicated volunteer section of the work

plans.

i. Example: $65,000 of federal funding has a minimum of 10 VSYs equals 10,440 hours of service

(10 multiplied by 1,044).

6. Maximum Cost per Unduplicated Volunteer in Outcome Assignments. For every $6,500 in base federal

funding, at least one AmeriCorps Seniors VSY * must be placed in the work plan that result in national

performance measure outcomes in the Education focus area.

i. Example: $65,000 of federal funding divided by $6,500 equals minimum of 10 VSYs placed

into unduplicated volunteer outcome assignment.

7. Rounding Unduplicated Volunteers in Outcome Assignments. Common arithmetic rules should

be used to determine how to round unduplicated volunteers in outcome‐based work plans.

Grantees should round to nearest whole number. For example, an AmeriCorps Seniors SCP

grantee with $98,000 in federal funding would require 15.07 unduplicated volunteers in work plans

that result in national performance measure outcome. Since 15.07 is less than 15.5, this would be

rounded down to 15 unduplicated volunteers in work plans that result in national performance

measure outcomes. In contrast, a grantee with $175,000 in federal funding (26.92 volunteers in

outcome‐based work plans) would round up and require 27 unduplicated volunteers in work plans

that result in national performance measures outcomes.

8. COVID‐19 Performance Measure Resources:

i. AmeriCorps Seniors Performance Measures‐ COVID

ii. AmeriCorps Seniors Pandemic Recovery: A Pathway Forward‐ Updated March 2021

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Complete List of AmeriCorps Seniors SCP National Performance Measures

These selection rules specify allowable output/outcome pairings for National Performance Measures. Applicants must

follow these selection rules when using National Performance Measures. Applicants may not select any National

Performance Measures that may appear in eGrants if they are not present on this list. Please see the NOFO for

additional information about application requirements.

Applicants who experience issues finding the appropriate measures in the Performance Measure Module of eGrants,

should select the category title, “Outcome Work Plans”. For the Other Community Priorities measure, applicants should

select the “Output Only Work Plans” category. More detailed instructions are included in Volume 2 of the AmeriCorps

Seniors Grant Application Instructions.

Focus Area: Healthy Futures

Objective Selection

Rules

Service Activity

Output

s

Outcome

s

Aging in Place H4A: Number

of individuals

served

H9A: Number of individuals who

report having increased social

support or improved capacity for

independent living

H14: Number of caregivers of

older adults and individuals

with

disabilities who reported

having increased social

support

Companionship

Nutrition/Food

Support Legal

Services

Transportation

Medical Services

Opioid/Drug

Intervention Elder

Justice: Fraud and

Scam Prevention

Respite Services

Access to Care H4A: Number

of individuals

served

H15A: Number of individuals

with developmental disabilities

receiving services that promote

integration and inclusion (for

legacy programming only)

Outreach

Education/Training

Referrals

Medical Services

Counseling/Coaching

Opioid/Drug

Intervention Disability

Inclusion

Other Community Priorities

Objective Selection

Rules

Service Activity

Output Outcome

s s

Other SC1: Grantee met their None N/A

target for community

priority activity

(Yes/No)

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Healthy Futures Focus Area Focus Area Notes:

 These performance measures are intended to measure the impact of activities that meet health needs within

communities including access to care, aging in place, and addressing childhoodobesity.

 These activities must be carried out by National Service Participants or by volunteers directly recruited

and/or supported by National Service Participants.

 All individuals counted under these measures must be programbeneficiaries, not National Service

Participants.

Applicants that select output H4A may select outcome H9A, H14, orH15A.

H4A (output) Number of individuals served

Definition

of Key

Terms

Individuals: recipients of AmeriCorps‐supported services related to

improving health‐ related outcomes

Served: substantive engagement of individuals with a specific health‐related goal

in mind. Cannot consist solely of mass dissemination of information such as email

blasts, social media posts, or distributing pamphlets.

How to

Measure/

Collect Data

Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of individuals who

have received services

H9A (outcome) Number of individuals who report having increase social support or improved

capacity for independent living

Definition

of Key

Terms

Individuals: those reported in H4A or V1, V7A, V8

How to

Measure/

Collect Data

Survey, interview, caseworker assessment, or other instrument capable of

measuring changes in social support or perceived social support and/or

independent living capacity at the individual beneficiary level. When possible,

pre‐post assessments should be utilized.

AmeriCorps is providing a mandatory survey instrument for the

AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion Program and recommends its use

for AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP:

Independent Living Survey.

H14 (outcome) H14: Number of caregivers of older adults and individuals with disabilities who

reported having increased social support

Definition

of Key

Terms

Individuals: those reported in H4A or V1, V7A, V8

Older Adults: Individual age 65 or older

Respite Services: Services that provide temporary relief from the stresses of

caregiving by providing short term assistance to and adult who is the primary

caregiver for another person.

Social ties/perceived social support: Relationships with other people and or the

belief that these people will offer (or have offered) effective help during times of

needs.

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How to

Measure/

Collect Data

Programs should collect data for this measure from surveys, interview,

caseworker assessment, or other instrument capable of measuring changes

in food security at the individual beneficiary level. When possible, pre‐post

assessments should be utilized.

CNCS is providing a mandatory survey instrument for both the AmeriCorps

Seniors Senior Companion Program and recommends its use for AmeriCorps

Seniors RSVP: AmeriCorps Seniors Respite Care Performance Measure Survey.

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H15A (outcome) H15A Number of individuals with developmental disabilities receiving

services that promote integration and inclusion

NOTE AmeriCorps Seniors applicants may only select this measure if they have

historically supported programming in this area.

Definition

of Key

Terms

Individuals: those reported in H4A

How to

Measure/

Collect Data

Survey, interview, caseworker assessment, or other instrument capable of measuring

changes in social support or perceived social support and/or independent living

capacity at the individual beneficiary level. When possible, pre‐post assessments

should be utilized.

Other Community Priorities Notes:

 Community PriorityService Activities ensure that AmeriCorpsSeniorsprogramscancontinue to engage in

appropriate service activities that may not necessarily lead to national performance measures

outcomes but do support the intent of the authorizing legislation.

 This work plan is designed to ensure that an activity supported by appropriated funds is represented in the

grant application while minimizing data collection burden.

 These activities must be carried out by National Service Participants or by volunteers directly recruited

and/or supported by National Service Participants.

 All individuals counted under these measures must be programbeneficiaries, not National Service

Participants.

SC1 (output) Yes/ No met all Applicant‐Determined Community Priority Service Activity Targets

Definition

of Key

Terms

Community Priority Service Activity:

1. Service activity conducted by AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers that

may not necessarily lead to national performance measures but:

a. Provides opportunities for senior service to meet unmet

local and state needs;

b. Empowers people 55 years of age or older to contribute to their

communities through service, enhance the lives of those who

serve and those whom they serve, and provide communities with

valuableservices; and

c. Provides opportunities for people 55 years of age or older to

share their knowledge, experiences, abilities, and skills for the

betterment of their communities and themselves.

2. Community priority service activities shall not include any prohibited

activities.

Applicant‐ Determined Community Priority Service Activity Targets: Target goals

for Community Priority Service Activity that are identified by the program. Unlike

national performance measure outputs, these targets are not reported to

AmeriCorps. Instead,

grantees will report yes/no that they have achieved the target goals for all their

Community Priority Service Activities.

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Change Log

This table lists all changes made to this document since September 2018.

Date Change(s)

October 2018 • The Appendix now provides clarification on how grantees should

properly round unduplicated volunteers in National Performance

Measure WorkPlans.

• Minor edits were made to the Other Community Priority notes.

September 2019 • A few cosmetic updates were made to the document

• Instructions on what to select, should performance measure options be

missing in eGrants were added (pg. 3 )

• A link to the Senior Corps Independent Living and Respite Care

Performance Measure Surveys were added to measures H9A and H14

(pg. 4)

March 2020 • Update to the cost per VSY threshold from $6,000 to $6,500. Updated

threshold is effective as of April 1, 2020.

October 2020 • Updated branding of CNCS to AmeriCorps, Senior Corps to

AmeriCorps Seniors and SCP volunteers to AmeriCorps Seniors

Volunteers.

September 2021 • Updated Unduplicated volunteer section and added COVID‐19

resources.

• Added Independent Living Survey and Respite Survey.

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Independent Living Performance Measure Survey

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. We would like to 

know how the AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer who has been assisting you 

has affected your life. 

All information will be kept confidential; please do not disclose your name. 

You may choose not to answer a question. 

This 1st question is about how many hours of service that you may have

received in the past 4 weeks from your AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer.

Tell us how many TOTAL HOURS in a typical week you received services.

Here is an example of how Mrs. Jones would answer question #1:

AHer AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer usually spends one hour on Monday

with and two hours on Wednesday. Therefore, the total hours a week that

she receives services is 3 hours a week.

1. In a typical week, my AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer is with

me for hours

Please turn the page for the questions 2‐13

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Because I Have a AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer ...

Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly

Disagree Disagree Agree Agree

2) ... I feel less lonely.

3) ... I feel I have close ties to

other people.

4) ... I am able to do the things I

need to do.

5) ... I am able to do most things

I want to do.

6) ... I am more satisfied with

my life.

7) ... I can remain living in my

own home.

8) ... I am able to get to the

grocery store.

9) ... I am able to get to medical

appointments.

10) ... I am able to take care of

other necessary

errands/appointments.

11) ... I am eating regularly

scheduled meals.

12) Overall, I am satisfied with

my AmeriCorps Seniors

volunteer.

13) Overall, AmeriCorps

Seniors Program has met my

expectations.

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Respite Performance Measure Survey

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. We would like to 

know how the AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer who has been providing 

respite care you has affected your life (as the caregiver). 

All information will be kept confidential; please do not disclose your name. 

You may choose not to answer a question. 

This 1st question is about how many hours of respite service that you may

have received in the past 4 weeks from your AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer.

Tell us how many TOTAL HOURS in a typical week you received respite

services.

Here is an example of how Mrs. Jones would answer question #1:

Her AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer usually spends one hour on Monday with

and two hours on Wednesday providing respite services. Therefore, the total

hours a week that she receives respite services is 3 hours a week.

1. In a typical week, my AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer is with

me for hours

of respite

Please turn the page for the questions 2‐12

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Because I Have a AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer assisting with

Respite Care ...

Strongly

Disagree

Somewhat

Disagree

Somewhat

Agree

Strongly

Agree

2) ... I feel less lonely.

3) ... I feel I have close ties to

other people.

4) ... I am able to do the things I

need to do.

5) ... I am able to do most things

I want to do.

6) ... I am more satisfied with

my life.

7) ... The person I care for is able

to remain at home.

8) ... I am able to get short‐term

rest and relief.

9) ... I am able to find time to

run errands.

10) ... I am able find time to

attend to my personal and

health care needs.

11) Overall, I am satisfied with

the Caregiver Respite

AmeriCorps Seniors

volunteer.

12) Overall, AmeriCorps

Seniors program has met my

expectations.

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