AmeriCorps State and National

April, 2021

Member Enrollment Preparation and Implementation

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Purpose 

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This presentation is designed to guide AmeriCorps program users to enroll individuals as 

AmeriCorps members in the My AmeriCorps Portal, the system by which AmeriCorps 

members are entered into the National Service Trust. 

The presentation represents AmeriCorps State and National requirements for enrolling 

members in the Portal as of April 29, 2021.

Please begin the member enrollment process as soon as possible after grant 

notification. This includes taking proactive steps to plan for member recruitment, 

citizenship verification, and National Service Criminal History Check processes well in 

advance of your expected member start dates.

If you are a subgrantee, please ensure you are following any additional policies or 

procedures required by your State Commission or prime grantee.
Quick Links and Resources: 

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References: 

Enrollment Preparation and Implementation Resources:

• AmeriCorps State and National Knowledge Network

o Member Enrollment Resources (to be updated May 1st, 2021)

NSCHC and New Rule Information: 

• General AmeriCorps NSCHC Resource Page

• AmeriCorps Resources regarding the May 1st NSCHC Rule

• Federal Register New Rule (effective May 1st) for 45 CFR § 2522 and 45 CFR §2540

eGrants Login

My AmeriCorps Portal

eGrants Tutorials (these are dated, but there is still some useful content)
Let’s compare: 

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Enrollment Parameter Members enrolled prior to April 29, 2021 Members enrolled after April 29, 2021

Enrollment 

certification 

timeline

•Certification of member enrollments required within 8 days

•Enforced by My AmeriCorps system validations

•Certification of member enrollments required within 8 days

•Monitored through annual progress reports rather than My 

AmeriCorps system validations

National Service 

Criminal History 

Checks (NSCHCs)

•NSOPW completion and State/FBI check initiation certified 

by checking two boxes

•My AmeriCorps records the date on which the boxes were 

checked

•Recorded date must be on or before member start date

•Certification required for all members

•Completion and adjudication of all required checks certified 

by entering a date in the NSCHC Certification field

•My AmeriCorps records the date entered in the field

•Recorded date must be before member start date

•Certification required for applicants ages 18+ as of the entered 

start date

Citizenship and SSN 

verification

SSN and citizenship status must be verified on or 

before member start date

SSN and citizenship status must be verified on or 

before member start date

Start date changes •Can be made by grantee staff 

within the parameters outlined above

•Changes outside these parameters 

require Administrative Review

•Will only be considered if a failure in AmeriCorps’ 

technology platform or other circumstances prevent 

timely enrollment

•Can be made by grantee staff 

within the parameters outlined above

•Changes outside these parameters 

require Administrative Review

•Will only be considered if a failure in AmeriCorps’ 

technology platform or other circumstances prevent 

timely SSN or citizenship verification
Requirements for All Member Enrollments

This includes both Individual and Group Enrollments

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 Notice of Grant Award has been received 

 The program’s Member Enrollment Period has begun

 Service locations are set up in the My AmeriCorps Portal

 Slots of the right type are available for all applicants being enrolled

 Citizenship and SSN have been verified

 National Service Criminal History Checks (NSCHCs) have been completed for applicants ages 18+

 Applicants have been determined to be eligible to serve

 Applicants have completed their portion of the enrollment form (including acknowledging a 

partial Education Award if applicable) 
Notice of Grant Award 

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• Following the grant application review process, successful programs receive a 

Notice of Grant Award (NGA) prior to the requested start date in their grant

• Programs cannot take the necessary steps in the My AmeriCorps Portal until the 

NGA is received

• Grantees access NGA via eGrants; subgrantees are notified by their State 

Commission
Notice of Grant Award (Direct 

Grantees and State Commissions)

Grant ID

Awarded funds and 

member positions

Special conditions 

on the award 

(including 

subgrantee-specific 

special conditions)

Project and Budget 

Periods (NOT the 

same as member 

enrollment period, 

which may start later 

and/or end earlier)
Please remember, an individual is 

officially an AmeriCorps member 

on the start date recorded in 

eGrants. Prior to this start date, 

individuals should not accrue any 

service hours

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Enrollment Process 

*Process may vary for sub-grantees. Please check with your Commission or Prime grantee for further guidance.*

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Preparation for 

Enrollment Staff have 

completed 

required NSCHC 

training

Set up operating 

sites (Direct)

Set up service 

locations

Create service 

opportunity 

listings

Identify your memberIndividual 

applies

Program screens 

applicant

• Gather 

applicant 

information

• Complete 

NSCHC

• Determine 

applicant 

eligibility 

Select your memberSelect 

applicant in 

eGrants

Applicant 

completes 

enrollment form 

in My 

AmeriCorps

Social Security 

Administration 

Check 

EnrollmentVerification of 

Eligibility

eGrants

Enrollment 

process

• Individual 

Enrollment

• Group 

Enrollment

Partial Award 

Acknowledgment 

(if applicable)
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Preparation for 

Enrollment• Staff have completed required 

NSCHC training

• Set up operating sites (Direct)

• Set up service locations

• Create service opportunity 

listings

Link to NSCHC required annual training: https://nationalservice.gov/reqCHCtraining
Log into eGrants and My AmeriCorps Portal 

For Direct Grantees and Subgrantees

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Set up Operating Sites 

Click to set up 

operating sites

• Required in order to issue member invitations

• See Program Management tutorial on the Knowledge Network

For Direct Grantees Only
Set up Operating Sites 

Direct Grantees Only

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Complete all 

fields and click 

“save”
Set up Service Locations in eGrants 

Click to create new 

service locations

• All AmeriCorps 

applicants must be 

assigned to service 

locations

• See Program 

Management 

tutorial on the 

Knowledge Network
Set up Service Locations

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Complete all fields 

and click ‘save’
Service Opportunity Listings • Grantees are required to 

post all available member 

service opportunities in the 

My AmeriCorps Portal

• Service Opportunity Listing 

Resources include a 

PowerPoint step-by-step, 

outline requirements, and 

provide a template for 

programs 

• Grantees may also use 

other recruitment strategies 

in addition to the My 

AmeriCorps platform

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Identify your 

member • Individual applies

• Program screens applicant

• Gather applicant information

• Complete NSCHC

• Determine applicant eligibility 
Receiving Applications

• Programs can set up their Service Opportunity Listings to allow 

applicant to apply inside and/or outside of My AmeriCorps:

Programs that do not accept applications via My 

AmeriCorps must develop their own process to 

receive applications and select applicants

Indicates whether 

individuals can apply 

via My AmeriCorps
• All applicants are required to be screened 

for eligibility and criminal history. Programs 

may vary in their process and policy 

regarding how they conduct applicant

screening

• Programs should build in as much time as 

possible to complete the National Service 

Criminal History Check (NSCHC) and 

determine eligibility

• Applicants must have their eligibility verified 

before they can start service 

Applicant Screening 

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Gather Applicant Information

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• In order to be enrolled in eGrants and the National Service Trust, 

programs need to gather information that is consistent with the 

Social Security Administration Records. This includes: 

o Applicant Name

o Social Security Number

o Date of Birth

• Additional Recommendations for information gathering 

o Citizen Verification Documents (e.g. birth certificate, passport, 

certificate of citizenship, green card, etc.)

o Contact information (phone, email, address, etc.) 
National Service Criminal History Check (NSCHC)

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• AmeriCorps State and National grantees must conduct National Service 

Criminal History Checks for AmeriCorps applicants ages 18+ 

• Three checks are required for individuals to comply with NSCHC requirements: 

o A nationwide check of the National Sex Offender Public Website through 

NSOPW.gov

o A check of the State criminal history record repository or agency-designed 

alternative for the individual’s state of residence and state of service

o A fingerprint-based check of the FBI criminal history record database 

through the state criminal history record repository or agency-approved 

vendor 

45 CFR § 2540.205(a) The National Service Criminal History Check must be conducted, reviewed, 

and an eligibility determination made by the grant recipient or subrecipient based on the results of 

the National Service Criminal History Check before a person begins to work or serve in a position 

specified in 45 CFR § 2540.201(a).
Determine Member Eligibility 

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• Programs must conduct a screening of individuals as part of the recruitment and selection 

process 

• Eligibility Requirements: 45 CFR § 2522.200

o Age

 An AmeriCorps participant must be at least 17 years of age

o Have a high school diploma or equivalent (see regulation for additional details)

o Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States (see 

regulation for a list of acceptable forms certifying status as a citizen) 

o Satisfy the National Service Criminal History Check eligibility criteria

Failure to conduct timely and compliant NSCHCs and ensure eligibility of 

an individual may: 

- Delay the enrollment process

- Result in cost disallowances 
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Select your 

member Select applicant in eGrants

Applicant completes 

enrollment form in My 

AmeriCorps

Social Security 

Administration Check 
Selecting your applicant in 

eGrants

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Click the 

relevant 

radio button 

to select the 

applicant

Click to 

submit the 

selection. 

The 

applicant 

will be 

notified via 

email

Complete the 

certification

There are two ways to 

select an applicant in 

eGrants:

• Via My AmeriCorps 

application process

• Inviting an 

individual in 

eGrants following 

program specific 

recruitment 

Selecting an applicant who applied via My AmeriCorps:
Selecting your applicant in eGrants

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There are two ways to 

select an applicant in 

eGrants:

• Via My AmeriCorps 

application process

• Inviting an 

individual in 

eGrants following 

program specific 

recruitment

Enter applicant’s 

data. Important: 

make sure this 

information is 

entered correctly 

and matches what 

is listed on the 

member’s ID and 

Social Security Card

Click add another 

to send the current 

invitation and enter 

another

Click save and 

then send to 

complete the 

invitation. The 

applicant will be 

notified via email

Notes:  If an individual is serving 

with another program 

immediately before your 

program, the applicant

must first be exited. 

 Date of birth and SSN 

must be entered 

correctly to avoid delays 

in enrollment
Applicant Invitation 

The link in the email connects to the My AmeriCorps 

Portal where the applicant’s identity will be verified.

Ensure applicants understand this is a secure site 

and the information entered must be accurate and 

reflect what is on the government issued ID (this 

includes hyphens, spaces, multiple middle or last 

names, etc.).

The link will be broken if the program resends or 

deletes the invitation. 
Member Enrollment Form

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• Per the Grant Terms and Conditions, the Enrollment Form 

must be completed by the applicant

o Programs must request a waiver if this is not possible

• To facilitate successful enrollment, individuals who have 

previously served in AmeriCorps must:

o Ensure that they have been exited from their previous program by verifying 

with their previous supervisor or checking their Ed Award status
Applicant Enrollment Form Form continued... 

Once the 

individual 

clicks ‘save 

information’ to 

submit the 

form, the 

eligibility 

verification 

process is 

initiated. 
SSN & Citizenship Verification

• The My AmeriCorps portal submits the record to the Social Security Administration (SSA) as 

soon as the applicant completes and saves their section of the enrollment form.

• The Social Security Administration will then follow their process to verify the applicant's 

citizenship status and social security number (SSN). 

• Within three business days, My AmeriCorps will be updated with either "Verified" or "Returned" 

for both the SSN and citizenship status.

Example of a verified applicant

Example of an applicant who will have 

to be manually verified 

Both the SSN and citizenship status must be noted as “Verified” or “Manually Verified” 

in My AmeriCorps before the individual can be enrolled. 
1. The grantee administrator receives an email notification to submit additional documentation 

via Secure File Transfer for manual verification of the applicant’s citizenship or Social Security 

Number

2. To submit documentation, the program must request a secure file link from the AmeriCorps 

Hotline (detail on next slide) 

3. Program submits additional documentation (refer to 45 CFR 2522.200 for documentation 

guidance)

4. AmeriCorps Hotline forwards submitted documentation to the National Service Trust

5. If the submitted documentation is sufficient to verify eligibility, the record in eGrants will be 

updated within 3 business days. This ends the manual verification process

6. If the submitted documentation is not sufficient to verify eligibility, the grantee administrator 

will receive another email notification to submit sufficient eligibility documentation to 

continue the manual verification process until the documentation is sufficient

Manual Verification Steps

Only required if applicant is not automatically verified

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For some individuals, the Social Security Number and citizenship manual verification process may take several 

days to a couple of weeks to complete. Programs must factor that into their planning.
Requesting a Secure File Link

Go to webform: https://questions.americorps.gov/app/ask to request helpdesk ticket(s). 

Request a secure file link by completing the form (below)

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Best practices:

• Indicate that you are a State and 

National program enrolling 

applicants and need a Secure File 

Link to submit SSN/citizenship 

verification documentation

• If your program has multiple 

individual cases requiring 

SSN/citizenship verification at the 

same time, send these cases under a 

single ticket

• Document all communication and 

take screenshots if necessary

• Reach out to your Portfolio Manager 

if you encounter any challenges
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EnrollmentVerification of eligibility

eGrants enrollment process • Individual Enrollment • Group Enrollment 

Partial award 

acknowledgment 

(if applicable) 
Confirming SSN & Citizenship Verification

Verification Status Types

Open: individual has been invited to participate in a program but has not yet 

created/updated and saved their My AmeriCorps Portal Profile

Pending: individual’s name, SSN, and DOB have been sent to SSA for verification and are 

awaiting results

Verified: individual’s SSN/citizenship eligibility has been automatically verified by SSA

Returned: individual was not verified automatically by SSA; document submission is required 

to prove eligibility

Manually Verified: individual’s SSN/citizenship eligibility has been verified by AmeriCorps 

based on submitted documentation

Cannot be Verified: individual has been proven not to be eligible with respect to SSN or 

citizenship. (If a program believes this status is incorrect, they can submit an appeal to their 

Portfolio Manager within 30 days of the eligibility decision)

 Check the applicant SSN and 

Citizenship status in eGrants- the 

applicant must be ‘Verified’ or 

‘Manually Verified’ to continue Note: My AmeriCorps will not allow you 

to enter an applicant’s start date that 

is earlier than the verification dates
Completing Individual Member Enrollment Form

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 Confirm 

SSN/Citizenship are in 

“Verified” or 

“Manually Verified” 

status

 If applicant is 18 or 

older, enter the 

date the NSCHC 

was completed and 

adjudicated.

 Complete the 

placement 

information

• Start date must 

be on or after

SSN/citizenship 

verification dates 

and after NSCHC 

certification date

 Once all 

information has 

been entered 

correctly, the “enroll 

member” button will 

become active

 Check the 

certification box
Saving Information in the Enrollment Field 

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As mentioned, you 

can enter information 

ahead of time 

(except for start date 

and slot type). 
Group Enrollment 

Group Enrollment is an option during the final phase of enrollment in eGrants.

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Extra step for group 

enrollment during 

the invitation 

process: 

Applicants must be 

associated with the 

correct Program 

Year and Program 

Title
Special Requirement for Group Enrollment 

Continued... 

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Program Year must be selected correctly by the program on the applicant 

invitation

• Applicants who applied via My AmeriCorps will need have the program year entered manually 

on their individual Enrollment Form, and so cannot participate in group enrollment (i.e., they will 

not appear on the Group Enrollment tab)

Program Title (operating site/subgrantee program name) must be selected 

correctly by the program

• Applicants who applied to/were invited under a different operating site must have the Program 

Title changed manually on their individual Enrollment Form, and so cannot participate in group 

enrollment (i.e., they will not appear on the Group Enrollment tab)
Group Enrollment Screen

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Same information needed 

as in the individual 

enrollment form with one 

key difference: 

- On the group 

enrollment form, you 

may enter information 

for up to 20 individuals 

at a time and enroll 

them simultaneously. 
Group vs. Individual Enrollment

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Group Enrollment Individual Enrollment

Number of applicants enrolled at a time Up to 20 Only 1

Program Year and Program Title Pre-populated from 

member invitation

Selected manually on

enrollment screen

Individuals who applied through My 

AmeriCorps 

Cannot be used Must be used

Individuals invited under different program 

year/ program title

Cannot be used Must be used

SSN/Citizenship Applicants will not appear 

on Group Enrollment tab 

until they have been 

verified

Verification status and 

dates visible on individual 

enrollment screen

NSCHC certification Certified by entering date on or before which all 

required NSCHCs were completed and adjudicated 

(ages 18+)
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 1:

In the S&N 

Workbasket in the 

My AmeriCorps 

Portal, click on the 

Group Enrollments 

tab
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 2: Select the correct Program Title (operating site name or subgrantee program name)

• The Program Year whose enrollment period is currently open will populate automatically

• Applicants who are associated with this Program Year and Program Title, have completed 

their portion of the Enrollment Form, and whose SSN/citizenship has been verified will appear 

on the tab. (These individuals are also visible on the Pending Enrollments tab)
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 3: Select the Slot 

Type for the applicants 

you wish to enroll • In subsequent steps, 

you will only enter 

information for 

applicants who will 

be enrolled in this 

type of slot

• If you have 

applicants that will 

need to be enrolled 

in other slot types, 

leave those blank for 

now. (You will 

repeat these steps to 

enroll those 

applicants.)
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 4: For the applicants you wish to enroll, enter the date when all required National Service 

Criminal History Checks were completed and adjudicated for each applicant. For applicants 

under age 18 as of the entered start date, leave the NSCHC Certification field blank.

IMPORTANT: 

- All required criminal 

history checks must be 

completed and 

adjudicated prior to 

inputting a certification 

date

- The applicant start date 

must be after the date 

entered in the NSCHC 

Certification field
Group Enrollment Steps 

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Step 5: For the 

applicants you wish to 

enroll, select the 

appropriate Service 

Location(s) • Service Locations 

must be set up in 

the My AmeriCorps 

Portal prior to taking 

this step
Group Enrollment Steps 

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Step 6: For the individuals 

you wish to enroll, enter the 

correct Start Date

• Must be within member 

enrollment period

• Must be on or after the 

SSN/citizenship 

verification dates

• Must be after the date 

entered in the NSCHC 

Certification field

Per AmeriCorps policy, 

enrollment should be 

certified within 8 days of the 

member’s start date
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 7: For the 

individuals you wish 

to enroll, click the 

“Select to Enroll” 

box

• Only the 

individuals with 

this box checked 

will be enrolled 

when you click 

the “enroll” 

button at the 

bottom of the tab
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 8: At the 

bottom of the 

tab, certify the 

form
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 9: At the 

bottom of the tab, 

take the “enroll” 

action. (If you are 

not ready to enroll 

the individuals yet, 

click the “save 

information” button 

instead)

• Up to 20 

individuals can 

be enrolled at a 

time
Group Enrollment Steps

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Step 10: Check for error 

messages at the top of the 

tab. These messages will 

indicate if one or more of 

the individuals' enrollments 

was not successful. 

• In this example, the 

start date entered for 

Shannon was prior to 

the date of the NSCHC 

Certification, so they 

could not be enrolled. 

Program staff will need 

to correct Shannon’s 

start date and try 

again.
Troubleshooting Enrollment Error Messages 

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Sufficient slots available

SSN and citizenship verified on or before member start date

NSCHC Certification date before member start date 

Service Location selected

Member start date no later than today’s date

Applicant is eligible to serve

o Has not previously served more than 4 terms

o Has not declined a partial education award

o Has not received an unsatisfactory performance rating from a previous term of service

o Is not currently actively enrolled in the same program or in another term that when combined exceeds 

full-time service

The details of the error message 

will provide specific guidance
Partial Award Acknowledgment

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When the program attempts 

to click “enroll” you will see 

this note for applicants who 

need to perform a partial 

award acknowledgment 

Additionally, the applicant 

enrollment status will 

indicate pending partial 

award acknowledgement 

The member enrollment is not complete 

If an individual will exceed the equivalent amount of two full-time education awards while 

serving with your program, the applicant will need to acknowledge partial or no education 

award before they can be enrolled. 
Partial Award Acknowledgement

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Partial Education Award notification email: 

Recommended reminders 

for the applicant: 

- Let the applicant know 

to look out for this email 

- Ask the applicant to 

complete and 

acknowledge as soon 

as possible

- Communicate that 

delay in completing this 

farm will delay their 

enrollment
Partial Award Acknowledgment 

Applicant view in My AmeriCorps Portal

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Step 1: Log into My AmeriCorps and click Enrollment Form 

Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom of the enrollment form so 

the member can select “I accept.” 

Step 3: Click “Save Information.”
Partial Award Acknowledgement

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Once this information is saved, the individual’s enrollment status in 

eGrants will be updated to “Partial Award Acknowledged.”

The program can then return to the member enrollment form and take the “enroll” action. 

ONLY THEN IS THE MEMBER ENROLLMENT COMPLETE.
Check your work!

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 Run reports in eGrants

 View each member’s service information in 

Portal 

 Double check the following: 

• Within member enrollment period

• Sufficient slots available

• SSN and citizenship verified on or before 

member start date

• NSCHC Certification date before member 

start date 

• Service Location selected

• Start date no later than today’s date

 Applicant eligible to serve?

• Has not previously served more than 4 

terms

• Has not declined a partial education 

award

• Has not received an unsatisfactory 

performance rating from a previous 

term of service

• Is not currently actively enrolled in the 

same program or in another term that 

when combined exceeds full-time 

service
Run Reports to Check Enrollments

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 Enrollment Approval Cycle 

Time

• Presence of all expected 

enrolled members

• Number of days from member 

start date to enrollment 

activation (should be 8 or less)

 Member Download Report

• Displays multiple pieces of 

enrollment information for 

each member

• Check member’s service 

location, slot type, status (e.g., 

in-service, suspended, exited), 

start date, address, etc. 

S&N Reports
Run Reports to Check Enrollments

SSN and Citizenship Status Report

57

 SSN and Citizenship 

Status Report

• Trust Enrolled Status

• Citizenship Status

• SSN Status
How to Update a Start Date in eGrants

58

Step 1: Using the “Manage Members” link from 

the Portal Home, locate the individual and click 

on the member name to open the Member 

Information screen

Step 2: 

Click the 

“view” link 

next to the 

service 

term

*in-service members only
How to Update a Start Date in eGrants

59

Step 3: Click the 

“Correct” link

*in-service members only
How to Update a Start Date in eGrants

60

Step 4: After opening the 

“Correct Term of Service” 

screen you can see the 

member’s current start 

date is listed in the 

“Effective Date” field. 

The dates of SSN and 

citizenship verifications 

and NSCHC certification 

are also displayed.

*in-service members only
How to Update a Start Date in eGrants

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Step 5: Enter the corrected start date 

in the “Effective Date” field, ensuring 

that it is:

• Within the member enrollment 

period

• On or after the dates of SSN and 

citizenship verification

• After the NSCHC certification date

Step 6: If the corrected start date is 

within these parameters, the “Save” 

button will become active. Click 

“Save”

NOTE: entering a start date that is 

more than 8 days in the past will 

affect the program’s compliance 

with 8-day enrollment requirements

*in-service members only
What to do if the enroll button isn’t active

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 Check the applicant’s SSN and Citizenship verification status. 

• Both statuses must be “verified” or “manually verified”

• Verification dates must be on or before the entered start date

 Check the NSCHC certification

• The date entered in the NSCHC Certification field must be before the entered start date

 Check the entered start date

• The date must be within the member enrollment period

• The date cannot be later than today’s date

• The date cannot be earlier than the SSN/Citizenship verification dates

• The date cannot be the same or earlier than the date in the NSCHC Certification field 

 Check that all fields are completed

If all the previously mentioned steps are complete and you still cannot enroll the applicant, 

contact the AmeriCorps Hotline and your Portfolio Manager 
Thank you for your service

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