250 E Street SW

Washington, D.C. 20525

202-606-5000/ 800-942-2677

TO: State Service Commissions and AmeriCorps Direct Grantees

FROM: Sonali Nijhawan, Director, AmeriCorps State and National

SUBJECT: 2021.02: Applicable Program Years for AmeriCorps Member Exits Due to COVID-19

DATE: September 7, 2021

Per Section 3514(a)(2) of the CARES Act, if AmeriCorps requires a member to exit early due to COVID-19, 

AmeriCorps may determine that the member is entitled to an education award. In the case of members 

associated with AmeriCorps State and National grants and their subrecipients, operating sites, or service 

locations, AmeriCorps relies on grant recipient certification that the member’s exit is due to COVID-19.

AmeriCorps programs may apply this flexibility to all members in service as of the effective date of the 

CARES Act or subsequently enrolled in the 2019 or 2020 program years, as indicated by the member’s 

enrollment information in the My AmeriCorps Portal. See example below. 

Circumstances indicating service is no longer practicable due to COVID-19 include, but are not limited to: 

• Lack of service activities, such as lack of on-site or teleservice assignments, lack of teleservice 

resources, or project closure; 

• Continued service would pose a risk to the health or safety of the AmeriCorps member or others, 

for example, the AmeriCorps member tests positive for COVID-19 or the AmeriCorps member 

self-identifies to be high risk and unable to serve due to risk(s) posed by COVID-19;

• AmeriCorps member has caregiver responsibilities, including situations in which the member’s 

regularly scheduled caregiver services have been canceled or disrupted due to COVID-19. 
2

If an AmeriCorps member is exited early due to COVID-19, one of three situations will apply to the 

member’s eligibility for an Education Award: 

1. AmeriCorps State and National members that have served less than 15 percent of the minimum 

required hours for the Term of Service at time of exit: AmeriCorps State and National members 

who have served less than 15 percent of the minimum required hours for a Term of Service at the 

time they are exited are not eligible for a partial education award. Nor are these members eligible 

for a full education award with a compelling personal circumstance exit related to COVID-19. 45 

CFR § 2522.230(a)(2). 

2. AmeriCorps State and National members that have served between 15 percent and 50 percent of 

the minimum required hours for the Term of Service at the time they are exited: AmeriCorps 

State and National members that complete between 15 and 50 percent of the minimum required 

hours for the Term of Service may be exited for compelling personal circumstances proportional 

to the number of hours they have served. They are not eligible for a full education award with a 

compelling personal circumstance exit related to COVID-19. 45 CFR § 2522.230(a)(2). 

3. AmeriCorps State and National members that have served more than 50 percent of the minimum 

required hours for the Term of Service at the time they are exited: An AmeriCorps State and 

National member who has completed more than 50 percent of the minimum number of hours 

required to successfully complete their Term of Service will be eligible to receive the full 

education award amount with a compelling personal circumstance exit related to COVID-19. 

Compelling personal circumstances are the determination of the AmeriCorps program. 45 CFR § 

2522.230(a)(2). 

To exit those members who have served more than 50 percent of the minimum required hours for a 

Term of Service and are being exited due to COVID-19, AmeriCorps programs will use a two-part process:

1. Exit of the member and

2. Document the difference between the served hours and the hours entered on the exit form.

 

Part 1. Exit of the member

If an AmeriCorps State and National member is no longer able to serve as a result of circumstances 

related to COVID-19, a program may enter the minimum number of hours needed for a full award for 

the member’s Term of Service; and exit the member with a status of “Eligible for Partial Award 

(member did not complete service for compelling personal reasons).” See example below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
3

Part 2. Noting the difference between the served hours and the hours entered on the exit form

Programs/Subgrantees/Operating Sites will submit a report for their prime grant identifying:

1. Each member who was exited for a partial award for a compelling personal circumstance due 

to COVID-19 and their NSPID,

2. The hours served by the member,

3. Confirm that those hours were more than 50 percent of the minimum required hours for the 

Term of Service, and

4. The hours that were not served due to COVID-19 to equal the full hours reported on the 

member exit form.

This will be submitted to the prime grantee concurrent with the deadline for information to be 

submitted as part of the Annual Progress Report due to AmeriCorps.

The prime grantee will not submit that information to AmeriCorps but rather the documentation and 

approvals will be retained by the prime grantee and the programs/subgrantees/operating sites in 

member files.