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AmeriCorps VISTA Teleservice and Virtual Service Site Policy Update 

FY 2023 Overview - External Release 

Updated Version as of 5.19.23.23

The AmeriCorps VISTA teleservice policy took effect on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. 

The new teleservice and virtual service site policy reflects the changing nature of work in an increasingly 

digital and “post-pandemic” landscape. This policy expands the opportunities for sponsors and sites to 

plan for and design successful teleservice and virtual service site assignments while recommitting to the 

“place-based” model of the AmeriCorps VISTA program. The policy does not allow remote service as 

AmeriCorps has defines it: where members are serving a community but not having the expectation to be 

a part of that community. 

AmeriCorps allowed for a grace period until Friday March 31, 2023, to permit members to align with the

policy.

• The teleservice and virtual service site policy replaced the previous teleservice policy and 

superseded any temporary policy exceptions made to the teleservice policy during the COIVD-19 

outbreak.

• Remote service is NOT permitted under the policy, as members must reside within the commuting 

area of the geographic community of the assigned sponsor or site.

• Commuting area will be defined by the sponsor 

• Teleserving, up to full time, is permitted from a location within the commuting area of the assigned 

sponsor or site and members are to be physically present at the sponsor or site and/or community 

events when required.

• Virtual service sites refer to organizations that do not have a physical location (e.g., brick and 

mortar building) but maintains a defined geographic service area. Virtual service sites are 

permitted but must be located within the commuting area, as members are to be physically 

present to meet with their supervisor and/or attend community events when required.  

• The policy is applicable to all members, which include fulltime members, leaders, and summer 

associates.  

• Teleservice and virtual service site request / agreement form is still required and will be maintained 

by the sponsor. 

• AmeriCorps VISTA allowed for a “grace period” until Friday, March 31, 2023, to permit sponsors and 

members to align with this new policy and allow a limited exemption from the policy for currently 

serving members, in certain circumstances. As of Saturday, April 1, 2023, all members who enroll 

(either as new placements, re-enrollments, or extensions) must follow the teleservice and virtual 

service site policy that was released on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 

What the policy does NOT change:

• While the policy is applicable to all members, NOT all members are eligible for teleservice or virtual 

service site opportunities. Sponsor and sites must have the capacity and internal policies to support 

teleservice and virtual service site opportunities.
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• Teleservice agreements under the auspices of reasonable accommodation are excluded from this 

policy. They are covered in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

• Sponsors and sites still need to be able to meet certain parameters, project requirement and 

oversight to be successful in a teleservice or virtual service site environment.

• VISTA Assignment Descriptions must continue to lend themselves to tasks to be completed 

successfully in a teleservice or virtual service site environment.

The teleservice and virtual service site policy will be updated in the member handbook. Should you have 

any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to your designated portfolio manager. 

You can also connect the AmeriCorps Hotline at 1-800-942-2677

Frequently Asked Questions 

This FAQ is to help address questions related to implementing the Teleservice and Virtual Service Site 

for members, as it replaced AmeriCorps VISTA’s previous policy and supersedes any temporary policy 

exceptions made to the teleservice policy during the COVID-19 outbreak. Sponsor or member

questions should be directed to the project’s designated Portfolio Manager. 

1. When did this policy change formally take effect?

Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023

2. Will members be able to serve remotely under the Teleservice and Virtual Service Site Policy? 

The AmeriCorps VISTA program has determined and defined the difference between teleservice, 

virtual service sites, and remote service. While teleservice and virtual service site arrangements are 

allowable in certain circumstances, remote service is NOT permitted under the AmeriCorps VISTA 

program. Definitions are provided below.

3. Why are we removing “remote” service from the program?

The AmeriCorps VISTA program implemented this policy change to reflect the changing nature of 

work in an increasingly digital and “post-pandemic” landscape. Prior to the COVID-19 policy 

exceptions declared during the national emergency, AmeriCorps VISTA's teleservice policy 

allowed for a member to serve up to two days in a pay period from a teleservice location. The

Teleservice and Virtual Service Site policy expands the opportunities for sponsors and sites to 

continue to plan for and design successful teleservice and virtual site assignments. At the same 

time, this policy recommits to the “place-based” model of the AmeriCorps VISTA program and 

does not allow remote service (members serving a community but not having the expectation to 

be a part of that community). 

4. Is there a grace period, to allow sponsors and members to align with the new policy?

AmeriCorps VISTA allowed for a “grace period” until Friday, March 31, 2023, to allow members to 

complete service and sponsors to align future member placements with the new Teleservice and 

Virtual Service Site policy in certain circumstances. The Teleservice and Virtual Service Site policy

replaced the previous teleservice policy and supersedes any temporary policy exceptions made 

to the teleservice policy during the COVID-19 outbreak. As of Saturday, April 1, 2023, all project 

sponsors who place new members, re-enroll members, or extend service terms must follow the

Teleservice and Virtual Service Site policy.
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5. Which type of member the policy applicable to? 

The policy is applicable to all VISTA members, which include yearlong members, leaders, and 

summer associates

6. Are all members automatically eligible for teleservice or virtual service site opportunities? 

No, sponsors and sites must have the administrative capacity and internal policies to support 

teleservice and virtual service site opportunities at their organization. If the sponsor or site do not 

allow work from home opportunities, Members will not be eligible for these opportunities and will 

need to report to the sponsor or site as directed. In addition, the VISTA Assignment Description 

must assign tasks that can be performed in a teleservice environment with appropriate 

supervision. If the VISTA Assignment Description does not support tasks that can be performed 

virtual service site or through teleservice, then the member will not be eligible for teleservice. 

Additional details about administrative capacity and internal policies can be found in other FAQ 

questions below.

7. What are the key definitions relevant to the Teleservice and Virtual Service Site policy? How does 

AmeriCorps VISTA define teleservice, virtual service sites, and remote service?

Sponsor: refers to the non-profit organization or government agency that applies for and receives 

an award to place AmeriCorps members and operate a VISTA project, and if applicable, receive 

a VISTA support or program grant. 

Project: refers to the set of activities, as set forth in the project application, for which the federal 

award of AmeriCorps VISTA resources was made. 

Site: refers to a nonprofit organization or government agency, usually separate from the sponsor, 

that hosts members who were assigned to the sponsor’s project, and where a member performs

service activities. 

Commuting Area: The geographic area surrounding an AmeriCorps VISTA sponsor or site location 

that encompasses the localities where people live and reasonably can be expected to travel 

back and forth daily to work / serve.  

Teleservice: Teleservice refers to a service flexibility arrangement in which a member may perform 

duties and responsibilities of their assigned VISTA Assignment Description from an approved 

alternate location other than the location of the assigned sponsor or site. Members may teleserve 

up to and including full-time, in alignment with the policies of the sponsor or site. Members are 

allowed to teleserve from a location within the commuting area of the geographic community of 

the assigned sponsor or site and are to be physically present at the sponsor or site and/or 

community events when required. 

Virtual Service Site: Virtual service sites refer to organizations that do not have a physical location 

(aka brick and mortar building). The sponsor or site is a virtual organization but still maintains a 

defined geographic area where the organization provides service and/or where the member’s 

assignment is focused (as described in the project application). Members are allowed to serve 

from a virtual site but must be located within the commuting area of the geographic community 

where the sponsor or site/assignment provides service and are physically present to meet with 

their supervisor and/or attend community events when required. Members may teleserve up to 

and including full-time at a virtual service site, in alignment with the policies of the sponsor or site. 
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Remote Service: Remote service is defined as an arrangement in which a member is not located 

within the commuting area of the geographic community of the sponsor or site and is not 

expected to be physically present at the sponsor or site and/or community events. Please note, 

remote service is NOT permitted under the AmeriCorps VISTA program.

8. What if my organization does not support alternative work locations for our staff or volunteers, and 

we require individual to report to our office? Do I still need to provide this opportunity to 

members? 

Sponsors and sites must have the administrative capacity and internal policies to support 

teleservice or virtual service site opportunities at their organization for members to be eligible. If 

the sponsor or site does not allow alternative work locations, members will not be eligible for these 

opportunities and will need to report to the sponsor or site as directed. 

9. Who provides resources, such as phone, computer, internet, etc. for members who are serving via 

teleservice or from a virtual service site? 

Per the VISTA Memorandum of Agreement Provisions: “The sponsor will provide service-related 

transportation, administrative resources, and other project support needed to successfully 

conduct the project activities”. The sponsor must ensure members have proper equipment, 

workspace, and capabilities to teleserve or serve from a virtual service site in alignment with both 

the VISTA Memorandum of Agreement and their own organizational policies and procedures.

10. Can a member who was active as of the effective policy change date of Sunday, Jan.1, 2023, but 

not located within the commuting area of the geographic community of the sponsor or site

because of COVID-19, continue to serve in this capacity to finish out their current service term? 

Sponsors must have notified their AmeriCorps Regional Office before the end of the grace period 

(Friday, March 31, 2023) that member(s) serving under their VISTA project wanted to complete 

service from a location not within the commuting area of the sponsor/site. Such a placement 

must be supported by the sponsor/site. A master list of members completing service not within 

the commuting area of their sponsor/site was compiled for official record. As of Saturday, April 1, 

2023, all project sponsors, and members must follow the Teleservice and Virtual Service Site policy. 

11. As a sponsor, I had been actively (as of the effective policy change date of Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023) 

recruiting candidates for positions not located within the commuting area of the geographic 

community of the sponsor or site because of COVID-19. Can I still nominate candidates I have 

selected for positions that have a future start date? 

As of Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, sponsors who were actively recruiting candidates for AmeriCorps VISTA 

positions who were not located within the commuting area of the geographic community of the 

sponsor or site because of COVID-19, could nominate candidates within the determined 

timeframe. The member’s service start date must have occurred by or before Friday, March 31, 

2023. As of Saturday, April 1, 2023, all project sponsors who place new members or re-enroll 

members must follow the Teleservice and Virtual Service Site policy that was released on Sunday, 

Jan. 1, 2023. Meaning, new members who start after Saturday, April 1, 2023, must be located 

within the commuting area of the geographic community of the sponsor or site. 

12. Can a member serving (as of the effective policy change date Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023) and not 

located within the commuting area of the geographic community of the sponsor or site because 

of COVID-19, REENROLL for an additional term of service and not have to relocate? 

A member who was active as of Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, and not located within the commuting 

area of the geographic community of the sponsor or site because of COVID-19 could reenroll for 

an additional remote term IF the notice of reenrollment was given by the sponsor to their Regional 
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Office by or before the end of the grace period (Friday, March 31, 2023) AND the first day of the 

reenrollment term started by or before Friday, March 31, 2023. As of Saturday, April 1, 2023, all 

project sponsors who re-enroll members must follow the Teleservice and Virtual Service Site policy 

that was released on Sunday, Jan.1, 2023. Meaning, members who re-enroll after Saturday, April 

1, 2023, must be located within the commuting area of the geographic community of the sponsor 

or site.

13. Can a member serving (as of the effective policy change date Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023) and not 

located within the commuting area of the geographic community of the sponsor or site because 

of COVID-19, Extend Service and not have to relocate? 

A member who was active as of Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 and not located within the commuting 

area of the geographic community of the sponsor or site because of COVID-19 could extend their 

service term IF the notice of extension was given by the sponsor to their Regional Office by or 

before the end of the grace period (Friday, March 31, 2023) AND the first day of the service 

extension period started by or before Friday, March 31, 2023. As of Saturday, April 1, 2023, all 

project sponsors who extend members service terms must follow the Teleservice and Virtual 

Service Site policy that was released on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. Meaning, members who want to 

extend their service term after Saturday, April 1, 2023, must be located within the commuting area 

of the geographic community of the sponsor or site.

14. Who defines the reasonable commuting area? And how do they define it? 

AmeriCorps VISTA defines “commuting area” in general terms. Commuting area is defined by the 

AmeriCorps VISTA program as the geographic area surrounding an AmeriCorps VISTA sponsor or 

site location that encompasses the localities of where people live and reasonably can be 

expected to travel back and forth daily to work / serve. Sponsors and sites will be responsible for 

defining what is considered a “reasonable commuting distance” based on their geographic 

location, and program design, as well as any relevant organizational policies and procedures. 

Sponsors will work with their designated portfolio managers to ensure a definition of “a reasonable 

commuting area” is either in the application, continuation, or some other way before recruitment 

begins. Any questions from a candidate about “if teleservice is allowed” or what the “commuting 

area” is should be addressed by the sponsor. 

15. Can support grants or program grant funds be used to support commuting cost to their sponsor or 

site location? 

No, support grants and program grants are not to be used to support member commuting costs 

to their sponsor or site location. The budget instructions outline more detail about the appropriate 

use for support and program grant funds. 

16. Where do current and potential sponsors include details about a teleservice or virtual service site 

arrangement in the application? 

As of the policy implementation date, the application instructions document update is still going 

through the clearance process. However, current sponsors can add details about teleservice 

and virtual service site arrangements during the continuation application process or through an 

application amendment. 

a. The “Sites” section of the application must reflect all current sites and future placement 

sites for service. The “Sites” section of the application must include the name of the 

organization, EIN number, address, and zip code, along with the supervisor’s name and 

contact information. 

b. Information regarding teleservice or virtual service sites must be included in the application 

Narrative under each of the following sections: the Project Management, Intermediary 
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Justification (as applicable), Recruitment and Development, and VISTA Assignment 

section. 

• Project Management: In this section, sponsors should include plans for providing 

daily supervision to members onsite, in teleservice, or serving via virtual service sites. 

They should also include how the site supervisors will be intentional about 

connecting and collaborating with VISTA members in a teleservice or virtual service 

site environment. 

• Intermediary Justification: In this section, sponsors provide information about sites 

they will partner with for the project implementation. If the service sites will be 

teleservice or virtual service site, sponsor should note which sites will support this type 

of service for members and how the project sponsor plans to monitor activities. 

• Recruitment and Development: In this section, sponsors describe whether their

organization provides teleservice opportunities or is a virtual site for members. 

Describe how members will be serving (less than five days per week and/or up to 

full-time) and how often members will be expected to meet with project staff. 

• VISTA Assignment: The tasks and activities the member will perform should be 

summarized in this section and noted if they will be conducted via teleservice or 

virtual service stie. Service activities must lend themselves to be conducted in a 

teleservice or virtual service site environment. 

17. How does the sponsor identify the VISTA Assignment Description (VAD) as a teleservice or virtual 

service assignment? 

At the time of the policy implementation date, the VISTA Assignment Description title must include 

a notation if the service will be performed via teleservice or virtual service

site. Example: Resource Development VISTA _ Virtual Service Site. The process for identifying 

VISTA Assignment Descriptions as teleservice or virtual service assignments may evolve as 

technology updates are made in the eGrants portal. Please note, the VISTA Assignment 

Description title field has a character limit of 199 characters.

18. How does the sponsor note the position is teleservice or a virtual service site on the Service 

Opportunity Listing (SOL) on My AmeriCorps? 

On the Service Opportunity Listing under “What benefits does your program offer?” in the “Other” 

field please include text that identifies the opportunity as either “permits teleservice” or “virtual 

service site as defined by AmeriCorps VISTA”. The process for identifying a Service Opportunity 

Listing as a teleservice or virtual service site assignments may evolve as technology updates are 

made in the eGrants portal.

19. How does AmeriCorps VISTA establish the county of service for the living allowance for Virtual 

Service Sites? 

Virtual Service Sites are those organizations who do not have a physical location but still maintain 

a defined geographic area. All members, including those in teleservice and virtual service site 

arrangements, are paid a living allowance that is based on the poverty rate for a single individual 

in the geographic area where the member serves. The allowance rate will be determined by the 

county of the site location selected for each individual member as listed on the VISTA Assignment 

Description (VAD). It is important the “Sites” section of the project application include the correct 

address of the sites for the project and that the VISTA Assignment Description is tied to the correct 

site for each member. 
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20. If I have an intermediary project, do all service placements need to be the same? Can we allow 

teleservice at one service site, and not at another?

Not all service site placements need to be the same for an intermediary project. Each site under 

an intermediary sponsor will determine if they allow teleservice or have a virtual service site. The 

intermediary sponsor will be responsible for tracking and reporting that information to their 

AmeriCorps Regional Office and the AmeriCorps VISTA program, as applicable. 

21. Who maintains and keeps the teleservice or virtual service site request and agreement form? 

The project sponsor and service site are responsible for approving, acknowledging, and 

maintaining records related to the teleservice and virtual service site request and agreement 

form. Sites must approve or decline the request. Sponsors must acknowledge and maintain 

access to the record of the AmeriCorps VISTA Teleservice Request and Agreement Form for each 

individual member who submits a request for either a teleservice or virtual service site 

arrangement. This form is intended to be collected during or before orientation of the members 

and maintained in file in accordance with record retention policies. 

22. Where can I find the updated teleservice or virtual service site request and agreement form? 

The updated VISTA Member Teleservice Request Form has been migrated to the My AmeriCorps 

Member Portal and approvals can be completed by site supervisors (via an email notification and 

direct link to the system) and project directors through the eGrants Portal. This form serves as a 

checklist to assess the safety of a teleservice or virtual service site arrangement and serves as the 

agreement form relevant to the teleservice and virtual service site policy.

A reference guide has been created to better understand the approval flow in the system. The 

reference guide can be found the AmeriCorps VISTA Sponsor Page 

(https://www.americorps.gov/grantees-sponsors/vista) under VISTA Resources, then from the 

drop-down menu select “Managing Members”.

23. Does my project sponsor / site have to have specific internal policies, procedures, and 

agreements for teleservice or virtual service site? 

For members to be eligible for teleservice, project sponsors and sites must first have the 

administrative capacity and internal policies, in place, to support teleservice and virtual service 

site opportunities. This includes ensuring members have proper equipment, workspace, and 

capabilities to teleserve or serve from a virtual service site in alignment with both the VISTA 

Memorandum of Agreement and their own organizational policies and procedures. If the sponsor 

or site does not allow work from home opportunities, members will not be eligible for these 

opportunities and will need to report to the sponsor or site as directed. In addition to internal 

policies, tasks on a member’s VISTA Assignment Description (VAD) must be performable in such an 

environment with appropriate supervision. If the VISTA Assignment Description does not support 

tasks that can be performed in such a manner the member will not be eligible for such 

opportunities.

24. What should such an internal policy entail? 

Specifics to what an organization’s internal teleservice policies and procedures should entail are 

at the discretion of the sponsoring organization and sites. Members are still subject to all 

AmeriCorps VISTA rules, regulations, and prohibited activities. It is recommended, that while 
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developing such policies and procedures, sponsors / sites look at the purpose and scope of the 

policy, eligible positions, work expectations, legal considerations, tools, equipment, and supplies 

along with technical support options for members. Sponsors and sites should also consider 

guidelines for setting up a safe and efficient work environments as well as maintaining security 

and confidentiality rules.