AmeriCorps Seniors Recovery- Continues

Pandemic Recovery: The Path Forward for AmeriCorps Seniors Programs and 

Service

July 2020

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To: AmeriCorps Seniors Grantees/Sponsors

From: AmeriCorps Seniors

Date: July 23, 2020; Revised August 6, 2020; 

Revised March 17, 2021

Re: Pandemic Recovery Return to Service Recommendations

It has been a year since our country and communities drastically changed. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our 

country has experienced an unprecedented decline of the stock market, business closures and unparalleled 

unemployment, food pantries overrun with families who in the past donated to such organizations now need the services 

of them, and in the most simplest terms a complete overflow of citizens needing services from our nation’s health care 

system. With that we have also see our fellow Americans rise to the challenge to meet the needs of their fellow man and 

community. We have seen our AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers find prolific ways to serve their communities in need. 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have started virtual reading session, bingo nights for homebound and isolated older 

adults, and while practicing safe precautions brought meals to families in need. 

As we enter a year of living in these difficult times, we must plan towards the recovery and reopening of our nation and 

plan for all AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers to return to serve in America restructures business operations and volunteer 

service programs during this unprecedented period. The purpose of this document is to provide information and be used 

as a guide on how to implement and engage AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in safe service activities. 

Summary of Flexibilities Provided to Grantees

COVID-19 has had a direct impact on many grantees’ ability to continue normal program operations in communities 

across the country. Following local, state, and federal guidelines, many sponsors had needed to suspended volunteer 

activities to ensure the safety of their staff and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers. AmeriCorps Seniors has focused on 

finding new ways to ensure safe, productive and enriching service occurs. 

To help support those efforts, AmeriCorps Seniors approved a number of relief measures that can help ensure compliance 

with the legal requirements of grant awards and maintain the integrity of the AmeriCorps Seniors programs, while at the 

same time giving grantees the comfort of knowing they will have the funding needed to meet the needs of the 

communities they serve on the other side of this pandemic. Current relief efforts include:

• Temporary volunteer allowance for FGP/SCP Volunteers

• Grantee Matching funds waiver for FY2019, FY2020, and FY2021

• Support of OMB directive for grantee staff pay

• Guidance addressing Performance Measures

Next Steps

Based on continued information provided by the AmeriCorps Seniors Associations and their boards, discussions with 

grantees and sponsors, and following the recommendation of AmeriCorps and with the approval from the Office of 

General Counsel, described below is a framework for reopening AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer service opportunities. As 

Title: Pandemic Recovery: The Path Forward for AmeriCorps Seniors Programs and Service

Date Issued: July 23, 2020; Revised August 6, 2020; Revised March 1, 2021

Date Posted: August 6, 2020

Unique Identifier: SC 006

Topic: Pandemic recovery return to service recommendations updated

Summary: Guidance for AmeriCorps Seniors grantees on continuing to return to service during the 

COVID-19
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grantees continue to plan and implement service during this needed time, this document is not an exclusive list nor a 

required plan of action, rather a compilation of recommended safe service practices and service flexibilities.

AmeriCorps Seniors recognizes in many places volunteer service is going to look very different. AmeriCorps Seniors

promotes safe volunteering practices as the well-being of our volunteers is our first priority. The impact of AmeriCorps 

Seniors volunteers is undeniable and is crucial for the reopening of America, but all programs must evaluate what that 

means and how that will be defined in their own communities.

Alternative Service Plans

If grantees have volunteers unable to engage in activities defined on their original Notice of Grant Award due to COVID19, grantees are required to draft Alternative Service Plans to ensure AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have safe and 

impactful ways to service their communities. These Alternative Service Plans should be documented in Performance 

Measure and work plans. Please ensure your Portfolio Manager is aware and approves any updates you wish to make. 

Suggestion on Alternative Services can be found in section Service Activities- Common Traditional and New Permissible 

Flexibilities to Serve and AmeriCorps Seniors Performance Measure- COVID.

Safe Volunteering – A Pathway to Service

As the country continues to adapt to the COVID-19 Pandemic, AmeriCorps Seniors service programs are having to strike 

a balance between maintaining the basic functions of program delivery while ensuring safe volunteering practices. 

AmeriCorps Seniors grantees have always responded to local community needs through a wide variety of service 

delivery models and during this time of a nationwide pandemic that will be no different. Furthermore, as communities 

move to next steps to reopening, it will no longer be a question of if AmeriCorps Seniors programs will use technology in 

service activities, but rather how technology will be utilized in service activities to support safe volunteering. These are

uncharted waters and AmeriCorps Seniors is committed to continuing to explore discrete options to support safe 

volunteering and a return to service. 

There has never been a one-size-fits-all approach for all programs or all communities, and that will not change. The need 

for continued flexibilities in volunteer activities is critical at this time, while also providing a balance within the realm of 

allowable activities outlined under each AmeriCorps Seniors program’s federal regulations. 

Safety Recommendations – Return to Service 

In light of state and local government officials across the country’s easing up on the stringent business and government 

closures and stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, grantees continue to prepare and implement return-tovolunteer service plans that promote both volunteers’ safety and appropriate social-distancing service activities while also 

reducing any risk to the COVID -19 virus for volunteers and the individuals and communities they serve. Below are 

recommendations for grantees and volunteer stations to consider.

• AmeriCorps Seniors strongly recommends grantees follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reopening 

guidance, and their own state and county re-opening measures. Senior Corps is mindful that each location may 

be on a different timeline based on each state’s local conditions and specific geographic region.

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees ensure physical service locations (volunteer stations) are safe and, 

social distancing measures are implemented.

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees provide an ample amount of cleaning products and hand 

sanitizer for volunteers to use on their own and in commonly used shared spaces.
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• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees ensure that volunteers wear face coverings at service locations 

where appropriate. For those volunteers who are unable to wear face coverings due to a medical condition or 

disability, the grantees should consider assigning those volunteers to teleservice work or other service activities 

that will not require a face covering.

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees close off access to physical service location common areas, break 

rooms, and other areas where volunteers congregate.

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees strongly discourage visitors from entering grantee and volunteer 

station facilities.

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees schedule volunteers’ return to service at physical service locations 

on staggered shifts and/or rotating schedules.

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees establish a protocol for health screening and apply it consistently 

to all volunteers who are volunteering at a service location. Grantees should consider legal and logistical issues 

before implementing any health screening measures for volunteers.

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees develop and implement a health screening survey or 

questionnaire for volunteers that is simple and easy to access. The survey or questionnaire could ask volunteers 

whether they have tested positive for COVID-19, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a medical professional; 

have been directed to self-isolate by a public health authority or by a healthcare provider due to potential 

exposure to COVID-19. Completed surveys and questionnaires should be maintained as confidential information 

in a separate and secure location. 

• AmeriCorps Seniors recommends that grantees issue a policy requiring volunteers to inform the grantee 

promptly if they test positive for or are diagnosed with COVID-19 and to stay home and includes meeting any 

state-specific notification requirements. The policy should give the grantee the opportunity to take steps quickly 

to prevent the infection from spreading in their facilities or service locations. 

Service Activities- Common Traditional and New Permissible Flexibilities to Serve

The flexibilities identified below have been deemed permissible service activities for AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers 

during this time of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Service Activities listed below are presented as options and 

should not be considered as an all-inclusive list. 

*FGP – these service activities were pulled from the AmeriCorps Seniors FGP Handbook - 7.1.2 Foster Grandparent Assignments

**RSVP – these service activities were pulled from the AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Handbook - 7.2.1 Selection of Assignments Range of 

Options

***SCP – these service activities were pulled from the AmeriCorps Seniors SCP Handbook - 7.1.2 Senior Companion Assignments

Foster Grandparent Program RSVP Senior Companion Program

Encourage the social and emotional 

development of disadvantaged young 

children. *

All service activities listed for the 

Foster Grandparent and Senior 

Companion Program.

Accompany the client to social 

activities and medical appointments. 

***

Read to a child in a Head Start 

program. *

Organize neighborhood watch 

programs. **

Assist with activities of daily living 

such as meal preparation, grocery 
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shopping, offering medication 

reminders. ***

Teach English to a child for whom it 

is a second language. *

Tutor and mentor disadvantaged or 

disabled youth. **

Provide transportation to social 

activities or for basic errands. ***

Tutor disadvantaged youth towards 

GED completion. *

Renovate homes. ** Participate in reading together or 

writing correspondence programs. ***

Tutor/mentor student in-person or 

virtually.

Teach English to immigrants. ** Write letters via a pen pal program to 

home-bound or isolated seniors.

Tutor/mentor student over the 

telephone or through a tutoring callin line.

Assist victims of natural disasters. ** Telephone or video chats with homebound or isolated seniors.

Support students in their efforts to 

complete special projects or the 

development of student packets for 

distance learning.

Write letters via a pen pal programs 

for example with but not limited to 

students, veterans, home-bound or 

isolated seniors.

Delivery of groceries, medications, 

meals or other essential items to but 

limited to home-bound or isolated 

seniors.

Read books with children virtually 

and engage with the students in 

discussion questions regarding the 

book. Could be done virtually, 

through stories being recorded by the 

volunteer or over the telephone.

Telephone or video chats with but not 

limited to students, veterans, homebound or isolated seniors.

Provide respite relief through virtual 

support utilizing FaceTime or similar 

technology. 

Serve as a pen pal for both writing 

skills development and social 

support.

Delivery groceries, medications, 

meals or other essential items to but 

limited to veterans, home-bound or 

isolated seniors.

Telephone or wellness checks on 

other seniors through an established 

state or Department of Aging call 

plan.

Support connecting to educational 

resources for both students and 

parents, i.e. library/book mobile 

resources.

Transportation programs for 

veterans, home-bound or isolated 

seniors.

Support admission and release 

activities each day to ensure safe 

practices for students.

Support student learning efforts 

through providing administrative 

support for teachers.

Serve as school greeters to welcome 

and reassure parents/children 

throughout the school day and ensure 

safe learning environments as 

parents/children enter school 

buildings.

Support the work of community 

gardens projects.

Support the preparation and/or 

delivery of meals to students.

Serve at Meals on Wheels programs, 

Food Pantries, and/or other 

community food drive initiatives. 

Telephone wellness check-ins with 

students focused on overall wellbeing of student not necessarily a 

learning objective. 

Serve at drive-through Volunteer 

Income Tax Assistance Programs.

Telephone check-ins with 

parents/caregiver to determine what 

learning resources are needed to 

support students virtual learning 

needs.

Support COVID-19 community-based 

contact tracing initiatives. 
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Create science mystery boxes or takehome activities for students to 

explore.

Create video demonstrations of new 

skills students can explore at home. 

Videos could include but not limited 

to cooking, sewing, or woodworking.

Provide to children with special or 

exceptional needs or circumstances 

life skills lesson on topics such as but 

not limited to job readiness, virtual 

job interview practice, school 

readiness, budgeting, hygiene, or 

meal planning.

Deliver meals to isolated children 

with special or exceptional needs or 

circumstances. 

Note: Grantees must ensure that a volunteer’s activities are not otherwise prohibited (e.g. lobbying) and are not activities 

that paid staff or non-AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers would otherwise perform. Grantees cannot assign volunteer 

activities that supplant hiring or paid staff or non-AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers’ assignments or displace currently 

existing staff or volunteers. Also, to the extent the grantee organization has contracts in effect to perform services, none of 

the service activities assigned to volunteers may impair those contracts.

In Conclusion

It is known that not all programs, nor all communities will be able to open at the same rate due to the impact of COVID19 on individual geographic locations. It is also important to acknowledge that while some communities may be 

reopening, volunteer stations such as schools may limit the number of outside persons allowed in any building or 

classroom at any one time. Similarly, senior home health care programs may limit or reduce the number of outside 

visitors into homes or day program facilities. As communities are struggling with planning on what to next to 

reconstitute, the questions are becoming increasingly more challenging. It is critical that all grantees stay in close contact 

with their Portfolio Manager.

It is also important to acknowledge that we are providing this document as a suggested, permissible path forward for as 

an approach to promote safety for our volunteers and provide service during this pandemic and the recovery effort. The 

recommendations provided in this is an evolving and meant only as a guide and to help you navigate a path forward that 

you might consider as you help your volunteers return to their service activities. As situations and circumstances are 

constantly shifting in communities and throughout the nation, and as more instructions from the federal offices come, 

AmeriCorps Seniors may be compelled to shift approaches and revise some of the information that we have included in 

this memo. 

Please use as much or as little as you need to help develop a path forward for AmeriCorps Seniors programs and 

volunteers. We must safely reengage AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in their communities because our nation’s 

communities desperately need the services that they provide. 

Additional Resources include:

• Agency-wide and Senior Corps specific FAQs
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• Steps for Obtaining Program Officer/ Portfolio Manager Approval for, and to Implement a Temporary Allowance 

to FGP and SCP Volunteers Who are not Able to Serve

• AmeriCorps Seniors Performance Measure- COVID

• COVID-19 Resource Tool Kit

Please continue to leverage your Portfolio Manager for ongoing support.

Thank you for your dedication. 

The AmeriCorps Seniors Team

Footnotes:

Note: All organizations that receive funding from the AmeriCorps to operate AmeriCorps Seniors Program are to follow 

their organizations written policies and procedures in consultation with their local and state official governments and 

health guidelines when it comes to safe volunteering. 

Note: AmeriCorps Office of General Counsel has determined that grantees have flexibilities to create safe, social 

distancing service assignments for AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers that do not supplant or cause displacement of the 

grantees or service location staff persons. All grantees must also comply with program regulations as stated in:

• FGP regulation 45 CFR 2552.71

• RSVP regulation 45 CFR 2553.51

• SCP regulation 45 CFR 2551.71

Note: Section 404(a) of the DVSA and AmeriCorps Seniors regulations at 45 CFR Part 1216, which apply to all three 

AmeriCorps Seniors programs, prohibit against supplanting hiring, displacing state and impairing service contracts.

Note: AmeriCorps Seniors FGP and RSVP grantees must comply with the Children Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, 

as amended (COPPA). Link to resources on COPPA.

Note: In September of 2020, CNCS rebranded its name. Although CNCS remains its legal name, CNCS now operates 

under the working name of AmeriCorps, and Senior Corps is now referred to as AmeriCorps Seniors.