I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5682 

To expand the financial, health care, and educational benefits received by 

Peace Corps and AmeriCorps volunteers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 

Mr. KIM of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees 

on Education and the Workforce, Foreign Affairs, and Veterans’ Affairs, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To expand the financial, health care, and educational benefits 

received by Peace Corps and AmeriCorps volunteers, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘A Chance To Serve 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EXPANDED BENEFITS FOR CURRENT AND FORMER 

2 PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS. 

3 (a) EXTENDED NON-COMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY.— 

4 The President shall revise Executive Order 11103 (28 

5 Fed. Reg. 3571; relating to providing for the appointment 

6 of former Peace Corps volunteers to the civilian career 

7 services) to extend to three years the period during which 

8 any appointment under the authority of such Executive 

9 Order may be made. 

10 (b) NON-DISCRIMINATION BASED ON CERTAIN IMMI11 GRATION STATUSES.—Section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act 

12 (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘citizens 

14 and nationals of the United States’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘citizens, nationals, and lawful permanent residents 

16 of the United States’’; and 

17 (2) in the fourth sentence, by striking ‘‘or 

18 color.’’ and inserting ‘‘color, or status as a refugee, 

19 asylee, or other lawfully admitted alien.’’. 

20 (c) REGULARITY OF PAYMENTS OF MONTHLY STI21 PENDS.—The Director of the Peace Corps shall take such 

22 steps as may be necessary to ensure that Peace Corps vol23 unteers receive stipends on a regular and predictable basis 

24 (and, to the maximum extent practicable, on the same nu25 merical day of each month), including in the event of a 

26 temporary partial or complete government shutdown. 


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1 (d) EXTENDED HEALTH CARE.— 

2 (1) 1-YEAR ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH BENE3 FITS.—Subchapter VIII of title 38, United States 

4 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 

5 new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 1789A. Former Peace Corps volunteers 

7 ‘‘During the one-year period beginning on the day 

8 after the final day of the service of a Peace Corps volun9 teer, the Secretary shall provide such former volunteer 

10 such hospital care or medical services as the former volun11 teer may elect to receive at a medical facility of the De12 partment of Veterans Affairs. The cost of any care or serv13 ices furnished under this section to such former volunteer 

14 shall be reimbursed at such rates as may be agreed upon 

15 by the Secretary and the Director of the Peace Corps, 

16 based on the cost of the care or service furnished and in 

17 accordance with health care otherwise provided to volun18 teers under section 5(e) of the Peace Corps Act.’’. 

19 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 5(e) 

20 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(e)) is 

21 amended— 

22 (A) by inserting after the first sentence the 

23 following new sentence: ‘‘Former volunteers 

24 shall also be entitled to such hospital care and 

25 medical services as may be provided in accordVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:11 Sep 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5682.IH H5682

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1 ance with section 1789A of title 38, United 

2 States Code.’’; and 

3 (B) in the second sentence, by inserting 

4 ‘‘(other than health care provided in accordance 

5 with such section 1789A)’’ after ‘‘such health 

6 care’’. 

7 (3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec8 tions for chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, 

9 is amended by adding after the item relating to sec10 tion 1789 the following new item: 

‘‘1789A. Former Peace Corps volunteers.’’. 

11 (e) READJUSTMENT ALLOWANCES FOR VOLUNTEERS

12 AND VOLUNTEER LEADERS.—Section 5 of the Peace 

13 Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘insure their 

15 health’’ and inserting ‘‘ensure their safety, their 

16 health, and’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (c)— 

18 (A) by striking ‘‘$125’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘$375’’; 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘his’’ each place such term 

21 appears and inserting ‘‘the volunteer’s’’; and 

22 (C) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

23 volunteer’’; 

24 (3) by redesignating subsection (e), as amended 

25 by subsection (b)(2) of this Act as subsection (d); 


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1 (4) by inserting after subsection (d), as so 

2 amended and redesignated, the following: 

3 ‘‘(e) The Director shall consult with health experts 

4 outside of the Peace Corps, including experts licensed in 

5 the field of mental health, and follow guidance by the Cen6 ters for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the pre7 scription of medications to volunteers.’’; 

8 (5) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘he’’ and in9 serting ‘‘the President’’; 

10 (6) in subsection (n)(2)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘subsection (e)’’ each place 

12 such term appears and inserting ‘‘subsection 

13 (d)’’; and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

15 President’’; 

16 (7) in subsection (o), by striking ‘‘his’’ each 

17 place such term appears and inserting ‘‘the volun18 teer’s’’; and 

19 (8) by adding at the end the following new sub20 section: 

21 ‘‘(q) SUSPENSION OF PAYMENTS AND ACCRUAL OF

22 INTEREST ON FEDERAL LOANS DURING SERVICE.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a volunteer receives a 

24 loan made under part D of title IV of the Higher 


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1 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.) 

2 before commencing service in the Peace Corps— 

3 ‘‘(A) all payments due for such loans shall 

4 be suspended; and 

5 ‘‘(B) interest shall not accrue on such loan 

6 for the duration of such service. 

7 ‘‘(2) DEFERMENT OR FORBEARANCE.—Not8 withstanding any other provision of the Higher Edu9 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), the 

10 Secretary of Education shall deem each month for 

11 which a loan payment was— 

12 ‘‘(A) suspended under this subsection; or 

13 ‘‘(B) subject to a deferment or forbearance 

14 under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as if 

15 the borrower of the loan had made a payment 

16 for the purpose of any loan forgiveness program 

17 or loan rehabilitation program authorized under 

18 part B or D of title IV of the Higher Education 

19 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq. and 1087a 

20 et seq.) for which the borrower would have oth21 erwise qualified.’’. 

22 (f) NONTAXABLE STATUS FOR READJUSTMENT AL23 LOWANCES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of the 

24 Internal Revenue Code of 1986, a readjustment allowance 

25 received pursuant to section 5(c) of the Peace Corps Act 


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1 (22 U.S.C. 2504(c)), as amended by subsection (e)(2) of 

2 this section, shall not be subject to taxation under chapter 

3 1 of such Code. 

4 SEC. 3. EXPANDED BENEFITS FOR AMERICORPS VOLUN5 TEERS. 

6 (a) INCREASE IN NATIONAL SERVICE POSITIONS.— 

7 Notwithstanding any provision of the national service 

8 laws, on or after the date of enactment of this Act, not 

9 fewer than 500,000 national service positions shall be 

10 available under the national service programs authorized 

11 under such laws. 

12 (b) INCREASE IN LIVING ALLOWANCE.—Notwith13 standing section 140 of the National and Community 

14 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594) or any other provi15 sion of the national service laws, any individual serving 

16 in a national service program authorized under a national 

17 service law shall receive a living allowance that is not less 

18 than 200 percent of the poverty line (as defined in section 

19 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 

20 U.S.C. 9902(2)) and adjusted by the Corporation for Na21 tional and Community Service in the manner described in 

22 such section. 

23 (c) EXTENDED NON-COMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY.— 

24 Notwithstanding any other law, rule, or regulation, the 

25 head of any agency in the Executive branch may nonVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:11 Sep 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5682.IH H5682

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1 competitively appoint, to a competitive service position at 

2 such agency, any individual who is certified by the Cor3 poration for National and Community Service as having 

4 satisfactorily completed service in a national service pro5 gram authorized under a national service law. Such an in6 dividual may not be appointed under the authority pro7 vided under this section after the date that is 3 years after 

8 the date such individual so completes such service. 

9 (d) 1-YEAR ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH BENEFITS.— 

10 Notwithstanding section 140 of the National and Commu11 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594) or any other 

12 provision of the national service laws, during the one-year 

13 period beginning on the day after the final day of a partic14 ipant in a national service program authorized under a 

15 national service law, the Corporation for National and 

16 Community Service shall provide such former participant, 

17 at no cost to such participant, with the health care policy 

18 such participant received during the term of service in 

19 such program. 

20 (e) DOUBLING OF THE SEGAL AMERICORPS EDU21 CATION AWARD.—Section 147(a) of the National and 

22 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12603(a)) is 

23 amended by inserting ‘‘twice’’ before ‘‘the maximum’’. 

24 (f) USE OF THE SEGAL AMERICORPS EDUCATION

25 AWARD.—Section 148(a)(4) of the National and CommuVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Sep 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5682.IH H5682

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1 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604(a)(4)) is 

2 amended by inserting before the semicolon at the end the 

3 following: ‘‘, or for the purpose of obtaining a recognized 

4 post-secondary credential (as defined in section 3 of the 

5 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

6 3102)’’. 

7 (g) SUSPENSION OF PAYMENTS AND ACCRUAL OF IN8 TEREST ON FEDERAL LOANS DURING SERVICE.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any provi10 sion of a national service law, if an individual re11 ceives a loan made under part D of title IV of the 

12 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et 

13 seq.) before commencing service in a national service 

14 program under a national service law— 

15 (A) all payments due for such loans shall 

16 be suspended; and 

17 (B) interest shall not accrue on such loan 

18 for the duration of such service. 

19 (2) DEFERMENT OR FORBEARANCE.—Notwith20 standing any other provision of the Higher Edu21 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), the 

22 Secretary of Education shall deem each month for 

23 which a loan payment was— 

24 (A) suspended under this subsection; or 


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1 (B) subject to a deferment or forbearance 

2 under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as if 

3 the borrower of the loan had made a payment 

4 for the purpose of any loan forgiveness program 

5 or loan rehabilitation program authorized under 

6 part B or D of title IV of the Higher Education 

7 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq. and 1087a 

8 et seq.) for which the borrower would have oth9 erwise qualified. 

10 (h) NON-DISCRIMINATION BASED ON CERTAIN IMMI11 GRATION STATUSES.—Notwithstanding any provision of a 

12 national service law, a refugee, asylee, or other lawfully 

13 admitted alien may not be prohibited from serving in a 

14 national service program authorized under such a law, or 

15 receiving an education benefit for such service, on the 

16 basis of such status. 

17 (i) PLANNING GRANTS FOR UNDERSERVED COMMU18 NITIES.—Notwithstanding any provision of a national 

19 service law, the Corporation for National and Community 

20 Service may award planning grants to underserved com21 munities to enable such communities to develop the capac22 ity to carry out national service programs under national 

23 service laws. Any matching fund requirements under the 

24 national service laws shall be waived for the first 2 years 


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1 during which any such community carries out such a na2 tional service program. 

3 (j) NATIONAL SERVICE LAWS DEFINED.—In this 

4 section, the term ‘‘national service laws’’ has the meaning 

5 given such term in section 101 of the National and Com6 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). 

7 SEC. 4. PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS. 

8 Section 455(m)(3)(B) of the Higher Education Act 

9 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)(3)(B)) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of clause (i); 

11 (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the 

12 end and inserting ‘‘; or’’ ; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(iii) serving, on a full-time basis, in 

15 a national service program authorized 

16 under a national service law (as defined in 

17 section 101 of the National and Commu18 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

19 12511)) or as a Peace Corps volunteer.’’. 

20 SEC. 5. EXCLUSION FROM GROSS INCOME OF CERTAIN PAY21 MENTS FOR NATIONAL SERVICE. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part II of subchapter B of chap23 ter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended 

24 by inserting after section 139I the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 139J. CERTAIN PAYMENTS FOR NATIONAL SERVICE. 

2 ‘‘In the case of an individual, gross income shall not 

3 include any amount received under a national service edu4 cational award under subtitle D of title I of the National 

5 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601 

6 et seq.) or any living allowance provided to such individual 

7 during participation in a national service program author8 ized under a national service law (as defined in section 

9 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

10 (42 U.S.C. 12511)).’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

12 for part II of subchapter B of chapter 1 of such Code 

13 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

14 139I the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 139J. Certain payments for national service.’’. 

15 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

16 this section shall apply to taxable years ending after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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