I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6958 

To expand the financial, healthcare, and educational benefits received by 

Peace Corps and AmeriCorps volunteers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 7, 2022 

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 Foreign Affairs, Veterans’ Affairs, and Education and Labor, 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, healthcare, 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) EXTENDED HEALTHCARE.— 

11 (1) 1-YEAR ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH BENE12 FITS.—Subchapter VIII of title 38, United States 

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

14 new section: 

15 ‘‘§ 1789A. Former Peace Corps volunteers 

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

17 after the final day of the service of a Peace Corps volun18 teer, the Secretary shall provide such former volunteer 

19 such hospital care or medical services as the former volun20 teer may elect to receive at a medical facility of the De21 partment of Veterans Affairs. The cost of any care or serv22 ices furnished under this section to such former volunteer 

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

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

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


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1 accordance with health care otherwise provided to volun2 teers under section 5(e) of the Peace Corps Act.’’. 

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

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

5 amended— 

6 (A) by inserting after the first sentence the 

7 following new sentence: ‘‘Former volunteers 

8 shall also be entitled to such hospital care and 

9 medical services as may be provided in accord10 ance with section 1789A of title 38, United 

11 States Code.’’; and 

12 (B) in the second sentence, by inserting 

13 ‘‘(other than health care provided in accordance 

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

15 care’’. 

16 (3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec17 tions for chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, 

18 is amended by adding after the item relating to sec19 tion 1789 the following new item: 

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

20 (c) NONTAXABLE STATUS FOR READJUSTMENT AL21 LOWANCES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of the 

22 Internal Revenue Code of 1986, a readjustment allowance 

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

24 (22 U.S.C. 2504(c)) shall not be subject to taxation under 

25 chapter 1 of such Code. 


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1 (d) REGULARITY OF PAYMENTS OF MONTHLY STI2 PENDS.—The Director of the Peace Corps shall take such 

3 steps as may be necessary to ensure that Peace Corps vol4 unteers receive stipends on a regular and predictable basis 

5 (and, to the maximum extent practicable, on the same nu6 merical day of each month), including in the event of a 

7 temporary partial or complete government shutdown. 

8 SEC. 3. EXPANDED BENEFITS FOR AMERICORPS VOLUN9 TEERS. 

10 (a) INCREASE IN NATIONAL SERVICE POSITIONS.— 

11 Notwithstanding any provision of the national service 

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

13 fewer than 500,000 national service positions shall be 

14 available under the national service programs authorized 

15 under such laws. 

16 (b) INCREASE IN LIVING ALLOWANCE.—Notwith17 standing section 140 of the National and Community 

18 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594) or any other provi19 sion of the national service laws, any individual serving 

20 in a national service program authorized under a national 

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

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

23 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 

24 U.S.C. 9902(2)) and adjusted by the Corporation for NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:26 Mar 09, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6958.IH H6958

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1 tional and Community Service in the manner described in 

2 such section. 

3 (c) EXTENDED NON-COMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY.— 

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

5 head of any agency in the Executive branch may non6 competitively appoint, to a competitive service position at 

7 such agency, any individual who is certified by the Cor8 poration for National and Community Service as having 

9 satisfactorily completed service in a national service pro10 gram authorized under a national service law. Such an in11 dividual may not be appointed under the authority pro12 vided under this section after the date that is 3 years after 

13 the date such individual so completes such service. 

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

15 Notwithstanding section 140 of the National and Commu16 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594) or any other 

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

18 period beginning on the day after the final day of a partic19 ipant in a national service program authorized under a 

20 national service law, the Corporation for National and 

21 Community Service shall provide such former participant, 

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

23 such participant received during the term of service in 

24 such program. 


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1 (e) DOUBLING OF THE SEGAL AMERICORPS EDU2 CATION AWARD.—Section 147(a) of the National and 

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

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

5 (f) NATIONAL SERVICE LAWS DEFINED.—In this 

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

7 given such term in section 101 of the National and Com8 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). 

9 SEC. 4. EXCLUSION FROM GROSS INCOME OF CERTAIN PAY10 MENTS FOR NATIONAL SERVICE. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part II of subchapter B of chap12 ter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended 

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

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

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

16 include any amount received under a national service edu17 cational award under subtitle D of title I of the National 

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

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

20 during participation in a national service program author21 ized under a national service law (as defined in section 

22 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

23 (42 U.S.C. 12511)).’’. 

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

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


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1 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

2 139I the following new item: 

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

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

4 this section shall apply to taxable years ending after the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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