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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘A Chance To Serve 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXPANDED BENEFITS FOR CURRENT AND FORMER 
PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS. 
(a) EXTENDED NON-COMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY.— 
The President shall revise Executive Order 11103 (28 
Fed. Reg. 3571; relating to providing for the appointment 
of former Peace Corps volunteers to the civilian career 
services) to extend to three years the period during which 
any appointment under the authority of such Executive 
Order may be made. 
(b) NON-DISCRIMINATION BASED ON CERTAIN IMMI-
GRATION STATUSES.—Section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2504(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘citizens 
and nationals of the United States’’ and inserting 
‘‘citizens, nationals, and lawful permanent residents 
of the United States’’; and 
(2) in the fourth sentence, by striking ‘‘or 
color.’’ and inserting ‘‘color, or status as a refugee, 
asylee, or other lawfully admitted alien.’’. 
(c) REGULARITY OF PAYMENTS OF MONTHLY STI-
PENDS.—The Director of the Peace Corps shall take such 
steps as may be necessary to ensure that Peace Corps vol-
unteers receive stipends on a regular and predictable basis 
(and, to the maximum extent practicable, on the same nu-
merical day of each month), including in the event of a 
temporary partial or complete government shutdown. 
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(d) EXTENDED HEALTH CARE.— 
(1) 1-YEAR
ELIGIBILITY
FOR
HEALTH
BENE-
FITS.—Subchapter VIII of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 
new section: 
‘‘§ 1789A. Former Peace Corps volunteers 
‘‘During the one-year period beginning on the day 
after the final day of the service of a Peace Corps volun-
teer, the Secretary shall provide such former volunteer 
such hospital care or medical services as the former volun-
teer may elect to receive at a medical facility of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs. The cost of any care or serv-
ices furnished under this section to such former volunteer 
shall be reimbursed at such rates as may be agreed upon 
by the Secretary and the Director of the Peace Corps, 
based on the cost of the care or service furnished and in 
accordance with health care otherwise provided to volun-
teers under section 5(e) of the Peace Corps Act.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 5(e) 
of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(e)) is 
amended— 
(A) by inserting after the first sentence the 
following new sentence: ‘‘Former volunteers 
shall also be entitled to such hospital care and 
medical services as may be provided in accord-
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ance with section 1789A of title 38, United 
States Code.’’; and 
(B) in the second sentence, by inserting 
‘‘(other than health care provided in accordance 
with such section 1789A)’’ after ‘‘such health 
care’’. 
(3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions for chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding after the item relating to sec-
tion 1789 the following new item: 
‘‘1789A. Former Peace Corps volunteers.’’. 
(e) READJUSTMENT ALLOWANCES FOR VOLUNTEERS 
AND VOLUNTEER LEADERS.—Section 5 of the Peace 
Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘insure their 
health’’ and inserting ‘‘ensure their safety, their 
health, and’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘$125’’ and inserting 
‘‘$375’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘his’’ each place such term 
appears and inserting ‘‘the volunteer’s’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the 
volunteer’’; 
(3) by redesignating subsection (e), as amended 
by subsection (b)(2) of this Act as subsection (d); 
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Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.) 
before commencing service in the Peace Corps— 
‘‘(A) all payments due for such loans shall 
be suspended; and 
‘‘(B) interest shall not accrue on such loan 
for the duration of such service. 
‘‘(2) DEFERMENT
OR
FORBEARANCE.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), the 
Secretary of Education shall deem each month for 
which a loan payment was— 
‘‘(A) suspended under this subsection; or 
‘‘(B) subject to a deferment or forbearance 
under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as if 
the borrower of the loan had made a payment 
for the purpose of any loan forgiveness program 
or loan rehabilitation program authorized under 
part B or D of title IV of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq. and 1087a 
et seq.) for which the borrower would have oth-
erwise qualified.’’. 
(f) NONTAXABLE STATUS FOR READJUSTMENT AL-
LOWANCES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, a readjustment allowance 
received pursuant to section 5(c) of the Peace Corps Act 
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(22 U.S.C. 2504(c)), as amended by subsection (e)(2) of 
this section, shall not be subject to taxation under chapter 
1 of such Code. 
SEC. 3. EXPANDED BENEFITS FOR AMERICORPS VOLUN-
TEERS. 
(a) INCREASE IN NATIONAL SERVICE POSITIONS.— 
Notwithstanding any provision of the national service 
laws, on or after the date of enactment of this Act, not 
fewer than 500,000 national service positions shall be 
available under the national service programs authorized 
under such laws. 
(b) INCREASE
IN LIVING ALLOWANCE.—Notwith-
standing section 140 of the National and Community 
Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594) or any other provi-
sion of the national service laws, any individual serving 
in a national service program authorized under a national 
service law shall receive a living allowance that is not less 
than 200 percent of the poverty line (as defined in section 
673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 
U.S.C. 9902(2)) and adjusted by the Corporation for Na-
tional and Community Service in the manner described in 
such section. 
(c) EXTENDED NON-COMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY.— 
Notwithstanding any other law, rule, or regulation, the 
head of any agency in the Executive branch may non-
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competitively appoint, to a competitive service position at 
such agency, any individual who is certified by the Cor-
poration for National and Community Service as having 
satisfactorily completed service in a national service pro-
gram authorized under a national service law. Such an in-
dividual may not be appointed under the authority pro-
vided under this section after the date that is 3 years after 
the date such individual so completes such service. 
(d) 1-YEAR ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH BENEFITS.— 
Notwithstanding section 140 of the National and Commu-
nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594) or any other 
provision of the national service laws, during the one-year 
period beginning on the day after the final day of a partic-
ipant in a national service program authorized under a 
national service law, the Corporation for National and 
Community Service shall provide such former participant, 
at no cost to such participant, with the health care policy 
such participant received during the term of service in 
such program. 
(e) DOUBLING OF THE SEGAL AMERICORPS EDU-
CATION AWARD.—Section 147(a) of the National and 
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12603(a)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘twice’’ before ‘‘the maximum’’. 
(f) USE OF THE SEGAL AMERICORPS EDUCATION 
AWARD.—Section 148(a)(4) of the National and Commu-
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nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604(a)(4)) is 
amended by inserting before the semicolon at the end the 
following: ‘‘, or for the purpose of obtaining a recognized 
post-secondary credential (as defined in section 3 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3102)’’. 
(g) SUSPENSION OF PAYMENTS AND ACCRUAL OF IN-
TEREST ON FEDERAL LOANS DURING SERVICE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any provi-
sion of a national service law, if an individual re-
ceives a loan made under part D of title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et 
seq.) before commencing service in a national service 
program under a national service law— 
(A) all payments due for such loans shall 
be suspended; and 
(B) interest shall not accrue on such loan 
for the duration of such service. 
(2) DEFERMENT OR FORBEARANCE.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), the 
Secretary of Education shall deem each month for 
which a loan payment was— 
(A) suspended under this subsection; or 
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(B) subject to a deferment or forbearance 
under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as if 
the borrower of the loan had made a payment 
for the purpose of any loan forgiveness program 
or loan rehabilitation program authorized under 
part B or D of title IV of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq. and 1087a 
et seq.) for which the borrower would have oth-
erwise qualified. 
(h) NON-DISCRIMINATION BASED ON CERTAIN IMMI-
GRATION STATUSES.—Notwithstanding any provision of a 
national service law, a refugee, asylee, or other lawfully 
admitted alien may not be prohibited from serving in a 
national service program authorized under such a law, or 
receiving an education benefit for such service, on the 
basis of such status. 
(i) PLANNING GRANTS FOR UNDERSERVED COMMU-
NITIES.—Notwithstanding any provision of a national 
service law, the Corporation for National and Community 
Service may award planning grants to underserved com-
munities to enable such communities to develop the capac-
ity to carry out national service programs under national 
service laws. Any matching fund requirements under the 
national service laws shall be waived for the first 2 years 
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