“A bill to expand the financial, health care, and educational benefits received by Peace Corps and AmeriCorps volunteers, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expands eligibility and benefits for Peace Corps volunteers and former volunteers. Specifically, it (1) grants non-competitive eligibility for civilian career service positions during the 3-year period following service termination; (2) amends the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)) to make lawful permanent residents eligible to enroll as volunteers (in addition to citizens and nationals) and to prohibit discrimination based on status as a refugee, asylee, or other lawfully admitted alien (in addition to race, sex, creed, or color); (3) directs the Peace Corps Director to ensure monthly stipends are paid regularly and predictably (and, to the maximum extent practicable, on the same day each month), including during government shutdowns; (4) provides former volunteers with 1-year eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs hospital care and medical services post-service, with costs reimbursed by the Peace Corps; (5) revises volunteer living allowances to explicitly cover safety (in addition to health and capacity to serve); (6) increases the readjustment allowance to $425 per month of satisfactory service (from $125), authorizes periodic adjustments based on Consumer Price Index increases, and makes it nontaxable; (7) requires consultation with external health experts (including mental health professionals) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on prescribing medications to volunteers; and (8) suspends payments and interest accrual on federal Direct student loans during service, with such months counting as payments toward loan forgiveness or rehabilitation programs.
This section expands benefits and opportunities in national service programs (i.e., AmeriCorps programs authorized under the National and Community Service Act of 1990) as follows: (1) requires not fewer than 500,000 national service positions to be available on or after enactment; (2) increases the minimum living allowance to 200% of the poverty line (as defined in the Community Services Block Grant Act) for all participants; (3) authorizes noncompetitive appointment to competitive service positions in the executive branch for individuals certified by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as having completed service, for up to 3 years post-service; (4) requires CNCS to provide the health care policy received during service to former participants at no cost for 1 year post-service; (5) doubles the maximum Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (to twice the maximum amount); (6) permits use of the Segal Award for obtaining a recognized postsecondary credential (as defined in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act); (7) suspends payments and interest accrual on Direct Loans under the Higher Education Act during service, with such months counting as payments toward loan forgiveness or rehabilitation programs; (8) prohibits exclusion of refugees, asylees, or other lawfully admitted aliens from serving or receiving education benefits based on immigration status; (9) authorizes CNCS planning grants to underserved communities, waiving matching funds for their first 2 years of program operation; and (10) permits CNCS to approve terms of service below 1,700 hours with a proportional reduction in the education award.
This section expands qualifying employment for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to include full-time service in a national service program authorized under the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (i.e., AmeriCorps programs such as AmeriCorps State and National, VISTA, and NCCC) or as a Peace Corps volunteer. (PSLF forgives the remaining balance on a borrower's Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments.)
This section establishes a new exclusion from gross income (under new IRC §139J) for (1) national service educational awards provided under subtitle D of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (i.e., Segal AmeriCorps Education Award) and (2) living allowances provided to participants in national service programs authorized under that Act (e.g., AmeriCorps). The exclusion applies to taxable years ending after the date of enactment.