Benefits

Living Allowance

  • For the 2012-2013 Program Year, full time members will recive a living allowance of $232.69 weekly before taxes.
  • A total of $6,406 to be paid in weekly increments for members who serve 900 hours (half-time). Quarter-time members (450 hours) will receive $3,203. Weekly increment amounts will vary depending on how many weeks the part-time member serves.

Educational Awards

  • Upon successful completion of program, full-time member’s will receive an educational award of $5,500(900  hour members will receive $2,750) to pay back qualified loans or to go back to school.
  • A qualified student loan is “a loan backed by the federal government under Title IV of the Higher education Act…or under Titles VII or VIII of the Public Health Service Act”.
  • The member has up to 7 years after completing the program to use the educational award. The educational award can be used if you go back to school full time or for individual classes
  • The educational award is taxed in the year it is used.
  • The most common qualified student loans are Stafford and Perkins. Anyone unsure of whether his or her student loan qualifies for repayment by the educational award should contact her/his lending institution.

Loan Forbearance

  • AmeriCorps members qualify to have certain student loans go into forbearance while they are serving in AmeriCorps.

Interest Accrual

  • While the member’s qualified loans are in forbearance interest will still accrue on the loan.
    Upon successful completion of the program the Corporation will pay all or a portion of the interest that accrued during the service period, even if the member paid during the forbearance.
  • This benefit is in addition to the educational award and is also taxed; the member will be sent a 1099 form for the year they completed service and the interest was paid.

Health Insurance

  • Health insurance is provided at no charge to full-time members who are not covered by other health insurance.
  • It is single coverage. (for the member only.)

Other Social Service Benefits
 

AmeriCorps members may be eligible to receive certain benefits from other social service agencies. For instance, the member’s living allowance may not count when determining eligibility for food stamps,fuel assistance, or WIC.

Childcare Benefits

AVAP offers childcare benefits to eligible members. The eligibility guidelines include:

1. Member must be serving full time;

2. Member must be legal parent or custodian of child under 13 who lives in the home;

3. Member needs childcare to participate (cannot be receiving childcare benefits from another source);

4. Member must meet income eligibility requirements.