Navigating Your Year of Service

1
Navigating Your Year of Service

• Accessing benefits, getting paid and finding
  support

2
The VISTA Campus
3
Summary of Benefits

• Living Allowance
• Health Coverage
• Personal and Medical Leave
• Education Award or end-of-service stipend
• Student loan forbearance or deferment
• Income Disregard
• Compensation for work-related injuries
• Non-Competitive Eligibility

4
My AmeriCorps Portal

• Getting the most from your online account
• Tax statements
• In-service benefits
• Education Award
• Forbearance requests
• Service letters

5
(No Transcript)
6
Because your stipend is paid by the WSC you will
not be able to access your W-2 here.
7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
Criminal History Check

• Why? To ensure the community members with whom we
  work are protected
• National Sex Offenders Public Registry
• FBI criminal history check (fingerprinting)

10
Disqualifying factors

• Are registered on the NSOPR
• Have committed any violent crime against a minor
• Are currently facing charges or on probation or
  parole (unless otherwise justified)
• Failed to accurately disclose your criminal
  history

11
Agreements with the WSC

• Outline expectations on all parties to ensure the
  best year possible!
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Between your Site and the WSC
• Member Service Agreement
• Between you, your supervisor, and the WSC

12
What will my site do for me?

• Introduce you to other organization staff and
  inform you of the organizations policies and
  procedures
• Provide a desk, computer, agency e-mail, and
  phone access for each member
• Provide you a minimum of two site-specific
  trainings
• Ensure completion of WSC required reporting
  including member performance evaluations
• Host site visits from the WSC

13
Other things your site will do

• Provide mileage reimbursement for service related
  travel
• Approve member timesheets to ensure accuracy of
  hours served
• Communicate immediately with WSC regarding member
  issues or program concerns
• Make sure you have a great term!

14
What will the WSC do for me?

• Provide technical support
• Communicate expectations and procedures
• Conduct monitoring process for all sites
• Process monthly stipends on the 10th and 25th of
  each month
• Provide gear including pins, shirts, and signs
• Provide member training and development through
  the SERVES Training Institute

15
So what is expected of me?

• Review your VISTA Member Service Agreement and
  VISTA Member Handbook for a complete list
• Serve an average of 40 hours a week for 12 months
• Keep accurate record of hours served
• Coordinate with supervisor when unable to report
  for a scheduled time
• Attend all required trainings and events
• Identify yourself as a WSC AmeriCorpsVISTA
  member
• Wear gear during service hours
• Include AmeriCorpsVISTA on business cards,
  e-mail signature blocks, and on your voicemail
  recording
• Display AmeriCorps signs at your site
• Participate in days of National Service

16
Days of National Service

• National Day of Service and Remembrance (9/11)
• AmeriCorps Launch (10/12)
• Make a Difference Day (10/27)
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/21)
• National Volunteer Week (4/21-4/27)
• AmeriCorps Week (March)

17
Limitations on Member Activities and Duties

• Types of Limitations
• Religious organizations and activities
• Political Activities
• Compensation and other benefits for service
• Labor or anti-labor activity
• Displacement of employed workers
• Nepotism
• Fraternization
• Other (education and transportation)

18
Why are Limitations Critical to VISTA?

• Protect the integrity of National Service
• Ensure broad stakeholder support
• Continue legacy of service
• Protect the incredible service that you are doing
  as well as the accomplishments of every VISTA
  since 1964!

19
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• Which of these would be ok for a VISTA to do?
• A grantee submits a progress report in eGrants
  highlighting their national service volunteer
  leading Sunday church services.
• A VISTA member, on off-duty time, attends a local
  church service.
• A VISTA is placed at a faith based organization
  that asks the member to develop a program for low
  income members of the church congregation.

20
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• True or False AmeriCorps VISTA members can be
  terminated from their roles for political
  organizing on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, or
  commenting on internet news sites.

21
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• Can an AmeriCorps VISTA member have bumper
  sticker or a picture of a politician on their
  cube wall in their office?
• A. Yes, a photo isnt considered political
  activity.
• B. No, photos convey political intent.
• C. Yes, photos are okay if the VISTA has a
  personal real world friendship with the
  politician.

22
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• Which of the following are allowed
• A. Providing discounted housing for members
  serving at housing authority.
• B. Providing free housing for members serving at
  the womens shelter.
• C. Providing gift baskets to members serving at
  schools during the holidays.
• D. Providing movie tickets to members during
  volunteer appreciation month.
• E. All are allowed.

23
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• A VISTA is serving at a school and the teachers
  in the district are going on strike to demand
  higher pay and better benefits. What should the
  VISTA do?
• A. Go on strike in solidarity with the teachers.
• B. Cross the picket line and continue to serve at
  the school and students in need.
• C. Contact their site supervisor or project
  sponsor for an alternative assignment during the
  strike.

24
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• Agency wants the VISTA member to do one-on-one
  training for low-income parents in how to access
  benefits and other services they are eligible
  for. They encourage and train participants to
  learn about the legislative process and speak out
  on issues that affect them, but do not endorse
  candidates. Is this allowed?
• A. Yes, it is a good fit with the VISTA goal of
  alleviating poverty and is okay because the
  agency doesnt endorse specific candidates.
• B. No, its not okay for VISTAs to speak out on
  issues or train others to speak out on issues.

25
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• An employee at a VISTA sponsoring organization
  has a daughter that wants to join VISTA. Would
  the daughter be able to serve at one of the sites
  of the sponsoring organization as long as the
  Mother is not her supervisor?

26
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• Which of the following are cause for termination?
• A. VISTA seen kissing their supervisor at a gas
  station two blocks from VISTA site.
• B. VISTA member holding hands with supervisor in
  the lobby of a movie theater.
• C. VISTA and VISTA Leader meet at PSO and fall in
  love. They engage in a relationship but keep it
  discreet and non-public.

27
Limitations on Member Activities Quiz

• Are these allowable activities?
• Site asks VISTA to transport youth to play
  rehearsals.
• Site asks VISTA to transport clients to meeting
  with case managers.
• VISTA is serving at site with a spring break
  during which the VISTA does not serve and counts
  the time as holiday.
• VISTA posts profile to bootycall.com during lunch
  break at service site using agencys computer.
• VISTA posts multiple posts to craigslist.com
  looking for 420 activities from agencys
  computer.

28
Getting Help

• VISTA Campus
• VISTA Member Handbook
• Site Supervisor
• VISTA Leader, Andrea Grant
• WSC Program Coordinator, Jennifer Burns
• CNCS State Office
• VMSU via the National Service Hotline

29
Questions

• What questions do you have for us at this time?

30
Thank you!