Appointment of Peace Corps or AmeriCorps VISTA Staff Members Eligibility

Federal regulations (5 CFR 315.605 & 5 CFR 315.607) offer Peace Corps volunteers and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers, or current or former Peace Corps staff members the ability to apply to Federal Government announcements and to be appointed non-competitively to a position. Your eligibility does not entitle you to a job within the Federal Government. You must still meet qualification standards, go through the selection process and meet any additional requirements, such as a background investigation.

If applying to an announcement directly, the announcement must be accepting applications from outside of the Department of Health and Human Services.

You may be eligible if you meet the requirements below:

  • You are a former Peace Corps Volunteer who has completed two years of service or AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer who has completed one year of service within the past twelve months; or,
  • You are a former Peace Corps or AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer who has completed your service within the past 36 months and you are requesting an extension of non-competitive eligibility due to military service, status as a full-time student, or other experience directly related to the position. You must state you are requesting an extension and why in your documentation; or,
  • You are a current or former Peace Corps employee/staff member who has completed at least 36 months of continuous service without a break in service of three days or more and has been separated from the Peace Corps for less than three years.

Required Documentation

To verify your eligibility, you must submit:

  • A document from the Peace Corps certifying your volunteer service or employment.
  • If you are requesting an extension as a former Peace Corps Volunteer, you must submit a document stating why you are requesting additional time.  If you are requesting an extension based on your military service, you must submit your DD-214. Extensions will be granted on a case-by-case basis.

You must submit all required documents by the closing date of the announcement with your application package.

For more information, review USAJOB’s page on Peace Corps or AmeriCorps VISTA.