§8142 Peace Corps Volunteers

Summary

Peace Corps volunteers are covered by these federal benefit rules. A "volunteer" means a person enrolled as a Peace Corps volunteer, a volunteer leader, or someone in required training before enrollment. Volunteers are treated as if they get a monthly pay equal to the minimum for GS‑7. Volunteer leaders or volunteers with one or more minor children are treated as if they get the minimum for GS‑11. If a volunteer is hurt while working outside the States and DC, the injury is presumed to be work‑related unless it was caused by the volunteer’s willful wrongdoing, by their intent to harm themselves or others, or by their intoxication. Time spent in pre‑enrollment training and from enrollment until the President ends service or the volunteer dies or resigns counts as service. Disability payments start the day after service ends. The Secretary can let the Peace Corps Director provide medical care for an injury that happened during service for up to 120 days after service ends if the Director certifies the injury likely meets the work‑related rule above. The Secretary sets the certification form. That certification stops if the volunteer later gets a compensable disability. Nothing here lets officials pay for medical care that the Secretary of Labor is not otherwise allowed to reimburse.