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THIS PAGE IS FOR INSTITUTIONS THAT RECEIVE EDUCATION AWARD AND INTEREST PAYMENTS ONLY.
THESE INSTITUTIONS INCLUDE TITLE IV SCHOOLS, VA-APPROVED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND HOLDERS OF FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCY STUDENT LOANS. |
My AmeriCorps
What is My AmeriCorps and how does the automated payment process work?
My AmeriCorps is an online system that allows AmeriCorps members and financial and education institutions to submit and process Segal Education Award payments, as well as interest payments and requests for forbearance. The National Service Trust (the Trust) is the branch within the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that administers the education award program. Here’s how the system works:
(click here to download larger version of diagram - PDF)
The automated payment process and online portal will provide many benefits to you and your organization. Here are just a few of the highlights of My AmeriCorps:
- You will receive payments faster
My AmeriCorps allows for quicker turn-around of payments through a reduction of processing time. You will receive your money much sooner than with a paper-based process. In addition, the online system complements the existing EFT functionality.
- Your administrative burden will be reduced
Certain types of information on the forms will be auto-populated and verified in the system, thereby reducing the administrative burden of completing requests. Additionally, with electronic forms, you no longer have to worry about reading illegible or damaged paper forms.
- You have an electronic record
The system creates and provides an electronic record of the formerly paper form, eliminating the need to scan and copy documents for storage.
- No need to mail forms
The system eliminates the time and cost of mailing documents back and forth to the Trust and to the members.
- Easier access to Information and Updates
The system reduces the need to call the National Service Trust because most questions can be answered by visiting the online site.
In order to prevent a delay in the processing of Segal Award payments, individuals must use My AmeriCorps. The Corporation cannot guarantee the prompt and accurate processing of requests for payments using paper forms. Payments requested by paper can take up to six months or more for processing and are less secure. This electronic process only works if the recipients of education award payments—schools and loan holders—are registered in My AmeriCorps. The Corporation strongly urges schools and student loan holders to register.
If you have questions about the automated process, please visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/questions/app/ask.
Receive Payments Electronically
When you register with My AmeriCorps, you will automatically be sent information on signing up to have payments from CNCS be sent to you electronically. If you register with My AmeriCorps and elect to have the payments sent to you electronically, the entire process will be paperless.
To establish electronic Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments, you must send us a completed Department of Treasury form, SF 3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form. A copy of that form and the instructions for completing it are available here.
The Corporation will provide to your bank the following information: where the funds came from (The Corporation for National and Community Service); the amount of the payment; the last name and first name initial of the former AmeriCorps member; and the purpose of the payment (whether it is for current education expenses, a loan repayment, or a payment for the interest that accrued while the individual was serving in the program). Your bank is required to provide this remittance information to you, although they may charge a fee for this service.
Here’s how to sign up for electronic (ACH) payments:
- Decide within your organization which account you’ll use to receive National Service Trust payments. If you are a small or centralized organization, you might have all of your incoming Trust payments deposited into a single bank account and then distribute the funds internally, as needed. If you are a large organization (for example, a system with multiple schools, a continuing education school, or geographically dispersed campuses), you may maintain several accounts. You should complete a separate form SF 3881 for each account to which our electronic payments should be sent.
- Print the form and complete one for each account. Have your organization and your financial institution fill out their sections and fax the completed form(s) to the National Service Trust at (202) 606-3484. Fax it to the “EFT Coordinator”. We will contact you if we have additional questions.
- Communicate the appropriate information to your organization’s staff that process payment requests or process the actual payments received.
If you have questions about the electronic payment process, please contact us at trustcomm@cns.gov.
How do institutions register to use My AmeriCorps?
Click here to register your institution now. Follow the instructions, enter some basic information, and then click on “submit”.
Upon approval of your registration request, you will receive a second email with a link allowing you to create your user name and password. Once you have set up your user name and password you can provide access to others in your organization as needed. You will also receive information for signing up to have payments sent to you through the ACH/Electronic Funds Transfer process.
Additional Frequently Asked Questions
How will I log in to the system?
You can access the system from My AmeriCorps or the AmeriCorps.gov website. The first time you use the AmeriCorps online payment system, you will need to complete a simple registration process by following the steps below:
- Access the system through the AmeriCorps.gov website and click on the My AmeriCorps link; or click on AmeriCorps Online Payment System under “For Organizations” to bring you to the informational page with links to My AmeriCorps;
- In the login box, click the “Register to create a new Institution account” link;
- On the registration page, enter in the required information about your institution, including your own contact information.
- Click “submit” and an e-mail will be sent to you to acknowledge your registration
- A Trust Officer will approve your application and send you a second email with a link to access the system
- Upon entering the system, you will be asked to create a username and password
- Click “submit” and the system will bring up your personalized homepage.
Can more than one person in my institution have access to the system?
The person who registers your Institution will become the Institutional Security Administrator. The Institutional Security Administrator (there may be more than one person assigned this role) has the ability to grant access to others within your organization and assign roles depending on what type of requests each user will be processing.
What are the security measures on the site?
According to OMB and NIST guidelines, electronic signatures can be achieved in a Level 2 system via verified user registration methods. OMB reveals that Level 2 systems generally contain information that, if violated, would be financially harmful to an individual and cause a small degree of financial exposure to the related agency. For the purposes of this system, we will be using a method that requires two separate steps. First, the user must identify him/herself to the system using predetermined data elements. Second, the system will verify the individual’s identity, and then require him to establish a username and password for subsequent reentry.
Will we have a record of requests that are made through the system?
Institutions will always have access to historical records, because all records will be maintained in the Trust’s database. From your homepage, you can select “Search Requests” from the left-hand navigation bar where you can view and search past requests on a number of different fields. You will also have the option of printing requests if you so desire.
How will I be notified that a request has arrived and is awaiting action?
You have the choice either to receive notification e-mails or simply log in to your account to view the status of pending requests. To receive e-mail notifications so that you are made aware of any change to your account, just select that option when you register.
How do I sign up to receive payments electronically?
You will be given the opportunity to sign up for electronic payments as part of the process for registering with My AmeriCorps.
You can also sign up for ACH electronic payments by sending us a completed Department of Treasury form, SF 3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form. Fax the form to the EFT Coordinator at (202) 606-3484. A copy of that form and the instructions for completing it is available here.
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