§12602. Individuals eligible to receive a national service educational award from the Trust

(a) Eligible individuals

An individual shall receive a national service educational award from the National Service Trust if the individual-

(1) successfully completes the required term of service described in subsection (b) of this section in an approved national service position;

(2) was 17 years of age or older at the time the individual began serving in the approved national service position or was an out-of-school youth serving in an approved national service position with a youth corps program described in section 12572(a)(2) of this title or a program described in section 12572(a)(9) of this title;

(3) at the time the individual uses the national service educational award-

(A) has received a high school diploma, or the equivalent of such diploma;

(B) is enrolled at an institution of higher education on the basis of meeting the standard described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 1091 of title 20 and meets the requirements of subsection (a) of such section; or

(C) has received a waiver described in section 12591(c) of this title; and

(4) is a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States.

(b) Term of service

The term of service for an approved national service position shall not be less than the full- or part-time term of service specified in section 12593(b) of this title.

(c) Limitation on number of terms of service for awards

Although an individual may serve more than 2 terms of service described in subsection (b) of this section in an approved national service position, the individual shall receive a national service educational award from the National Service Trust only on the basis of the first and second of such terms of service.

(d) Time for use of educational award

(1) Seven-year requirement

An individual eligible to receive a national service educational award under this section may not use such award after the end of the 7-year period beginning on the date the individual completes the term of service in an approved national service position that is the basis of the award.

(2) Exception

The Corporation may extend the period within which an individual may use a national service educational award if the Corporation determines that the individual-

(A) was unavoidably prevented from using the national service educational award during the original 7-year period; or

(B) performed another term of service in an approved national service position during that period.

(e) Suspension of eligibility for drug-related offenses

(1) In general

An individual who, after qualifying under this section as an eligible individual, has been convicted under any Federal or State law of the possession or sale of a controlled substance shall not be eligible to receive a national service educational award during the period beginning on the date of such conviction and ending after the interval specified in the following table:

If convicted of:
The possession of a controlled substance:	Ineligibility period is:
1st conviction	1 year
2nd conviction	2 years
3rd conviction	indefinite
The sale of a controlled substance:
1st conviction	2 years
2nd conviction	indefinite

(2) Rehabilitation

An individual whose eligibility has been suspended under paragraph (1) shall resume eligibility before the end of the period determined under such paragraph if the individual satisfactorily completes a drug rehabilitation program that complies with such criteria as the Corporation shall prescribe for purposes of this paragraph.

(3) First convictions

An individual whose eligibility has been suspended under paragraph (1) and is convicted of a first offense may resume eligibility before the end of the period determined under such paragraph if the individual demonstrates that he or she has enrolled or been accepted for enrollment in a drug rehabilitation program described in paragraph (2).

(4) "Controlled substance" defined

As used in this subsection, the term "controlled substance" has the meaning given in section 802(6) of title 21.

(5) Effective date

This subsection shall be effective upon publication by the Corporation in the Federal Register of criteria prescribed under paragraph (2).

(f) Authority to establish demonstration programs

The Corporation may establish by regulation demonstration programs for the creation and evaluation of innovative volunteer and community service programs.

(Pub. L. 101–610, title I, §146, as added Pub. L. 103–82, title I, §102(a), Sept. 21, 1993, 107 Stat. 818 ; amended Pub. L. 103–304, §3(b)(4), Aug. 23, 1994, 108 Stat. 1567 .)

Prior Provisions

A prior section 12602, Pub. L. 101–610, title I, §157, Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 3156 ; Pub. L. 102–10, §7, Mar. 12, 1991, 105 Stat. 31 , related to grant applications, awards, and uses, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–82, §104(a).

A prior section 146 of Pub. L. 101–610 was classified to section 12576 of this title prior to the general amendment of subtitle D of title I of Pub. L. 101–610 [former part D of this subchapter] by Pub. L. 103–82, §102(a).

Amendments

1994-Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 103–304 struck out second par. (3) which read as follows: "has received a high school diploma, or the equivalent of such diploma, at the time the individual uses the national service educational award, unless this requirement has been waived based on an individual education assessment conducted by the program; and".

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 12595, 12601, 12603, 12604, 12618 of this title.