Our frequently asked questions

Members are covered by the AmeriCorps NCCC Healthcare Benefits Plan through the First Health Network, which is administered by the International Medical Group (IMG). The plan is available to members at no cost and covers most non-routine medical services, limited preventative care visits (e.g. an annual ob-gyn visits for women), medical emergencies, surgical and hospitalization expenses and certain prescription drug costs. The AmeriCorps NCCC Healthcare Benefits Plan is not insurance, but rather a basic health benefit package, and will not satisfy the individual responsibility requirement of the ACA. The plan does not cover pre-existing conditions or routine dental care. For more information, see AmeriCorps NCCC Health Benefit Plan.

AmeriCorps NCCC Members are assigned to several projects per year. Although members will be based out of one of our campuses, they travel to serve at projects all over the country. In AmeriCorps NCCC’s Traditional Corps program, members will typically be assigned projects within select states, barring an extreme need: Pacific Region (Sacramento, CA): Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and the Pacific Territories. North Central Region (Vinton, IA): Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Southern Region (Vicksburg, MS): Alabama, Connecticut, Washington DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, The US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Southwest Region (Aurora, CO): Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, Arkansas, and Wyoming. Members of the AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps program (based out of the Pacific Region and Southern Region only) are assigned to projects nation-wide.

Living accommodations vary from campus to campus and from project site to project site. Generally, teams share a kitchen, dining areas and communal spaces. While on campus, you will be assigned to a room, usually with one or two roommates.  Room assignments and bathroom facilities are not co-ed. You can learn more about each of our four campuses here. While at the project site, you will likely share a room and a bathroom with your teammates. Traditional Teams may share a house, a tent, a church, an extended stay hotel or even another NCCC campus while FEMA teams typically share hotel rooms.

The AmeriCorps NCCC Member Handbook contains rules, policies and procedures intended to inform and ensure the safety of our Corps Members and the community organizations served. The program continually strives to provide safe and healthy housing for all Corps Members and Team Leaders, and to partner with sponsors who provide safe and healthy project sites. Please review prior to campus arrival.

For most AmeriCorps programs, members are responsible for providing their own food. For AmeriCorps NCCC, sharing food is a special part of the experience. Each NCCC team is provided a food budget that encourages teams to be both flexible and creative. To make this happen, some Team Leaders appoint a food/meal POC or a meal planning committee that creates a cooking schedule and prepares meals for the entire team. If you have special dietary needs or want to eat something specific, you are allowed to buy your own food.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, residential program, which exceeds the responsibilities of a typical 9 to 5 job.  A project sponsor may assign additional work, members must complete additional Independent Service Project (ISP) hours, and members are required to participate in team activities, meetings and selected team role responsibilities.
Due to the high level of responsibility, a member cannot engage in any outside activity (e.g., employment, classes, or personal volunteer opportunities) that either precludes, limits, or detracts from the member serving successfully as a NCCC Team Leader or Corps Member.

Service Learning activities grant members an opportunity to delve deeper into their service experience. These activities are geared to connect members with the community they are serving within to better understand the impact of their service.  Examples of these experiences include attending a community event, writing a story about the impact of service, reading local history, or visiting natural or man-made points of interest.

Service learning provides a deeper understanding of the AmeriCorps mission and the importance of service. Service learning activities are a prominent component of AmeriCorps NCCC.

First you need to figure out where you’re getting fingerprinted. Fingerprinting services are available at most local police departments or sheriff’s offices, but you can sometimes find help elsewhere.  Visit http://myfbireport.com/locations/index.php to help you in your search.
Once you have scheduled an appointment to get fingerprinted, make sure to bring your valid government-issued photo ID, as well as the blank fingerprinting card that we’ve mailed you.

AmeriCorps NCCC covers transportation to and from the campus, at the beginning and end of the service term. Most members travel by air. If a member cannot or will not fly, campus staff must be contacted to determine other travel options. Travel is booked by the campus. More details regarding travel are dispersed after an applicant is officially invited to a campus.

We take all criminal backgrounds and situations on a case by case basis. If you have any specific legal clearance questions, please reach out to us at ANCCC@cns.gov.