
Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
Skim the questions below for details on Pre-Service, Enrollment and During Service inquiries and situations. If you have more questions that aren't answered here, don't hesitate to reach out to your Stewards Program Coordinator!
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All program participants are provided with the Stewards Individual Placement Program t-shirt that can be worn in rotation with other clothing deemed appropriate by your site’s uniform policy.
The Community Volunteer Ambassador and Scientists in Parks Program participants are provided with uniforms that should be worn during outreach, at events, for identification and protection out in the field, and whenever possible when interfacing with the public. When not wearing the provided uniform, please adhere to your site’s dress code and uniform policy (closed toes shoes, pants, etc.)
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This will depend on the type and length of position you are in. To be eligible:
- An AmeriCorps position must be 46 weeks or longer
- A position that is NOT AmeriCorps must be 26 weeks or longer
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The ADA definition of disability
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from unfair treatment. Protected areas include:
- State and local government services
- Places of public accommodation
- Employment
- Telecommunications
- Transportation
The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees. This includes state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and labor unions.
Who does the ADA protect?
A person with a disability is someone who:
- Has a physical or mental impairment that greatly limits one or more major life activities.
- Has a record of such an impairment; or
- Is regarded as having such an impairment.
An impairment is measured when the condition is most severe. If you are only sometimes impaired, the ADA will look at when your symptoms show the most.
There are two essential parts:
- You must have a physical or mental impairment; and
- The impairment must largely keep you from doing major life activities.
For a list of impairments, qualification information, and more, check out the ADA Disabilities List Quick Summary.
You can also review the full Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,AS AMENDED with ADA Amendments Act of 2008.
Pre-Service
Information on your service term before you begin!
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Please follow this step-by-step guide to submit your application.
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Yes. The due dates in the onboarding system are suggestions to keep you on track. Please complete all tasks at least a few days prior to your start date.
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Conservation Legacy works in conjunction with your host site to facilitate your internship. Each organization has their own set of paperwork requirements to maintain legal compliance, and these processes differ between organizations. Although it may seem redundant, you must complete each check to maintain compliance in serving with us.
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The Stewards Program requires a copy of the actual ID/document on file for you to serve. The Stewards Program uses an extremely secure storage system for you to upload your IDs in.
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You will schedule your fingerprints through the Fieldprint system. Instructions are included with your onboarding paperwork.
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You will need to create a checking account in order to be paid during your service. You cannot opt out of this task.
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As your employer, we cannot advise you on how to fill out your tax forms. We recommend that you ask a trusted member of your family or a financial advisor.
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You may be eligible to receive assistance before you are actually in service (depending on your current income level), however we recommend waiting until closer to the start of your position to apply for government assistance. It is also recommended that you go in to apply in the area you will be residing in during your term. The office will likely need your AmeriCorps Service Agreement, and some offices need your Offer Letter, too. The process varies from location to location.
Enrollment
Enrollment and orientation can be a tricky process. We are here to help! Below are some common questions about the enrollment process. Please reach out to your Stewards Program Coordinator for more information and further questions.
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Conservation Legacy is your employer on record. All living allowance disbursements, W2’s, and employment eligibility paperwork will come from Conservation Legacy. You are also a Stewards member and may be an AmeriCorps member and/or part of a specific internship program.
Want to revisit how all of the programs are tied together? Review the Stewards member orientation here:
If you are confused or unsure of how to represent your service or time spent working with Stewards (i.e., your resume), please reach out to our Engagement Coordinator, Allie Burdick, at aburdick@conservationlegacy.org
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Interns and members receive their living allowance disbursements on a bi-weekly schedule. This means that, if you are submitting your timesheet for your supervisors approval at the end of the two week pay period (refer to the Pay Schedule), then you will receive your disbursement on the following Friday.
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During your first week, you'll receive instructions and a unique link to enter your hours. Please bookmark this site for future use.
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Paystubs are sent by email to the same email address you used for your onboarding account. These will come from info@payrolldept.biz with the subject “Your Payroll Information has arrived”. Your paystub PDF is password protected with your VMR password (the last four digits of your social security number).
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Taxes are deducted from each paycheck, based on the information provided in your Federal W-4 form.
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Seek immediate medical attention (if necessary) and reach out to your Program Coordinator and site supervisor as soon as possible. Fill out an Incident Report Form and send it to your Program Coordinator. Reference the Workers Comp protocol for further instruction.
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Communicate with your Program Coordinator to identify a temporary supervisor who will need to undergo a brief supervisor training in order to approve timesheets.
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If you are summoned for Jury Duty, alert your supervisor of the days you might need to take off. If you do have to serve on a jury, you can count all hours served as regular work hours. To record:
- Enter hours served each day on Jury Duty and write "Jury Duty" in description field.
- At the conclusion of your jury service, make sure to receive the document from the court stating you were an active juror. This document must then be sent to your Stewards Program Coordinator for filing purposes.
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No. Your Corpsmember Agreement is for a specified amount of weeks. Failure to complete your full term, could result in disqualification from your Segal Education Award.
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This depends on your position and the length of your term; please contact your Program Coordinator directly for more information.
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Many members use their Education Award for paying back student loans or apply it towards tuition. Here is a resource page with more info on Education Awards. For more ideas, please visit this link. You can access your award through my.americorps.gov.
Non-traditional Education Award uses can be found here.
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To receive your Educated Award, you must:
- Work through your exit date
- Complete all of your Education Award hours
- Finalize all exit tasks from you and your supervisor.
Once all final paperwork is submitted, there is a 2-4 week processing period.
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If you are an AmeriCorps member, you may be eligible to have the repayment of your student loans temporarily postponed while you are serving. It is through an action called forbearance. It is possible that interest may continue to accrue but if you successfully complete your term, you can apply to have the National Service Trust pay a portion of the interest that accrued during the service period.
After your term starts and you are enrolled in AmeriCorps, you will be able to request forbearance through your My AmeriCorps account. Visit this AmeriCorps web page for full details.
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Conservation Legacy - Unless otherwise noted, the address listed on your paystub will be the address your W2 is sent to. Please refer to the instructions above about accessing your paystubs and double check this address. If the address is incorrect, please reach out to your Program Coordinator.
If applicable, a 1095 will also be sent by Conservation Legacy to the same address.
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W2s are typically sent out at the end of January.
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By default, the AmeriCorps system gives all positions an end date one year from when they start. Once you are fully exited from the program, the date in this system will be updated to reflect what is on your paperwork and has been communicated to you by your Program Coordinator.
During Service
Bookmark this webpage now so you can refer back to this information during the entire length of your service. Different circumstances come up for everyone, so skim through these to use as a reference later!
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