Return to Bonner AmeriCorps Home Page

Release for Compelling Personal Circumstances

The Bonner AmeriCorps Program may release the Member from the term of service due to compelling personal circumstances if the Member demonstrates that:

1. The Member has a serious injury or illness that makes completing the term impossible;
2. there is a serious injury, illness or death of an immediate family member which makes completing the term unreasonably difficult or impossible for the Member;
3. the Member is required to fulfill Military Service obligations; 
4. the Member has accepted an opportunity to make the transition from welfare to work; or 
5. some other unforeseeable circumstance beyond the Member’s control makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for the Member to complete the term of service, such as a natural disaster, a strike, relocation of a spouse, or the non-renewal or premature closing of a project or the Program, and the Program deems the circumstance to be compelling.

Compelling circumstances do NOT include leaving the Program:

1. To enroll in school;
2. to obtain employment, other than in moving from welfare to work; or,
3. because of dissatisfaction with the Program.

A participant who is released for Personal & Compelling Circumstances AND who has completed 15% of their required terms of service is eligible for a pro-rated Education Award. Members wishing to exit with a partial Award must:

• update and submit all time logs (with the required approvals)
• complete and submit an exit form
• send a letter explaining the Personal & Compelling Circumstance.

Members must submit sufficient documentation of the Personal Compelling Circumstance in order to be exited with a partial award. 

Release for Cause

Release for cause encompasses any circumstances other than compelling personal circumstances that warrant an individual's release from completing a term of service. These could include anything from disciplinary removals pursuant to the program’s contract with the member or to the member’s decisions to leave for any reason that is not a compelling personal circumstance. The term “for cause” does not necessarily have the same meaning as under traditional employment law. Any reason for leaving other than compelling personal circumstances is for cause under the National and Community Service Act of 1990 as amended. AmeriCorps programs must release for cause any participant who is convicted of a felony or the sale or distribution of a controlled substance during a term of service.   

Return to Bonner AmeriCorps Home Page