Par.

1. Purpose

2. References

3. Background

4. Objectives

5. Definitions

6. Volunteer Service Agreements

7. Student Eligibility and Status

8. Documentation of Service

9. Equal Opportunity

10. Personnel Security Requirements

11. Reporting Requirements

1. PURPOSE. To establish procedures and guidance for implementing the Volunteer Service Program in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

2. REFERENCES.

   1. Section 3111 of Title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), Acceptance of Volunteer Service,

   2. Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978, Public Law (P.L.) 95-454, Title III, Section 301,

   3. Department of Transportation (DOT) Departmental Personnel Manual 308-33, Annual Report of Student Volunteer Service and 308-35, Stay-in-School Ceiling Allocations, and

   4. DOT Order 1630.2, DOT Personnel Security Handbook.

3. BACKGROUND. The CSRA of 1978 (P.L. 95-454) authorized Federal Government Volunteer Student Service. The FHWA is implementing this program.

4. OBJECTIVES. The FHWA actively supports the establishment of educationally related work assignments for students in a nonpay status, as long as the work contributes to accomplishing the agency mission and staff resources permit adequate supervision. The program objectives of the FHWA Volunteer Service are:

   1. to enrich educational experience and provide opportunities for students to become involved in early career exploration;

   2. to bring about a stronger relationship between the efforts of educators and the occupational needs of Federal employers and students, and as a means to encourage student interest in new or emerging occupations;

   3. to provide on-the-job work experience and opportunities for students to become involved in early career exploration as a basis for making realistic decisions regarding their future careers;

   4. to provide exposure to the work environment as a means of encouraging students to develop work ethics and to acquaint them with various Federal missions;

   5. to support workforce diversity initiatives and affirmative action programs through a career awareness approach.

5. DEFINITIONS

   1. Agreement - a written document developed jointly between a school and FHWA to outline the responsibilities of each organization. It should also be used to identify the conditions or limitations under which students may receive unpaid career-related experience. Included in such agreements should be the method, mutually agreedupon, for maintenance of attendance and performance records, particularly if the career-related assignment is recognized by the school for course credit.

   2. Student - an individual who is enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited high school, trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. Certification of half-time academic workload can be obtained from the student's school. A student is deemed not to have ceased being a student during an interim between school years if that period is not more than five months, and if the student demonstrates to the satisfaction of the FHWA that he or she has a firm intention of continuing to pursue a course of study, or training in the same or different educational institution during the school term immediately after the interim period of absence.

   3. Volunteer Service - under Title 5 U.S.C. 3111 is limited to services performed by a student, with the permission of the institution at which the student is enrolled, in an FHWA office for the purpose of gaining on-the-job educational experience. Such student service is to be uncompensated and will not be used to displace any employee or to staff a position which is a normal part of FHWA's work force.

6. VOLUNTEER SERVICE AGREEMENTS. FHWA offices should work with their servicing personnel office to develop students volunteer programs best suited to meet students' individual needs. Written agreements are mandatory. Volunteer programs will be conducted through written agreements with educational institutions, or with nonprofit organizations officially designated by schools, or boards of education to coordinate the placement of students in nonpaid work assignments without fee. Agreements should normally be signed by unit managers and must be reviewed by the servicing personnel office before students begin their work assignment.

7. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY AND STATUS.

   1. Minimum Age. Students must meet minimum age requirements of Federal, State and local laws regarding the employment of minors. If a student is under 18 years of age, the servicing personnel office must assure that the projected work assignment is not in an occupation considered to be hazardous or detrimental to the students' health and well-being.

   2. Status. Students participating in this program are not considered to be Federal employees other than for purposes of Federal Tort claims arising as a result of student participation, or for injuries sustained during the performance of work assignments under Worker's Compensation claims.

   3. Benefits. Student volunteers are not entitled to benefits, i.e., travel subsistence expenses, quarters, or any other reimbursement or payment in kind.

   4. Maximum Service Hours. Federal agencies are required to establish time limits on the amount of volunteer service, accepted from a specific individual, to avoid situations developing that imply that service with an agency during the school year will insure a job in the future. For the purpose of this program, individual student volunteers will be limited to a maximum of two semesters or 1,040 total hours of work.

8. DOCUMENTATION OF SERVICE.

   1. General. Although student volunteers are not Federal employees, their service may be creditable as related experience under examination rating schedules. Additionally, some participating schools, which award course credit for such service, may require certification of periods during which students rendered service. Volunteer service should be documented on a Standard Form 50 (SF-50), Notification of Personnel Action. Since the student volunteer is not a Federal employee, no copies ofthe SF-50 should be sent to either the Central Personnel Data File (CPDF), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), or the servicing payroll office. The SF-50 must be typed manually rather than be computer generated through the CPDF.

   2. Entrance-on-Duty. The SF-50 prepared upon entrance on duty for student volunteer assignments should be documented as "volunteer service-without compensation".

   3. Separations. When the period of volunteer service has ended, OPM regulations require that an SF-50 must be prepared to show termination (not resignation).

   4. Records. For each student volunteer, the servicing personnel office will establish an Official Personnel Folder (OPF) to contain copies of assignments, termination SF-50's and SF-171, Personal Qualifications Statement. These documents should be filed on the right (permanent) side of the OPF. When volunteer service is terminated, the OPF should be sent to the National Personnel Records Center, following the instructions in FPM Supplement 293-31, Basic Personnel Records and Files System.

   5. Statement of Duties. A "statement of duties" must be developed outlining the duties, responsibilities, and expected products that the student volunteer is expected to generate during the work assignment. Copies will be provided to the student, the supervisor, the servicing personnel office for placement on the right side of the OPF, and to the school if academic credit is being granted for the service. Personnel offices and managers should also make students aware of the standards of conduct and record privacy and disclosure that pertain to their work assignments.

9. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY.

   1. FHWA managers have the responsibility for providing leadership in establishing, maintaining, and carrying out a continuing program designed topromote equal employment opportunity in support of a diverse workforce. Equal opportunity applies to employment, development, advancement, and treatment of employees, including the selection of student volunteers without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, or handicap, even though they are not deemed to be employees.

   2. Managers should also be cognizant of the fact that students who volunteer must be in a financial position to render service without compensation.

10. PERSONNEL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS. Each administration is required to comply with personnel security requirements. Therefore, if a student volunteer is expected to be serving for a period of more than 90 days, the servicing personnel office must initiate the appropriate National Agency Check and Written Inquiry for the volunteer.

11. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Each servicing personnel office should provide the Personnel Operations Division, HPT-22, a report on all student volunteer assignments during the preceding fiscal year by November 15 of each year.