(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:
(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.
