President's Volunteer Service Award FAQs

PVSA

PVSA FAQ
 
1. Who can receive a PVSA award?
All registered members of the Boy Scout Troop 103 are eligible to apply for the award provided that they are United States citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of the United States. All applicants must achieve the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period.

Volunteer Eligibility:
  • United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e., green card holder)
  • Must be at least five years old
  • Completes eligible service within a 12-month period (for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and over a lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)
2. How to determine a volunteer’s award level
If the volunteer’s birthday is in Aug and is turning 16, should the eligibility be calculated as for a teen or as for a  young adult?

The age category is determined by the age the person was for at least 7 months within the 12-month calendar year.  For example, if the person was 16 for 7 months within the year in question, that person would qualify within the 16-25 age group. 

3. What types of service are recognized?

Eligible Service:

  • Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others
    • Service through National service programs that provide a stipend (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) may count towards the Lifetime Achievement Award, but not for the annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards)
    • Travel stipends, transit/parking passes, membership passes, expense reimbursements, and other nominal volunteer support do not impact service eligibility

Eligible Service does NOT include:

  • Donating funds
  • Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
  • Religious instruction
  • Conducting worship service
  • Proselytizing
  • Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
  • Serving only family members

4. Can I add the hours that I volunteer for an organization other than Troop 103? 
Yes. Verification documents must be signed and provided by the organization where service was performed and contact information provided for verification purposes.

5. Can I just enter “Boy Scouts”?
No, your entry must clearly indicate service, i.e.: "Scouting for Food" and provide a brief description of the service activity.

6. Is the PVSA “year” like a Boy Scout year?
Award year is a calendar year while service can be performed in a 12-month period determined by the PVSA Administrator.

7. Do we have to buy the awards we earn?
No. Awards cannot be paid for by award recipients. 

8. How do we get the awards?
Individual records are reviewed and the resulting awards are ordered yearly in the Fall.

9. How many awards can I earn in a calendar year?
One.

10. Can I get the same award more than once?
Yes.

11. What is included with the award?
Award packages may include one or more of the three award features depending on the troop budget at the time of ordering:

- Personalized certificate of achievement
- Official President’s Volunteer Service Award pin, medallion or coin
- Congratulatory letter from the President of United States

12. Can volunteers purchase their own awards?
No.  All awards must be ordered and paid for by a Certifying Organization. 

If you have more questions, please contact the PVSA Administrator at  admin@troop103losaltos.org.