§ 1726. Compensation and terms of service

• (a) The Secretary shall provide each participant in the Public Lands Corps and each resource assistant with a living allowance in an amount established by the Secretary.
• (b) The Secretary may provide a Corps participant with an educational credit that may be applied toward a program of postsecondary education at an institution of higher education that agrees to award the credit for participation in the Corps.
• (c)
  • (1) Each participant in the Corps and each resource assistant shall agree to participate in the Corps or serve as a resource assistant, as the case may be, for such term of service as may be established by the Secretary enrolling or selecting the individual.
  • (2) With respect to the Indian Youth Service Corps established under section 1727b of this title , the Secretary shall establish the term of service of participants in consultation with the affected Indian tribe.
• (d)
  • (1) The Secretary may—
    • (A) grant to a member of the Public Lands Corps credit for time served with the Public Lands Corps, which may be used toward future Federal hiring; and
    • (B) provide to a former member of the Public Lands Corps noncompetitive hiring status for a period of not more than 2 years after the date on which the member’s service with the Public Lands Corps is complete.
  • (2) For purposes of section 9602 of title 5 , a former member of the Corps hired by the Secretary under paragraph (1)(B) for a time-limited appointment shall be considered to be appointed initially under open, competitive examination.
• (e) The hiring and compensation standards described in this section shall apply to any individual participating in an appropriate conservation project through a qualified youth or conservation corps, including an individual placed through a contract or cooperative agreement, as approved by the Secretary.