Early Termination of Peace Corps Volunteers Fiscal Year 2012
Early Termination of Peace Corps Volunteers Fiscal Year 2012
Peace Corps January 2013
Early Termination of Peace Corps Volunteers: Introduction and Overview The Peace Corps has long recognized the significance of early terminations (ETs). When the service of a Peace Corps Volunteer (“Volunteer”) is terminated early, it represents the loss of a talented American engaged in cultural exchange and grassroots development within his or her assigned community and country of service. It also can have an impact on the relationship the Peace Corps has with the host country, since the unexpected departure of a Volunteer can have a negative effect on the Volunteer’s project and, by proxy, on the goals and objectives established between Peace Corps and the host country. Moreover, it represents a lost investment for the Peace Corps, which devoted its limited resources to recruit and train the individual. Peace Corps Manual Section 284 establishes the policies and procedures governing the circumstances under which a Volunteer’s service may end prior to the projected completion of service date. For the purposes of this report, the term “Volunteer” includes anyone who has entered on duty, i.e., both Trainees and Volunteers. Pursuant to Manual Section 284, an ET occurs when a Volunteer “cannot or should not remain in service until his or her projected completion of service (COS) date.” There are four types of early termination, each discussed separately in this Manual Section: Resignation: A resignation is a decision made by a Volunteer that he/she no longer wishes to continue in Peace Corps service. 1 Medical Separation: If a Volunteer has or develops a medical condition that Peace Corps cannot medically accommodate or resolve within forty-five (45) days, the Volunteer will be medically separated. This decision is made by the Office of Medical Services (OMS) in consultation, as needed, with appropriate medical consultants. 2 Administrative Separation 3: Pursuant to the Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. 2504(i), the service of a Volunteer may be terminated at any time at the pleasure of the President. The authority of the President to terminate service has been delegated to the Director of the Peace Corps.4 Interrupted Service: A Volunteer may be separated with interrupted service status if the Country Director determines that circumstances beyond the control of the Volunteer make it necessary for the Volunteer to leave his or her present assignment.5 The Peace Corps’ 2010 Comprehensive Agency Assessment noted that “[t]he Peace Corps is attentive to ET and resignation rates, has a method for tracking them, and works to lower them.” Familiarity with early termination and resignation data helps inform agency decisions.
1
From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 2.0. From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 3.0. 3 Volunteers informed by their Country Director that they will be administratively separated from the Peace Corps are given a 24-hour window to voluntarily resign from their service. If they choose this alternative, they are entered into the database as a resignation. 4 From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 4.0. 5 From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 5.0. 2
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This report presents data on early terminations for fiscal year 2012. As required by the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011, Public Law 112-57, the chart entitled Annual Early Termination and Resignation Rates (see page 4) provides the annual rate of early termination of Volunteers, plus data from the previous five fiscal years. In addition to the annual early termination rate (comprising all four categories of early termination) the chart breaks out the annual resignation rate. As resignations make up the majority of ETs (approximately 70% of the total ETs each year) and represent a voluntary decision to terminate Peace Corps service early, the inclusion of resignation information in this chart tells a more complete story of early termination trends over time. The report also includes annual early termination demographic information (see pages 5-9) for the five demographic characteristics for which the Peace Corps collects data. The Peace Corps is pleased to note the downward trend in ET and resignation rates over the past six years, and the agency will continue to closely review and compare these rates.
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Annual Early Termination Rate Annual Early Termination and Resignation Rates 12% 10.8%
10.7% 10.0%
10% 8.8%
8.6%
8.5%
8.3%
8%
7.8%
7.3% 6.0%
5.9%
6%
5.3%
4%
2%
0% FY 2007
FY 2008
FY 2009
Annual ET Rate
FY 2010
FY 2011
FY 2012
Annual Resignation Rate
Calculation To develop the annual ET rate, a dataset is created by identifying every Volunteer who served at any point during the fiscal year. The annual ET rate is then calculated as the number of Volunteers who separated from the Peace Corps during that fiscal year divided by the total number of Volunteers who served at any time during the fiscal year.
Annual Early Termination Rate
=
(
Number of Volunteers Early Terminating in a Fiscal Year Total Number of Volunteers Serving in a Fiscal Year
)
x 100%
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Annual Early Termination Demographic Data - Gender
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Gender
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Gender 10000
800 624
8000
600 344
400
7712
6000
4752
4000 200
2000
0
0 Female
Male
Female
Male
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Gender 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
8.1%
7.2%
Female
Male
0%
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Annual Early Termination Demographic Data - Age Group
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Age Group 800
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Age Group
748
12000
10667
10000
600
8000 6000
400
4000
200
72
36
53
50
0
7
2
2000
756
205
327
461
0
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89
44
4
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Age Group 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50.0%
50% 40% 30% 17.6%
20% 10%
7.0%
16.2% 10.8%
9.5%
15.9%
0% 18-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
80-89
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Annual Early Termination Demographic Data – Marital Status 6
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Marital Status
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Marital Status
1000 800
12000 777
10762
10000 8000
600
6000 400
4000
200 0
7
71
19
8
84
2000 124
2
0
Single Planning Married - Married - Widowed Divorced Peace (Never to Marry Serving Serving or Legally Corps Married) within with without Separated Marriage One Year Spouse Spouse
839
120
80
534
5
Single Planning Married - Married - Widowed Divorced Peace (Never to Marry Serving Serving or Legally Corps Married) within with without Separated Marriage One Year Spouse Spouse
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Marital Status 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50%
40.0%
40% 30% 15.8%
20% 10%
7.2%
5.6%
10.0%
8.5%
15.7%
0% Single (Never Planning to Married Married) Marry within Serving with One Year Spouse
6
Married Serving without Spouse
Widowed
Divorced or Legally Separated
Peace Corps Marriage
Marital Status as reported at the time of submitting an application to serve or upon a change to marital status during Peace Corps service.
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Annual Early Termination Demographic Data – Education Level
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Education Level
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Education Level
800
10000 610
600
6000
400
4000 200
8035
8000
169
127 0
0
0
2
3
14
37
5
2235
2000 1
1
0
4
21 33 70
1277
651
123
14
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Education Level 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%
20.0%
20% 10% 0%
9.5%
7.6% 0.0%
0.0%
9.1%
5.7%
7.6%
4.1%
9.9%
7.1%
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Annual Early Termination Demographic Data – Ethnic Code
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Ethnic Code 800
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Ethnic Code 716
700
10000
9125
8000
600 500
6000
400 4000
300 200 100
76
41
68
0
4
40
2000 23
922
516
0
Not Black, not Hispanic American Asian or More indicated of Indian or Pacific than one Hispanic Alaskan Islander of the Origin Native above
White, not of Hispanic Origin
931 22
578
370
Not Black, Hispanic American Asian or More indicated not of Indian or Pacific than one Hispanic Alaskan Islander of the Origin Native above
White, not of Hispanic Origin
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Ethnic Code 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 18.2%
20% 10%
8.2%
7.9%
7.3%
6.9%
6.2%
7.8%
0% Not indicated Black, not of Hispanic Origin
Hispanic
American Asian or Pacific More than one White, not of Indian or Islander of the above Hispanic Origin Alaskan Native
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Peace Corps January 2013
Early Termination of Peace Corps Volunteers: Introduction and Overview The Peace Corps has long recognized the significance of early terminations (ETs). When the service of a Peace Corps Volunteer (“Volunteer”) is terminated early, it represents the loss of a talented American engaged in cultural exchange and grassroots development within his or her assigned community and country of service. It also can have an impact on the relationship the Peace Corps has with the host country, since the unexpected departure of a Volunteer can have a negative effect on the Volunteer’s project and, by proxy, on the goals and objectives established between Peace Corps and the host country. Moreover, it represents a lost investment for the Peace Corps, which devoted its limited resources to recruit and train the individual. Peace Corps Manual Section 284 establishes the policies and procedures governing the circumstances under which a Volunteer’s service may end prior to the projected completion of service date. For the purposes of this report, the term “Volunteer” includes anyone who has entered on duty, i.e., both Trainees and Volunteers. Pursuant to Manual Section 284, an ET occurs when a Volunteer “cannot or should not remain in service until his or her projected completion of service (COS) date.” There are four types of early termination, each discussed separately in this Manual Section: Resignation: A resignation is a decision made by a Volunteer that he/she no longer wishes to continue in Peace Corps service. 1 Medical Separation: If a Volunteer has or develops a medical condition that Peace Corps cannot medically accommodate or resolve within forty-five (45) days, the Volunteer will be medically separated. This decision is made by the Office of Medical Services (OMS) in consultation, as needed, with appropriate medical consultants. 2 Administrative Separation 3: Pursuant to the Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. 2504(i), the service of a Volunteer may be terminated at any time at the pleasure of the President. The authority of the President to terminate service has been delegated to the Director of the Peace Corps.4 Interrupted Service: A Volunteer may be separated with interrupted service status if the Country Director determines that circumstances beyond the control of the Volunteer make it necessary for the Volunteer to leave his or her present assignment.5 The Peace Corps’ 2010 Comprehensive Agency Assessment noted that “[t]he Peace Corps is attentive to ET and resignation rates, has a method for tracking them, and works to lower them.” Familiarity with early termination and resignation data helps inform agency decisions.
1
From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 2.0. From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 3.0. 3 Volunteers informed by their Country Director that they will be administratively separated from the Peace Corps are given a 24-hour window to voluntarily resign from their service. If they choose this alternative, they are entered into the database as a resignation. 4 From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 4.0. 5 From Peace Corps Manual Section 284, 5.0. 2
2|Page
This report presents data on early terminations for fiscal year 2012. As required by the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011, Public Law 112-57, the chart entitled Annual Early Termination and Resignation Rates (see page 4) provides the annual rate of early termination of Volunteers, plus data from the previous five fiscal years. In addition to the annual early termination rate (comprising all four categories of early termination) the chart breaks out the annual resignation rate. As resignations make up the majority of ETs (approximately 70% of the total ETs each year) and represent a voluntary decision to terminate Peace Corps service early, the inclusion of resignation information in this chart tells a more complete story of early termination trends over time. The report also includes annual early termination demographic information (see pages 5-9) for the five demographic characteristics for which the Peace Corps collects data. The Peace Corps is pleased to note the downward trend in ET and resignation rates over the past six years, and the agency will continue to closely review and compare these rates.
3|Page
Annual Early Termination Rate Annual Early Termination and Resignation Rates 12% 10.8%
10.7% 10.0%
10% 8.8%
8.6%
8.5%
8.3%
8%
7.8%
7.3% 6.0%
5.9%
6%
5.3%
4%
2%
0% FY 2007
FY 2008
FY 2009
Annual ET Rate
FY 2010
FY 2011
FY 2012
Annual Resignation Rate
Calculation To develop the annual ET rate, a dataset is created by identifying every Volunteer who served at any point during the fiscal year. The annual ET rate is then calculated as the number of Volunteers who separated from the Peace Corps during that fiscal year divided by the total number of Volunteers who served at any time during the fiscal year.
Annual Early Termination Rate
=
(
Number of Volunteers Early Terminating in a Fiscal Year Total Number of Volunteers Serving in a Fiscal Year
)
x 100%
4|Page
Annual Early Termination Demographic Data - Gender
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Gender
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Gender 10000
800 624
8000
600 344
400
7712
6000
4752
4000 200
2000
0
0 Female
Male
Female
Male
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Gender 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
8.1%
7.2%
Female
Male
0%
5|Page
Annual Early Termination Demographic Data - Age Group
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Age Group 800
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Age Group
748
12000
10667
10000
600
8000 6000
400
4000
200
72
36
53
50
0
7
2
2000
756
205
327
461
0
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89
44
4
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Age Group 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50.0%
50% 40% 30% 17.6%
20% 10%
7.0%
16.2% 10.8%
9.5%
15.9%
0% 18-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
80-89
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Annual Early Termination Demographic Data – Marital Status 6
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Marital Status
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Marital Status
1000 800
12000 777
10762
10000 8000
600
6000 400
4000
200 0
7
71
19
8
84
2000 124
2
0
Single Planning Married - Married - Widowed Divorced Peace (Never to Marry Serving Serving or Legally Corps Married) within with without Separated Marriage One Year Spouse Spouse
839
120
80
534
5
Single Planning Married - Married - Widowed Divorced Peace (Never to Marry Serving Serving or Legally Corps Married) within with without Separated Marriage One Year Spouse Spouse
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Marital Status 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50%
40.0%
40% 30% 15.8%
20% 10%
7.2%
5.6%
10.0%
8.5%
15.7%
0% Single (Never Planning to Married Married) Marry within Serving with One Year Spouse
6
Married Serving without Spouse
Widowed
Divorced or Legally Separated
Peace Corps Marriage
Marital Status as reported at the time of submitting an application to serve or upon a change to marital status during Peace Corps service.
7|Page
Annual Early Termination Demographic Data – Education Level
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Education Level
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Education Level
800
10000 610
600
6000
400
4000 200
8035
8000
169
127 0
0
0
2
3
14
37
5
2235
2000 1
1
0
4
21 33 70
1277
651
123
14
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Education Level 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%
20.0%
20% 10% 0%
9.5%
7.6% 0.0%
0.0%
9.1%
5.7%
7.6%
4.1%
9.9%
7.1%
8|Page
Annual Early Termination Demographic Data – Ethnic Code
FY 2012 Early Terminations by Ethnic Code 800
FY 2012 All Volunteers by Ethnic Code 716
700
10000
9125
8000
600 500
6000
400 4000
300 200 100
76
41
68
0
4
40
2000 23
922
516
0
Not Black, not Hispanic American Asian or More indicated of Indian or Pacific than one Hispanic Alaskan Islander of the Origin Native above
White, not of Hispanic Origin
931 22
578
370
Not Black, Hispanic American Asian or More indicated not of Indian or Pacific than one Hispanic Alaskan Islander of the Origin Native above
White, not of Hispanic Origin
FY 2012 Annual Early Termination Rate by Ethnic Code 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 18.2%
20% 10%
8.2%
7.9%
7.3%
6.9%
6.2%
7.8%
0% Not indicated Black, not of Hispanic Origin
Hispanic
American Asian or Pacific More than one White, not of Indian or Islander of the above Hispanic Origin Alaskan Native
9|Page
