Foreign service pathway

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, acting through the Director General of the Foreign Service, shall establish through regulation a mechanism to provide streamlined vetting and consideration of applications for appointment to the Foreign Service of returning and former Peace Corps volunteers. Such mechanism shall establish a pathway exclusively for such volunteers that— (1) creates mentorship opportunities through programs pairing such applicants with current Foreign Service officers; (2) recognizes Peace Corps service as qualifying experience in the form of bonus evaluation points in the Qualifications Evaluation Panel and Oral Assessment, in a manner equivalent to the veterans appointment preference under section 301(c) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3941(c)); and (3) in addition to the recognition under paragraph (2)(B), for any such volunteer appointed to a career appointment in the Foreign Service, treating the term of service to the Peace Corps as service in the Foreign Service for purposes of all benefits (including retirement benefits) provided to members of the Foreign Service or term-of-service requirements relating to pay or benefits, such as the 9-year service requirement before reaching eligibility for mid-level appointments.