---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 4956"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "4956"
heading: "Participation of program beneficiaries"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/4956"
units:
  - "Chapter 66 — Domestic Volunteer Services"
  - "Subchapter I — National Volunteer Antipoverty Programs"
  - "Part A — Volunteers in Service to America"
---

# §4956. Participation of program beneficiaries


To the maximum extent practicable, the people of the communities to be served by volunteers under this subchapter shall participate in planning, developing, and implementing programs thereunder, and the [Director](/usc/42/5061.md?p=1), after consultation with sponsoring [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) (including volunteers assigned to them) and the people served by such [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), shall establish in regulations, a continuing mechanism for the meaningful participation of such program beneficiaries.


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 93–113, title I, § 106, Oct. 1, 1973, 87 Stat. 398; Pub. L. 98–288, § 7, May 21, 1984, 98 Stat. 191.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1984—Pub. L. 98–288 substituted “establish in regulations” for “take all necessary steps to establish, in regulations he shall prescribe”.