DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
COMMISSIONED CORPS
SHEET MUST BE FOLLOWED FOR MSP TO BE PAID
This fact sheet is
designed to help in completing form PHS-6289, "Dental Special Pay
(DSP) Contract."
Dental Special Pay
(DSP) - DSP is authorized for dental officers who are called to active duty for
a period not less than 1 year and who hold a current valid license. Dental officers must execute a DSP
contract to remain on active duty for 1 year, if only eligible for ASP, or 2,
3, or 4 years, if eligible for MRB.
DSP consists of two separate contractual pays:
a) Additional
Special Pay (ASP) - ASP is an annual bonus payable to eligible dental officers who agree
to serve on active duty for 1 year in the Commissioned Corps of the Public
Health Service (PHS). ASP is
designed to attract and retain qualified dentists. Unless otherwise ineligible, all dental
officers may receive ASP.
b) Multiyear Retention
Bonus (MRB) - MRB is authorized for dental officers who are currently eligible to
receive ASP and who are board certified or fully trained in a dental
specialty. MRB is designed to
enhance retention of trained specialists. MRB rates range from $3,000 to
$30,000 per year. (See full rates here.)
Before
completing the DSP contract, carefully read the following information and
instructions. Failure to complete the DSP contract in accordance with these
instructions may result in late payment or nonpayment of DSP.
1.
PHS policies and procedures for DSP are contained in INSTRUCTION 2, Subchapter CC22.2, "Dental Officer Additional
Special Pay," and "INSTRUCTION 9, Subchapter CC22.2, "Multiyear Retention Bonus,"
of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual (CCPM). It is to your advantage to
be familiar with the policies and regulations set forth in that personnel
issuance.
2. To be eligible for ASP, you must be entitled to variable special pay (VSP)
and be on active duty under a call to active duty for a period of not less than
1 year. In addition, you must be eligible to remain on active duty for a period
of 1 year from the effective date of the DSP contract and execute a DSP
contract to remain on active duty. However, you are not eligible for ASP
if you are participating in a dental internship or in a residency training
program, as defined in INSTRUCTION 2, Subchapter CC22.2,
of the CCPM. You must also have a current valid license or
approved waiver, and a recent Commissioned Officer's Effectiveness Report
(COER) (if you have been on duty for more than 6 months) in order to receive
DSP.
3. A DSP contract is a formal agreement which serves as proof of your
obligation. The contract is binding on you and will continue in force until its
terms and conditions are fulfilled.
4.
If you do not fulfill the terms of your contract, there are certain penalties
as described in #6 below.
5.
By signing the DSP contract and accepting DSP, you are voluntarily agreeing to
remain on active duty as a PHS commissioned dental officer for 1 year,
beginning with the effective date of your DSP contract. The effective date of
your DSP contract cannot be changed once the contract is in effect.
6.
If you do not serve on active duty for the entire period for which you received
DSP, you will be required to refund a pro rata portion of any payment received
which represents the unexpired part of your active duty obligation. In
addition, if you voluntarily terminate your DSP contract, you will be divested
of your separation entitlements, such as travel and transportation allowances
for you and your dependents, shipment of household goods, and transfer of or
payment for unused annual leave under authority of the Joint Federal Travel
Regulations and CCPM annual leave regulations and policies, respectively. If
you are denied lump sum payment for unused annual leave because you failed to
fulfill the terms of the DSP contract, you must also be denied terminal leave.
Terminal leave is any approved annual leave taken after an officer has
submitted form PHS-1373,
"Separation of Commissioned Officer."
7.
Before your DSP contract becomes effective and prior to any payment, the PHS
component or other Federal Agency to which you are assigned or detailed (see
Exhibit I for a list of PHS components and other Federal Agencies to which PHS
commissioned officers are assigned or detailed) must certify that you are
eligible to receive DSP and that your performance is satisfactory and you are
able to remain on active duty for the entire time period covered by the
contract. If you are not recommended for an DSP contract by the PHS component
or Federal Agency to which you are assigned or detailed, a board composed of
dental officers may be convened to make a recommendation about your eligibility
for DSP, as well as whether your performance merits such payment.
8.
If selected for DSP, payment will normally be made within 90 days of the
effective date of your contract. However, you should not incur any financial
obligations based on the possibility that you will receive DSP until you
actually receive the payment.
9.
Follow carefully the instructions for completing the contract.
The effective date
of your contract is the date your DSP obligation begins. The effective date
will be determined as follows (this information is also on the face of the
contract):
1. Initial
Contract. If you enter into an initial contract incident to entry on active
duty or after your entry on active duty, your DSP contract will be effective on
one of the following dates, whichever is later:
a) Date you attain eligibility
for DSP, provided the completed contract is received in the Compensation Branch
(CB), Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services (OCCSS), within 60 days
after you are initially eligible and your contract is signed and
notarized within 30 days after you are initially eligible for DSP;
b) Date your completed contract
is notarized if received in CB within 60 days of date of your eligibility but
has not been notarized within 30 days of date of initial eligibility;
c) Date your completed,
notarized contract is received in CB if not received in CB within 60 days of
date of your eligibility; or
d) A later date specified by
you in your DSP contract.
2. Subsequent
Contract. The effective date of
your second or subsequent DSP contract will be one of the following dates,
whichever is later:
a) Date following the date your
preceding contract expires, provided your completed contract is received in CB
within 60 days after the date of expiration of your previous contract and the
contract is signed and notarized on or before the date following the date your
preceding contract expired;
b) Date your completed contract
is notarized if the contract is received in CB within 60 days after the date of
expiration of the previous contract but has not been notarized on or before the
date your previous contract expired;
c) Date your completed,
notarized contract is received in CB if not received in CB within 60 days of
the date following the date that your preceding contract expired; or
d) A later date specified by
you in your DSP contract.
3. If You Are
Returning from a Leave Without Pay (LWOP) Detail. If you returning to a
uniformed pay status from an LWOP detail, the effective date of your contract
will be established in the same manner as an initial contract. The earliest
possible effective date of the DSP contract will be the date of your return to
Uniformed Service pay status.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE DSP CONTRACT
1. Read the
contract carefully, including the Privacy Act statement on the reverse side of
the contract.
2. The DSP contract
consists of two pages. An original
signed and notarized contract should be forwarded through your agency to
CB. A copy of the completed
contract should be obtained by each officer prior to submission and retained
for verification purposes.
a) If you agree to the terms
and conditions of the DSP contract, print or type your full name and enter your
social security number and PHS serial number at the top of the contract. Fill
in the name of the PHS component or other Federal Agency to which you are
assigned or detailed (see Exhibit 1).
b) Take the contract to a
notary, sign and date the contract in the notary's presence, and have the
notary complete the notarization blanks.
c) Submit the original contract
to your immediate supervisor. Retain the contract copy with your important
papers to verify, if necessary, that you completed and notarized a DSP contract
on a certain date.
d) Your immediate supervisor
will recommend whether you should or should not receive DSP and will forward
the contract through normal channels to the PHS component or other Federal
Agency to which you are assigned or detailed. The head of the PHS component, or
a designated official at the headquarters level to which you are assigned, must
certify your contract before it will be accepted by CB.
If your contract is
approved, a personnel order will be issued authorizing ASP and MRB (if
eligible). If the personnel order is dated on or before the 15th of the month,
DSP will usually be included in that month's pay. Personnel orders dated after
the 15th of the month generally indicate that DSP will be included in
your next month's pay. Please note that DSP is taxable.
Failure to submit your contract in accordance with these
procedures
will delay your payment or result in nonpayment.
Click here to go to rate
chart
The amount of ASP will be
based upon your years of creditable service ranging from $4,000 to $15,000.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR
MULTIYEAR RETENTION BONUS CONTRACT
As stated in the policies and procedures
contained in "INSTRUCTION 9, Subchapter CC22.2,
"Multiyear Retention Bonus," of the Commissioned Corps
Personnel Manual (CCPM), to be eligible for MRB, a dental officer must:
1. Be
entitled to ASP under 37 U.S.C. 302b;
2. Be
in pay grade O-6 (CAPT) or below;
3. Not
be participating in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)-supported
long-term training as defined in INSTRUCTION
1, Subchapter CC25.2, "Extramural Training," of the CCPM;
4. Not
be serving obligated service pursuant to participation in a HHS-supported
scholarship or training program, or not be serving obligated service to HHS by
virtue of transfer from another Uniformed Service. However, if the officer has
8 years of creditable service, he/she is eligible regardless of obligation;
5. Be
eligible to remain on active duty for the specified term of the contract
(Dental officers cannot retire for the duration of their contract);
NOTE: DSP contracts will not be processed for
dental officers who have or will attain 30 years of active service prior to the
expiration date of the contract unless approved for an extension of service
beyond 30 years. For example, a dental officer who has 26 or more years of
retirement credit will not be permitted to enter a DSP contract with an
expiration date beyond his/her mandatory retirement date. A dental officer will
be permitted to renegotiate his/her special pay contract on the anniversary of
26 years of retirement credit in order to provide receipt of the special pays
for the remaining 4 years of expected service.
6. Submit
documentation of current unrestricted licensure;
7. Submit
documentation supporting board certification, board certification equivalency,
or being fully trained in a dental specialty (Fully
Trained in an MRB Specialty-For the purposes of MRB, "fully
trained in a dental specialty" is defined as satisfactory completion of a
residency or training program accredited or accepted by the Commission on
Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, but excluding the 12
month general practice residency (GPR) or 12 month advanced education in
general dentistry (AEGD). "Fully trained" in a dental specialty also
includes a residency or training program provided by the Department of Defense
which meets its Dental MRB criteria for "fully trained". "Board
eligible" is not synonymous with "fully trained.");
8. Be
capable of undertaking the clinical practice of his/her specialty, which may be
verified by assignment to a clinical practice billet, by being credentialed to
practice at a Federal health care facility, or by being credentialed to
practice by a recognized health care facility. If an officer is not in full-time
clinical practice, as reflected in his/her billet, the officer must submit
documentation of current or planned involvement in clinical practice or in the
application of their advanced training skills for the equivalent of 14 days
(112 hours) per year. This practice activity must be reflected in the officer's
billet if it is completed at a Federally owned facility; and
9. Provide
information supporting the practice of their MRB specialty in other than
Federal facilities. Such outside work activities must be approved in advance by
the Agency, Operating Division or Program to which the officer is assigned. At
the time of annual recertification of an existing contract, documentation such
as a letter from the health facility granting clinical privileges and dates of
clinical activities, shall be provided before an anniversary payment is
authorized.
Click here to go to rate
chart
The amount of MRB
will be based upon the number of contract years and your specialty with rates
ranging from $3,000 to $30,000.
If you have any
additional questions about DSP, the contract, or other related matters, contact
the appropriate office for the PHS component or other Federal Agency to which
you are assigned or detailed as listed in Agency Liaison List.