When applying for an advertised vacancy as a Commissioned Officer, you must submit a cover letter with the following information:

• Indicate that you are applying for the position as a Commissioned Officer.
• Indicate in the cover letter whether you are already an active duty officer, an inactive reserve officer, or an applicant who has been approved for commissioning in the USPHS Commissioned Corps. If you have not submitted an application to the USPHS Commissioned Corps, please go to www.usphs.gov to learn about us and initiate the application process.
• Be sure that you apply only for merit promotion announcements. If selected under a delegated examining unit announcement, you will be required to accept a civil service appointment and will not be allowed to serve in the position as a commissioned officer.
• Include the phone number of the Division of Commissioned Corps Recruitment (DCCR) at 1-800-279-1605 so that the supervisor or hiring official can contact us with questions. You can also include our e-mail address at osphs@hhs.gov.
• Include the vacancy announcement number.

When applying for a position, it is recommended that you submit:

• A Resume or Curriculum Vitae.
• Answer KSA's (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities that reflect the background and knowledge which are important to the hiring

Some general notes:

• Since some supervisors might not be familiar with the USPHS Commissioned Corps personnel system, you should direct them to call a Career and Assignment Manager (CAM) with any questions about hiring a commissioned officer. Contact number is 240-453-6125.
• A qualified Commissioned Officer can fill most DHHS healthcare positions, even when they are advertised as a civil servant position.
• A Commissioned Officer can be detailed to some agencies outside of DHHS for certain professions.

  Please visit our web site at www.usphs.gov to learn more about the Commissioned Corps.