Exceptional Proficiency Promotions (EPP)  What is an Exceptional Proficiency Promotion (EPP)? It is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Operating Divisions (OPDIVs)/Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs) and non-HHS organizations way of nominating officers who possess unusual levels of training and/or professional experience or unique qualifications for early promotion. Who is eligible for EPP? Each year a list is generated of all officers eligible for EPP. The list is comprised of officers who have met the Time-in-Grade (TIG) requirements which are:       a. 1 year time-in-grade by March 1st of the promotion review year for EPP to O-2, O-3            and O-4       b. 2 years time-in-grade during the promotion eligible year for EPP to O-5       c. 3 years time-in-grade during the promotion eligible year for EPP to O-6 Officers must meet the above TIG requirements. Officers can also meet either Training and Experience (T&E) or Time-in-Service (TIS), but if an officer meet all three they become eligible for promotion in their own right and no longer qualify for EPP. How is an officer nominated for EPP? Once the EPP eligibility list is created, each HHS OPDIV/STAFFDIV and non-HHS organization receives a list of their officers that are eligible, as well as a quota for nominations. The quota is determined by calculating 5 percent of the total officers eligible for EPP within their organization. Commissioned Corps Liaisons must submit all EPP nomination lists to OCCO by a specified date (see Promotion Checklist for dates). Commissioned Corps Liaisons should be contacted for guidelines and organization deadlines for EPP nominations. Also, for more information on EPP eligibility and nomination procedures, review eCCIS Book 3, Chapter 3, Section 2, Instruction 332.01 (old CCPM CC23.4.2). OCCO will only recognize nominations from OPDIV/STAFFDIV Heads and Directors of non-HHS organizations to which officers are detailed. In other words….officers cannot nominate themselves for EPP. How many times can an officer be nominated for EPP? An officer may be nominated to OCCO only one time per temporary grade. Some organizations hold an internal review board to determine who they will nominate to OCCO; this does not count as a nomination. Only if the organization puts the officer’s name forward to OCCO for promotion consideration is it considered a nomination. What do I do if I am nominated? Each organization will notify all officers they nominate for EPP. Officers nominated should follow the information posted on the promotion information Web site as if they were eligible for promotion in their own right. Officers who are recommended for EPPs will be reviewed and ranked by their professional categorical board along with all officers eligible for the same temporary grade in their own right using the same precepts. Information provided to the promotion boards will be the same for all officers, regardless of whether the officers are recommended for an EPP or eligible in their own right. Remember, the promotion board members are unaware of which officers are EPP nominees and which are eligible in their own right. They are all reviewed the same and required to meet all the same administrative requirements.