Designation of Flag Grade Billets and Flag Grade Promotions

A current list of flag grade billets has been approved. This is the first review and assessment using the new process described in Subchapter CC23.4, INSTRUCTION 7, "Flag Grade Officer Selection and Assignment," which became effective on February 1, 2005. Briefly, this INSTRUCTION governs:

The process for reviewing and evaluating billets to determine those that merit designation at the flag grade, using the criteria contained in the INSTRUCTION. When applicable, the identification of assignments within the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BoP) that merit designation as flag grade billets. The procedures for nominating, assessing, recommending, and obtaining Secretarial approval for all promotions to flag grade.

A 3-year cycle for the review of all flag grade billets has been established. In Year One of the cycle, a complete assessment of the flag grade billet management and promotion system was performed in addition to a comprehensive review of all billets recommended by the Operating Divisions (OPDIVs), Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs), and non-Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) organizations to which officers are assigned, for consideration for flag designation. In Years Two and Three of the cycle, all organizations will be asked to indicate what changes are recommended, if any, to their previously submitted lists of billets.

The evaluation and recommendation of flag grade billets to the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH), which was accomplished this year (Year One of the cycle) was a two-stage process. All billet descriptions and billet assessment plans, along with OPDIV, STAFFDIV, and non-HHS organization rankings were reviewed and scored using an objective scoring process developed by the Lewin Group. The scoring process, based on the criteria described in the INSTRUCTION, has been modeled after the DoD process, taking into account the unique mission of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) and OPDIV, STAFFDIV, and non-HHS organization priorities.

Throughout the first stage of the evaluation process, inter- and intra-rater statistical analyses were conducted. When significant variations in billet scores were found, further scoring by additional staff was conducted. The final rank-ordered listing from the scoring process was reviewed by a team of flag officers to assess the reasonableness of the scoring based upon their understanding of the Corps and organizational priorities. That scoring validation team’s work comprised the second stage of the evaluation process.

Once the scoring of billets was complete, three distinct “bands” were observed. Some billets, because the complexity of their duties and responsibilities were so great, were determined to merit an O-8 grade. Others were sufficiently complex that they could merit either an O-7 or O-8 rank depending upon the specific qualifications and responsibilities assigned to the position. The final band comprised those billets that were found to not merit designation at flag grade. These recommendations were transmitted to the ASH who, after consultation with the Surgeon General (SG), approved a final list of flag grade billets.

The list of approved flag grade billets, in alphabetical order by OPDIV and STAFFDIV is included below. In addition, in accordance with Section E.2 of the INSTRUCTION, some flag grade billets, exempt from this review process either by statute or by the direction of the ASH or the Secretary, carry flag grades. They are:

Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) Surgeon General (SG) Deputy Surgeon General (DSG) Regional Health Administrators (RHA) OPDIV/STAFFDIV Heads Up to three billets in DoD Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Statutorily-designated Chief Professional Officers (Dental, Nurse, Pharmacist, Engineer)

The SG solicited nominations from OPDIVs, STAFFDIVs, and non-HHS organizations for promotion of officers who encumber these billets and meet the other flag officer selection criteria. The nominations have been received in the Office of Commissioned Corps Operations. The SG is responsible for convening the Flag Officer Promotion Board to review and rank order the nominees. The rank-ordered list will be transmitted to the ASH by Friday, September 16, 2005, and promotion recommendations will be forwarded to the Secretary shortly thereafter.

 

OPDIV/STAFFDIV	Billet Title
ATSDR	Director, Division of Health Assessment and Consultations, ATSDR, NCEH
BoP	Medical Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
CDC	Associate Director for Minority Health
CDC	Deputy Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
CDC	Deputy Director, National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID)
CDC	Deputy Director, National Immunization Program
CDC	Director National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), ATSDR, CCEHIP
CDC	Director, Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention (CCEHIP)
CDC	Director, Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases (CCID)
CDC	Director, Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response
CDC	Director, Coordinating Office for Global Health (COGH)
CDC	Director, Coordinating Center for Health Information and Services (CCHIS)
CDC	Director, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, NCID, CCID
CDC	Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, NCHSTP, CCID
CDC	Director, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, NCPS
CDC	Director, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, NCID, CCID
CDC	Director, Global AIDS Program, NCHSTP, CCID
CDC	Director, Global Immunization Division, NIP
CDC	Director, National Center for Health Marketing, CCHIS
CDC	Director, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP), CCID
CDC	Director, National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), CCID
CDC	Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CCEHIP
CDC	Director, National Center for Public Health Informatics, CCHIS
CDC	Director, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CCHP
CDC	Director, National Immunization Program, CCID
CDC	Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
CDC	Director, Office of Capacity Development and Program Coordination, COGH
CDC	Division Director, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, NCID
FDA	Center Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
FDA	Chief Medical Officer - Office of Counter Terrorism, OC
FDA	Deputy Center Director, CDER
FDA	Deputy Director, Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
FDA	Deputy Office Director, Office of New Drugs, CDER
FDA	Director, Office of Enforcement, Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA)
FDA	Director, Office of Orphan Products Development, OC
FDA	Office Director, Office of Pharmacoepidemology and Statistical Science, CDER
FDA	Regional Food and Drug Director, Pacific Region, Oakland, California, ORA
FDA	Senior Advisor to the Commissioner FDA on International Nutrition Policy, OC
HRSA	Associate Administrator for Health Professions, Bureau of Health Professions
HRSA	Associate Administrator for HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB)
HRSA	Deputy Associate Administrator, Bureau of Primary Health Care
HRSA	Deputy Associate Administrator, Healthcare Systems Bureau
HRSA	Director, Center for Quality, HAB
HRSA	Director, Office of International Health
IHS	Chief Medical Officer, Aberdeen Area
IHS	Chief Medical Officer, Indian Health Service Area Office - Phoenix
IHS	Chief Medical Officer, OD
IHS	Deputy Area Director, Chief Medical Officer, Indian Health Service Area Office - Navajo
IHS	Deputy Area Director, Oklahoma Area
IHS	Deputy Director, Office of Clinical and Preventive Services
IHS	Deputy Director, Office of Environmental Health and Engineering
IHS	Director, Division of Nursing Services, OCPS
IHS	Director, Division of Oral Health, OCPS
IHS	Director, Indian Health Service Area Office - Nashville
IHS	Director, Office of Clinical and Preventive Services (OCPS)
IHS	Director, Office of Environmental Health and Engineering (OEHE)
IHS	Director, Office of Public Health Support (OPHS)
IHS	Director, Policy Review, OD
IHS	Service Unit Director, CEO Medical Center - Phoenix
NIH	Associate Director for Clinical Research, OCR, OD, NIAID
NIH	Associate Director for Nutritional Sciences, NIDDK
NIH	Deputy Director, NIDCR
NIH	Deputy Director, NIDDK
NIH	Director, Center for Clinical Trials Network, NIDA
NIH	Director, Division of Cancer Prevention, NCI
NIH	Director, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
NIH	Executive Director, Office of Intramural Research
NIH	Scientific Director, OSD, IRP, NIA
OS	Chief of Staff, Office of the Surgeon General, OPHS
OS	Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (DASH) – Minority Health, OPHS
OS	Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (DASH) – ODPHP, OPHS
OS	Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (DASH) - Operations
OS	Director, Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management, OPHS
OS	Director, Office of Research and Development, ORDC, OASPHEP
OS	Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health
OS	Senior Advisor, Emergency Readiness, Response and Recovery, OFRD, OSG, OPHS
SAMHSA	Director, Office of Applied Studies

 

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