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- Travel, PCS and Transportation
- Important Regulation Changes
- Travel & Transportation Entitlements Summary
- Permanent Change of Station (PCS)
- Temporary Duty (TDY)
- Junior COSTEP Travel Information
- Official Travel Forms
- Household Goods Officers
- Transportation
- Government Travel Charge Card
- Table of Frequently Used Acronyms
- Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
- Links
- Travel and Transportation Allowances FAQ
- About Personnel & Career Management
- Awards-Officer Awards Program
- Nominations Procedures and Forms
- Eligibility to Receive Awards
- Approval Levels
- Types of Recognition & Awards Criteria
- Non-PHS Awards
- Write-Up (Narrative) Guidance & Tips
- List of OPDIV Awards Coordinators (PDF, 67kb)
- List of Liaisons (PDF, 266kb)
- 2021 USPHS Awards Process Flowchart (PDF, 702kb)
- FAQs
- COER
- DEERS Information (PDF, 139kb)
- Important Information Regarding DEERS and ID Cards During COVID-19 (PDF, 57kb)
- eCORPS Information
- Education Benefits Overview
- FAQs
- Forms
- Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF)
- eOPF FAQs
- eOPF Status
- FAQs Practice Hours and Special Pay Changes
- Licensure
- Officer Leave and Absence Request FAQ
- Promotions
- Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
- Veteran Health Administration (VHA) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Practice Hours
- Link to list of Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) Chairs (PDF, 19kb)
- About Policy
- Commissioned Corps Issuance System
- Equal Opportunity
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Political Restrictions
- Promotion Ceremony Protocol (PDF, 126kb)
- SGHG Drill and Ceremonies Manual (PDF, 3.39mb)
- Uniform Specifications
- PHS Hard Shoulder Boards and Sleeve Insignia (Male and Female) (PDF, 828kb)
- PHS Soft Shoulder Marks (Unisex) (PDF, 324kb)
- Medical Requirements for Promotion
- RedDOG Force Readiness Information
- Link to list of Chief Professional Officers (CPO) (PDF, 348kb)
- Link to list of Liaisons (PDF, 266kb)
- Promotion Board Recommendations
- Not promoted? Now What?
- FAQs
- Officer Promotion Packet Verification System (OPPVS) Timeline & FAQs
- Promotion, Readiness and Compliance FAQs
- Permanent Promotion Eligibility Chart
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- Visit CDC.gov for Coronavirus (COVID-19) Public Health Updates
As Public Health Service Officers and America’s Health Responders, we stand ready to preserve public health and national security during national or global health emergencies. Our mission is to be out the door as soon as requested, as this is an “all hands on deck” situation. All Corps officers were placed on involuntary deploy or "alert" status effective Wednesday, March 25, 2020, irrespective of the 'on-call month' status. Under Commissioned Corps Directive 121.02, "Deployment and Readiness," as directed by Assistant Secretary for Health, Commissioned Corps Headquarters will deploy Commissioned Corps officers assigned to HHS OpDivs/StaffDivs, either voluntarily or involuntarily and without supervisory approval, who are not considered mission critical, for deployments, under the current National Emergency. Mission critical requests sent to CCHQ are not final until the request is approved by the CCHQ Director as per the POM 821.76 ”Deployment Procedures”. An officer with a non-HHS organization may be deployed in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement/Understanding between the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the non-HHS organization.
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Commissioned Officers’ Awards Program (COAP)
Frequently Asked Questions
AWARDS FAQs GUIDE:
Nominations
Awards Processing
Service Awards
Wearing of Awards and Badges
Awards Documentation (eOPF and PIR)
Awards Limits and Restrictions
Purchasing Medals and Ribbons
Award of Uniformed Services DecorationsFAQS ON POM_821.14, “AWARDS PROCESSING”
AWARDS FAQS GUIDE
1.What resources are available for information on the PHS Commissioned Officers’ Awards Program?- Commissioned Corps Instruction (CCI) CCI 511.01 “Awards Program”,
- CCI511.02 “Award of Uniformed Services Decorations”,
- CCI512.01 “Wear of Awards and Badges”,
- POM 821.14 – “Commissioned Corps Awards Processing”
For additional questions please contact your: OPDIV/Agency Awards Coordinators (AACs) and Commissioned Corps Liaisons.
2.Who can nominate PHS Commissioned Corps Officers for awards?A fellow officer, co-worker, superior, or someone outside of the Commissioned Corps with knowledge of the accomplishment(s) deserving recognition may initiate the nomination of an officer or a group of officers as candidate(s) for an individual honor or unit award. However, officers cannot nominate themselves.3.I am separating/retiring from active duty. When should my award packet be submitted to COAP?Nominations for an individual or unit honor award must be formally initiated and submitted 90 days prior to an officer’s separation or retirement from active duty or within 13 months after the noteworthy act or specific period of service to be recognized, whichever is earlier.4.What are the Basic Force Readiness requirements for awards?- Officers nominated for an award that covers the officer’s career (e.g., submitted just prior to the officer’s retirement) must continuously meet the readiness requirements for the last five years of the award period.
- All other officers must continuously meet the readiness requirements, starting from the date of the award nomination through the date that the award is approved.
5.How do I nominate an officer for an award?The nominator should review the criteria for each award level (CCI 511.01), as well as the guidelines on the COAP Write-Up Guidance and Tips webpage. The 2 page maximum narrative should concisely describe the above and beyond achievement or accomplishments of the officer(s). For agency awards, send the narrative together with respective PDF-fillable form PHS-6342-1 (Unit Awards), or PHS-6342-2 (Individual Awards) through the OPDIV/Agency’s Line of Authority for signatures. The ACC can provide Line of Authority information. For deployments, PAC or SG appointed groups, work through your team or group’s chain of command.6.What is the time limit to initiate an individual or unit honor nomination?Recommendation for individual or unit honor award must be formally initiated within 13 months after the noteworthy act or specific period of service to be recognized. The nominator’s date on the form must be within 13 months of the end of the period covered.1.Which awards require board review?- PHS Citation (CIT) and Achievement Medals (AM): Many OPDIVs/Agencies are delegated the authority to approve these awards without requiring Awards Board review, although most still utilize a final review by their Agency Awards Board for quality control.
- Commendation Medal (CM), Outstanding Service Medal (OSM), and Unit Commendation (UC): Nominations require an Awards Board review and recommendation prior to approval by the delegated approval authority.
- Meritorious Service Medal (MSM), Distinguished Service Medal (DSM), and Outstanding Unit Citation (OUC): Nominations for these awards require two Awards Board reviews, including a final review and recommendation by the Commissioned Corps Awards Board (CCAB) prior to final approval by the Surgeon General (SG).
- Nominations that fall outside an OPDIV/Agency Awards Program with their own Board are forwarded to the Office of the Surgeon General Awards Board (OSGAB) for review and recommendation to the SG for final approval.
2.What type of documentation is provided with an approved award?All approved awards are processed by the COAP Team in the system of record. The award is viewable in the eOPF PIR by information automatically transmitted after processing. The award nomination packet is forwarded to the file room for upload and indexing to the eOPF. COAP will then forward certificates and medal sets to the OPDIV/Agency Awards Coordinators for dissemination.
Certificates and corresponding full medal sets (large medal, miniature medal, and ribbon bar) are only provided to officers receiving each of the Individual Honor Awards for the first time. Officers receiving a subsequent Individual Honor Award will receive a certificate only through their AAC.3.What happens to my award after my agency award boards approves it?Lower level award nominations (Citation (CIT), Achievement Medals (AM), Commendation Medal (CM), Outstanding Service Medal (OSM) and Unit Commendation (UC)) are submitted to COAP and processed accordingly. Higher level award nominations (Meritorious Service Medal (MSM), Distinguished Service Medal (DSM), Outstanding Unit Citation (OUC) and awards with Valor) are reviewed by the PHS Commissioned Corps Award Board (PHS-CCAB). The PHS-CCAB reviews the award nomination and submits their recommendation to the Surgeon General for a decision. The Surgeon General has the final authority to upgrade, downgrade or deny the award.4.How do I check the award status after I am nominated?Officers should always contact their AAC first, or nominator in the case of deployment awards, to check on the status of an award submission. They should be able to give the officer any type of information regarding the status of the award, e.g. has it been approved, has it been sent to Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ)/COAP. The AAC or nominator will then reach out to COAP regarding any outstanding issues with a pending award – not the officer. It can take up to 90 days from the time an award is submitted to COAP for it to be processed and visible on the PIR, and another 60 days for the support documents to be uploaded and indexed to the eOPF.1.I have my Dive Certification. Do I qualify for the Hazardous Duty Award (HDA)?Yes. An officer who completes and maintains certified diver training as required for their agency and receives dive pay for 180 consecutive days qualifies for the HDA.
2.I participated in a 10 day non-domestic/international response last year. Do I qualify for a Global Response Service Award (GRSA)?No. An officer must be deployed for no less than 14 consecutive days to receive the GRSA.
3.I participated in a deployment that required me to provide emergency medical/support services in 2020. Do I qualify for the National Emergency Preparedness Award (NEPA)?No. The NEPA recognizes officers who have served in an organizational entity, from 19 December 2006 through 31 December 2019.
4.I participated in a 10 day domestic response last year. Do I qualify for a Crisis Response Service Award (CRSA)?No. An officer must be deployed for no less than 14 consecutive days to receive the CRSA.
5.Can an officer working domestically, qualify for a Global Health Initiative Service Medal (GHISM)?Yes. Any officer who supported a Global Health Initiative Assignment, for at least 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days while on temporary or permanent assignment after 26 January 2005, within the continental United States (CONUS) and/or outside of the continental United States (OCONUS), qualifies for a GHISM.
6.Can an officer receive two Commissioned Corps Training Ribbon (CCTR) awardsYes. Officers who successfully completed the former Basic Officer Training Course (BOTC)/Independent Officer Training Course (IOTC) were awarded the CCTR. Officers who separated and returned to the Corps and meet certain requirements, are eligible for a second CCTR (no device authorized).
1.Can I wear awards from non-PHS services, Federal Agencies/Departments, or foreign governments?Yes, however the awards must be worn only as designated in CCI.512.01 ‘Wear of Awards and Badges”. Awards from prior military service must be documented on a Department of Defense (DoD) Form DD-214, “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty,” Form DD-215, “Correction to DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty,” or a National Guard Bureau (NGB) Form 22/22a. If the officer received non-uniform service decorations as a civilian prior to commissioning, he or she must submit corresponding documentation, i.e. certificate and memorandum, to the COAP.
2.Can I wear my full size Field Medical Readiness Badge on my Dinner Dress?No. Officers may wear full-size badges with full dress, service dress blue, and service dress white, uniforms
Awards Documentation (eOPF and PIR)
1.How do I resolve missing or incorrect awards issues in my eOPF and PIR?Reach out to your AAC first to assist in troubleshooting the issue. Awards are processed electronically and will show on the PIR. If the award is missing from the PIR (data transfer issues may have occurred in the DA transition), then notify COAP at COAP@hhs.gov of the issue. Ensure you include your PHS SERNO with a detailed explanation of what award is missing.
Issues regarding incorrect support documentation in the Awards Section of the eOPF need to be directed to the COAP Manager: COAP@hhs.gov. Please explain the problem in detail.2.There are typos in the Unit and/or Citation entries on the new PIR awards list, can I get those fixed?Unfortunately, COAP does not have the resources to correct previous entries.3.My prior service awards are not on file. How can I get authorization to wear them?Email a secure copy of your DD214 or DD215 (do not send certificates, unless received subsequent to issuance of the DD214) as an attachment to the Awards Coordinator at COAP@hhs.gov. Not all prior service awards are authorized for wear with the PHS uniform. This is the ONLY documentation that will be accepted directly from an officer. See #13 below for DoD, U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA awards processing.4.I am missing awards documentation for a PHS honor award. How can I get the award into my file?There are many steps in Awards processing. It is possible your award is not fully processed. Check your your PIR first. If you know you’ve been nominated for an award, follow up with your Awards Coordinator or Agency Liaison (or nominator in the case of deployment awards) to find out when it was submitted to COAP. These individuals have the best information on the status of your award.5.Why are my agency awards or PAC Certificates of Appreciation not appearing in the awards section of the PIR?Only PHS awards listed in the Awards Policy and similar wearable awards received while assigned to DoD, U.S Coast Guard, or NOAA are entered into the Awards section. Some agency honor awards that have associated ribbons ( i.e. EPA awards) are also entered.6.How do I get my PAC award into the PHS Awards & non-PHS Awards section?Utilize the eDOC-U feature to upload these items following the eDOC-U guidance provided. ( e.g. PAC awards and high-level agency awards can be uploaded here as an Agency/Category award. This section is NOT for certificates of appreciation, foreign performance badges, and non-PHS authorized military associated badges or ribbons). Submit those documents under certificate of appreciation, which will be listed under the PHS Supporting Activities section.6.Where is my Regular Corps ribbon write-up?There is no write-up for the Regular Corps ribbon. Check your PIR to make certain the ribbon is listed there. That is the only place it will appear in the record. Do not submit an image of your Regular Corps certificate to the eOPF.7.I received an award from my prior DoD/CG duty assignment, but now I’m in another agency, how do I get it recorded?Do NOT submit documents directly to COAP. Submit all award documentation to your Agency Awards Coordinator or Commissioned Corps Agency Liaison for verification and administrative checks. They will forward the documentation to COAP for processing.8.Where’s my service award (ISOHAR, FDA, SAA, CCTR, etc.), or FMRB write-up?Due to several factors, there will be no supporting documentation uploaded to the eOPF for the majority of service awards. Please refer to your expanded PIR for all citation information entered on awards, including these. Most GRSA, CRSA and RSA deployment events will have supporting documentation uploaded after processing and when the mission is complete.Awards Limits and Restrictions
1.As a Commissioned Corps officer, am I eligible for cash awards?By law, Commissioned Corps officers are eligible for cash awards for only three different categories: inventions, suggestions, and special acts of scientific achievement. The authority for cash awards to officers is set forth in Title 42 U.S.C. 213a(a)(15) and Title 10 U.S.C. 1124. Cash awards will not be made to officers for superior performance of assigned duties or for contributions which reasonably may be considered to be within the scope of those duties. The criteria for cash awards can be found in the CCPM, Chapter CC27, Subchapter 27.1, INSTRUCTION 5 (Commissioned Officers' Incentive Awards Program; Cash Awards for Inventions, Suggestions, and Scientific Achievements - PDF, 169kb).2.How many awards can I receive? Is the number limited by time?There are neither minimum nor maximum numbers of nominations that may be submitted by organizations to which Corps officers are detailed. Each award nomination is assessed upon its own merits in comparison with criteria. However, an officer cannot be nominated for an additional award overlapping a previous award for the same achievement or activity.3.Can I receive an honor award in addition to a Unit Commendation for the same achievement?An officer, who has demonstrated a level of accomplishment that significantly exceeds the efforts of other members of the unit, may be nominated for an Individual Honor Award in which the award nomination must clearly specify the achievement or activity beyond the group accomplishment.1.Where can I purchase medal set replacements/extra ribbons, etc?Walter Reed National Military Medical Center - Uniform Center
8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Building 1
Bethesda, MD 20889
301-295-1489
https://www.mynavyexchange.com/nex/uniforms
UltraThin
800-758-7265
405-794-7892
https://www.ultrathin.com/Other sources may be available. However, it is your responsibility to ensure all purchases meet current military specifications.
2.I still have questions, where can I get more information?Please contact your Commissioned Corps Agency Liaison or visit the COAP website.Award of Uniformed Services Decorations
1.Can I accept an award from another uniformed service for an act which I was recognized in the Public Health Service?No. Policy precludes duplicate recognition of any award type for the same act. Reference CCI 511.01 Section 6-2.
2.Q: Can another uniformed service award an officer a ribbon, medal or decoration to a PHS officer?A: Yes. Another uniformed service must obtain administrative concurrence of the Director, Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ), or his/her designee, before it can award a ribbon, medal, or decoration to a Corps officer. CCHQ administrative concurrence shall include confirmation that the Corps officer is in good standing in the Corps and has not or will not receive a Corps ribbon, medal, or decoration for which the same or similar uniformed services ribbon, medal, or decoration is being proffered for the same act or service.
FAQS ON POM_821.14, “AWARDS PROCESSING”
1.How long does my agency have to process my award and submit to COAP?- All endorsements must be completed within 90 days of the nomination date
- The Agency Awards Board (AAB) has 180 days from the nomination date.
- Final approval by the delegated authority is completed within 60 days of the AAB’s recommendation/date the AAB is convened.
- Nominations are submitted to COAP by the AAC within 30 days of final approval.
2.My award was sent back for a rewrite, how much time do I have to resubmit?To ensure timely recognition, deadlines for rewrites/resubmissions are restricted to no more than 180 days.3.My agency does not have an approving authority. How will my award be reviewed?Your award will be reviewed by the Commissioned Corps Interagency Awards Board (CCIAB). Nominations must follow the CPO awards program submission guidelines.4.My SG Appointed Group wants to send an award on my behalf. When should they submit the award to ensure the timeframes are met?All endorsements are completed within 90 days of the nomination date and forwarded to COAP within 10 days of the final endorsement date.5.I want to submit a deployment award for an officer. When are submissions due?All endorsements are completed by the Readiness and Deployment Branch (RDB) within 90 days of the nomination date and forwarded to COAP within 10 days.1.Are non-HHS OPDIVs required to have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for processing awards?Yes, all HHS and non-HHS OPDIVs are required to create and submit their respective SOP for award processing. The SOP must adhere to the policies in CCI 511.01 ‘Awards Program’ and the guidelines in POM_821.14 ‘Awards Processing’.
2.What information must be included in the agencies SOP?The minimum information required for the agency’s SOP are the following
- The organizational chain of command through which the nomination is submitted and the appropriate levels of notification needed, along with reasonable timelines to accomplish each level of endorsement.
- Requires that nominators and others within the chain of command notify their respective Awards Coordinator that an award nomination is submitted, so that the nomination may be tracked,
- An outline of the OPDIV/STAFFDIV/non-HHS organization’s board process.
3.What is the role of the Agency Award Coordinator (AAC)?- The AAC serves as the first line of contact for officers and managers within the respective agencies.
- The AAC serves as the liaison to CCHQ for award issues for their respective agencies
- The ACC tracks award nominations to ensure awards are processed within the POM_821.14 Awards Processing section 6.
4.How many awards boards are there and what are their roles? There are 3 agency awards boards;- Agency Awards Board (AAB): Agencies with delegated authority from the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) must establish an AAB to review award nominations. The agency has discretion to determine members of the AAB, but should ensure they represent the diversity in the agency. The board can include civilians.
- PHS Commissioned Corps Awards Board (PHS-CCAB): The PHS-CCAB is the required second board review for all DSM, MSM, and OUC nominations, as well as awards nominated with Valor.
- Commissioned Corps Interagency Awards Board (CCIAB): The CCIAB reviews the nominations for all agencies without delegated approval authority, Professional Advisory Committees (PACs), deployment awards, Surgeon General (SG) appointed groups, and all other award nominations without an awards board.