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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
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- Table of Frequently Used Acronyms
- Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
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- Travel and Transportation Allowances FAQ
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- Dental
- Active Duty Dental Program
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- 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
- May 2022 Officer Awards
- DEERS Information (PDF, 139kb)
- Important Information Regarding DEERS and ID Cards During COVID-19 (PDF, 57kb)
- eCORPS Information
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- eOPF Status
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- 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
- 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
- Board Composition and Scoresheet 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
Write-Up (Narrative) Guidance & Tips
The narrative cannot exceed one single spaced typed pages. Use block paragraphs and 1” margins, with double-spacing between sections. Bullets are encouraged when they provide clarity without losing the meaning in any section. Use Times New Roman 12 point style – NO REDUCTIONS. If the Times New Roman font is unavailable for your use, use a comparable font.
Below is the suggested format.
The narrative should address the following areas:
Introduction: Include an introductory paragraph that describes the general criteria for the award being considered (e.g., continuous leadership, major public health impact, etc.) and the time period covered by the nomination. Ensure it matches the period covered on the nomination form.
Background: Provide some pertinent background to give the nomination reviewers perspective on the issue and any prior or mitigating circumstances. State clearly the aspects of the project or activity. Include how and when the project or activity started as well as any potential goals. When relevant, this section should also identify the nominee’s regular duties and how the accomplishments (stated below) are outside the expectations of the position.
Accomplishments: Write from an objective and factual perspective. This section should address the following questions:
- What was considered “above and beyond” or “exceptional” in relation to the officer(s)’s expected scope or responsibility in the position relative to his or her respective rank?
- Why is it deserving of recognition?
- What were the specific outcomes and impact that were directly attributable to the actions of the officer(s) on the project (impact to the Commissioned Corps in general, the Nation, etc.)? How were the potential goals met? Utilize facts, data and dates whenever possible.
Impact: Clearly and concisely state how the outcomes and impact of the specifically attributable accomplishments affected the project, etc. Again, utilize facts, data and dates whenever possible to assist in demonstrating the impact of a nomination. Be sure to use a chronological order to assist in clarity.
Conclusion: Provide a short summary to emphasize the importance of the project, accomplishment, or activity.
Helpful Suggestions:
- Review the award levels and their requirements prior to writing the award narrative. Do not assume that if you write for a higher level award that it will be downgraded. Reviewers DO appreciate an award that is written at the appropriate level!
- Do NOT use future tense ( e.g. “will accomplish”, “may affect”, etc.). If you are unable to adequately measure or document outcomes and impact, it is better to delay nomination until you are ready. Do not chance receiving a lower level award—or no award—due to rushing a nomination for promotion purposes. Submitting a well-documented nomination helps ensure officers receive appropriate recognition for significant accomplishments.
- DO have someone NOT connected with the project in question review the award narrative. Any person unfamiliar with project should be able to clearly ascertain what the officer(s) is being submitted for when reading the narrative. Utilize his or her feedback to provide clarity.