Given limited resources (human and capital) within Division of Commissioned Corps Recruitment (DCCR) of the Office of Commissioned Corps Operations, it is imperative that the Associate Recruiter Program (ARP) be reconstituted in a manner that leverages these resources in the most efficient manner. As such, a decision was made this past year to reengineer the program in a way that will better meet the needs of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) while also better serving those who participate. These changes are not intended to decrease the program, but rather to improve its overall effectiveness in supporting the recruitment efforts of DCCR.

A recent re-visioning document was distributed this past March/April that outlined the concept of a reorganized ARP with a tentative timeline for its implementation in May/June. The Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM) has requested that the current ARP policy be updated concurrently to reflect the anticipated changes to the ARP. Additionally, it was recognized by DCCR that additional inputs/comments by key stakeholders should be solicited prior to implementing the new program.

As such, the reengineering of the ARP is still in the review process. In approximately 1 to 2 months the draft program proposal with inputs by OCCFM will be reviewed by the Directors of OCCO and DCCR and will culminate in a formal presentation to the Office of Surgeon General prior to implementation. During this period, the program will remain inactive; however, officers are encouraged to promote the Corps.

As a result, the planned implementation date will be delayed 3 to 4 months while the ARP policy is updated and signed by the Assistant Secretary of Health (ASH) through OCCFM and a Personnel Operations Memorandum (POM) is created in OCCO. Additional updates will be provided through the Commissioned Corps Management Information System (http://dcp.psc.gov) and various Professional Advisory Committee Listserv mailing lists on a regular basis by the ARP Coordinator.

Recruitment Service Ribbon (RSR) Eligibility

Those officers who have maintained active status in the ARP since 2006 may be eligible for the RSR. A formal review process of ARP participants who may be eligible has already been initiated by the ARP Coordinator. At this time no action is required of any individual officer. Processing of service and recognition awards will be done in accordance with current policy. Therefore, officers will not be eligible to wear the RSR until it is annotated in his/her electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF). Once all the file reviews have been completed (e.g., eligibility requirements, readiness status, and disciplinary) the selected officers’ names will be submitted and an announcement will be made to denote those awardees. The target date for that release is June-July.

If there are any questions, please contact the ARP Coordinator, LCDR Thomas Pryor, and/or the ARP Program Assistant, Ms. Cyndia Harroway, via the ARP e-mail account: ARP@hhs.gov