U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
HOME   Office of the Surgeon General   Submit An Article    Subscribe/Unsubscribe    Contact Us  
America's Health Responders - U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE COMMISSIONED CORPS
Volume 9, No. 2     May 03, 2013
In Brief...
Commissioned Corps Issuance System
Prior Issues...
PDF Archives
Retirement FAQS
Submitted by Robert Carolan
This is a new column that will feature answers to several retirement related questions with each edition.

  • Q.
  • When will I be eligible to retire and when must I retire?

  • A.
  • Officers at the rank of O-6 or below will automatically be retired on the 1st day of the month following completion of 30 years of service. Officers in the grade O-6 and below with at least 20 years of service but less than 30 years of service may request voluntary retirement. Flag officers at the rank of O-7 will be involuntarily retired on the first day of the month following completion of 33 years of service and an O-8 will be retired on the first day of the month following completion of 36 years of service. Keep in mind that retiring with less than 30 years is “permissive” which means that under extraordinary circumstances you could be required to temporarily continue service until a critical need has been addressed.
  • Q.
  • When will I be first eligible to retire?

  • A.
  • Your Retirement Credit Date (RCD) is what determines your retirement eligibility. You must have at least 20 years of service from this date but must retire on the first day of the month following the 20 year anniversary date. As an example, if your RCD is 5/14/1994, your earliest eligibility for retirement will be 6/1/2014.

  • Q.
  • Who do I contact to initiate a voluntary (20 to 29 year) retirement request and when should I do it?

  • A.
  • Voluntary retirements must first be approved by your OPDIV/Agency and it is your Commissioned Corps Liaison that will provide you with the appropriate request format and routing. Your first contact with your Liaison should be at least 4 months prior to your desired retirement date. Many officers start the process as much as a year in advance.
Health and Human Services
Public Health, Commissioned Corps
HHS, Office of Public Health and Science
Division of Commissioned Corps Personnel and Readiness
Tower Building
1101 Wootton Parkway, Plaza Level Suite 100
Rockville, MD 20852