E-Bulletin Logo

Overview of ‘Self Service in Direct Access’

The first phase of Direct Access has given officers of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) the ability to manage their contact information by maintaining home and mailing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Every active duty officer can enter multiple emergency contacts, specify race/ ethnicity, post a curriculum vitae, and review personal awards, education, licenses and certifications, security clearance, and readiness training in one system. Officers can search through multiple job postings in Direct Access and can specify when they wish to be considered for a new job. Department of Health and Human Services Operating Divisions and Staff Divisions can search for officers with specific skills. And, the Corps can assess its composition so it can plan to meet public health needs.

Officers are able to view their present and projected readiness status and enter Basic Life Support (BLS), Annual Physical Fitness Testing (APFT), primary and secondary deployment roles, and supervisor information in Direct Access. If current or projected readiness status is not compliant, Direct Access shows the officer the specific reason for non-compliance to facilitate correction. Additionally, Direct Access shows readiness team membership, roster information and immunization status information. Please follow this link to view an online guide for Self Service in Direct Access that answers Self Service questions: http://www.uscg.mil/ppc/phs/PHSSelfServiceProcedureGuide.pdf

Self Service in Direct Access makes the officer an active participant in helping meet public health needs and keeping his or her information current. Please take the time to read through the following “Self Service Frequently Asked Questions” to learn more about Self Service.

NOTE: Direct Access is a separate database from Commissioned Corps Management Information System (CCMIS), and requires separate login information (ID and password).

Self Service in Direct Access -- Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How do I access Self Service in Direct Access for the first time?

    A. Get your log in information. You will be provided with Direct Access log in information when you enter the CCMIS Secure area (https://dcp.psc.gov/cclogin/ccmislogin.aspx ).

    B. Log in to Direct Access at https://ep.direct-access.us/psp/UCGP1PP/?cmd=login&languageCd=ENG You will see the logo "ORACLE Peoplesoft Enterprise" when you first arrive at the site.

    C. Please change your Direct Access password once you successfully enter Direct Access. You will be prompted to specify a password reminder question in case you forget your password.

  2. What happens if I cannot login or forgot my password?

    Please click on the Forgot My Password link in the Direct Access login page.

    You will see a notice saying that your password has been e-mailed. You should receive an e-mail from do_not_reply@hr.direct-access.us containing a temporary password.

    When you log in to Direct Access with your temporary password you will be prompted to specify a new password.

    If you do not receive an e-mail within 20 minutes, please e-mail PPC Customer Care using the links provided at http://www.uscg.mil/ppc/phs. Identify yourself as a PHS officer and provide your SERNO in the e-mail.

    If you do not see a notice saying that your password has been e-mailed, please e-mail PPC Customer Care using the links provided at http://www.uscg.mil/ppc/phs. Identify yourself as a PHS officer and provide your SERNO in the e-mail. Allow 3 business days for a response from PPC.

  3. I don’t know how to use Direct Access. Is there a user guide for Self Service?

    Direct Access training for officers new to the Corps is provided through online documentation provided by the U.S. Coast Guard. Here is the link: http://www.uscg.mil/ppc/phs/.

    Please download the document titled ‘PHS Self-Service Procedure Guide.’ It offers screen shots and step-by-step guidance. As new features are added to Self Service, they will be documented in the updated Self Service Procedure Guide.

  4. What do I do if my information in Direct Access appears incorrect? How does this impact promotion?

    Direct Access receives its information from other Corps systems on a daily basis. Any errors or omissions of substance that an officer notes and cannot correct through Direct Access self-service should be addressed by contacting the PSC HelpDesk at CCHelpDesk@psc.gov . Please note that an error in license issuance date will have no effect on your promotion - no further action is required on your part.

    Incorrect information that affects promotion and that appears in Direct Access should be investigated to assure correct information in the promotions system. Information that Direct Access collects that affects your promotion includes Readiness information entered through Self Service and license expiration dates entered by the Office of Commissioned Corps Operations (OCCO).

  5. My job history is incomplete.  Why?

    Assignment dates currently captured in Direct Access only include each officer's first and last PHS assignments. Their complete assignment record will be updated to capture each officer's full job history after the new billet system is implemented into 2010. Until then, the official assignment record will remain the PIR.

    This approach is necessary to ensure consistency of billet information in our new system.

  6. I have other licenses and certificates that do not appear in Direct Access. What do I do to get this information into Direct Access?

    An officer can enter degrees, licenses, and certifications (beyond qualifying degree and not required for active duty status) by registering the accomplishments into the Officer Profile (OP) System and having the awarding organization send official documents to the OP Coordinator. Once validated, the data you registered into the OP system will be downloaded into Direct Access at regular intervals and can then be seen in Direct Access.

    How to Register Your Documents:

    1. Click on https://dcp.psc.gov/cclogin/ccmislogin.aspx and log into CCMIS secure area.

    2. Go to Activity Menu on the left hand side and under “Officer” click on “Profiles Data Entry.”

  7. My license issue date is incorrect. Why?

    License issue dates were never captured in our legacy information systems.

    As a result, Direct Access created a default date. The default date is 50 years before the expiration date of your current license to clearly signal this is not a real license issue date.

    The license issue date has no bearing on promotions, and no action is necessary at this time.

  8. My awards appear incomplete in Direct Access. Why?

    There should be no discrepancy between awards validated by the Corps and those listed in Direct Access. Please click on the ‘View All’ button to ensure all your awards are displayed.

  9. My marital status is listed as unknown in Direct Access. Why?

    All Corps officers have a default value of unknown for their marital status in Direct Access because we were not able to get consistent data regarding officers' marital status.

    Please note that the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and other compensation-related benefits continue to be handled as before, so marital status as depicted in Direct Access will not affect an officer’s benefits in any way.

  10. How do I view job postings for Corps officers?

    You can view job postings in Direct Access through Self Service by following the directions in the PHS Self-Service Procedure Guide at http://www.uscg.mil/ppc/phs/ .

  11. Does Direct Access run promotions?

    No, but some of the information it captures (readiness, licensure expiration date) is used by the promotion system. This information must be correct in Direct Access because it serves as part of your promotion documentation.

    Your PIR remains the official source for job history information for this promotion cycle. Note that the Direct Access system currently only captures your first and last assignments, because we first need to build out a full billets system in DA before we import an officer's full job history.

  12. What if I have a question about readiness?

    Please go to the following Web site for specific guidance - http://ccrf.hhs.gov/ccrf/Important_Readiness_Update.htm

General Question

I’ve logged into Direct Access and I updated my information. How will I use Self Service to manage my career in the future?

I’ve logged into Direct Access and I updated my information. How will I use Self Service to manage my career in the future?

The Corps will move its current human resource systems into Direct Access over the next few years. Direct Access will provide a comprehensive list of positions held by Corps officers as well as job announcements posted by hiring officials. Corps officers will be able to survey these positions and job announcements, assess the skills sets and experience needed for various positions of interest, and plan accordingly. This will allow all Corps officers to actively engage in their careers.

Additionally, when an HHS Operating Division, Staff Division, or non-HHS organization requests a job posting in Direct Access, OCCO will be able to find qualified and interested officers for the position using Direct Access. We envision that OCCO will e-mail highly qualified officers and alert them to the HHS Operating Division, Staff Division, or non-HHS organization posting in question. The officer will choose whether or not to apply to the position. Direct Access will help to facilitate good matches between Corps officers and hiring officials.

Officers can continue to look to listserv messages and USAJobs for job announcements and apply individually. Officers are to use Direct Access to view job announcements posted by hiring officials interested in hiring Corps officers.

 
Readiness Frequently Asked Questions
  1. How do I access Self Service in Direct Access for the first time?

    Here is a link to an online guide for Self Service in Direct Access that provides instruction on Readiness and other Self Service questions -- http://www.uscg.mil/ppc/phs/PHSSelfServiceProcedureGuide.pdf

  2. Where do I enter my BLS information?

    BLS, ACLS, ATLS, and EMR certifications are entered in Job Preferences. You will need to enter a date at the top of the page – this is a constraint of the system. Please choose a date when you might consider a new position or enter the current date as a default date.

  3. Why do I have a President’s Challenge waiver in Direct Access?

    Officers who meet the Corps fitness requirement through the President’s Challenge are provided a waiver in Direct Access. The waiver is used to document completion of the President’s Challenge and allow Direct Access to credit an officer for meeting this requirement.

  4. Under Medical Exam, the Medical Readiness screen displays my physical exam date, next physical date, and leaves blank the box next to qualified. Should this box be checked?

    No, this box does not need to be checked; the exam date is all that is needed. If the physical exam date displayed is within 5 years of the readiness calculation date (performed quarterly) then this criteria is met for basic qualified status. 

  5. I updated my ‘Readiness’ information in Direct Access, but my Projected Readiness Status indicates that I am not qualified. Why?

    Your Projected Readiness Status is calculated periodically by the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD) in the Office of the Surgeon General. It is not calculated whenever you enter new data.

    If the ‘Last Update Date’ occurred before your updates to your ‘Readiness’ information, the calculation has not yet taken your updates into account. Once OFRD calculates Readiness Status, your information will be corrected. 

  6. I recently completed some ‘Readiness’ training online using BlackBoard, but this information does not appear in Direct Access. Why?

    Course completion information is maintained in the OFRD Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS). Data in the LMS is periodically updated to Direct Access and you will see your updated course completion information in Direct Access after the next update. There is nothing that officers need to do to correct the data.

  7. Does Direct Access run promotions?

    No, but some of the information Direct Access captures (readiness, licensure) is reviewed by the promotion system. This information must be correct in Direct Access because it serves as part of your promotion documentation. 

  8. What if I have a question about ‘Readiness’?

    Please go to the following Web site for specific guidance - http://ccrf.hhs.gov/ccrf/Important_Readiness_Update.htm


Current Issue Front Page