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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 Medical Affairs
- Dental
- Active Duty Dental Program
- Previous Active Duty Dental Plan Member Portal
- Family Coverage: TRICARE Dental Program
- Retiree Dental Program
- Immunizations
- Periodic Health Update
- PHU FAQs
- Deployment Health Assessments
- Medical Waiver Program
- Smoking Cessation
- Medical Affairs FAQs
- 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
- Education Benefits Overview
- FAQs
- Forms
- Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF)
- eOPF FAQs
- eOPF Status
- FAQs Practice Hours and Special Pay Changes
- Licensure
- Transcripts FAQs
- Extramural and Intramural Training FAQs
- Officer Leave and Absence Request FAQ
- 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 Corps Headquarters
Director of Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ)
Captain Rick Schobitz
As Director of Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ), Captain (CAPT) Rick Schobitz is responsible for directing all functions regarding personnel, administration, operations, readiness, deployment, and policy for approximately 6,000 members of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. He is the principal advisor to the Surgeon General on activities and policies related to Commissioned Corps training, preparedness, activation, deployment, and total force fitness.CAPT Schobitz has a deep commitment to supporting the mission of the Public Health Service, as demonstrated by his support during multiple deployments. He deployed numerous times in response to disaster relief efforts and in support of the Indian Health Service during times of crisis. CAPT Schobitz also deployed oversees with the US Navy in support of humanitarian efforts in Haiti and Colombia aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
CAPT Schobitz is a Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist who previously served as the Deputy Chief, Department of Behavioral Health, Brooke Army Medical Center and Deputy Installation Director of Psychological Health, Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston. As Deputy Chief, CAPT Schobitz’s oversaw a team of 295 military, civil service, and contract behavioral health providers and administrative staff. CAPT Schobitz’s clinical and research focus was on the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As the Deputy Installation Director of Psychological Health, he directly supported the Commanding General of US Army North on efforts related to readiness and suicide risk mitigation.
Before becoming the Deputy Department Chief and Deputy Installation Director, CAPT Schobitz served at the Brooke Army Medical Center as Chief of the Intensive Outpatient Program. CAPT Schobitz published numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters on PTSD and military behavioral health, often collaborating with residents and fellows to do so.
Prior to joining the USPHS Commissioned Corps, CAPT Schobitz served in the US Army as the Division Psychologist with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. CAPT Schobitz deployed as the Division Psychologist for 13 months to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom – 2. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College of William & Mary and his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Clinical Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
CAPT Schobitz received numerous awards for his contributions including the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Public Health Service Achievement Medal. He was inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merritt for his efforts to support military medicine during his career and was the recipient of the US Public Health Service Psychologist of the Year award from the Psychology Professional Advisory Group.
CAPT Schobitz is a proud husband to his wife Elizabeth and father to his son Colton and daughter Lilly.