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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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Equal Opportunity For Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Officers
- Regulation
- Policy (Please note: Instruction 6, Subchapter 26.1of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual is a PDF file which requires Acrobat Reader. If you do not have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download a free copy from the Adobe web site.)
- Overview
- Frequently Asked Questions
REGULATION: INSTRUCTION 1, Subchapter 46.1, "Equal Opportunity" of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual (PDF, 9kb).
POLICY: INSTRUCTION 6, Subchapter 26.1, "Equal Opportunity: Discrimination Complaints Processing,” of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual (PDF, 37kb).
The Secretary, Health and Human Services, mandated that all members of, and qualified applicants to, the Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps are afforded equal opportunity when considered for appointment, career development, promotion, assignments, relocation, assimilation, retention, and separation pursuant to INSTRUCTION 6, Subchapter 26.1, "Equal Opportunity: Discrimination Complaints Processing,” of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual (PDF, 37kb).
Every officer or applicant shall be free from any and all restraint, interference, coercion, or reprisal on the part of fellow officers or employees, supervisors, or other management officials in lodging any allegation relating to discrimination, filing or pursuing any complaint or appeal, appearing as a witness or serving as a representative or as an advisor to a complainant, or other action related thereto.
All personnel are accountable for their actions and are responsible for preventing and reporting incidents of discrimination and/or reprisal. It is PHS Commissioned Corps policy to provide equal opportunity to all qualified professionals; to assure that there is no discrimination in the workplace based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or to a limited extent, age or disability; and, to resolve or adjudicate promptly and fairly all allegations relating to discrimination.
Violations of this policy shall be brought to the attention of the appropriate manager, administrator, or EEO Officer. The equal opportunity complaint procedure is designed to correct inequities in a manner consistent with Commissioned Corps policies and procedures. To this end, officers filing complaints must identify the desired outcome. However, compensatory damages and attorney fees are not available to commissioned officers.
An Equal Opportunity (EO) action is a written allegation of discrimination or reprisal based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or to a limited extent, age or disability, filed for processing, in accordance with INSTRUCTION 6. (PDF, 37kb)
A flow chart for the Commissioned Corps EEO process is provided as an attached EXHIBIT to INSTRUCTION 6. (PDF, 37kb)
INSTRUCTION 6 (PDF, 37kb) provides guidance to Commissioned Officers seeking to initiate an equal opportunity action.
What does equal opportunity mean? That an individual will receive consideration and fair treatment based on merit and capability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or to a limited extent, age or disability, for all members of, and applicants to, the PHS Commissioned Corps, in factors such as appointment, training, career development, and any other personnel practices that might affect the members opportunities and work environment.
I work for the U.S. Coast Guard, where do I file an EO complaint? PHS commissioned officers detailed to the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard, remain subject to the law of the Armed Forces to which detailed. EO complaints filed by these officers will be processed in accordance with the procedures of the Service to which detailed.
I thought we were covered under anti-discrimination laws with regard to EEO complaints? On November 13, 1998, the President signed the Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-392). This law amended the PHS Act by including the following provision:
Active service of commissioned officers of the Service shall be deemed to be active military service in the Armed Forces of the United States for purposes of all laws relating to discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, ethnicity, age, religion, and disability (42 U.S.C. 213(f)).
The effect of this law is to overturn the decisions handed down in Federal court cases which held that commissioned officers of the PHS were Federal employees covered by anti-discrimination legislation.
What is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR)? This describes a number of techniques which provide alternatives to the traditional mechanisms–negotiations and litigation–for resolving an EO conflict. These techniques are generally voluntary, consensual and convened by a neutral party.
What is an EEO Counselor? A person who has been designated by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Operating Division or Program to assist in the informal resolution of issues relating to equal opportunity of the PHS Commissioned Corps, in factors such as appointment, training, career development, and any other personnel practices that might affect the members opportunities and work environment.
I keep hearing the word reprisal. What does that mean? Reprisal is an unlawful act to restrain, interfere, coerce, or discriminate against an individual who is involved or participating in the discrimination complaints process.
Do I have the right to have a representative or attorney? You may have a representative of your choosing at all stages of the pre-complaint and complaint processes. You may obtain at your own expense, legal counsel.
What is an informal resolution process? At an officer’s request every effort will be made to resolve all allegations relating to discrimination through an informal process. Officers should seek informal resolution as soon as possible. Officers have 60 days after an offending incident or occurrence in which to reach an informal resolution, or to file a formal complaint. This time period may be extended by the EEO Officer if it appears that the case is nearing resolution. Although officers and applicants are encouraged to seek informal resolution, they are not required to do so before filing a formal complaint. The process is detailed in the INSTRUCTION.
What does the EEO counselor do? The EEO counselor explains the complaint procedure to the complainant, informs him/her of the ADR option, and facilitates resolution. The process is detailed in the INSTRUCTION.
Can the Commissioned Corps Liaison help me? They can provide consultation on commissioned corps policies and procedures, and assist with informal resolutions.
What is the formal complaint process? This is a written discrimination complaint submitted to the EEO. An investigation will be conducted and the EEO Officer will prepare a legal analysis of the facts for a final decision by the Surgeon General. The process for preparing and presenting a formal complaint is detailed in the INSTRUCTION.
Who conducts the EO investigations? These are conducted by outside investigators contracted to perform such investigations.
After I filed an EEO complaint, I have incurred reprisal from my Program. What rights do I have? A complainant who alleges reprisal in connection with the presentation of a pending complaint under this INSTRUCTION, may add reprisal as an additional basis with the original complaint. This must be in writing, contain all pertinent facts, and be submitted to the EEO Officer within 15 days of the date of the alleged occurrence. Guidance on this procedure is detailed in the INSTRUCTION.
For assistance, please contact your agency EEO representative. If you have exhausted all resources available at your agency level and still need assistance, please email the Immediate Office of the Surgeon General at: Surgeon.General@hhs.gov