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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 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
- PHS Award Recipients
- 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
- Deployment Information
- Operations and Deployment
- Rotational Roster Schedule
- Deployment Awards
- Other Links
- About the Training Branch
- Training Dates
- Career Pathways
- Webinars
- Career Development Trainings
- Officer Basic Course (OBC)
- Officer Intermediate Course (OIC)
- Advanced Leadership Development Program
- Preparedness Trainings
- Military Facility Annual Training (MFAT)
- PHS Deployment Safety Academy for Field Experience (D-Safe) Consortium
- PHS Regional Deployment Role Training
- Partner Trainings
- Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executes (IAI)
- Capstone Leadership, Education, Analysis, Development, Sustainment (LEADS)/Joint Medical Executive Skills Institute (JMESI) Course
- Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC)
- Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)
- The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
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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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Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Practice Hours
The Office of the Surgeon General, Commissioned Corps Headquarters is pleased to announce the approval of the Clinical Services Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. The approval of this MOA will provide opportunities for licensed clinical Public Health Service officers who are not in clinical billets to serve at VA/VHA facilities to maintain their clinical skills. The USPHS Commissioned Corps defines licensed clinical Public Health Service officers as Physicians, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, Physician Assistants, Dentists, Dental Hygienists, Therapists, Psychologists, Dietitians, Podiatrists, Social Workers, Medical Technicians/Clinical Laboratory Scientists, Veterinarians, and Optometrists, though Veterinarians are not covered in the VA/VHA MOA. This is an exciting opportunity for those who are looking to obtain the yearly 80 practice hours requirement in accordance with Commissioned Corps Directive (CCD) 111.03, “Conditions of Service,” CCD 121.02, “Deployment and Readiness,” Commissioned Corps Instruction (CCI) 241.01, “Readiness and Duty Requirements,” CCI 241.02, “Deployment of Corps Officers,” and CCI 633.01, “Special Pays.”
The USPHS Commissioned Corps Liaison Officer for the VHA/VA will serve as the Coordinator with the VH/VA Central Office for expeditious credentialing of all Public Health Service officers who will who are interested. For questions regarding the Clinical Services MOA and the National Vaccine Campaign efforts, please contact the Liaison Officer at “202-820-0451 or jill.breitbach@va.gov.” (April 2021)
Below are frequently asked questions:
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Can I complete clinical hours at any VA facility?
- Any facility is eligible to participate under this MOA; no facility is obligated to participate.
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Can I complete clinical hours as a VA tele-health provider?
- Yes. VHA may permit and/or request that PHS Officers provide services via tele-health. This will be approved on a case-by-case basis.
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Can I be compensated for travel to remote VA facilities for provision of clinical care under this MOA?
- Yes. Any travel expenses will be limited to travel logistics only pursuant to the Joint Travel Regulations (i.e., round-trip travel to work site, hotel accommodation, and per diem). No Title 37 compensation or other expenses will be paid by VHA. Officers would utilize the VA Concur Travel system, and the local VA facility would be responsible for all administrative/fiscal requirements.
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Will the VA provide orientation?
- Yes. The VHA will provide an orientation to PHS Officers working at the VHA facility that will address VA- wide policies, procedures, rules and laws, professional competencies, infection control, hazardous material handling, pertinent safety precautions and procedures, patient confidentiality and informed consent, patient-care philosophy, informatics management, telehealth (if applicable) and other professional expectations of the facility, including, but not limited to required medical examinations, immunizations, and health screenings, medical clearances, training obligations, and PPE requirements.
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Will I be eligible for VA Employee training or continuing education?
- The VHA will grant Officers professional and administrative privileges to the extent permissible within their training, education, and skill similar to those of comparable VHA facility professional staff. Officers will not displace any Title 38 Employees of their benefits.
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Am I covered under Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)?
- Yes, when a PHS Officer complete PHS 7085 this ensures FTCA coverage.
- It is agreed that tort claims arising out of the activities under this agreement, including those alleging negligent acts or omissions by an Officer will be administratively adjudicated by VA. The USPHS Commissioned Corps agrees to cooperate in providing information, documentation, and access to any witness under its control to assist the evaluation and resolution of said claim. Adjudication of the claim may include final settlement at the discretion of VA in accordance with the FTCA. Accordingly, pursuant to 38 C.F.R. Part 46, VHA is responsible for reporting individuals to the National Practitioner Data Bank regarding any payment for the benefit of a licensed health care practitioner that was made as the result of a settlement or judgment of an FTCA claim of medical malpractice. The VHA facility will ensure compliance with all due-process requirements set forth in applicable VA regulations.
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What if there is a change in supervisors and/or leadership?
- Termination of this Clinical Hours agreement by either party (VHA Senior Executives or HHS Executives) requires written notification sixty (60) calendar days prior to the termination date. Local agreements or understandings in further implementation of this MOA are not subject to this sixty-day written termination requirement. Local supervisors (Agency and/or VA Facility) may terminate the agreement at any time.
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Can I complete clinical hours at any VA facility?
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USER ASSISTANCE
Please check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) . FAQs are located at the top of the page next to the search function.
Having Access Issues or Need IT Help? Please contact the Commissioned Corps Helpdesk at: CCHelpDesk@hhs.gov
COMMISSIONED CORPS NEWS
Officer Spotlight September 2023
Officer Spotlight
2023 Temporary Grade Promotions
CC News Announcement 2023 Temporary Grade Promotions
Changes in Tattoo Policy in CCI 412.01, Uniforms and Appearance
Changes in Tattoo Policy in CCI 412.01, Uniforms and Appearance
Surgeon General Priorities
Surgeon General Priorities
2022 Permanent Grade Promotions
CC News Announcement 2022 Permanent Grade Promotions
January 2021: United States Public Health Commissioned Corps Doctrine
The link above will take you to the Noncompetitive Promotion Roster for Promotion Year 2020.
FAQs Practice Hours and Special Pay Changes
This is first in a series of FAQs, more FAQs will be forthcoming on Practice Hours and Special Pays.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Mission - Deployments Readiness Updates
As we position ourselves to assist with controlling the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), please note that we’re in an “all-hands on deck” status. Messaging has gone out from the Assistant Secretary for Health reminding Commissioned Corps officers of their deployment responsibilities...
Protecting, Promoting and Advancing the Health and Safety of Our Nation. Commissioned Corps Headquarters
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 300
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