Commissioned Corps BulletinJanuary 29, 2019

HPSP POM 821.70: HPSP Submission, Effective Dates, and Subspecialty Rates

The new Health Professions Special Pays (HPSP) Personnel Operations Memorandum 821.70 (POM 821.70) outlines additional guidance for submitting agreements, effective dates, and clarifies the specific medical subspecialties for which HPSP is available. POM 821.70 supplements the changes released in the HPSP Policy, Commissioned Corps Instruction 633.01 (CCI 633.01), announced in November 2018.

Key Changes to 2019 Agreements (Do NOT Use 2018 Agreements):

• Document Routing (agreements shall be routed in the following order unless alternate guidance is provided by your Commissioned Corps Agency Liaison):
  1. Officer shall initiate, complete, and sign the agreement electronically using Common Access Card (CAC) or Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card and emails the document to his/her supervisor.
  2. Immediate supervisor shall electronically sign the completed agreement using a CAC or PIV card and return the agreement to the officer.
  3. Officer shall submit the complete package, with all required documents, to the Commissioned Corps Agency Liaison (CC Liaisons). CC Liaisons may have additional instructions for submitting documents.
  4. If necessary, handwritten signatures are allowed. However, all final HPSP agreement packages must be in an electronic format, submitted to DCCPR by the CC Liaison only.
• Document deadlines and effective dates for eligible officers:
  1. All initial agreements should be signed within 30 days of becoming eligible.
  2. All subsequent agreements should be signed before the expiration date.
  3. All agreements must be received by The Division of Commissioned Corps Personnel and Readiness (DCCPR) within 60 days of becoming eligible for an initial agreement or 60 days after a previous agreement’s expiration date; otherwise the agreement will be made effective on the date received in DCCPR.
  4. Agreements for an Accession Bonus (AB) or Critical Short Wartime Specialty Accession Bonus (CWS-AB):
     • MUST be received by DCCPR within 120 days of being called to active duty.
     • Are only available for officers called to active duty on and after January 1, 2019.
• Payment of HPSP will typically commence within 90 days after receipt of the completed agreement in DCCPR or within 90 days after DCCPR receives all necessary supporting documentation (first possible payment is April 1, 2019).
• A new 2019 IP agreement is required for all eligible officers, with the exception of:
  • Officers without a rate change (only the Pharmacy category in 2019).
  • Officers with 28 or more years of service toward retirement who cannot enter into a two-year service commitment for a new Retention Bonus (RB).
• A new 2019 Board Certified Incentive Pay (BCIP) agreement is NOT required if you have a 2018 agreement in place, unless your eligibility or certification lapses at any time.

Key Changes to 2019 IP Payments:

• Payment schedules for Incentive Pay (IP) will shift in 2019. IP payments in 2018 were on the first of the month in advance of the month (i.e. payment May 1 for April 28 through May 27). In 2019, payment will occur at the end of the month (i.e. payment May 1 for April 1-31).
  • Due to the shift, it may appear that officers are not receiving HPSP for one month. However, the payment is only shifting to the end of the month instead of the beginning of the month.
• The first 2019 HPSP payment for newly received and processed agreements is March 1 and will contain payment for 33 days.
• For officers who do receive a payment on February 1, that payment will only contain the pro-rated three days due to the 2019 pay schedule change.

For more information please view the HPSP webpage. If you have additional questions, please email the Commissioned Corps Help Desk at CCHelpDesk@hhs.gov.