Commissioned Corps Management Information Site

What has changed in this policy?

Existing CCI 661.01 (1987)	New CCI 661.01 (2021)
No policy on non-regular retired pay.	Includes new policy on the computation of non regular retired pay for Public Health Service (PHS) officers.
Does not distinguish between computations under Title 42 and Title 10. Does not discuss Inactive Duty Training Points (IDT).	Clarifies how the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps computes an officer’s retired pay multiplier under Title 42 and how it is computed under Title 10 (including when Inactive Duty Training (IDT) points are used.
Predates the Blended Retirement System	Adds computation of the retired pay multiplier for officers who are under the Blended Retirement System).
Does not include the constructive education credit and other services comparable to active service.	Clarifies the application of the constructive education credit and other services that are comparable to active service in determining an officer’s retired pay multiplier.
Does not include an enhanced retired pay multiplier for flag grade officers.	Clarifies which flag grade officers are eligible for an enhanced retired pay multiplier.

How does the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps calculate retirement pay?

In general, the USPHS Commissioned Corps computes an officer’s monthly retired pay by multiplying the officer’s monthly retired pay base (see Section 6-1. of the policy) by his/her retired pay multiplier (see Section 6-2. of CCI 661.01).

How does the USPHS Commissioned Corps compute the retirement pay of an officer in the Ready Reserve Corps?

Officers in the Reserve Corps receive non-regular retirement pay. For those with a Date of Initial Entry into Military/Uniformed Service (DIEMS) on or before 7 September 1980, the USPHS Commissioned Corps calculates non-regular retired monthly basic pay, determined at the rates applicable on the date when retired pay is granted, based on the highest grade held satisfactorily by the person at any time in the USPHS Commissioned Corps or an armed force, subject to the rules in 6-1. b. (1) (a) - (d).

For officer with a DIEMS on or after 8 September 1980 receiving Non-Disability Non-Regular Retirement, the USPHS Commissioned Corps calculates the monthly retired pay base as the total amount of monthly basic pay to which the officer or former officer was entitled during his/her high-36 months (or to which he/she would have been entitled if he/she had served on active duty during the entire period of the high-36 months), divided by 36.

In order for the Director, Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ) to credit an officer with satisfactory active service in a grade above O-4/LCDR, the officer must have served satisfactorily in that grade as a reserve commissioned officer in an active status, or in a retired status on active duty, for not less than three years, subject to the stipulations in 6-1. b. (1) and (2).

How does the USPHS Commissioned Corps calculate retirement pay for those on disability?

If the officer served on active duty for 36 months or more, the USPHS Commissioned Corps will compute his/her monthly retired pay base the same as a non-disability retirement above. If the officer served on active duty for less than 36 months, the USPHS Commissioned Corps will compute his/her monthly retired pay base by averaging the rates of basic pay that the officer received during his/her period of active duty. But when an officer has less than 36 months of active duty service, the monthly basic pay will be averaged by including all active duty service, including any fractions of a month.

There are four methods for determining an officer’s retired pay multiplier. How does the USPHS Commissioned Corps determine which one will be used for each officer’s retirement?

The USPHS Commissioned Corps calculates the multiplier using all four methods and uses whichever one results in the most favorable payout (except that officers who retire due to a physical disability can choose the method they prefer to use).

How does the USPHS Commissioned Corps compute the retired pay multiplier under 42 U.S.C. § 212?

The USPHS Commissioned Corps will compute an officer’s regular retired pay multiplier by multiplying 2½ percent times the officer’s years of creditable service as specified in Section 6- 2. a. (1) (a) (i) – (iv), subject to the following:

REDUX – If an officer with a DIEMS on or after 1 August 1986 and before 1 January 2018 and who elected to receive the career status bonus (CSB) retires before age 62 with less than 30 years of credible service, the USPHS Commissioned Corps will reduce the officer’s retired pay multiplier by one percent for each full year that his/her years of creditable service are less than 30, and one-twelfth of one percent for each month less than a full year after counting all full years. This will be recomputed on the first day of the first full month after the officer turns 62.
Blended Retirement System (BRS) or Modernized Retirement System - The retired pay multiplier of an officer whose DIEMS is on or after 1 January 2018, or who elected to enroll in BRS, is computed by multiplying 2 percent times the officer’s years of creditable service outlined in Section 6 2.a.(1)(a). See CCI 661.03, “Blended Retirement System”
Constructive Education Credit. If it results in a higher retired pay multiplier, the Director, CCHQ, will grant a Medical or Dental officer a retired pay multiplier of 2.5 percent (2 percent for officers whose DIEMS is on or after 1 January 2018 and officers who elected to enroll in BRS) times active duty service in the uniformed services plus four years for professional schooling for medical and dental officers and one year for internship (if completed) minus any years of active duty service in uniform during the schooling or internship. Note: An officer’s retired pay multiplier computed under Section 6 2.a.(1)(d)(i) or (ii) may not exceed 75 percent.
Retirements at 64 Years of Age or More. If it results in a higher retired pay multiplier, the Director, CCHQ, will grant an officer who retires at age 64 and who, at the time he/she becomes eligible for age retirement, has at least 12 whole years of active duty service that are creditable for retirement eligibility with a multiplier of 50 percent (DIEMS on or Before 31 December 2017) or 40 percent (later DIEMS or BRS enrollment).
Enhanced Retired Pay Multiplier for Flag Grade Officers. A flag grade officer (i.e., pay grade O-7 and above) who has less than 30 years of service creditable towards retirement may request a 75 percent retired pay multiplier provided the officer has a DIEMS on or before 7 September 1980 with at least four years of active duty Flag rank service in the USPHS Commissioned Corps (and 25 years of active duty service total in the Regular Corps), and who agrees to stay in the USPHS Commissioned Corps until the first day of the month after the Secretary has approved this multiplier.

How does the USPHS Commissioned Corps compute an officer’s regular retired pay multiplier under Title 10?

Except as provided in Section 6-2.a.(2)(b) and (c), the USPHS Commissioned Corps will compute an officer’s regular retired pay multiplier by multiplying 2½ percent times the officer’s years of creditable service including active duty service, the years of active service that the officer would be entitled to be credited if he/she were entitled to non-regular retired pay (subject to the limits in Section 6-2. a. (2) (a), except as follows:

REDUX & BRS apply as noted above.
USUHS Graduates - the USPHS Commissioned Corps will credit a medical officer who obtained his/her medical degree from the USUHS medical school with the years he/she served on active duty while a USUHS medical student.
Note: An officer whose retired pay multiplier is computed under this Subsection is not eligible for the Constructive Education Credit, upgraded retired pay multiplier for Retirements at 64 Years of Age or More, or the Enhanced Retired Pay Multiplier for Flag Grade Officers

How does the USPHS Commissioned Corps compute the retirement multiplier for a non regular retirement?

The statutory authority for determining the retired pay multiplier for a non-regular retirement is found in 10 U.S.C. Chapter 1223.), the USPHS Commissioned Corps computes an officer’s non regular retired pay multiplier by multiplying 2½ percent times the officer’s qualifying years of service which are computed by dividing 360 into the sum of the individual’s days of active duty service and one day for each IDT and membership point credited to the individual in accordance with CCI 384.01, “Creditable Service for Retirement (subject to the limits in Section 6-2.b.(1)(b), except as follows:

Blended Retirement System (BRS or Modernized Retirement System). The USPHS Commissioned Corps will compute the retired pay multiplier of an officer whose DIEMS is on or after 1 January 2018 or who elected to enroll in BRS, by multiplying 2 percent times the officer’s years of creditable service for details regarding BRS and options available to retiring officers see CCI 661.03.
Limit on Multiplier for Reserve Service. The retired pay multiplier computed in Sections 6-2.b.(1) and (2) may not exceed 75 percent and 60 percent, respectively, except for service under the conditions and period designated by the Secretary of HHS for purposes of this Subsection. In such cases the retired pay multiplier may exceed 75 percent and 60 percent, respectively, by 2½ percent and 2 percent, respectively, for each qualifying year of creditable service that exceeds 30.
Disability Reserve Retirement. An officer who is retired for disability may elect to have his/her retired pay multiplier to be the percentage of his/her disability or as determined in Sections 6-2.a., or b., as applicable, except that: (1) An officer’s disability retired pay multiplier may not exceed 75 percent and, while an officer remains on the Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL), will not be less than 50 percent. (2) Also, officers placed on the TDRL do not receive longevity credit for retirement purposes for the period of time commencing when the officer was removed from active duty and/or active service and placed on the TDRL until the officer is returned to active duty and/or active service or retired.

When are Inactive Duty Training (IDT) points used in retirement?

The USPHS Commissioned Corps uses IDT in calculations of an officer’s non regular retired pay multiplier by multiplying 2½ percent times the officer’s qualifying years of service which are computed by dividing 360 into the sum of the IDT, membership points, and the individual’s days of active duty service. The USPHS Commissioned Corps does not use IDT to determine whether an officer’s retired pay multiplier is higher when using the constructive education credit to calculate the regular retired pay multiplier using 42 U.S.C. § 212.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs Commissioned Corps Instruction (CCI) 661.01, “Computation of Retired Pay”

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