The USPHS Commissioned Corps is committed to our mission to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of the nation. Public Health Service officers are trained and equipped to provide crucial public health leadership, assist with policy development, advance innovation and science, provide essential care services and respond to national and global public health emergencies. Through our Active Duty Regular Corps, our Public Health Response Strike Team (PHERST) and our Ready Reserve Corps, we remain responsive and available to rapidly deploy in the service of health.

Promotion Information

Updates


Changes for Promotion Year (PY) 2026

The following have been updated for Promotion Year 2026

  • POM 821.87, "Promotion Precepts and Eligibility Criteria"
    • New precepts and subsequent weights effective for PY 2027
      Readiness has been removed as an administrative check (e.g., seven failures in the past five years) as a reason to eliminate an officer from the promotion roster and replacing it with eliminating an officer if they are issued a letter of reprimand due to failing to meet readiness requirements
  • Benchmark Changes for PY26
    • Remove awards as a checklist item for promotions, allowing greater focus on accomplishments and impacts rather than the quantity or level of awards, which should be clearly articulated within the CV, COER, and ROS
    • Remove Mission Priority (MP) factors
    • Remove Continuing Education factor
  • Removal of the officer statement (OS) as a required promotion document. Officers should articulate their accomplishments and impact as it relates to professional contributions, basic level of force readiness history, and service to the USPHS Commissioned Corps within their CV

  • Officer Promotion Package Verification System (OPPVS)
    • Remove Letters of Appreciation (LOA) from OPPVS
    • Remove Continuing education document from OPPVS

Changes for Promotion Year (PY) 2025

  • Ranking in the lowest 10% following a permanent promotion board review no longer is counted a failure of promotion

Last Updated: 6/17/2025