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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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Commissioned Officer Training Academy
Officer Basic Course (OBC)
The Officer Basic Course (OBC) provides training in the values and skills necessary to represent the Surgeon General as a commissioned officer. This two-week course is an orientation to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, and life in the uniformed services. OBC also provides training and information on officer competency and career development, uniformed service customs and courtesies, force readiness and deployment, and other essential areas.
Officers who successfully complete this course are awarded the Commissioned Corps Training Ribbon (CCTR).
OBC Questions and Preparation:
All officers going through the Call to Active Duty (CAD) process will receive information from the Call to Active Duty and Recruitment (CADRe) Team. All officers enrolled in OBC will receive information from the COTA Team directly. The COTA Team will communicate office hour availability to address any questions in preparation for OBC via email.Uniform of the Day:To be determined per Uniform of the Day POM or civilian equivalent.
Training Academy Venue
William F. Bolger Center
9600 Newbridge Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
Or
Sheraton Rockville
920 King Farm Blvd
Rockville, MD 20850
(OBC 145 and OBC 147 only)Course
NumberMonth Course Dates** Open House Pinning
CeremonyGraduation
10:00 a.m.
ETUniform of
the DayOBC 138 /
RR 11July 2022 Start Date: July 10
End date: July 22July 20 July 15 July 22 TBD per Uniform of the Day POM or civilian equivalent OBC 139 /
RR 12August 2022 Start Date: August 14
End date: August 26August 24 August 19 August 26 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 140 /
RR 13September 2022 Start Date: September 11
End date: September 23September 21 September 16 September 23 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 141 /
RR 14October 2022 Start Date: October 23
End date: November 4November 2 October 28 November 4 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 142 /
RR 15December 2022 Start Date: December 4
End date: December 16December 14 December 9 December 16 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 143 /
RR 16January 2023 Start Date: January 22
End date: February 3February 1 January 27 February 3 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 144 /
RR 17March 2023 Start Date: March 12
End date: March 24March 22 March 17 March 24 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 145 /
RR 18*April 2023 Start Date: April 16
End date: April 28April 26 April 21 April 28 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 146 /
RR 19May 2023 Start Date: May 14
End date: May 26May 24 May 19 May 26 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 147 /
RR 20*June 2023 Start Date: June 11
End date: June 23June 21 June 16 June 23 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 148 /
RR 21July 2023 Start Date: July 9
End date: July 21July 19 July 14 July 21 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 149 /
RR 22August 2023 Start Date: August 13
End date: August 25August 23 August 18 August 25 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalentOBC 150 /
RR 23September 2023 Start Date: September 10
End date: September 22September 20 September 15 September 22 TBD per
Uniform of the
Day POM or
civilian equivalent*OBC 145/18 and OBC 147/20 will be at the Sheraton Rockville. Pinning Ceremony at CCHQ on 4/21 and 6/16 and Graduation Ceremony at Parklawn Building on 4/28 and 6/23.
**Training dates are subject to change
For the latest information on upcoming COTA training events, please subscribe to the COTA Events listserv.
To receive volunteer opportunities and notifications, please subscribe to the COTA Volunteer Opportunities listserv.
For any additional questions, please email the COTA Team at: phsobc@hhs.gov