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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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Corps Retention Weight Standards
Overview
Policy currently in effect for all Active Duty and Ready Reserve officers.
Historical Notes and Announcements:
On July 10, 2017, the U.S Public Health Service Commissioned Corps announced Retention Weight Standards for all Commissioned Corps officers. This webpage provides implementation and maintenance guidance for these standards which went into effect beginning October 1, 2018.
All officers were required to submit their "baseline" weight prior to October 1, 2018. With next APFT completion, officers were also required to include their weight information and subsequent document submissions if identified as "non-compliant" with Retention Weight Standards.
Commissioned Corps Directive (CCD) 111.03, "Conditions of Service," requires the maintenance of weight standards for all officers. The Retention Weight Standards have been established and approved by the Assistant Secretary for Health in the updated Commissioned Corps Instruction (CCI), CCI 241.01, "Readiness and Duty Requirements." Guidelines are available in the Retention Weight Standards Personnel Operations Memorandum (POM 821.66).
Key Points for Corps Officers:
All Active Duty and Ready Reserve officers are required to complete and submit this weight documentation with their initial and subsequent APFT records beginning October 1, 2018. Any Corps officer who is outside of Retention Weight Standards compliance must review the Retention Weight Standards policy and follow guidelines for supplemental document submission as required.
Annual Reporting: after October 1, 2018
Officers must report height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI) information annually with APFT record.
- If BMI is between 19.0 - 27.5 kg/m2: the Corps considers the officer compliant.
- If BMI is 18.9 kg/m2 or less, officer must contact Medical Affairs Branch (MAB) team within 30-days and provide a statement from their medical provider with supportive medical documentation demonstrating a history of low BMI and verifying that there are no medical or psychological causes for the low BMI.
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If BMI is 27.6 kg/m2 or greater: officers must complete the measurement procedures outlined in CCI 241.01 to calculate estimated percent body fat (PBF).
Any officer who exceeds the maximum allowable BMI, but has a PBF equal to or less than the threshold identified in the table of Threshold Percent Body Fat for Officers Exceeding Maximum BMI in (see CCI 241.01), the Corps considers the officer to be in compliance with the Retention Weight Standards.
An officer must maintain a BMI between 19.0 kg/m2 - 27.5 kg/m2 or an allowable percent body fat upon completion of their APFT and annual PHU (beginning JAN 1, 2021). If the officer is compliant, the Corps will not require any further document submissions until the next annual PHU and APFT submissions documenting continued compliance with Retention Weight Standards.
- Officers who are identified as "non-compliant" with Retention Weight Standards must follow instructions and submit required quarterly weight reports (form 7044-1) documenting progress towards reaching "compliance" status.
Determining "Compliance" with Retention Weight Standards:
Weight Loss Guidance: As with any weight loss plan, it is highly recommended officers contact their healthcare provider for guidance, support, and to ensure that selected weight loss method or plan is safe, effective, and will contribute to lifelong success. CCHQ is committed to helping each officer meet the Retention Weight Standards by encouraging healthy behavior modification, providing wellness resource recommendations and implementation of nutrition and fitness goals to achieve optimal results.
If you have immediate concerns or questions regarding Retention Weight Standards, please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and applicable Retention Weight Standards policies. If you still have question, please contact RDB at PHSReadiness@hhs.gov.
Additional Resources for Officers
- CCI 241.01, Readiness and Duty Requirements
- POM 821.66, Retention Weight Standards
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Medical Waiver Program webpage
- PHS-7044 (Annual Physical Fitness Test)
- PHS-7044-1 (Verified Weight Report)