Welcome to the website of the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service. COA is dedicated to improving and protecting the public health of the United States by addressing unmet health needs and providing support for more than 7,000 members.

COA protects the interests of the Commissioned Corps officers of the U.S. Public Health Service, who are leaders in the realms of public and global health. Recent achievements in legislative advocacy include the Senate passing of amendments that will fix the Survivor Benefit Plan and provide for concurrent receipt of military retiree pay and VA disability compensation. The association also provides educational opportunities such as the U.S. Public Health Service Professional Conference, held annually.

Farrell Testifies on Post-9/11 GI Bill Transferability

07/22/2010 - In a crowded and sweltering hearing room on Capitol Hill, COA Executive Director, Jerry Farrell testified yesterday that the PHS Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Corps must be included in the popular GI Bill entitlement that permits eligible Armed Forces personnel to transfer their own unused educational benefits to their dependent spouses or children. The two-hour hearing was held by the senate's Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Farrell had been invited to appear as a witness by Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), the committee chair.

The focus of the hearing was Senate Bill 3447, the chairman's effort to address numerous shortcomings in the original Post-9/11 GI Bill of 2008. The corrective bill, introduced just before Memorial Day, would indeed extend the transferability entitlement to PHS and NOAA officers. So making certain that this provision remains in the bill as it moves through Congress, and explaining why it should remain, was Farrell's objective today. Farrell's oral testimony, along with a much longer written statement that COA submitted to the Committee earlier this week, are the latest developments in a two-year COA campaign to win full parity for PHS officers in the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Conflicting Federal Laws

Farrell said that under Title 42, the Public Health Service Act, PHS officers have been included in all GI Bill benefits for 60 years. The single exception has been the transferability benefit in the 2008 Post-9/11 GI Bill. That exclusion was due to restrictive language in the statute, and the Veterans Administration was unable to do anything about it during its development of implementing regulations in 2009.

Farrell quoted Section 213(d) of Title 42, which says clearly that PHS officers "shall be deemed to be active military service in the Armed Forces of the United States for the purposes of all [emphasis added] laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs." He said Senate Bill 3447 would bring the Post-9/11 GI Bill into conformance with Title 42.

PHS Service to the Nation

Farrell spoke at length about the ways in which PHS officers serve our country in the Post-9/11 world. "Think of the PHS Commissioned Corps as a public health national security force multiplier," he said. "PHS officers train with their military colleagues, participate in joint missions, and serve alongside them in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world." He said that in today's total force environment, fairness demands "equal treatment for all of our uniformed service veterans, regardless of the uniforms in which they happened to serve."

Farrell said that PHS officers are assigned to nearly every state and almost every federal agency, and some even serve "right here on Capitol Hill." But he also said that the number of physicians and dentists in the PHS Commissioned Corps has declined precipitously in recent years, and there are thousands of unfilled billets throughout the public health service. "This is not only a public health crisis, but a crisis for national security," he said.

Funding Transferability

Farrell expressed concerns about a provision in Senate Bill 3447 that would change the way the transferability entitlement is funded. At present, the Veterans' Administration pays for all GI Bill educational benefits transferred to dependents. By the end of April of this year, the Defense Department had approved requests from 105,000 Armed Forces personnel to transfer educational benefits to 240,000 dependent family members - a much broader use of the entitlement than was originally envisioned. The proposed change would require the service members' various agencies (including the Department of Health and Human Services), to reimburse the Veterans' Administration for these costs.

Farrell stated the obvious: If transferability is no longer "free" to the agencies, then they will be far less likely to approve it in response to service members' requests. The result, he said, would be to restrict an extremely popular benefit and reduce the ability of all uniformed services to retain key mid-career professionals. Moreover, he added, "such a change now seems particularly unfair to PHS Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps, the two small uniformed services so far excluded from this entitlement."

In addition to Chairman Akaka, other committee members present for at least part of the hearing were Senators Mark Begich (D-AK), Scott Brown (R-MA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Roland Burris (D-Il), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Jon Tester (D-MT). Senator Tester, who served as chair during Senator Akaka's absence, asked Farrell if extending the transferability benefit to the PHS Commissioned Corps could help bring qualified health professionals to rural and underserved areas. Farrell's answer was yes.

"Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: Principles & Practice" is Available for a Pre-Publication Price

05/30/2010 - COF is publishing a new book, "Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: Principles & Practice," which meets a critical need of public health emergency responders for a ready source of information that is applicable both as a desktop reference and field manual. It organizes an extensive range of disaster preparedness material into one sourcebook, to encapsulate the essential points needed to familiarize new, as well as experienced, emergency responders with some of the complex and multi-faceted aspects of preparing for, and responding to a public health emergency. The book covers all-hazards, including natural and manmade disasters.

This book has a pre-publication price of $20.00 plus $5.00 Shipping & Handling.

"Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: Principles & Practice" measures approximately 8 5/8" x 5 7/8" with a soft multi-color cover, and is approximately 350 pages. This book is edited by, VADM Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, (Ret. USPHS), 17th Surgeon General of the United States; CAPT Robert G. Darling, MD, (Ret. USN); CAPT James E. Knoben, PharmD, MPH, (Ret. USPHS); and RADM Jerrold M. Michael, DrPH, ScD (Ret. USPHS).

Please fill out the payment form at the link below, and mail or fax it to us at COF. A FREE copy of the, "Public Health Service Officer's Guide: Protocol & Service Standards" will be included in your order.

Click here for the payment form.

"Retooling the Uniformed US Public Health Service for the 21st Century" Article in JAMA on May 26, 2010

06/22/2010 - Click here to read the complete article.

"Retooling the Uniformed US Public Health Service for the 21st Century"
Donald A. Donahue, Jr. , Richard H. Carmona .
JAMA / May, 2010 / volume: 303 (pages: 2080 - 2081)

50 Year History of the Indian Health Service, "Caring & Curing" has Been Published!

10/07/2009 - The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation's third book has been published!! Caring & Curing: A History of the Indian Health Service is written by James P. Rife, a senior historian with History Associates, and CAPT Alan J. Dellapenna, Jr., USPHS of the Indian Health Service. This thoroughly researched volume chronicles the history of Indian Heath Service (IHS) from its earliest beginnings, as part of the Department of the Interior, through multiple reorganizations including the 1955 transfer to the U.S. Public Health Service. Focusing upon the intense, often shifting political, tribal, and healthcare dynamics; Caring & Curing traces IHS's evolution over time. The book follows the agency through myriad trials and triumphs in its long-running fight to elevate Indian health to a level comparable to that of the rest of the nation. Brought to life through compelling personal stories, a crisp narrative, and archival imagery, the book not only looks at past successes and failures of Indian health care, but keeps an eye towards the future and the remaining work to be done by the agency in consultation and cooperation with American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Caring & Curing is hardcover, with 170 full color pages, and measuring 8 ½ x 11 inches. Place your single book orders for a retail price of $34.95. If you are interested in purchasing wholesale, 22 or more copies, you will always receive 15% off per book ($29.71). Please keep in mind, the shipping cost and a $2 handling charge will be added to all orders under 10 copies. For 10 or more copies, the handling price will go up to $25.
Click here to order.

 
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