The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps: Strengthening Its Role and Management

Centralized management of the 5,500-member commissioned corps of the Public Health Service is the most effective and efficient way for PHS to administer its officers. Since the corps personnel and compensation rules, regulations, and statutes differ from those of the Civil Service and Senior Executive Service, and since officers are to be found in relatively small numbers throughout the Department of Health and Human Services and other Federal agencies, centralized management of officer promotions, retention, rotations, and compensation provides control and economy. We recommend that it continue to be managed by its present organization, the Division of Commissioned Personnel. We also recommend that the Surgeon General and the Assistant Secretary for Health ASH take action to better define the mission of the commissioned corps. While PHS agencies have their own clear missions and use commissioned officers to help satisfy them, they do not share a common understanding of the mission of the commissioned corps within PHS. Nevertheless, the Surgeon General, as part of his commissioned corps revitalization program, has asked the agencies to make changes in the way they use their officers to sustain that mission. To be able to support the changes, the agencies must fully understand the mission. Once the mission has been defined, we recommend that the surgeon General publish it, and seek legislation to add it to Title 42, United States Code. To anticipate questions about the commissioned corps revitalization program, and reduce confusion about its implementation, we recommend that the Surgeon General develop and publish a clear statement of direction for that program. kr