Junior Officer Advisory Group Followed by United States Public Health Service
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Junior Officer Advisory Group A newsletter for junior officers by junior officers Volume 2 Summer 2006 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Message from our Chair Page 2: • Message from our Chair Dear JOAG, (continued) Page 3: • New JOAG Voting While preparing our last newsletter, we were also preparing for the Membership Commissioned Officers Association annual meeting in Denver. Despite the • It PAYS to know your ACRONYMS DHHS-imposed cap on authorized travel to the conference - a rather Page 4: frustrating start to the meeting - I was grateful to see that many of you made it • Paying for school using the GI Bill there anyway. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped make • Get Involved! JOAG’s activities at COA this year so highly successful. Page 5: • Junior Officer Spotlight: Cartmill Much has happened since May, and it seems that the Corps’ Page 6: • Junior Officer Spotlight: Transformation is officially underway. Our new tiered deployment teams were Morin officially on-call with the start of this year’s hurricane season. ADM Agwunobi Page 7: • What have you been and VADM Carmona recently announced the creation of 12 new positions doing lately? within the Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM) and Page 8: • The History of the PHS the Office of Commissioned Corps Operations (OCCO), devoted solely to Uniform implementing Transformation objectives. In addition, ADM Agwunobi • To BDU or not? Page 9: announced his amendments to the “three and freeze” policy. This revised • Deployment Roles and policy incorporates the following language: “…any officer who fails to meet the the Tiered System of Response basic readiness standards (excluding officers who have a previously approved Page 10: waiver in place) must be given a ‘not recommended’ outcome by the Board.” • The Deeper Meaning behind JOAG’s New In my humble opinion, this is a step in the right direction towards enforcing our Medallion new Force Readiness and other requirements. Hopefully, a few years from • We are ALL Recruiters Page 11: now, we won’t need this in writing because meeting basic requirements will be • Welcome New Officers a universal expectation. One of my biggest frustrations this year as Chair is that I was unable to Our Mission freely share all of the information I received concerning the Transformation. Our mission is to provide Officers who sat on one of the five Transformation workgroups, convened advice and consultation to during January/February 2006, were asked not to disseminate the the Surgeon General, Transformation implementation recommendations. These recommendations Chief Professional were as broad-based and inclusive as possible, and represented what we Officers, Professional Advisory Committees, and would have hoped for given unlimited resources and unanimous agreement other Commissioned from all of our OPDIVs. Corps groups on issues relating to professional (continued on Page 2) practice and personnel activities affecting Junior Officers in the USPHS Commissioned Corps. JOAG Page 2 Message from our Chair (continued) (continued from Page 1) Although I understood why we were asked not to share information that truly was in the “R&D” stage, I very much wanted to devote JOAG meeting time to open discussion of the workgroup activities, and promote dialogue among junior officers about the Transformation. Although we could not do this, we did take all of the concerns and issues that we had heard over the past year and compiled them into a position paper, which we have formally submitted to ADM Agwunobi and VADM Carmona. I would like to thank all of you who responded to my general requests for input via our listserv, as well as for your specific comments concerning the position paper. I hope that next year information about Transformation will be disseminated more frequently, and that JOAG will cers!!! continue its vital role in the Corps’ development. On June 9, JOAG met with ADM Agwunobi and VADM Carmona. We discussed junior officer concerns and our vision for the Corps. ADM Agwunobi shared his hope that the future Corps is one which fosters Collaboration instead of competition; where Pride, not competition, drives Excellence; and where accolades from our history motivate Excellence in the future. He also said that in his view, the future Corps will be much like the Corps of the past, where we are dedicated to service, we are in it for reasons of the heart, and we are devoted to caring for the most vulnerable within our population. I know that many of you are already at this place in your hearts. As the official JOAG operating year draws to a close, I will be stepping down as Chair one month early to pursue long-term training. It has been a privilege and an honor to work with JOAG over the past 5 years. I have learned more about the kind of person (and Officer) that I want to be, from working with you all than from anywhere else. I sincerely thank everyone for your hard work and commitment to JOAG. This is a tremendous organization, and I have no doubt the JOAG will continue to flourish under LCDR Pryor’s leadership! Best Wishes, Claudine New JOAG Voting Membership for 2006-2007: LCDR Mehrdad Amani, Dental, DHS, Alameda, CA LCDR Jonathon Rash, Engineer, IHS, Escondido, CA LCDR Brian Campbell, Pharmacy, IHS, Whiteriver, AZ LCDR Madelyn Renteria, Nurse, HRSA, Rockville, MD LCDR Rhondalyn Cox, HSO, OS/OCCO/DCCR, Rockville, MD LCDR Erica Schwartz, Medical, USCG, Washington, DC LCDR Jean-Pierre DeBarros, HSO, HRSA/DIHS, Washington, DC LCDR Ernie Sullivent, Medical, CDC, Atlanta, GA LCDR Karen Dorse, Nurse, HRSA/DIHS, Aquadilla, Puerto Rico LCDR Allison Williams, Veterinarian, CDC, Atlanta, GA LCDR Richard Henry, HSO, OS/OPHS, Rockville, MD LT Heather Dimeris, Dietician, HRSA, Rockville, MD LCDR Kristina Joyce-Pittman, Pharmacy, FDA, Sicklerville, NJ LT Jessica Feda, Therapy, BOP, Rochester, MN LCDR Jackie Kennedy-Sullivan, Nurse, DOD/TMA, Falls Church, VA LT Jennifer Freed, EHO, CDC/ATSDR, Atlanta, GA LCDR Rona LeBlanc, Scientist, FDA, Rockville, MD LT Stacey Smith, Pharmacy, IHS, Ft. Washakie, WY LCDR Thomas Pryor, Nurse, IHS, Phoenix, AZ LT Aimee Treffileti, EHO, CDC/ATSDR, Atlanta, GA Congratulations! Welcome to both our new and returning members! Page 3 JOAG It PAYS to know your A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.S. Contributed by LT Lori Evans, CDC Most junior officers are ROA (http://www.roa.org/) grants an officer access to familiarized with acronyms The Reserve Officer’s TOPS, the Officer such as CCRF, DCP, and Association serves as an Placement Service which TSP early in their advocate group for all 7 gives resume advice and commission. But some of Uniformed Services. They other assistance to the ones you might not ensure the language for members in career have heard of could be the annual pay increase transition. There’s also a key to getting the most out includes “uniformed scholarship fund for which of the benefits extended to service member” instead your children are eligible. you as a Commissioned of “military” – a crucial Officer. measure for ensuring pay ADMGIB (the GI Bill) equality for USPHS and (http://www.gibill.va.gov/ ) SGLI others. The Active Duty Congratulations (http://www.insurance.va.g Montgomery G.I. Bill ov/sgliSite/default.htm) New officers are eligible grants $37,224 worth of to all recently It’s likely that the first time for a one-year gift education benefits in you saw this term was on membership during their exchange for at least three promoted your monthly pay stub. first year of commission. years of service and a Service-members’ Group Membership in ROA gives reduction in pay of $1,200 officers!!! Life Insurance provides an officer access to ($100 per month) for the group term life insurance, insurance programs, first year of service. meaning: upon your scholarship funds (for Here’s the most important death, money will be paid yourself and your part: one must elect to the person(s) you children), and professional whether or not to designate to receive the development and training participate in the ADMGIB insurance (does not have conferences. JOLTS, or upon their call to active cash or loan values and Junior Officer Leadership duty…sorry, you can't does not pay dividends). Training, is open to change your mind later. USPHS junior officers. Upon your first day of There are many positive active duty, you are MOAA aspects of this program, automatically covered for (http://www.moaa.org/me such as the ability to either the maximum amount of mbership_why.htm) use GI Bill benefits while $400,000. You may Another lobbying voice for on active duty or after choose to decline or uniformed service retirement. This is not just reduce coverage by members is the Military a benefit for officers submitting a SGLV 8286 Officers Association of wishing to “go back to form to the Compensation America. This association school”. Licensing, Branch. Making a change plays an active role in certifications, and even to your beneficiaries is personnel matters and their renewals are covered also done using this form. proposed legislation - the VA approves Take advantage of the affecting the active force, PROGRAMS of education “Life Insurance Needs” retirees, and veterans of NOT Schools. For more calculator on their website the uniformed services. information on enrollment, that serves as a handy tool see their website or call 1- as you face a growing MOAA membership starts 888-GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442- family or other life at $12/year and offers a 1 4551). changes. month free trial. This JOAG Page 4 Paying for school using the Montgomery GI Bill Contributed by LT Varsha Savalia, FDA Officers who first entered active duty after June 30, 1985, and contributed to an education fund are generally eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill.