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Overseas Duty Entitlements and Allowances for CO’s

Summary: This cable contains updated information and responses to questions most frequently asked about policies applicable to the Public Health Service (PHS), Commissioned Corps officers stationed at overseas locations. CDC also stations Civil Service (Title 5 and Title 42 appointed) employees abroad. This cable does NOT apply to CDC Civil Service employees.

1. Authorities

a. Do the FAM/FAH travel entitlements apply to PHS commissioned officers?

No. PHS Commissioned officers are uniformed service members covered by regulations issued through the Public Health Service, Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM) (formerly Division of Commissioned Personnel) http://dcp.psc.gov and the Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR) https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/.

b. Are PHS commissioned officers entitled to benefits under the Standardized Regulations (DSSR) such as Education Allowance, Separate Maintenance Allowance, and Post Differential?

Commissioned Corps personnel are never entitled to DSSR benefits. Since they are entitled to different allowances paid thru DHHS, they must never be paid DSSR allowances at post. The questions and answers contained in this cable may help to answer some of the benefit questions raised by officers. Officers should contact the CDC, Office of Commissioned Corps Personnel, 770-488-1743, or the Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM) for further clarification or advice of benefits or allowances to which they are entitled.

2. Travel Benefits

a. Are PHS commissioned officers eligible for Home Leave?

No. PHS commissioned officers are not eligible for Home Leave as are U.S. citizen civil service employees under Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Instead PHS commissioned officers are entitled to Leave Between Consecutive Overseas Tour (COT) under JFTR, Chapter 7, Part H.

b. When can COT leave be used?

COT leave should occur between OCONUS tours, in conjunction with Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel, if any. Entitlement begins on the first day of the consecutive tour and is forfeited if not completed prior to the end of the new tour. COT leave must be completed prior to the end of the new tour.

Example: Officer arrives at post on August 1, 2003, and has a 2-year tour of duty. On August 1, 2005, the officer’s tour is extended for 2 additional years. The officer and his family are eligible for COT leave August 1, 2005. If COT leave is not taken prior to the end of the new tour, it is forfeited.

c. Can the officer’s family members accompany the officer on COT leave?

Yes, dependents may travel with the officer or independently to a different location. Note: If both the officer and spouse are employees of the agency, benefits and entitlements are separate and children can only be covered by one parent.

d. Where can the officer go for COT leave?

An authorized destination is the officer’s Home of Record (HOR) or an alternate place that is no more expensive than to the HOR. If travel to the selected alternate place is more expensive than travel to the HOR, the officer may be authorized travel to the alternative place on a cost constructive basis. If travel is more expensive to the alternative place, the officer is financially responsible for the additional cost unless travel to the more expensive alternate place is authorized/approved by the Secretary of HHS.

e. Where can the officer’s HOR be found?

The HOR is documented on the officer’s call to duty order. The call to duty order may be viewed in the officer’s eOPF. An officer can view his/her eOPF at this website, http://dcp.psc.gov, using an assigned User ID and Password. If the officer does not remember his/her User ID or password please, he/she can call the Commissioned Corps MIS Help Desk at (301) 594-0961 or email cchelpdesk@psc.gov . The officer may also obtain his/her call to duty order from Office of Commissioned Corps Operations (OCCO).

f. What is the officer’s leave status while on COT?

While in travel status no annual leave is charged. However, annual leave must be used from the time he/she arrives at the authorized location until he/she leaves the authorized location. This leave is reported through Commissioned Corps Time and Attendance System.

g. What does cost constructive basis mean?

This means that if the cost of travel to an alternate location is more than the cost of travel to an authorized location, the officer is responsible for paying the difference.

Example 1:

Officer's PDS is in Germany and the HOR is Ames, Iowa.
The least expensive fare to Ames is $1,200. The officer desires to utilize COT leave to Boston, MA. The least expensive fare to Boston is $1,600. Since travel to Boston, MA, is more expensive than travel to Ames, Iowa, the officer is financially responsible for the additional cost ($1,600 - $1,200 = $400).

Example 2:

Officer’s PDS is in Germany and the HOR is Washington, DC. The least expensive fare is $980. The officer desires to utilize COT leave to St. Louis, MO. The least expensive fare to St. Louis is $840. Since travel to St. Louis, MO, is less expensive than travel to the HOR in Washington, DC, the member is authorized travel to St. Louis ($840) not to exceed (NTE) the $980 cost to HOR.

h. Can contract (city pair) fares be used for travel to alternate destination?

Contract (city pair) fares may be used when the cost of travel to the alternate destination is less expensive than travel to the HOR.

i. What is FEML?

FEML is Funded Environmental and Moral Leave (FEML) Transportation. It is similar to R&R that is used by CDC civilian employees. An officer and eligible dependents are entitled to 1 FEML trip if the OCONUS tour is at least 24 months, but less than 36 months. If tour is extended at least 12 months, 1 additional FEML trip is authorized. If tour of duty is for 36 months, 2 FEML trips are authorized. No more than 2 FEML trips are authorized for any OCONUS tour including extensions to that tour.

Officers must take annual leave while on FEML leave.

j. Are more than 2 FEML trips ever authorized for an officer?

Yes. PHS commissioned officers who are approved for another 2 year tour overseas while still overseas are considered to be given an In Place Consecutive Overseas Tour (IPCOT) assignment and are entitled to additional FEML trips based on the same criteria in the above.

FEML travel by the officer/dependents should not be performed within 6 months of the beginning or the end of the tour. Major commands are authorized, on a case-by-case basis, to waive the six month rule when appropriate.

k. What is an authorized destination for FEML?

Transportation is authorized from the permanent duty station to the approved FEML site as outlined in the JFTR, Chapter 7, Part H, Appendix S. The full appendix is available at https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/ or by contacting the Coordinating Office for Global Health (COGH). Below is a list of the FEML countries to which CDC employees are assigned and the authorized destinations.

Travel to an alternate location may be authorized on a cost constructive basis. As with COT, contract (city pair fares may be used if travel to the alternate destination is less expensive than travel to the authorized destination. The officer is financially responsible for the additional cost if travel to alternate destination is more expensive than travel to the authorized destination.

l. Is transportation allowed for personal emergencies?

Yes, under JFTR, Chapter 7, Part H, U7205, eligible officers on emergency leave and their dependents with personal emergencies are authorized transportation between authorized locations. Reimbursement is authorized only for air transportation and ground transportation between interim airports. Reimbursement for ground transportation from permanent duty station or home (or destination) to airport is not authorized. Airfare is authorized only to the first airport where the officer touches down in the U.S. Any additional travel to the site of the emergency must be paid by the officer.

m. How is leave taken for personal emergencies?

Time in travel from the PDS to the first airport in the U.S. is not chargeable as leave and time in travel from U.S. to PDS is not chargeable as leave. However, leave must start as soon as the officer reaches CONUS, even if further travel is required to the site of the emergency. The officer may be advanced up to 30 days of annual leave if the officer will be on active duty the next full year.

n. How is travel paid for COT, FEML, Dependent Student’s Transportation, and Emergency travel?

OCONUS travel entitlements are paid by the officer’s CDC Program through issuance of travel orders from post or from CDC Headquarters.

o. What is a Commissioned Corps officer’s medical coverage while overseas?

While outside the U.S. on TDY or permanent duty status, commissioned officers are covered by Tricare. Officers and family members assigned overseas also have access to Embassy Health Units in those locations where CDC has subscribed to ICASS medical services provided that the officer and family members hold and maintain a State Department medical clearance.

p. What is a medical evacuation?

Medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) is emergency transportation in order to save life or limb or when alternative means, including local treatment, are deemed inadequate. MEDEVAC can also be planned medical evacuation for scheduled medical conditions for which treatment or specialty tests are unavailable. If care is inadequate, the patient is usually transported to the nearest medical evacuation site where services are suitable and available.

q. What services are covered by a MEDEVAC?

Services include necessary transportation (must have travel orders); medical or non-medical attendant during travel (must have travel orders); secondary payment of in-patient medical expenses not covered by the patient’s personal insurance (Tricare); and secondary payment for a period of 1 year, for related follow-up care expenses not covered by the patient’s personal insurance.

r. What is the MEDEVAC process?

The decision to MEDEVAC is made on a case-by-case basis and except for cases where a delay would very likely result in death or serious avoidable outcomes, time should be taken to obtain official authorization through the local U.S. embassy. The embassy will contact CDC, Coordinating Office for Global Health (COGH), for authorization and payment (fund cite) information. The commissioned officer, embassy, spouse or other entity must notify the Office of the Office of Commissioned Corps Personnel (OCCP), Atlanta, at 770-488-1883, and the Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services (OCCSS) at 800-368-2777 (menu option 2), 301-473-7853 or 301-606-5749.

s. What if there is a life or death injury/illness or critical agent/infectious disease exposure situation?

The CDC Director’s Emergency Operations Center (DEOC) is responsible for coordination of MEDEVACs resulting from exposure to a critical agent. DEOC or COGH must be contacted immediately of the need for a potential evacuation. DEOC can be reached at 770-488-7100 (24-hour access) and COGH can be reached at 404-403-0098 (24-hour access) or 404-639-7420 during business hours.

The OCCSS must also be contacted (800-368-2777 (menu option 2), 301-473-7853 or 301-606-5749).

t. Where will the patient be sent in the event of a medical evacuation?

The patient may be transported to an overseas facility (e.g., Vienna, Pretoria, Singapore, London) or to a U.S. medical facility. The location of the MEDEVAC will be determined on a case by case basis.

u. Can an officer’s son or daughter return to the U.S. for formal education?

Yes. An officer who is permanently stationed OCONUS and is accompanied by his/her dependents at or in the vicinity of the officer's PDS is authorized one annual round-trip, for the dependent student, at any time within a fiscal year (1 Oct - 30 Sep) between the member's OCONUS PDS and the dependent student's school in the U.S. Effective 9 February 2002, for a dependent student who is attending a school outside the U.S. for less than one year under a program approved by the school in the U.S. at which the dependent is enrolled, the member may be reimbursed for one annual round trip for the dependent student between the school being attended by that student and the member's OCONUS PDS; however, reimbursement can not exceed the transportation allowance for that dependent's annual round trip between the school in the U.S. and the member's OCONUS PDS.

NOTE: Entitlement to a portion of a round-trip not taken during a fiscal year ordinarily does not carry over to a subsequent fiscal year. However, a Service-designated official may extend the fiscal-year travel period for not more than 14 days because of unusual or emergency circumstances (i.e., an early or late holiday recess or school closing).

Travel orders for the dependent’s travel may be completed at post or CDC headquarters.

v. Are there any special travel provisions for handicapped students?

Transportation and per diem is authorized under the JFTR, Section U5243c for students who have handicaps, or may be considered as having handicaps, when competent medical/educational authorities request a diagnosis/evaluation and travel is necessary to get the diagnosis/evaluation. If the medical/educational authority(ies) requests that one or both of the student's parents/guardian be present, either to participate in the diagnosis/evaluation or to escort the student, transportation and per diem are similarly authorized for the parents/guardian.

3. Allowances for Commissioned Officers

a. What is Dislocation Allowance?

Dislocation allowance (DLA) is an allowance authorized due to a household relocation because of a permanent change in station (PCS). The amount authorized for this allowance can be found under JFTR Table USG-1 https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/.

b. How and when can an officer claim DLA?

An officer may claim DLA as soon as he/she arrives at post, completes the travel voucher, and returns it to the travel contact for processing. The DLA is claimed on the travel voucher. There is no separate form.

c. Are commissioned officers eligible for a Cost of Living (COLA) allowance? What is a COLA? How does the officer apply for a COLA?

Yes, officers are eligible for a Cost-of Living Allowance, or COLA, at the rate established by the JFTR. The COLA is an allowance paid to service members stationed in high-cost areas overseas (including Alaska and Hawaii). COLA helps maintain purchasing power so you can purchase about the same goods and services overseas as in the United States. It is nontaxable. Officers are eligible for COLA upon reporting to duty at designated overseas stations unless they are eligible for Temporary Lodging at the full rate. COLA rates may be queried at
https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/ocform.html.

Officers will receive a COLA after submitting their Form PHS-2874. The form should be completed and mailed within 5 days of arrival at post to:

Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services
Compensation Branch
5600 Fishers Lane, Rm. 4-50
Rockville, MD 20857-0001

The form is available at the CCMIS web site http://dcp.psc.gov/DCPForms.asp or by contacting OCCP.

COLA may not be paid by post or through the State Department payroll system.

d. Will the COLA stop if the officer is in a leave status?

COLA continues during any period not in excess of 30 consecutive days the member is on leave inside the U.S. COLA continues during the entire period the member is on leave OCONUS. COLA payments may be made for leave periods only if the member was paid COLA immediately before:

1. entering a leave status, or
2. hospitalization if the member was hospitalized immediately before beginning leave.

e. What is Overseas Housing Allowance?

Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) is authorized for officers who live on the local economy OCONUS. It covers the usual cost of rental property in the area of the duty station up to the JFTR maximum. The OHA can apply to purchased properties and includes a utility allowance.

The form PHS 6059, Request for Overseas Housing Allowance, along with an English language copy of the lease or purchase agreement, is used to apply for this allowance. This form and attachment should be submitted as soon as possible after the officer’s arrival at post:

Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services
Compensation Branch
5600 Fishers Lane, Rm. 4-50
Rockville, MD 20857-0001

The form PHS 6059 can be found at the following website http://dcp.psc.gov/DCPForms.asp.

Housing allowance may not be paid to commissioned officers by post or through the State Department payroll system.

f. What is TLA?

TLA is Temporary Lodging Allowance and it partially reimburses lodging expenses before permanent housing is available. It is based on the per diem at the assigned duty station up to the maximum housing allowance authorized under the JFTR. It may be paid at the full rate (without kitchen access) or partial rate (with kitchen access, even if not used). TLA may be paid for a maximum of 60 days, unless an extension is approved by the agency.

TLA is paid in increments up to 10 days and can be claimed by completing form PHS 488, Claim for Temporary Lodging Allowance, and attaching lodging receipts. This form should be completed and submitted to the officer’s employing CDC CIO for approval and then forwarded to:

Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services
Compensation Branch
5600 Fishers Lane, Rm. 4-50
Rockville, MD 20857-0001

The form PHS 488 can be found at the following website http://dcp.psc.gov/DCPForms.asp or by contacting OCCP.

TLA may not be paid to commissioned officers by post or through the State Department payroll system.

g. What is a Move-In Housing Allowance?

The Move-In Housing Allowance (MIHA) is a 3 part allowance that is paid to the officer in those situations where CDC does not directly pay these costs to the Embassy. The officer may be eligible for all or parts of this allowance. The allowance consists of:

Miscellaneous - this covers items to make dwellings habitable (toilets, sinks, appliances);

Rent - this covers one time, nonrefundable expense (lease taxes, agent fees); and

Security - this covers security related items in qualifying areas as established by the JFTR.

Officers can apply for this allowance using form DD 2556, Move-In Housing Allowance Claim Form, and receipts for reimbursement. This form and receipts should be submitted as soon as possible after the officer’s arrival to the duty station:

Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services
Compensation Branch
5600 Fishers Lane, Rm. 4-50
Rockville, MD 20857-0001

Form DD 2556 can be obtained from the CDC Office of Commissioned Corps Personnel (OCCP) or from the Department of Defense web site at www.dtic.mil/whs/directives.

MIHA may not be paid to commissioned officers by post or through the State Department payroll system.

h. Are commissioned officers entitled to an Education Allowance?

Yes, commissioned officers may be authorized an Education Allowance for areas where local schools (grades K-12) are not both adequate and tuition free. A determination that the schools at the duty station are inadequate must be made by the Secretary, HHS, or his/her designee. The education related expenses cannot exceed those of the Department of Defense for the same duty station. The education allowance is a reimbursement of the tuition paid by the officer. The child must be 5 years of age by December 31 of current school year before the officer can apply for this entitlement.

i. How can an officer apply for reimbursement of the education allowance?

The officer can apply by sending a memorandum requesting reimbursement and attaching the tuition receipt and a copy of the exchange rate used at the time payment was made. The memorandum and attachments should be mailed to:

Office of Commissioned Corps Personnel, CDC
4770 Buford Hwy., MS K27
Atlanta, GA 30341

Education allowance may not be paid to commissioned officers by post or through the State Department payroll system.

j. Can the Education Allowance be paid to an officer or to the school in advance?

Yes. In addition to the documentation requested above in Question (i), officers shall submit a notarized memorandum declaring the following:

1. I will use the educational allowance certified by my Commissioned Corps Liaison only for the purpose for which the allowance was provided and subject to any limitations established for its use;
2. I will not use the advance payment to cover any expenses related to home schooling and/or transportation;
3. I will repay any funds in excess of those expenses covered by my certified allowance to the U.S. Government;
4. After reasonable inquiry, I am not aware of any tuition-free U.S. Government operated or sponsored school at my duty station; and
5. I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on (date). (Signature).

The documentation and notarized statement should be mailed to:

Office of Commissioned Corps Personnel, CDC
4770 Buford Hwy., MS K27
Atlanta, GA 30341

Advanced payment for expenses related to transportation and/or home schooling is not authorized. Education allowance may not be paid to commissioned officers by post or through the State Department payroll system.

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