ACN 110/20 - SEP 2020 FY20-21 DIRECT COMMISSION PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (DCPA) SELECTED RESERVE (SELRES) BONUS, ELIGIBILITY, PAYMENT METHOD AND SPECIAL INCENTIVE PAY

united states coast guard

ALCOAST COMMANDANT NOTICE                    CANCEL DATE  22 SEP 2021


R 231600 SEP 20
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-1/CG-R//
TO ALCOAST 
UNCLAS //N07220//
ACN 110/20
SUBJ:  FY20-21 DIRECT COMMISSION PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (DCPA) SELECTED RESERVE (SELRES)
BONUS, ELIGIBILITY, PAYMENT METHOD AND SPECIAL INCENTIVE PAY
A. 37 U.S.C. § 335 – Special bonus and incentive pay authorities for
officers in health professions
B. COMDT (CG-R8) memo 1001 of 23 Aug 19
C. Reserve Policy Manual, COMDTINST M1001.28 (series)
D. 37 U.S.C. § 373 - Repayment of unearned portion of bonus, incentive
pay, or similar benefit, and termination of remaining payments, when
conditions of payment not met
E. 37 U.S.C. § 371 – Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Service
F. Coast Guard Pay Manual, COMDTINST M7220.29 (series)
G. 37 U.S.C. § 352 - Assignment pay or special duty pay
1. Overview: In accordance with REF (A), this ACN announces a bonus offer
for eligible physician assistants who commission and affiliate with the Coast Guard
SELRES as a designated DCPA to serve in a Port Security Unit (PSU) reserve
physician assistant billet (Officer Specialty Code PHA10). This bonus is an
incentive to encourage the recruitment, proficiency and retention of individuals
in the designated specialty and units.
   a. In accordance with REF (B), COMDT (CG-133) has approved an exception to
policy in FY20 to allow SELRES members a lump-sum payment of $15,000 for a three
year SELRES commitment.  To be eligible, members must serve in a critical specialty
as a DCPA in a PSU billet, as detailed in paragraph 2 below. 
   b. The bonus offerings in this ACN are available immediately and are anticipated
to remain in effect until the end of FY21 (30 SEP 2021 and not after) contingent
upon Congress extending the authority to make payments. (Members who meet the
requirements in FY20 will be eligible for the bonus in AY21.) The date determining
bonus eligibility is the signature date of the written obligation from the
member to serve in the SELRES (Coast Guard memorandum from the Physician
Assistant Force Manager (PAFM), COMDT (CG-1121). Eligible personnel must remain
in the officer specialty and at the PSU for three years, for which the
bonus is authorized.
   c. The PAFM will submit all bonus documentation to Pay and Personnel Center (PPC)
via a customer care trouble ticket after the member reports to the assigned
unit and upon completion of the first drill.
2. Authorization and Eligibility Requirements: The following SELRES bonuses
are authorized for members who join the SELRES as a DCPA at a PSU detailed in
paragraph 1.a.
   a. DCPAs must meet Coast Guard medical officer clinical privileging standards
prior to commissioning. Some of these pertinent requirements include (but are
not limited to):
      (1) Current national certification by the National Commission on Certification
of Physician Assistants;
      (2) Current active, unrestricted state PA license;
      (3) Current Basic Life Support certification, must have included hands-on
skills portion, cannot be online only;
      (4) Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification, must have included
hands-on skills portion, cannot be online only;
      (5) Eligible for Federal Drug Enforcement Agency registration; and
      (6) Successful pre-selection credentials review to verify license,
certification, education, training, and competence, including a review of any
entries for the provider in the National Provider Data Base;
      (7) Maintaining all requirements through the duration of their assignment,
to include maintaining Coast Guard medical officer clinical privileging standards.
   b. A privileging prescreening will be performed once the applicant is selected.
   c. Before advising members about the availability of bonuses, commands or
recruiters must ensure that members meet all eligibility requirements in this
message and in REF (A). Bonus eligibility must be documented on the appropriate
Coast Guard memorandum from PAFM, COMDT (CG-1121). Commands must initiate
recoupment action, via the PAFM, against members who receive a SELRES bonus,
but who later do not meet satisfactory participation requirements, per Chapter 4
of REF (C).
   d. SELRES members who accept an Extended Active Duty (EAD) contract, those who
are approved for conditional release into a Department of Defense (DoD)
enlistment to fill a vacant Active Duty billet, and those who integrate to active
duty during the period in which they obligated themselves to serve with the SELRES
must have the unearned portion of the affiliation bonus recouped. Members with
obligated service due to acceptance of SELRES enlistment or affiliation bonuses
will not normally be approved for entry into a DoD component or the Regular Coast
Guard until completion of the obligated Coast Guard SELRES service. SELRES members
who are performing short-term Active Duty Operational Support (ADOS), whether it is
in support of a contingency or not, must retain their bonus. SELRES members
performing long term ADOS at a PSU must retain their bonus; all other long term
ADOS (including back-to-back short term ADOS) will result in bonus recoupment.
Any non-fulfillment of obligated SELRES service will result in the member's
indebtedness to the Coast Guard in the amount of the unearned bonus as prorated
per REF (D). Exceptions to unearned bonus collection must be requested from
COMDT (CG-8) per Subsection 373(b) of REF (D).
   e. Members should request and schedule career counseling with
Reserve Personnel Management (RPM), prior to requesting a transfer from
their assigned unit to a PSU.
3. Policy: To receive the bonus and avoid recoupment, members must report to
assigned unit and complete one-paid IDT drill. Additionally, members must abide
by and continuously maintain the eligibility criteria of this ACN for the entirety
of their assignment at the PSU.
   a. Bonus Agreement Limits and Payment of Bonus. Bonuses will be paid in a lump
sum in accordance with REF (A). Bonus amounts not contributed to a tax-deferred
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account are subject to 22% federal and applicable state
income tax withholdings. Per TSP limitations, members desiring to contribute
bonus monies to a TSP account must consider the TSP Elective Deferral limit and
confirm election not less than 30 days prior to receipt of bonus.
      (1) The lump sum will normally be paid within two complete pay cycles after the
PAFM, COMDT (CG-1121) submits the signed DCPA Bonus memorandum as per paragraph 1.c
above.
      (2) Once a Bonus Agreement is signed, it will remain in force for the duration
of the assignment to the PSU.
      (3) In accordance with REF (E), a member is prohibited from receiving a bonus
payment under both Subchapters I and II of Title 37, U.S.C., for the same
activity, skill, or period of service.
   b. Repayment of Unearned Bonus Amounts. Per REF (A) and (C), unearned bonuses
must be repaid, unless collection is excepted under authorized conditions.
   c. Authorized exceptions to repayment of unearned bonuses include the situations
listed below and must be cited by CG PSC-RPM in separation authorizations or
other documentation:
      (1) Separated, retired, or loss of bonus eligibility by reason of combat-related
physical disability, illness, or injury, and not due to misconduct.
          [a] The term “combat-related” has the same meaning as in 10 U.S.C. § 1413a(e)
and further described in Section 16.D.6 of REF (F).
          [b] Combat-relatedness determinations will be made by CG PSC-PSD-MED.
          [c] In cases where a member with a current Bonus Agreement in effect 1) dies
or 2) is retired or separated with a combat-related disability, and the death or
disability is not the result of the member’s misconduct, any bonus installment
amount previously paid must not be repaid. Further, the full amount of the
Bonus Agreement amount not yet paid prior to the date of 1) death (if in the line of
duty) or 2) retirement or separation due to combat-related disability but to
which the member was eligible immediately before the line-of-duty death, retirement,
or separation and would otherwise be paid if not for the death, retirement, or
separation must be included as a lump sum in the member’s final settlement of pay
and allowances. The lump sum must be equal to the full remaining amount specified
in the agreement as if the member continued to be eligible for the remaining bonus
payments. This payment must be paid not later than 90 days following the member’s
line-of-duty death, retirement, or separation.
      (2) Sole survivorship discharge.
      (3) When explicitly accepted from repayment by Coast Guard personnel policy.
      (4) All other requests for exceptions to repayment of unearned bonus amounts
must be approved by COMDT (CG-8). Consideration for exception to repayment
determinations will generally follow the standards for remission of indebtedness
as described in Section 11.G.5 of REF (F).
      (5) Repayment of unearned portion of bonus and termination of remaining
payments when conditions of payment not met will be executed in accordance
with REF (D).
4. For questions please contact the following POCs.
   a. SELRES bonus execution questions, contact: COMDT (CG-R55),
HQS-DG-LST-CG-R55@uscg.mil.
   b. For military personnel policy questions, contact COMDT (CG-1331)
at: HQS-PolicyandStandards@uscg.mil.
   c. USCG members transitioning to SELRES status: LCDR Erin Bennett,
Erin.M.Bennett@uscg.mil or (202) 795-6525, PSC-RPM-1.
   d. POC for recruiters: Mr. Lane Solak, Lane.A.Solak@uscg.mil or (202) 795-6852.
   e. Physician Assistant Force Manager:  CDR Charlene Criss,
Charlene.R.Criss@uscg.mil or (202) 475-5183.
5. Released by RADM J.M Nunan, Assistant Commandant for Human Resources and
RDML T.C. Wiemers, Assistant Commandant for Reserve.
6. Internet release is authorized.