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Payroll Resources
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Fact Sheet For Completing
Dental Special Pay (DSP) Contract
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The instructions contained in this fact sheet must be followed for DSP to
be paid.
This fact sheet is designed to help in completing form
PHS-6289, "Dental Special Pay (DSP) Contract."
Dental Special Pay (DSP) - DSP is authorized for dental officers who are called to active duty for a period not less than 1 year and who hold a current valid license. Dental officers must execute a DSP contract to remain on active duty for 1 year, if only eligible for ASP, or 2, 3, or 4 years, if eligible for MRB. DSP consists of two separate contractual pays:
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Additional Special Pay (ASP) - ASP is an annual bonus payable to eligible dental officers who agree to serve on active duty for 1 year in the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS). ASP is designed to attract and retain qualified dentists. Unless otherwise ineligible, all dental officers may receive ASP.
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Multiyear Retention Bonus (MRB) - MRB is authorized for dental officers who are currently eligible to receive ASP and who are board certified or fully trained in a dental specialty. MRB is designed to enhance retention of trained specialists. MRB rates range from $3,000 to $30,000 per year. (See
full rates here.)
Before completing the DSP contract, carefully read the following information and instructions. Failure to complete the DSP contract in accordance with these instructions may result in late payment or nonpayment of DSP.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- PHS policies and procedures for DSP are contained in
INSTRUCTION 2, Subchapter CC22.2, "Dental Officer Additional Special Pay," and
INSTRUCTION 9, Subchapter CC22.2, "Multiyear
Retention Bonus," of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual (CCPM). It is to your advantage to be familiar with the policies and regulations set forth in that personnel issuance.
- To be eligible for ASP, you must be entitled to variable special pay (VSP) and be on active duty under a call to active duty for a period of not less than 1 year. In addition, you must be eligible to remain on active duty for a period of 1 year from the effective date of the DSP contract and execute a DSP contract to remain on active duty. However, you are not eligible for ASP if you are participating in a dental internship or in a residency training program, as defined in
INSTRUCTION 2, Subchapter CC22.2, of the CCPM. You must also have a
current valid license or approved waiver, and a recent Commissioned Officer's Effectiveness Report (COER) (if you have been on duty for more than 6 months) in order to receive DSP.
- A DSP contract is a formal agreement which serves as proof of your obligation. The contract is binding on you and will continue in force until its terms and conditions are fulfilled.
- If you do not fulfill the terms of your contract, there are certain penalties as described in #6 below.
- By signing the DSP contract and accepting DSP, you are voluntarily agreeing to remain on active duty as a PHS commissioned dental officer for 1 year, beginning with the effective date of your DSP contract. The effective date of your DSP contract cannot be changed once the contract is in effect.
- If you do not serve on active duty for the entire period for which you received DSP, you will be required to refund a pro rata portion of any payment received which represents the unexpired part of your active duty obligation. In addition, if you voluntarily terminate your DSP contract, you will be divested of your separation entitlements, such as travel and transportation allowances for you and your dependents, shipment of household goods, and transfer of or payment for unused annual leave under authority of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations and CCPM annual leave regulations and policies, respectively. If you are denied lump sum payment for unused annual leave because you failed to fulfill the terms of the DSP contract, you must also be denied terminal leave. Terminal leave is any approved annual leave taken after an officer has submitted form
PHS-1373, "Separation of Commissioned Officer."
- Before your DSP contract becomes effective and prior to any payment, the PHS component or other Federal Agency to which you are assigned or detailed (see Exhibit I for a list of PHS components and other Federal Agencies to which PHS commissioned officers are assigned or detailed) must certify that you are eligible to receive DSP and that your performance is satisfactory and you are able to remain on active duty for the entire time period covered by the contract. If you are not recommended for an DSP contract by the PHS component or Federal Agency to which you are assigned or detailed, a board composed of dental officers may be convened to make a recommendation about your eligibility for DSP, as well as whether your performance merits such payment.
- If selected for DSP, payment will normally be made within 90 days of the effective date of your contract. However, you should not incur any financial obligations based on the possibility that you will receive DSP until you actually receive the payment.
9. Follow carefully the instructions for completing the contract.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF DSP CONTRACTS
The effective date of your contract is the date your DSP obligation begins. The effective date will be determined as follows (this information is also on the face of the contract):
- Initial Contract. If you enter into an initial contract incident to entry on active duty or after your entry on active duty, your DSP contract will be effective on one of the following dates, whichever is later:
- Date you attain eligibility for DSP, provided the completed contract is received in the Compensation Branch (CB), Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services (OCCSS), within 60 days after you are initially eligible and your contract is signed and notarized within 30 days after you are initially eligible for DSP;
- Date your completed contract is notarized if received in CB within 60 days of date of your eligibility but has not been notarized within 30 days of date of initial eligibility;
- Date your completed, notarized contract is received in CB if not received in CB within 60 days of date of your eligibility; or
- A later date specified by you in your DSP contract.
- Subsequent Contract. The effective date of your second or subsequent DSP contract will be one of the following dates, whichever is later:
- Date following the date your preceding contract expires, provided your completed contract is received in CB within 60 days after the date of expiration of your previous contract and the contract is signed and notarized on or before the date following the date your preceding contract expired;
- Date your completed contract is notarized if the contract is received in CB within 60 days after the date of expiration of the previous contract but has not been notarized on or before the date your previous contract expired;
- Date your completed, notarized contract is received in CB if not received in CB within 60 days of the date following the date that your preceding contract expired; or
- A later date specified by you in your DSP contract.
- If You Are Returning from a Leave Without Pay (LWOP) Detail. If you returning to a uniformed pay status from an LWOP detail, the effective date of your contract will be established in the same manner as an initial contract. The earliest possible effective date of the DSP contract will be the date of your return to Uniformed Service pay status.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE DSP CONTRACT
- Read the contract carefully, including the Privacy Act statement on the reverse side of the contract.
- The DSP contract consists of two pages. An original signed and notarized contract should be forwarded through your agency to CB. A copy of the completed contract should be obtained by each officer prior to submission and retained for verification purposes.
- If you agree to the terms and conditions of the DSP contract, print or type your full name and enter your social security number and PHS serial number at the top of the contract. Fill in the name of the PHS component or other Federal Agency to which you are assigned or detailed (see Exhibit 1).
- Take the contract to a notary, sign and date the contract in the notary's presence, and have the notary complete the notarization blanks.
- Submit the original contract to your immediate supervisor. Retain the contract copy with your important papers to verify, if necessary, that you completed and notarized a DSP contract on a certain date.
- Your immediate supervisor will recommend whether you should or should not receive DSP and will forward the contract through normal channels to the PHS component or other Federal Agency to which you are assigned or detailed. The head of the PHS component, or a designated official at the headquarters level to which you are assigned, must certify your contract before it will be accepted by CB.
If your contract is approved, a personnel order will be issued authorizing ASP and MRB (if eligible). If the personnel order is dated on or before the 15th of the month, DSP will usually be included in that month's pay. Personnel orders dated after the 15th of the month generally indicate that DSP will be included in your next month's pay. Please note that DSP is taxable.
Failure to submit your contract in accordance with these procedures
will delay your payment or result in nonpayment.
RATES OF ASP -
Click here to go to rate chart
The amount of ASP will be based upon your years of creditable service ranging from $4,000 to $15,000.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR MULTIYEAR RETENTION BONUS CONTRACT
As stated in the policies and procedures contained in
INSTRUCTION 9, Subchapter CC22.2, "Multiyear Retention Bonus," of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual (CCPM), to be eligible for MRB, a dental officer must:
- Be entitled to ASP under 37 U.S.C. 302b;
- Be in pay grade O-6 (CAPT) or below;
- Not be participating in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)-supported long-term training as defined in INSTRUCTION 1, Subchapter CC25.2, "Extramural Training," of the CCPM;
- Not be serving obligated service pursuant to participation in a HHS-supported scholarship or training program, or not be serving obligated service to HHS by virtue of transfer from another Uniformed Service. However, if the officer has 8 years of creditable service, he/she is eligible regardless of obligation;
- Be eligible to remain on active duty for the specified term of the contract (Dental officers cannot retire for the duration of their contract);
NOTE:
DSP contracts will not be processed for dental officers who have or will attain 30 years of active service prior to the expiration date of the contract unless approved for an extension of service beyond 30 years. For example, a dental officer who has 26 or more years of retirement credit will not be permitted to enter a DSP contract with an expiration date beyond his/her mandatory retirement date. A dental officer will be permitted to renegotiate his/her special pay contract on the anniversary of 26 years of retirement credit in order to provide receipt of the special pays for the remaining 4 years of expected service.
- Submit documentation of current unrestricted licensure;
- Submit documentation supporting board certification, board certification equivalency, or being fully trained in a dental specialty (Fully Trained in an MRB Specialty-For the purposes of MRB, "fully trained in a dental specialty" is defined as satisfactory completion of a residency or training program accredited or accepted by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, but excluding the 12 month general practice residency (GPR) or 12 month advanced education in general dentistry (AEGD). "Fully trained" in a dental specialty also includes a residency or training program provided by the Department of Defense which meets its Dental MRB criteria for "fully trained". "Board eligible" is not synonymous with "fully trained.");
- Be capable of undertaking the clinical practice of his/her specialty, which may be verified by assignment to a clinical practice billet, by being credentialed to practice at a Federal health care facility, or by being credentialed to practice by a recognized health care facility. If an officer is not in full-time clinical practice, as reflected in his/her billet, the officer must submit documentation of current or planned involvement in clinical practice or in the application of their advanced training skills for the equivalent of 14 days (112 hours) per year. This practice activity must be reflected in the officer's billet if it is completed at a Federally owned facility; and
- Provide information supporting the practice of their MRB specialty in other than Federal facilities. Such outside work activities must be approved in advance by the Agency, Operating Division or Program to which the officer is assigned. At the time of annual recertification of an existing contract, documentation such as a letter from the health facility granting clinical privileges and dates of clinical activities, shall be provided before an anniversary payment is authorized.
RATES OF MRB -
Click here to go to rate chart
The amount of MRB will be based upon the number of contract years and your specialty with rates ranging from $3,000 to $30,000.
If you have any additional questions about DSP, the contract, or other related matters, contact the appropriate office for the PHS component or other Federal Agency to which you are assigned or detailed as listed in
Agency Liaison List.
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