Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog

This is a process that physicians mess up all the time, leading to much frustration.  Here are the key points to note from the explanation below:

• You must submit the request 6 weeks before you need to leave for the exam.
• You must have 1 year of active duty service left following the exam date.
• You must request the travel ahead of time.  You can’t do it after the fact.
• You have to request the reimbursement request in the same fiscal year as the test.

This is straight from the Medical Corps Funding website, which is where you should go for the most up-to-date information on this topic:

In accordance with BUMEDINST 1500.20, Navy Medicine Professional Development Center may provide funding to Medical Corps Officers for certification examinations, recertification examinations, maintenance of certification (MOC) examinations and MOC fees. Only funding requests for Medical Specialty Board Examinations approved by American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) are authorized to be considered for funding.

Funding requests must be submitted to the funding group email address usn.bethesda.navmedprodevctrmd.list.nmpdc-cme-funding@mail.mil at least six weeks prior to the member’s travel or examination. Members requesting certification funding must have at least one year of active duty service following their examination date. Examinations must be taken at the closest available testing center.

Travel must be requested in advance; it cannot be funded after the fact. Only MOC fees paid during the current fiscal year will be considered for reimbursement.

To create your funding request, view the document MC Board Funding Request Checklist. Use the other documents, as required by the checklist, to complete your request:

Late Request Statement

Obligated Service Date Statement

Sample Endorsement for MC Board Certification

Sample Request for MC Board Certification

TAD Request Worksheet

Should you need it, detailed information regarding the funding process can be found in the last document titled MC Funding Guidance.