Updated Board Certification/MOC Reimbursement Instruction
The reimbursement process for board certification and maintenance of certification (MOC) is a process that you can easily screw up, causing yourself to lose out on reimbursement for these expensive requirements. BUMED just put out a new instruction that explains how to request reimbursement for these items, and I’d give it a read if this is applicable to you.
The two issues that trip up most physicians is the requirement to request funding 6 weeks in advance and when the request to reimbursement/exam process straddles a fiscal year change, so give special attention to those requirements. Here is the instruction:
BUMEDINST 1500.20A – Funding Professional Credentials and Certification Examinations
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 
November 15, 2017 at 00:54
Any advice for being reimbursed for the board exam fee before taking the actual exam? Anesthesia oral boards cost $2100, which we paid in September, but won’t take the exam until Feb-Oct depending on availability. My local HRD told me I can’t receive any reimbursement until actually taking the test. That just seems like an awfully long time to wait. Thanks.
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November 15, 2017 at 06:19
No, you can’t get reimbursed until you take the exam and file the DTS travel claim. I don’t know of any way around this.
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November 15, 2017 at 12:36
When I got reimbursed for the exam fee, I also had to submit proof of passing the exam so the time from payment to reimbursement is actually longer than submitting DTS claims.
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November 15, 2017 at 17:49
That’s not correct. If you read the instruction (last page), you eventually have to prove you passed the test, but you have to submit your DTS voucher within 5 business days after returning from your travel (if there was any). You should not have to wait until you pass to get paid. If you fail you’ll still get paid for the initial attempt, just not for any future re-takes.
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