Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
Guest Post – FY24 Navy Medical Corps Special Pay Guidance – What Changed?
By CDR Dustin Schuett, MC, USN
The FY-24 Navy Active Component Medical Corps (MC) Special Pay Guidance was released on October 17, 2023 following the release of the DoD Medical Corps Certification Pay, Incentive Pay, and Retention Bonus FY-24 document on October 1, 2023.
The most notable change is that Board Certification Pay (BCP) increased from $6,000 to $8,000 per year. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) enacted on July 1, 2021 authorized an increase in Board Certification Pay from $6,000 per year to $15,000 per year. The increase to $8,000 in the FY24 plan is the first increase in Board Certification Pay since the FY 2017 MC Special Pay Guidelines released in September 2016. This change is retroactive to October 1, 2023, however, to receive this $166.67 per month increase in BCP, physicians must agree to remain on active duty for 12 months from October 1, 2023. Physicians will need to submit a request for the increase in BCP.
Several specialties received increases in Retention Bonuses (RB). Physicians in Aerospace Medicine and Pediatrics received $2,000 increases in 2-year Retention bonuses and Psychiatry received a $1,000 increase for 2-year retention bonuses. Aerospace Medicine received a $5,000 per year increase for 3-year RBs. Several specialties received $5,000 per year increases for 4-year RB’s including Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Neurology, OBGYN, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pulmonary Critical Care and Physicians in Subspecialty Categories II through V.*
The 4-year RB for Cardiologists, Radiologists, and Urologists increased by $10,000 per year and the 4-year RB for Neurosurgeons functionally increased by $21,000 as the Incentive Pay (IP) for Neurosurgeons on a 4-year RB increased from $59,000 to $80,000 though the actual Retention Bonus did not change.
Family Medicine physicians regained the option for a 6-year RB for the first time since the FY19 Special Pay document at $55,000 per year. The 6-year RB for Emergency Medicine and Pulm/Critical Care increased by $5,000 and the 6-year RB for Adult Cardiologists increased by $10,000.
A change to prior policy is that subject to acceptance by the Chief of BUMED, a physician with an existing RB contract who has served at least half of that RB contract may request termination of that contract in order to enter into a new RB contract with an obligation equal to or longer than the remaining obligation of the current RB.
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act authorized an increase Incentive Pay (from a max of $100,000 to a max of $200,000 per year), despite this, no specialty has seen an increase in Incentive Pay since the FY17 Medical Corps Special Pay Document. There have been no changes to Incentive Pay for Interns, Residents, or General Medical Officers since the FY17 Special Pay Guidance. The cumulative inflation in the US since the FY17 Special Pay Guidance was released is over 28%.
A 2020 study by the Government Accountability Office found that physicians in 2/3 of specialties cannot reach the 20th percentile of civilian compensation for their specialty. The FY-24 Special Pay Guidance did not significantly change that statistic even without accounting for the 9.6% average increase in civilian average physician income.
*Subspecialty Category II: IM Nuclear Medicine,
Subspecialty Category III: IM/Pediatrics Subspecialties in Allergy, Immunology, Nephrology, Heme/Onc, and Neonatology
Subspecialty IV: Other IM/Peds subspecialties not in Cat I or III, Infectious Disease, Rheumatology, Geriatrics, Endocrinology, Clinical Pharmacology, Developmental Pediatrics, and Peds Intensive Care
Subspecialty V: Physician Fellowship Trained in Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics, and Urology
The views expressed in this blog post are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of the department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.
This document was approved by the Public Affairs Office at Naval Medicine Readiness and Training Command San Diego.
HOT FILL – JOB OPPORTUNITY – NMFL CMO
The Medical Corps Chief seeks qualified officers to fill the O-5/O-6 level position as NMFL CMO. The CMO Serves as the Regional Subject Matter Expert for all issues pertaining to clinical quality and high reliability. Applies the philosophy and concepts of continuous quality improvement, high reliability, and change management in order to lead and facilitate interdisciplinary groups to evaluate and improve processes and systems that impact organizational performance and culture. The assignment is 36 months, and the primary duty location is in Portsmouth, Virginia. The selected individual should arrive no later than July 1, 2024, with early reporting authorized.
Prospective applicants should send a CV and Bio to CAPT Teresa Allen NLT Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
DOD Expands Pilot Program to Renew USID Cards Online
As part of an expansion of a Defense Department pilot program that kicked off in February 2023, most Uniformed Services Identification, or USID, card holders can now renew their cards online and receive them in the mail, instead of having to schedule an appointment at an ID card office.
Before this expansion, only sponsors with a common access card could request online renewals, but now most retirees and non-CAC holders are eligible.
The ongoing pilot program allows family members, retirees and others to avoid making appointments at a pass and ID card office. Instead, they can renew USID cards online via the ID Card Office online, or IDCO, website. It’s important to note that the pilot program is for renewal of the USID card only — not for the initial issue. Also, the pilot is limited to cardholders within the United States, though expansion to non-US addresses is in the works.
Spotlight: Taking Care of Our People
Mike Zarlenga, with the Defense Manpower Data Center, said that DOD currently issues about 4.5 million ID cards each year. About 2.5 million of those are USID cards, and of those, roughly one million are renewals eligible for online renewal. The pilot program, Zarlenga said, is meant to make life easier for family members and retirees.
“We think modern capabilities like renewing a driver’s license online make it easier for people to get what they need when they need it without burdening them with having to take a trip somewhere,” Zarlenga said. ”We’re excited about this, and it sounds like people see online renewal as making their lives easier, based on the feedback we’re getting.”
The pilot program also enhances the DOD mission by freeing up appointment slots at pass and ID offices for active duty military personnel and civilian government employees who need to apply for or renew a CAC.
“We want to enable the ID card sites today to better service the CAC holders who are our mission enablers,” Zarlenga said. “We want to make sure that people visiting that office can get an appointment when they need one, and they can get their CAC and resume their mission or duties with minimal impact to them or to the department.”
More information about the online USID card renewal pilot program, including restrictions and requirements, is available on the cac.mil website.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 