U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps members would receive the same leave benefits as commissioned officers in the armed services under MOAA-backed legislation introduced April 10.

The bipartisan Uniformed Services Leave Parity Act, introduced in the Senate by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and in the House by Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), would provide USPHS officers with extended parental leave, among other benefits.

Duckworth and Murkowski introduced similar legislation in the 118th Congress, and MOAA appreciates their continued efforts on this important issue. House sponsors Houlahan and Bacon each received MOAA’s Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award in a ceremony held days before the USPHS bill’s introduction.

[TAKE ACTION: Support Leave Parity for USPHS Commissioned Corps Members]

“Our Public Health Service officers serve alongside other uniformed servicemembers during national emergencies, yet they don’t receive the same basic leave benefits,” Bacon said in a press release announcing the bill. “I’m honored to co-lead the bipartisan Uniformed Services Leave Parity Act to ensure these dedicated health care professionals, who are vital to protecting American public health, are granted the same essential leave benefits as their uniformed service counterparts.”

The USPHS Commissioned Corps mission stretches beyond joint operations and disaster relief, covering everything from duties along the U.S. southern border to partnering with the Indian Health Service to provide safe drinking water to American Indian and native Alaskan communities. The largest mobilization in service history – it traces its roots to the Marine Hospital Service, founded in 1798 – came in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which more than 4,000 officers were deployed.

[FROM 2021: ‘Stepping Into Chaos’: USPHS Officers on the COVID-19 Fight]

“When disease or disaster threatens our public safety, PHS officers are on the front lines helping keep the American people healthy and out of harm’s way – there’s no reason they shouldn’t have the same leave benefits that officers of the Army, Navy or any of our other uniformed services do,”  Duckworth said in the press release. “Our bipartisan legislation would help right this wrong and ensure these devoted health professionals have equal access to the benefits they deserve.”

The Commissioned Officers Association and the Reserve Organization of America have endorsed the legislation alongside MOAA. Write your lawmakers today to join the cause, and keep up with this issue and other MOAA legislative priorities by visiting our advocacy news page.