As Congress considers the FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), MOAA is urging lawmakers to preserve pay parity across all eight uniformed services, including the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps.

USPHS and NOAA officers serve alongside counterparts in the armed services supporting national security, emergency response, public health, and disaster preparedness missions. They have historically received the same basic pay as officers in the armed forces of equivalent rank and years of service.

Proposed changes identified in the 2027 Presidential Alternative Pay Plan could disrupt this long-standing practice, creating pay disparities that would grow over time, and introduce complicated administrative challenges and costs.

[RELATED: The FY 2027 NDAA and Military Pay]

Lawmakers received the alternative pay plan Aug. 27, more than a month after the House passed its NDAA version and more than two months after the Senate version cleared the Senate Armed Services Committee. MOAA has met with key congressional staffers to ensure lawmakers understand the importance of maintaining pay parity and take whatever steps are necessary to that end, and we will continue to engage with Capitol Hill offices throughout the remainder of the legislative session.

A Lasting Divide

Annual basic pay adjustments have historically applied to all eight uniformed services. Although USPHS and NOAA officers are not members of the armed forces, they have traditionally shared the same basic pay tables.

For 2027, however, the Alternative Pay Plan proposes different increases for members of the armed forces and officers serving in USPHS and NOAA. Under the proposal, members of the armed forces would receive basic pay increases ranging from 5% to 7%, depending on rank, while USPHS and NOAA officers would receive a 3.6% increase. Adopting separate increases would establish a precedent for treating officers of equivalent rank and service differently based solely on the department in which they serve.

The implications would extend well beyond a single year's pay raise. Annual increases are calculated as a percentage of existing basic pay, so any disparity would compound over time. Even if Congress provided identical percentage increases in subsequent years, USPHS and NOAA officers would continue receiving lower basic pay than their armed-service counterparts unless lawmakers took additional action to restore parity.

[FROM MILITARY TIMES: What is the U.S. Public Health Service’s Commissioned Corps? Its Top Leader Wants You to Know]

Lawmakers cannot leave this issue open to interpretation; only by clearly addressing and supporting ongoing pay parity among those in uniform can USPHS and NOAA officers receive the compensation they’ve earned.

Consequences Extend Beyond Individual Paychecks

Establishing separate pay tables for USPHS and NOAA would also introduce administrative complexity and significant costs. The NOAA Corps relies on the Coast Guard Pay and Personnel Center to administer its payroll through an interagency agreement. The system is not configured to process different basic pay tables for NOAA officers and their Coast Guard counterparts.

Modifying the payroll system would require a significant amount of money to plan and implement programming changes. Without those changes in place before a new pay structure takes effect, officers could receive incorrect payments and could incur repayment obligations, tax adjustments, and additional administrative burdens. The administrative expenses that would be incurred to implement the Alternative Pay Plan could exceed the amount of discretionary funding “saved.”

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The consequences of enacting a pay disparity also could affect operational readiness. NOAA relies heavily on interservice transfers from the Navy to recruit experienced pilots for its “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft. Offering lower basic pay to officers of equivalent rank and experience could undermine NOAA's ability to attract qualified aviators and other specialized personnel. As NOAA modernizes its Hurricane Hunter fleet and potentially expands its weather reconnaissance capabilities, preserving competitive compensation will remain important to recruiting and retaining the experienced officers needed to accomplish these missions.

For USPHS, maintaining parity is similarly important to recognizing the service and contributions of commissioned officers who are deployed on the front lines of public health emergencies, supporting Ebola response, natural disasters, medical readiness, and federal health missions.

[FROM 2021: USPHS Officers on the COVID-19 Fight]

Retirees, Survivors Face a Separate Pay Inequity

Pay parity concerns do not end when uniformed servicemembers retire. Unlike retirees from the armed forces, USPHS and NOAA retirees receive their earned retirement benefits through annual agency appropriations rather than the Pentagon’s Military Retirement Fund (MRF). This difference has significant consequences during government shutdowns.

While military and Coast Guard retirees continue receiving retirement payments through the MRF, USPHS and NOAA retirees and survivors can face delayed payments when agency appropriations lapse. These retirees earned their benefits through careers of uniformed service, yet the reliability of their retirement income depends on a funding structure that provides fewer protections than those afforded to their military counterparts. MOAA believes this distinction is both unnecessary and inequitable.

A Legislative Solution

MOAA supports the bipartisan Pensions for Retired Uniformed Servicemembers Act to address this long-standing disparity by transferring USPHS and NOAA retirement obligations into the MRF. Importantly, the legislation would not increase retirement benefits or change existing retirement formulas. Instead, it would provide the same continuity of retirement payments already available to military and Coast Guard retirees.

[TAKE ACTION: Protect USPHS and NOAA Retirees From Future Shutdowns]

Congress previously recognized the importance of uniform retirement funding when Coast Guard retirement obligations transitioned to the MRF following a provision in the FY 2021 NDAA. Extending that same protection to USPHS and NOAA retirees would help ensure all uniformed service retirees and their survivors receive the benefits they earned without unnecessary uncertainty during federal funding disruptions.

MOAA supports bipartisan legislation and efforts to include this important reform in the FY 2027 NDAA. The House version includes this key passage, while the version approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee does not.

MOAA Calls for Congressional Action

As Congress finalizes the FY 2027 NDAA, MOAA urges lawmakers to address both active duty and retired pay inequities affecting USPHS and NOAA officers. Protecting basic pay parity would preserve the long-standing principle that officers of equivalent rank and years of service across the eight uniformed services receive equal basic pay. It would also prevent unnecessary administrative costs, avoid future compensation disparities, and support the recruitment and retention of highly qualified officers.

These reforms are not about creating new benefits or special treatment. They are about preserving fairness, consistency, and the commitments made to those who serve.