Human Resources - Commissioned Officers: Uniform of the Day
CIO CONTACT: Office of Program
Support, Human Resources Management Office, Operations Branch, Commissioned
Corps Section
Material Superseded: None
I. PURPOSE
This chapter establishes policy and prescribes the Uniform of the Day for the Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter seasonal periods for Public Health Service (PHS) commissioned officers assigned to duty stations in Atlanta, Georgia and all field stations except Washington, D.C. and Hyattsville, MD. Officers assigned to Washington, D.C. and Hyattsville, MD are subject to the requirements prescribed by the Surgeon General for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. This policy does not apply to officers on assignment to State or local health departments or on international assignments.
II. INTRODUCTION
The Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is designated a Local Uniform Authority (LUA) and, as such, is authorized to prescribe the uniforms that may be worn by all officers assigned to CDC or ATSDR. The uniform chosen by the LUA as the uniform for general performance of duties is known as the Uniform of the Day. In keeping with the policy of the Surgeon General, the number of prescribed uniforms has been kept to a minimum. Detailed information about uniforms can be found in Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual (CCPM) Pamphlet No. 61. A list of the most frequently asked questions about uniforms and the answers is attached.
III. REFERENCES
A.CCPM 26.3, Instruction 1: General Information on Uniforms and Appearance.
B.CCPM 26.3, Instruction 2: Directive to Wear the Public Health Service Uniform.
C.CCPM 26.3, Instruction 4: Uniforms for Male Officers
D.CCPM 26.3, Instruction 5: Uniforms for Female Officers
E.CCPM Pamphlet No. 61: Information on Uniforms
IV. REQUIREMENTS
A. Owning and Wearing the Uniform
All CDC commissioned officers are expected to own a PHS uniform and to wear their uniform each Wednesday, on special occasions and when meeting with officers of other uniformed services. Officers who wish to wear the uniform more often are encouraged to do so. All officers on a detail (i.e., leave without pay, reimbursable, or nonreimbursable) should wear their uniform on appropriate days (i.e., Wednesday) when on duty at CDC in Atlanta, at CDC field stations, or in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
B. Uniform Wear Season, Changeover Dates, and Uniforms of the Day
The Spring-Summer Uniform wear period is April through September. The Fall-Winter Uniform wear period is October through March. The changeover dates are the first Monday in April and the first Monday in October, respectively. The Service Dress Blue Uniform, which all officers are required to own and maintain, may be worn at any time and under any circumstances. Other uniforms may be worn only as prescribed in this section or in the Attachment.
Effective the first Monday in April, the Uniform of the Day for the Spring-Summer period is the Summer White Uniform. Officers may also elect to wear the following alternatives: Summer Blue ("Salt and Pepper"), Summer Khaki, Working Khaki, or Indoor Duty White. Officers on temporary duty (TDY) to the Washington, D.C. area are to wear the appropriate Uniform of the Day for that locality as prescribed by the Surgeon General and generally published in the Commissioned Corps Bulletin.
Effective the first Monday in October, the Uniform of the Day for the Fall-Winter period is either Service Dress Blue or Service Dress Blue Sweater (SDBS). An authorized option to the Service Dress Blue Uniform is the Blue Windbreaker Jacket (BWJ) in lieu of the Service Dress Blue coat. Metal rank insignia are worn on the BWJ. Officers also may elect to wear the following alternatives: Winter Blue, Winter Working Blue, Summer Blue ("Salt and Pepper"), or Summer Khaki. The Army Black V-neck Sweater is authorized for wear with the Summer Blue and Summer Khaki uniforms.
C. Covered Areas
The LUA can determine those areas, such as a complex of several buildings and grounds including parking areas, that officers may transit out-of-doors but consider themselves indoors for purposes of meeting uniform requirements. The following metropolitan Atlanta work areas are designated Covered Areas (i.e., areas in which hats need not be worn):
·All buildings within the Clifton Road campus
·All buildings within the Chamblee campus
·The ATSDR Cluster in the Executive Park complex
(i.e., Buildings 31, 33, 35, and 37)
·The remainder of CDC-leased space in the Executive Park complex
·All CDC-leased buildings within the Corporate Square complex
·The area between the Stanford, Vanderbilt, Yale and Williams buildings in the Koger Center complex
Any transit to other areas, or any transit in which a vehicle is used, requires an officer to be covered. The same general guidelines as above apply to officers assigned to CDC field stations.
Attachment
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. When can the Service Dress Blue uniform be worn?
The Service Dress Blue Uniform may be worn year round, when in travel status, while attending official meetings, representing PHS, participating in ceremonial activities, or in other appropriate circumstances. All officers are required to own and maintain a Service Dress Blue Uniform.
2. What is the difference between the Service Dress Blue Sweater Uniform and the Service Dress Blue Uniform?
The Service Dress Blue Sweater (SDBS) Uniform is worn during normal office work at the duty station. It is the same as the Service Dress Blue Uniform except the sweater is worn instead of the jacket. A necktie is required with both uniforms. The Blue Windbreaker Jacket is an authorized optional outer garment with the SDBS. Also, male and female officers may wear the Blue Garrison Cap with the SDBS. The White Combination Cap may be worn with either uniform. Female officers may wear the Beret or White Combination Cap with either uniform.
3. Some officers wear a uniform with a long sleeve dark-blue shirt that has an open collar. Is this an appropriate uniform?
Yes. The uniform described is the Winter Working Blue Uniform. Unlike the Winter Blue uniform, the Winter Working Blue Uniform does not require a tie. The Winter Working Blue uniform is also worn without ribbons. Because it is considered a working uniform, it may only be worn in situations where other uniforms would be unsafe or become unduly soiled. It should only be worn off a site between the officer's duty location and his/her place of residence.
4. What is the Indoor Duty White Uniform? Isn't it the same as the Summer White Uniform?
The Indoor Duty White Uniform may be worn by officers assigned to duties in clinical or laboratory settings. It is the same as the Summer White Uniform but without ribbons. The Indoor Duty White is a working uniform and is not appropriate for wear when circumstances indicate that a service uniform should be worn, such as meetings scheduled in advance withofficial visitors or members of the general public.
5. When is the "Salt and Pepper" uniform worn?
The Summer Blue Uniform, also known as the "Salt and Pepper" (i.e., short sleeve white shirt and dark blue trousers/belted skirt as in the Service Dress Blue Uniform), may be worn in Atlanta and at field stations year round.
6. When are the formal uniforms, the ones that look like civilian evening dress, worn?
There are two formal uniforms: Formal Dress and Dinner Dress. The Formal Dress Uniform may be worn at appropriate formal evening functions (i.e., white tie). The Dinner Dress Uniform may be worn at appropriate dinner and social functions (i.e., black tie). The Dinner Dress Uniform must conform to the appropriate season.
7. When can the black V-neck sweater be worn?
The Army Black V-neck Sweater is a component of the Service Dress Blue Sweater (SDBS) Uniform and may be worn whenever it is appropriate to were the SDBS Uniform. The Army Black V-neck Sweater is an optional item of wear with the following seasonal uniforms: Summer Blue, Summer White, and Summer Khaki. The Army Black V-neck sweater may also be worn with the Indoor Duty White, Winter Blue, and Winter Working Blue uniforms. It is not authorized for wear with the Service Dress Blue uniform.
8. Can soft shoulder boards be worn with the shirt to the "Salt and Pepper?"
No. Soft shoulder boards are only worn with the white shirt of the Service Dress Blue Uniform or with the Army Black V-neck Sweater. Hard shoulder boards must be worn with a uniform that requires shoulder boards and has a shirt as the outer garment, such as the Summer Blue Uniform ("Salt and Pepper") and the Summer White Uniform.
9. If a female officer has both the skirt and the slacks of the uniform, which is appropriate to wear?
Either. If a female officer has both a skirt and slacks, the officer may choose which to wear.
10. Since certain items are prescribed for wear with the various uniforms and others are prohibited, when is the CDC identification badge worn?
The CDC identification badge must be worn with the PHS uniform while on the duty station premises. The badge should be clipped to the pocket or lapel or on a chain around the neck. However, badges must be removed when leaving the duty station premises.
11. Does a uniform have to be worn when traveling in space available status?
No. A uniform is not required for space available travel.