CG PHS Liaison

Liaisons to the Office of the Surgeon General (Liaisons) serve as a crucial and vital link between the central systems and processes of the Commissioned Corps and the officers assigned to OPDIVs, STAFFDIVS, and Agencies.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Liaisons must be subject matter experts in the policies and procedures governing the administration of the PHS Commissioned Corps.

2. Liaisons advise and counsel officers, supervisors, managers, senior agency officials on PHS Commissioned Corps policies, procedures and careers.

3. Liaisons serve as leading advocates for the Commissioned Corps, promoting the culture of the Corps (vision, mission and values).

4. Liaisons are looked upon to lead the implementation of new and existing PHS Commissioned Corps policies and procedures within their respective OPDIV.

5. Liaisons advise OCCO, Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM), Office of Commissioned Corps Systems (OCCS), and Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD)) regarding policy development and implementation. They serve as a key communication link between Corps operations and policy entities and the agencies, and they often serve as a communication link with Human Resources personnel.

6. Liaisons are the process focal point within the agency, advising, facilitating, and/or coordinating PHS Commissioned Corps personnel actions to include, but not limited to: assignment (including billets), promotions, adverse actions, grievances, probationary reviews, retirement, career counseling, special pay and other contracts, logistics (i.e., shipment of household goods), long term training, separation, survivor benefits, performance evaluation (COER), awards, and compliance with basic readiness.

7. Liaisons serve a critical role in the recruitment process, including advising, tracking, and counseling applicants (entry, relocation, and inter-service transfers) and COSTEPs.

8. Liaisons train raters/reviewers and other agency managers with respect to Corps processes and procedures, and they are often responsible for training officers on administrative procedures.

9. Liaisons also have many additional duties, depending on the agency, such as coordinating promotion ceremonies, convening all hands meetings, hosting retirement seminars, and providing on-the-spot advice to CPOs, Corps Flag Officers and other leaders.  This list of roles and responsibilities can be overwhelming and generally Liaisons must rely on assistance from other staff or volunteers within their agency to support their efforts. In order to balance the roles and responsibilities with the needs of the agencies and their officers, Liaisons must be proficient in negotiation, diplomacy, organization, and time management.  Even so, it will be the rare Liaison or team that can effectively address each of these roles on a consistent and daily basis.