The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have implemented changes to the annual physicians’ comparability allowance (PCA) reporting and authorization process. The attached memorandum sent to agency budget offices, human resources directors, and OMB PCA contacts describes the new process and provides a worksheet and instructions for reporting PCA data to OPM and OMB.

In the past, OMB conducted an annual review of outyear plans for PCA staffing and allowance levels (5 CFR 595.107). In a separate process, OPM collected data on prior year PCA usage and prepared and submitted an annual report to Congress (5 U.S.C. 5948(j)). The attached memorandum consolidates these separate PCA data collection processes into a single data call that is incorporated into agency budget justifications. This new process will improve data quality and lessen the reporting burden on agencies.

The attached worksheet and instructions collect the information required by 5 U.S.C. 5948(j) for OPM’s PCA report to Congress, though some of the data may be in a different format than requested by OPM in previous years. If you have any questions on the new process, you may contact Lisa Dismond in OPM’s Employee Services, Pay and Leave, at pay-leave-policy@opm.gov or (202) 606-2858.

Attachment 1-OPM/OMB Memo Changes in Annual Physicians' Comparability Allowance Reporting and Authorization Processes
Attachment 2-PCA Worksheet and Instructions