Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 204

Commissioned Corps and Ready Reserve Corps

(a)

Establishment

(1)

In general

There shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and, for service in time of a public health or national emergency, a Ready Reserve Corps.

(2)

Requirement

All commissioned officers shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended.

(3)

Appointment

Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by the President.

(4)

Active duty

Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training.

(5)

Warrant officers

Warrant officers may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of providing support to the health and delivery systems maintained by the Service and any warrant officer appointed to the Service shall be considered for purposes of this chapter and title 37 to be a commissioned officer within the Commissioned Corps of the Service.

(b)

Assimilating Reserve Corps officers into the Regular Corps

Effective on , all individuals classified as officers in the Reserve Corps under this section (as such section existed on the day before ) and serving on active duty shall be deemed to be commissioned officers of the Regular Corps.

(c)

Purpose and use of Ready Reserve Corps

(1)

Purpose

The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional Commissioned Corps personnel available on short notice (similar to the uniformed service’s reserve program) to assist regular Commissioned Corps personnel to meet both routine public health and emergency response missions during public health or national emergencies.

(2)

Uses

The Ready Reserve Corps shall, consistent with paragraph (1)—
(A)
participate in routine training to meet the general and specific needs of the Commissioned Corps;
(B)
be available and ready for involuntary calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises, similar to the uniformed service reserve personnel;
(C)
be available for backfilling critical positions left vacant during deployment of active duty Commissioned Corps members during such emergencies, as well as for deployment to respond to public health emergencies, both foreign and domestic; and
(D)
section 295p of this title be available for service assignment in isolated, hardship, and medically underserved communities (as defined in ) to improve access to health services, consistent with subparagraph (C).
(3)

Statutory references to reserve

A reference in any Federal statute, except in the case of subsection (b), to the “Reserve Corps” of the Public Health Service or to the “reserve” of the Public Health Service shall be deemed to be a reference to the Ready Reserve Corps.

(d)

Funding

For the purpose of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Commissioned Corps under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for recruitment and training and $12,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for the Ready Reserve Corps.

July 1, 1944, ch. 37358 Stat. 683Feb. 28, 1948, ch. 83, § 262 Stat. 39Oct. 28, 1949, ch. 78263 Stat. 972Pub. L. 96–76, title III, § 302(a)93 Stat. 584Pub. L. 111–148, title V, § 5210124 Stat. 614Pub. L. 112–166, § 2(ff)(1)126 Stat. 1290Pub. L. 116–136, div. A, title III, § 3214(a)134 Stat. 372(, title II, § 203, ; , ; , title XI, § 1106(a), ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

act Mar. 4, 1923, ch. 26542 Stat. 1488act Oct. 28, 1949, ch. 782, title XII, § 120263 Stat. 972The Classification Act of 1923, as amended, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), is , , which was classified to section 661 et seq. of former Title 5, Executive Departments and Government Officers and Employees, and was repealed by , .

Amendments

Pub. L. 116–136, § 3214(a)(1)2020—Subsec. (a)(1). , substituted “, for service in time of a public health or national emergency, a Ready Reserve Corps” for “a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergency”.

Pub. L. 116–136, § 3214(a)(2)(A)Subsec. (c). , substituted “Reserve Corps” for “Research” in heading.

Pub. L. 116–136, § 3214(a)(2)(B)Subsec. (c)(1). , inserted “during public health or national emergencies” before period at end.

Pub. L. 116–136, § 3214(a)(2)(C)(i)Subsec. (c)(2). , inserted “, consistent with paragraph (1)” after “shall” in introductory provisions.

Pub. L. 116–136, § 3214(a)(2)(C)(ii)Subsec. (c)(2)(C). , inserted “during such emergencies” after “members”.

Pub. L. 116–136, § 3214(a)(2)(C)(iii)Subsec. (c)(2)(D). , inserted “, consistent with subparagraph (C)” before period at end.

Pub. L. 116–136, § 3214(a)(2)(D)Subsec. (c)(3). , added par. (3).

Pub. L. 112–1662012—Subsec. (a)(3). struck out “with the advice and consent of the Senate” before period at end.

Pub. L. 111–1482010— inserted section catchline and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “There shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and, for the purpose of securing a reserve for duty in the Service in time of national emergency, a Reserve Corps. All commissioned officers shall be citizens and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5. Commissioned officers of the Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by him by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Commissioned officers of the Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training and active duty for the purpose of determining their fitness for appointment in the Regular Corps. Warrant officers may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of providing support to the health and delivery systems maintained by the Service and any warrant officer appointed to the Service shall be considered for purposes of this chapter and title 37 to be a commissioned officer within the commissioned corps of the Service.”

Pub. L. 96–761979— inserted provisions relating to appointment and status of warrant officers.

1949—Act , substituted “Classification Act of 1949” for “Classification Act of 1923”.

1948—Act , struck out provision that all active service in Reserve Corps, as well as service in Regular Corps, shall be credited for purpose of promotion in Regular Corps.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Reference in any Federal statute, except in the case of subsec. (b) of this section, to “Reserve Corps” of the Public Health Service or to the “reserve” of the Public Health Service deemed to be a reference to the Ready Reserve Corps, see subsec. (c)(3) of this section.

Effective Date of 2012 Amendment

Pub. L. 112–166section 6(a) of Pub. L. 112–166section 113 of Title 6Amendment by effective 60 days after , and applicable to appointments made on and after that effective date, including any nomination pending in the Senate on that date, see , set out as a note under , Domestic Security.

Repeals

Pub. L. 89–55480 Stat. 632Act , cited as a credit to this section, was repealed (subject to a savings clause) by , , § 8, , 655.

Reports

Pub. L. 111–148, title V, § 5701124 Stat. 684

“(a)

Reports by Secretary of Health and Human Services .—

On an annual basis, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the appropriate Committees of Congress a report on the activities carried out under the amendments made by this title [see Tables for classification], and the effectiveness of such activities.
“(b)

Reports by Recipients of Funds .—

The Secretary of Health and Human Services may require, as a condition of receiving funds under the amendments made by this title, that the entity receiving such award submit to such Secretary such reports as the such Secretary may require on activities carried out with such award, and the effectiveness of such activities.”
, , , provided that:

Osteopaths as Reserve Officers

act Aug. 13, 1946, ch. 958, § 560 Stat. 1049July 25, 1947, ch. 327, § 161 Stat. 449Section 709 of act , formerly § 609, renumbered § 709 by , , which provided for appointment of osteopaths as reserve officers until six months after World War II, was repealed by Joint Res. , .

Executive Documents

Delegation of Authority to Appoint Commissioned Officers of the Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service

Memorandum of President of the United States, , 75 F.R. 32245, provided:

Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services

section 301 of title 3Public Law 111–148Public Law 111–148By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including , United States Code, I hereby assign to you the functions of the President under section 203 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by , to appoint commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps. The exercise of this authority is limited to appointments of individuals who were extended offers of employment for appointment and call to active duty in the Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service with an appointment date subsequent to , the date of enactment of , but who were not on active duty on that date, and those individuals who are selected for the 2010 Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program. This authority may not be re-delegated.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

Barack Obama.

Memorandum of President of the United States, , 76 F.R. 33117, which delegated functions of the President under section 203 of the Public Health Service Act to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, was revoked by Memorandum of President of the United States, , 78 F.R. 20225, set out below.

Memorandum of President of the United States, , 78 F.R. 20225, provided:

Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services

section 301 of title 3Public Law 111–148By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including , United States Code, I hereby assign to you the functions of the President under section 203 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by , to appoint commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service. Commissions issued under this delegation of authority may not be for a term longer than 6 months except for commissions that place officers in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemiological Intelligence Service, the Senior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program, the Indian Health Service Pharmacy Residency Program, the Indian Health Service Health Professions Scholarship Program, or the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, which may not be for a term longer than 2 years. Officers appointed pursuant to this delegation may not be appointed to the Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service for a term greater than those outlined in this memorandum other than by the President. This authority may not be re-delegated.

My memorandum of (Delegation of Authority to Appoint Commissioned Officers of the Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service), is hereby revoked.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

Barack Obama.