The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, enacted March 23, 2010, gave the USPHS the authority to create the Ready Reserve Corps, a new component of the USPHS Commissioned Corps.

The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps will be to have additional Commissioned Corps personnel available on short notice (similar to the other uniformed services' reserve programs) to assist full-time Commissioned Corps personnel to meet both routine public health and emergency response missions. Prior to the passage of this law, the USPHS Commissioned Corps did not have a reserve component to call upon in this fashion. The Ready Reserve Corps members will perform duties for assigned periods of time as opposed to full-time Corps members who are on extended active duty. Joining the Ready Reserve Corps is voluntary; however, future members of the Ready Reserve Corps join knowing that they can be called at any time to serve in times of national need.

The Ready Reserve Corps officers will participate in routine training; be available and ready for calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises or to backfill critical positions left vacant during deployment of full-time Corps members; or be available for service assignments in isolated, hardship, and medically underserved communities.

If you have questions, you may contact the Office of Reserve Affairs at Readyreserve@hhs.gov.

Please complete the form below if you would like additional information about the Ready Reserve Corps or to be notified when this component of the USPHS Commissioned Corps is operational. For individuals currently serving or who have previously served on active duty/reserves in a uniformed service, please be sure to indicate this information in the “Additional Comments” section on the form below.