[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO REPLACE THE PROVISIONS OF LAW MAKING 
     REEMPLOYED ANNUITANTS INELIGIBLE FOR PHYSICIANS COMPARABILITY 
         ALLOWANCES AND SPECIAL PAY FOR PHYSICIANS AND DENTISTS

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                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill to provide 
rehired annuitant physicians eligibility to receive a Physicians 
Comparability Allowance (PCA) and Physicians Special Pay (PSP) under 
Title 38. This bill would aid in the recruitment and retention of 
qualified physicians to the federal workforce.
  The PCA and PSP are both mechanisms by which federal agencies can 
provide physicians allowances when these agencies are experiencing 
recruitment and retention problems. Currently, civilian rehired 
annuitant physicians are prohibited by law from receiving these 
benefits. However, retired military that join the civilian federal 
workforce are currently not subject to an exclusion from the PSP and 
PCA.
  We are all aware of the possibilities of a shortage of federal 
employees due to an aging federal workforce. We must begin now to 
ensure that we have available pools of talent to replace the current 
workforce. We must make the Federal Government a viable option for 
talented and committed Americans. This legislation will provide 
additional flexibility and authority for attracting and retaining 
experienced physicians to the federal government.
  This issue was brought to my attention by my constituent, Dr. Nancy 
Scher, who is a Medical Officer in the Division of Oncology Drug 
Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the Food 
and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Scher is prohibited by law from 
receiving a PCA or PSP in her current position at the FDA because she 
is a reemployed civilian annuitant.
  Dr. Scher spent 20 years as a part-time physician at the Veterans 
Affairs Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia while also employed 
as a full-time Professor of Medicine at Marshall University. At the VA, 
Dr. Scher provided a high level of specialty medical care to veterans 
in a part of the country and at a time when this was a scarce resource. 
Because of her increasing duties as Chief of Hematology-Oncology at 
Marshall University, Dr. Scher took an early retirement from the VA 
with a deceased retirement benefit.
  Dr. Scher is devoted to her craft and being denied PCA and PSP will 
not prevent her from continuing her position at the FDA. However, the 
law should be changed to make her eligible for these allowances. It 
would be a shame for the Federal Government not to give highly skilled 
and experienced physicians like Dr. Scher all the possible advantages 
available to stay in the federal workforce. The FDA currently pays a 
PCA and PSP to younger and less experienced physicians. Dr. Scher, as a 
rehired annuitant is prohibited from receiving these benefits.
  Thousands of federal employees over the years have been responsible 
for breaking new ground in science and medicine. We must continue this 
tradition by ensuring that the Federal government becomes the employer 
of choice for scientific and medical talent.

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