[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16383]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   THE MILITARY PHYSICIAN EQUITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 2002

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support for the 
Military Physician Equity Act. This legislation will level the playing 
field for Uniformed Services (Title 37) physicians so that they have 
the option of receiving the same annuities as civil service physicians 
(NIH, HHS etc.) and Veterans Affairs (VA) physicians.
  Currently, civil service physicians (Title 5) and VA physicians 
(Title 38) are allowed to have their recruitment/retention bonuses 
counted as part of their ``high-three'' for purposes of determining 
their retirement annuity. The ``high-three'' is the system whereby 
one's highest three consecutive salaries are used to determine an 
annuity. By allowing for recruitment/retention bonuses to be counted as 
one's salary, a retiree receives a bigger retirement check each month 
from his former employer. We do not feel it is just that Title 5 and 
Title 38 physicians should have received this benefit while military 
physicians do not. Our bill does not create any unique benefit; it only 
allows Title 37 military physicians to receive the same benefit that 
other Federal physicians receive.
  In addition to the fairness issue, it is also a matter of good 
policy. The government cannot pay physicians on the same scale as 
physicians employed in hospitals, HMOs, and universities. Consequently, 
enhancing the benefits of our military physicians is an essential way 
to retain our best doctors. Passage of this bill would help offset the 
loss of income for Federal physicians if they choose to remain a public 
servant. This important legislation helps ensure that the government 
can recruit and retain highly trained and well-qualified physicians and 
I urge my colleagues to support it.

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