Deputy SecDef decides National Capital Region medical civilians to become DoD employees

Civil service employees of military medical facilities in the National Capital Region will become DoD civilians, and will no longer fall under individual service branch personnel systems, as Base Realignment and Closure requirements are put into action, according to a recent Joint Task Force CAPMED news release.

According to the release, as BRAC is implemented and the integration of military health care continues in the region, civilian personnel at the new Community Hospital at Fort Belvoir and the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center will be DoD
employees, not Army, Navy, or Air Force civilian employees.

After reviewing the options for civilian staffing of military medical facilities in the NCR related to the changes mandated by BRAC, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England decided civil service employees of military medical facilities under JTF CAPMED will be best served by becoming DoD civilians, rather than continuing to work under service personnel systems, the release states.

This change will allow for new and greatly expanded opportunities for career development of civilian personnel and will provide for equity and consistency during the BRAC-mandated transition period in the integrated regional health care system, the release said.
"This decision supports our commitment to implement a regional approach to military health care while caring for the people who provide that system of care," said RADM John Mateczun, commander, JTF CAPMED. "It is an example of the ways in which our workforce will be positively impacted by the changes occurring in the National Capital Region. Taking care of our people is critical to our mission of caring for warriors and their families."

The civilian workforce transition will occur in phases over the course of the next three years and will be guided by the careful deliberations of a newly-chartered JTF CAPMED Civilian Human Resource Council, according to the release. The council is made up of senior leaders from DeWitt Army Community Hospital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, the Air Force District of Washington and the JTF with support from civilian subject matter experts from the service branches.

Phased implementation will include civilians at other clinics in the NCR if evaluation shows that the change will enhance the
effectiveness of integrated regional healthcare delivery, and add opportunities for career development.

The mission of JTF CAPMED is to implement clinical BRAC actions in the NCR and establish an efficient, integrated military health
care delivery system that brings the "Best of the Best" together to work in concert on behalf of warriors, retirees, family members and caregivers.

Additional information about the transition and the future medical civilian workforce in the NCR is available at www.JTFCAPMED.mil.