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- 5. 139 full-time employees authorized Full-Time Locations Region I Headquarters North Chicago Illinois Region II Headquarters Marietta Georgia Region III Headquarters Denver Colorado Data Management Center North Chicago Illinois National Headquarters Arlington Virginia
- 6. Region Boundaries Region II Atlanta Region I Great Lakes, IL Region III Denver
- 36. Last man inducted 30 June 1973
- 47. Introduction to Activation Scenarios
- 49. Activation Scenario #1: Time-Phased Response (TPR)
- 51. TPR Process Congress & President Authorize Draft Lottery Components Activated Physical and Mental Examinations Induction Notices Sent First Inductees Processed & Assigned 1 2 3 4 5 6
- 52. Timetable T P R DAY 1-5 Authority to Induct SSS Elements Activated Expansion Begins DAY 6-45 AOAs Report for Duty RFOs contact GSA/OPM Lottery Conducted DAY 46-75 Train Civilian New Hires BM Refresher Training AOs Operational (day 75) DAY 76-140 Pre-Induction Exam (MEPS) Local Boards Meet ASOs Operational DAY 141-192 First DAB Meeting NAB Activated Induction Notices Mailed DAY 193 First inductees report for processing and subsequent assignment
- 55. Two-Step Method Report to MEPS for Induction Registrant Returns Home until RSN is called; then Ordered for Induction No Claim Filed Registrant Requests Postponement Postponement Acted Upon by AO Not Qualified 4-F Registrant Reports for Pre-induction Exam Qualified 1-A Registrant Claims Deferment or Exemption Denied Granted Denied Granted 1 2 Registrant Reclassified Registrant Receives Postponement Claim Acted Upon by AOs / Boards
- 57. Timetable EMERGENCY M-Day Authority to Induct SSS Elements Activated Board Members Activated M + 1 AOAs Report for Duty Lottery Conducted M + 2 Lottery Results Processed Prepare for Induction M + 3 Induction Notices Mailed RFOs Deliver Claim Forms to Post Offices M + 4 to M + 12 Local Boards Activated Registrant Claims Received Personnel Hired & Trained M + 13 First inductees report for examination, processing, and assignment
- 59. Claim Acted Upon by AO / Local Board Report to MEPS for exam & induction Registrant Receives Induction Order Registrant Claims Deferment, Exemption or Postponement M+13 Denied Granted Registrant Reclassified 1-Step Method 1 1-Step Method will transition to the 2-Step (Examination before Induction) Method as quickly as possible
- 60. Activation Scenario #3: Health Care Personnel Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS)
- 63. Activation Scenario Comparison Emergency Health Care Personnel Delivery System Time-Phased Response 13 Days 90 Days 193 Days 3.4 million registrants needed in database ! Time Requirement to get First Registrants to MEPS
- 64. Health Care Critical Shortages PHYSICIANS General Surgeon Thoracic Surgeon Urologist Diagnostic Radiologist Psychiatry Preventative Medicine Primary Care: Family Physician Emergency Medicine Internal PHYSICIANS ASSISTANTS DENTISTS Oral Surgeon General Dentist NURSES Anesthesia Critical Care There are more than 60 Health Care Specialties
- 66. Timetable HCPDS Pre-Expansion Activities Authority to Induct Specialty List Finalized (DoD) Media Campaign Finalized DAY 1-2 SSS Elements Activated Expansion Begins SSS Receives DoD List DAY 3-6 AOAs Report for Duty Board Members Activated RFOs Contact GSA/OPM DAY 7-35 Mass Registration Starts Lottery Conducted Claim Forms to Post Offices DAY 46-80 Train New Staff/Boards AOs Operational (day 79) Induction Notices Mailed DAY 90 First Health Care registrants report for examination, processing and assignment
- 69. HCPDS Process Lottery Mass Registration Congress & President Authorize Draft Components Activated Induction Notices Sent Physical & Mental Examinations then Immediately Process & Assign Inductees 1 2 3 4 5 6
- 70. Claim Acted Upon by AOs / Boards Report to MEPS for exam & induction Health Care Professional Receives Induction Order Registrant Claims Deferment, Exemption, or Postponement Day 90 Denied Granted Registrant Reclassified 1-Step Method 1 1-Step Method will transition to the 2-Step (Examination before Induction) Method as quickly as possible
- 74. HCPDS is Flexible or HCPDS HCPDS with General Conscription
Editor's Notes
- Welcome to a look at the Selective Service System in America.
- The Selective Service System has a 3-fold mission. Provide manpower to DoD during a national emergency Provide for a health care draft should one be necessary Provide a system of alternative service for conscientious objectors
- Selective Service is an independent executive agency. Its funding comes under VA/HUD & Independent Agencies authorization bill. And, its legislative birthright is the Military Selective Service Act.
- The Agency’s organizational structure includes operational personnel who oversee the implementation of the Military Selective Service Act.
- Selective Service has 5 full-time locations. Our National Headquarters is located in Arlington, Virginia. We have three Regional Headquarters: one in North Chicago, Illinois; one in Marietta, Georgia; and one in Denver, Colorado. The national Data Management Center is also located in North Chicago. We have 165 full-time civilian employees and 5 full-time military personnel who work for the Agency.
- Region I includes the District of Columbia. Region II includes Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Region III includes Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Regions are the Agency’s link to the part-time structure. Each state is set-up to activate within its boundaries. Each state has a State Director and at least one detachment of military officers. Selective Service offers a series of exemptions, deferments, postponements, and reclassifications. Some of these types of claims are reviewed only by draft boards consisting of community volunteers. We also have some individuals who volunteer to assist SSS who are not officially affiliated with us.
- Our State Directors are responsible for SSS functions within their states and oversee activation during mobilization. Once an activation occurs, they manage SSS operations in their states and serve as reviewing officials for some types of claims. Most of the State Directors in Region I are retired general officers. All are influential and are nominated by their governors. Our Director appoints them in the name of the President.
- In each state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, we have National Guard detachments. In our larger states, we also have Reserve units. We also have nearly 11,000 civilian volunteers who serve on Local, District Appeal, and Civilian Review Boards. They are recruited and trained by our officers.
- Our officers come from all branches of the military. They recruit and train all Board Members in their assigned geographical areas. They also conduct registration awareness activities (visiting schools, staffing booths, etc.) Every three years, they participate in a national readiness exercise.
- Board Members are recruited by SSS officers. They must reside in the communities they represent. Board Members may serve as young as age 18, but most are older. They are nominated by the Governor and appointed by the Director. All are uncompensated volunteers. During a draft, they would review appeals of some Selective Service office denials of claims. They also adjudicate specialized classifications that SSS offices are not allowed to decide. Board Members serve a maximum period of twenty years. They receive annual training from our officers.
- Several community leaders and former SSS employees offer their assistance to SSS. By and large, they are referred to as State Resource Volunteers. They usually assist us in registration awareness activities.
- Now, let’s look at some registration history…
- During the Colonial period, we relied on the militias. Each colonial town has a militia that trained regularly and sometimes served for extended periods of time. All of the early American wars were fought by members of these militias. Each colony’s authority to conscript into these militias went relatively unchallenged when it was used from time to time – generally men could avoid service by marriage or by paying a fee or even by hiring someone who would serve in the militia for him.
- During the American Revolution, the state governments assumed the authority to draft men, through the county militia officers, for short-term militias, and even extended it to the long-term state units of the Continental Army. President George Washington requested that the central government of the United States be given the power of conscription, but the legislation did not pass. National conscription was proposed again and again by Adams, Jefferson and Madison.
- Finally, in 1863, Congress gave President Lincoln the authority to register 30-45 year olds. But the northern system allowed draftees to avoid personal service by hiring a substitute or paying the government a commutation fee of $300. And, the system issued quotas of draftees to congressional districts.
- The first test of constitutionality of a wartime draft occurred in 1863 in Kneedler versus Lane. This court case upheld the constitutionality of the Conscription Act of 1863. The nation’s need to wage war and the individual’s obligation to serve his country was recognized by this decision.
- In 1864, the Act was amended to allow for conscientious objection.
- In the South, the Confederacy passed their conscription law in 1862 requiring three years of service for all men 18 through 35 except those who were legally exempted. Due to the large numbers of exemptions and allowing substitutes at any price, there was widespread non-compliance. The age limit was amended to include 17 year olds. This resulted in a small army and very low morale, eventually leading to conscription of slaves in 1865.
- In 1898 during the Spanish American War, congress declared that all males (ages 18 through 45) were subject to military duty.
- In May of 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act which established local, district, state, and territorial civilian boards to register, classify, examine, and either induct men for service in World War I or defer those men. This applied to all men between the ages of 21 and 30.
- There was much opposition to the draft – during the first drawing that was held, 50,000 men applied for exemptions, and over 250,000 failed to register at all.
- In 1918, the United States Supreme Court unanimously upheld the authority to conscript. But after World War I, the draft law expired.
- In November 1940, the Selective Training and Service Act was enacted by Congress. This was the first peacetime draft held. All males between the ages of 21 and 35 were ordered to register and the first national lottery was held. This act was challenged in court who determined that conscription was not dependent solely upon the power to declare war. As World War II progressed, the draft age was lowered to 18, and they were called by age, not lottery number with the oldest draftees first.
- In January of 1947, President Harry Truman recommended that the Selective Training and Service Act expire, and military preparedness by maintained by voluntary enlistments. But in March of 1948, as the Cold War escalated, he asked for the draft to be reinstated. The new Selective Service Act drafted men aged 19 through 26 for 12 months of service.
- In 1950, the Korean War draft exempted World War II veterans and called up men aged 18 and a half through 35 for two years of service. There were 30,000 inductions processed which equated to 27 percent of persons in uniform.
- In June of 1951, the Universal Military Training and Service Act was passed. This act required men 18 to 26 years of age to register, and it made the Selective Service System a permanent agency. The draft became a permanent part of the manpower procurement structure even though there was no war since 1946.
- From the 1940’s through the 1950’s, registrations continued without debate, and even though the manpower needs dropped to zero in the Spring and Summer of 1961.
- There was virtually no debate or opposition to the draft law extensions passed in 1955, 1959 and 1963. In the early 1960’s, the available registrants exceeded the manpower requirements, so the pool of candidates was reduced by other means – new deferments were created and old deferments were expanded or extended.
- During the Johnson era, the escalation of war in Vietnam increased manpower demands. And during the height of the was, there were calls for the end of the draft and the elimination of Selective Service. Anti-draft demonstrations, especially on college campuses and where young men were being inducted, sprung up. Thousands of young men left the country to avoid the draft, or burned their draft cards to show their disapproval.
- During this Era, there were a number of studies done to examine the draft. A congressional panel – the Mark Clark Panel – examined the Selective Service System. And President Johnson also established the Burke Commission to study Selective Service.
- The Marshall Commission published an analysis of the draft and developed policy recommendations. Some of the recommendations were: Induct younger men first. Random selection for the order of call. Elimination of student and occupational deferments.
- In 1969, Richard Nixon ordered a 19-year-old draft – if a young man is not drafted at age 19, he would be exempt from future service except in war or national emergency. Deferments are allowed for hardship, certain occupations, conscientious objectors, and clergy. The student deferral was examined, but it was retained.
- In 1969, Nixon orders a “random selection” lottery to select men for Vietnam, ending the draft according to age. In 1971, the Selective Service Act was extended reluctantly for two years. And then in 1973, the Act expired – this ended the authority to induct registrants.
- Some of the changes over the years included – In 1967, the Universal Military Training and Service Act was amended and re-titled the Military Selective Service Act. In 1970, a presidential commission headed by Secretary of Defense Thomas Gates reported that the All-Volunteer Armed Force should be supported by a stand-by draft for emergency use. And inductions ended.
- On 30 June 1973, the last man was inducted. Registrations persisted until they were suspended by President Ford. President Carter reinstated registration in 1980 in response to the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan.
- At this time, the United States has an all-volunteer armed force policy. However, all young men are required to register within 30 days of turning 18. They remain draft eligible until age 26.
- Some of the penalties today for not being in compliance with registration: A 250 thousand dollar fine Imprisonment for up to 5 years Both the fine and imprisonment Ineligible for federal jobs, federal student loans and grants And ineligible for citizenship
- Today, many states have passed Driver’s License legislation – this legislation is linked to obtaining a drivers license or identification card or renewing one. The legislation is varied, but generally – a statement on the drivers license application states that by signing the application, if the young man is between the ages of 18 and 26, they agree that they will automatically be registered with Selective Service. The DMV agency within the state and Selective Service have teamed up to formulate the best means of transferring the data to Selective Service for registration.
- Now – let’s take a look at the way the lottery would work…
- In order for the draft to be reinstated, the Congress must pass a bill reinstating it, and the President must sign the bill. A lottery under Time Phased Response would occur sometime between days 6 – 45. Under Emergency Mobilization, it would occur between M+7 – 13. The lottery would likely be conducted in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
- To make the lottery as fair as possible, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a unique random calendar and number selection program for Selective Service. Using this random selection method for birthdays, each day of the year is selected by computer in a random manner, and that date is placed in a capsule. The capsules are then loaded in a large drum on a random basis. By the same method, numbers from 1 to 365 (366 for men born in a leap year) are also selected in a random fashion, placed in capsules, and the capsules are placed into a second drum. The process, repeated a second time, results in two sets of drums. Official observers certify that the capsule-filling and drum-loading were conducted according to established procedures. This certification is secured to each drum; they are sealed and placed in secure storage. Should a lottery be conducted, one of the first actions would be an inspection of these stored drums and the selection of a set to be used in the lottery.
- Here is how the lottery would work: One capsule is drawn from the drum containing birth dates January 1 through December 31. One capsule is then drawn from the drum containing the sequence numbers from 1 through 365 (366 if the draft will call men born during a leap year) and the date and number are paired to establish the sequence number for each birth date. This is done in full view of all observers, officials, and the media.
- For example, if the date of August 4 is drawn first from the "date" drum, and the sequence number of 32 is drawn from the "number's" drum at the same time, then those men turning 20 on August 4 would be ordered for induction processing only after men whose birthdays drew sequence numbers 1 through 31. The drawings continue until all 365 (or 366) birthdays of the year are paired with a sequence number.
- After the lottery is completed and results certified, the sequence of call is transmitted to the Selective Service System's Data Management Center. Almost immediately the first induction notices are prepared and sent via mailgram to men whose birth dates drew the lowest lottery numbers.
- During a draft, volunteers would be inducted first. If there were insufficient numbers of volunteers, anyone who has eloped from MEPS would be inducted next. After a draft is in progress and classifications and postponements are authorized, those with expired or terminated postponements would be called upon to serve. Then, as far as non-volunteers are concerned, draftees would be sought in the following age sequence: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 19 Then any non-volunteers 26 or older whose liability had been extended would be called. The last group called would be those 18 and 6 months. SSS anticipates that, in most cases, neither 19- nor 18-year-olds would be called to serve.
- If a draft would actually occur, there are specific guidelines which would be followed – let’s take a look at these activation scenarios.
- These are the three possible activation scenarios under which Selective Service is prepared to activate. The scenarios represent three distinct timetables we use to deliver registrants to the Military Entrance Processing Station for their physical, mental, and moral examination. Depending on the situation, the timeframes are very different, ranging from 13 days – to 6 months plus 13 days – before delivering the first registrant to the Military Entrance Processing Station.
- The first scenario is referred to as a Time-Phased Response activation.
- TPR planning defines the procedures necessary to comply with the Department of Defense requirements to have the first qualified registrants to the MEPS within six months plus 13 days (or 193 days) from the date SSS receives authority to resume inductions.
- The process: (1) There is a crisis requiring a return to conscription to meet manpower needs. Congress passes and the President signs legislation which activates the draft. (2) A lottery based on birthdays determines order of call-up of registrants. The first to be called for examination and induction (in a sequence determined by the lottery) would be men whose 20th birthday falls during the calendar year a draft begins. (3) State Directors and Reserve Force Officers are ordered to report to duty. This process is highlighted because this is the focus of activation for Selective Service Reserve Force Officers. (4) Registrants with low lottery numbers are ordered to report for a physical and mental examination at a nearby MEPS to determine if they are fit for service. When qualified, registrants have 10 days to report or file a claim for deferment or exemption. Boards would then start processing registrant claims. (5) Those who pass the military exam, and have no outstanding claim(s), will receive induction orders. (6) Within 193 days from the onset of a crisis, the first inductees report to military reception centers for processing and assignment to military training sites.
- This timetable shows the sequence of events in a Time Phased Response activation. From Day 1 thru 5, after we receive the authority to induct, Selective Service activates and expansion begins. From Day 6 thru 45, our Area Office Augmentees report for duty, the Reserve Force Officers begin the process of setting up the Area Offices, while the lottery is conducted. From Day 46 thru 75, new civilian hires are trained, Board Members get refresher training, and by Day 75, the Area Offices are operational. From Day 76 thru 140, MEPS conducts pre-induction exams, the local boards meet and the Alternative Service Offices become operational. From Day 141 thru 192, the first District Appeal Board meeting is held, the National Appeal Board is activated, and induction notices are mailed. Finally, by Day 193, the first inductees report for processing. Operations will continue until the President or Congress mandates changes.
- By Day 5, an interim State Headquarters will be opened under an established agreement with the Department of Defense to make available selected National Guard Armory facilities and equipment. The State Director or his representative will contact the National Guard to alert them to the fact that the interim SHQ is being activated. Selective Service will then survey the space and inventory the equipment, and sign receipts for equipment or space as required by the National Guard. But the armory is merely a temporary location. The State Director or his representative will use the SHQ equipment list to compare the equipment on hand, and determine what additional items will be necessary to meet full operational requirements of the permanent State Headquarters. SHQ staff will begin the search for permanent space in the capital city of each state. While all RFOs report to the SHQ, only a few will be assigned duties for the SHQ. The majority will be assigned to a Task Force and will begin the process of establishing Area Offices and Alternative Service Offices.
- The number one priority of the Task Force is to establish Area Offices and Alternative Service Offices throughout the state. One of the first things the State Director will do is divide up areas of responsibility to cover logistical, personnel, public affairs, and other key operational and administrative tasks. The State Director will organize the Task Force into teams, each responsible for specific functional areas commensurate with the RFO's experience. For example, you may be assigned to a team that is responsible for leasing all office space for the entire state, and someone else may be tasked to handle furniture acquisition. Another team will handle hiring personnel. This Task Force concept will allow a smooth and orderly buildup of Agency elements. Keep in mind that the State Director has the latitude to make assignments based on available resources and characteristics of the individual state.
- This slide provides detail on the two-step method. Under the two-step method, registrants would first receive an order to report to the MEPS for an Armed Forces examination. Once examined, registrants would know whether they were qualified for military service. Registrants who are found qualified for military service will return home to await induction notices. After being examined, a registrant qualified for military service could submit a claim for exemption or deferment from military service. Those registrants that are found not qualified for military service will return home and will receive notices stating that they have been relieved from a military service obligation. The two-step method would give SSS the ability to know the numbers of registrants that did not qualify for military service before issuing induction notices. All of these procedures are outlined in a special manual, dedicated to activation in a Time-Phased Response environment.
- Emergency Mobilization planning is based upon minimal warning time. The time frame in which personnel are mobilized and procedures implemented and completed will be compressed. Under Emergency Mobilization, Area Offices will need to begin operations within 24 hours.
- Under Emergency Mobilization, the timeframes are speeded up… On the day, we receive authority to induct, Selective Service and the Local Board Members are activated. On M+1, the Area Office Augmentees report for duty and the lottery is conducted. On M+2, the lottery results are processed, and preparations begin for induction. On M+3, the induction notices are mailed and the Reserve Force Officers deliver claim forms to the Post Offices. From M+4 thru M+12, local boards are activated, registrant claims are received, and new personnel are both hired and trained. On M+13, the first inductees report for examination, processing and assignment. Following that day, Local Boards and District Appeal Boards meet, the Alternative Service Offices become operational, and the National Appeal Board is activated. After M+91, normal office operations continue until Congress mandates change.
- RFOs will be activated within 24 hours after declaration of a national emergency, and will begin opening Area Offices at pre-selected Recruiting Stations per a Memorandum of Understanding with DoD. RFOs will act as Area Office Managers and, subject to the direction and control of the State Director, will be in immediate charge of the Area Office and responsible for carrying out the functions of that office. The recruiting office, equipment, and computers will be made available to SSS upon mobilization under the provisions of the existing MOU with DoD.
- When registrants report to the MEPS, they will be found qualified and immediately inducted, or disqualified and sent home. Although this method could create uncertainty in the minds of some registrants, and it will provide less flexibility to SSS, the One-Step method would be the most effective means to get registrants to DoD within a very short period of time. However, the ability for SSS and DoD to make projections would be hindered by the compressed nature of registrant processing activities under One-Step. Therefore, both SSS and DoD will attempt to shift operations to the Two-Step method as quickly as possible.
- The final scenario is activation using the Health Care Personnel Delivery System -- or HCPDS. HCPDS is probably one of the lesser-known emergency mission requirements of Selective Service. During this section we will spend some extra time talking about the background of HCPDS and some of its more unique characteristics.
- If mandated by the President and Congress, Selective Service must be ready to register and select trained civilian health care personnel for military service by inducting doctors, nurses and medical technicians over a vast array of specialties. Because many of our nation’s medical personnel are women, a health care draft could very well include them. Another difference is that medical personnel do not register in peacetime.
- The HCPDS is an on-the-shelf system that complies with this mandate from the President and Congress. Just like our program for general registrants, our mandate is to maintain a program that is fair, equitable, and meets the needs of the Armed Services. And just like our other activation scenarios, any registrants under HCPDS who are conscientiously opposed to all wars will fulfill an obligation in the Alternative Service Program that is equivalent to what they would serve in the military.
- DoD's current delivery requirements state that Selective Service will have 90 days to expand its base from peacetime to mobilization operations and to deliver the first 73,000 health care registrants to the MEPS. To achieve numbers required by DoD, and to operate a fair system, we estimate that we will need an initial database of about 3.4 million health care registrants before we can begin the conscription process. Because Congress stipulated that SSS could not conduct a peacetime registration, plans call for a mass registration upon activation of HCPDS.
- Although we do not have the latest active component information due to on-going Department of Defense analysis, here are some of the projected specialty shortages the reserve component expects to face. Again, because we do not have a peacetime registration process, when called upon to Implement HCPDS, we would need to conduct a mass registration of civilian health care personnel.
- Once SSS receives the authority to begin conscription, we will be looking primarily at individuals between the ages of 20-45. We will register health care personnel by skill type. And, our program was developed in a way that we can include females should Congress and the President make that decision. Our legislation includes a provision for SSS to raise the age of liability to 55 if there are not enough younger qualified personnel. Just like general conscription, we would conduct a series of lotteries to establish random sequence numbers, and the youngest qualified health care registrants would be selected first – that’s age 20. We would then begin sending the induction notices. Now that we've established a basic knowledge of the program, let's take a look at the details of HCPDS activation.
- Because HCPDS is an on-the-shelf system, one of the Pre-Expansion activities will be to coordinate final updates to the draft HCPDS legislation we have developed. The HCPDS timetable lies somewhere in-between TPR activation and Emergency Mobilization, but more closely resembles Emergency Mobilization. You will see in the upcoming slides the similarities between activating the field structure under Emergency Mobilization and HCDPS.
- As in Emergency Mobilization, only the State Director, the Deputy State Director, and pre-identified RFOs will report to the temporary SHQ to begin the activation process and start looking for a permanent location.
- Current planning indicates that only selected Area Offices and Alternative Service Offices will activate during HCPDS. RFOs who are responsible for those Area Offices will report to the recruiting station by Day 2 and begin operations. Area Offices will be at pre-selected Recruiting Stations per the DoD MOU. RFOs will be in immediate charge of the Area Office and responsible for carrying out the functions of that office until staff is hired. The list of selected Area Offices and Alternative Service Offices can be found in the Readiness Plans at Annex K.
- Here is a snapshot of the HCPDS process. You'll notice that #3 is one of the unique features that we don't have in the other activation scenarios. Numbers 5 and 6, however, are similar to Emergency Mobilization. During initial HCPDS activation, we would once again use the One-Step, Combined Examination and Induction method. We will need to supply DoD with the required medical professionals as quickly as possible.
- When health care professionals report to the MEPS, they will be found qualified and immediately inducted, or disqualified and sent home. Once again, we recognize that the One-Step method hinders the ability for SSS and DoD to make projections, so both SSS and DoD will attempt to shift operations to the Two-Step method as quickly as possible.
- Although the Local Board must decide Essentiality of Occupation claims, most of our Board Members will not be experts in the health care field. With this in mind, Selective Service will reinstate its Health Care Advisory Committees that existed during the previous draft. These Committees will augment our organizational structure to provide independent advice on national and local health care needs and issues. These Committees would be established within each state and each will be composed of medical professionals from the community, representing a variety of disciplines. Their role is to provide information and advice to the Local and Appeal Boards in deciding the sufficiency of Essentiality of Occupation claims. The recommendations from the Committee are only advisory in nature. They do not have the authority to decide claims. It will be the responsibility of each State Director to recruit for the positions on the State Advisory Board, and members will be nominated and selected using the same procedures we currently use to obtain board members. Membership will be proportionally representative of the race, sex, and national origin of health care registrants in the state.
- A National Health Care Advisory Committee will also be established to advise the Director of Selective Service concerning the administration of existing or proposed MSSA provisions to register, classify, and select health care personnel for induction. As in the State Advisory Committees, membership on the National Committee will be proportionally representative of the race, sex, and national origins of health care registrants. Membership will consist of at least 7 but no more than 11 members and tenure is limited to 10 years. Selective Service has many provisions in place to accommodate the unique nature of inducting skilled health care professionals. In addition to the creation of the Essentiality of Occupation deferment, we have also provided for additional postponements.
- These postponements add the ability for registrants to delay their reporting dates for up to 90 days. Registrants can apply for a postponement to close a practice; to find a replacement; or to complete graduate medical or enhancement training within their declared specialty. And remember, a postponement does not cancel a registrant's induction order; rather, it results in a rescheduled induction reporting date. The length of these postponements cannot exceed a period of 90 days. Now that we have covered the specifics of a health care activation, we'll discuss one final unique feature of HCPDS.
- Activation under HCPDS is considered flexible because Agency planning considers both a HCPDS activation with a return to general conscription, and HCPDS activation without a return to general conscription. For instance, in the future SSS may be called upon to begin a general induction under Time-Phased Response. After several months, DoD may call upon us to also deliver skilled registrants through HCPDS. At that time, Area Offices designated for HCPDS operations would begin preparations to accommodate both health care registrants as well as general registrants. Under a different scenario, DoD may initially call for an HPCDS activation, but several months later determine a need for general registrants. SSS planning accommodates this scenario as well. If there is a future need for SSS to activate both a general draft and a health care draft, you might be wondering what will happen to the man who is between 20 and 25 years old and who is qualified as a health care specialist…….
- These men will be considered dual registrants. If health care conscription is implemented at the same time as a general conscription, men who have reached 20 but not yet 26, would find themselves liable for both a general and a health care induction. These dual registrants would be susceptible for selection under both systems, and would be processed under the procedures of the system in which selected first. If not selected under one system, the registrant may still be liable under the other system.
- Now that you’ve had a look at the Selective Service System, its history and how it would mobilize in the event of an activation, we hope you have a better understanding of this executive agency of the federal government. Thank you!