On Feb. 16, 2018, AGD President, Manuel Cordero, DDS, CPH, MAGD, sent a letter to Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, expressing the AGD’s concerns over significant and unexpected reductions in monthly compensation for members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps brought on by a transition to a new pay system. The AGD has a number of dentists currently serving in the Commissioned Corps, many of who are serving within the Indian Health Service and Bureau of Prisons.

“As you are no doubt aware, these unexpected reductions in pay are subjecting many of these dentists to unanticipated and unnecessary financial hardship. In that vein, I write today to respectfully ask you to do all that you can to expedite a resolution. It is my hope that you will do so more swiftly than the 3-4 month timeframe originally communicated to the Commissioned Corps. Lastly, our affected members also need your assurance that this pay will be retroactive,” Dr. Cordero wrote in the letter.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD will continue to follow the Surgeon General’s efforts to reinstate full and retroactive pay for AGD members serving in the Commissioned Corps.