Date: April 3, 2009
Subject: Medical Standards Transition Plan
To: Regional Foresters, Station Directors, Area Director, ITTF Director, Deputy
Chiefs and WO Directors
This letter provides National direction for employees and applicants who are
attempting to meet requirements for Arduous Incident Command System positions.
The medical examination and customer service representative contracts for the
Interagency Medical Standards Program (IMSP) expired on March 31, 2009 .
Neither of these contracts can be extended and a lapse of service will occur in
both areas. I t is anticipated that this lapse in IMSP service will be for an
extended period of time (eight weeks or beyond) prior to new contracts being
established.
March 31, 2009 , was the final day of Forest Service participation in the IMSP.
Effective immediately, employees and applicants should follow the WCT Guide
procedures, including use of the Health Screening Questionnaire (HSQ) and "U.S.
Civil Service Commission Certificate of Medical Examination Form, SF-78" (if so
indicated) to take the Work Capacity Test and be carded for arduous positions.
The "Essential Functions and Work Conditions of a Wildland Firefighter" document
should also be reviewed by physicians and other health care providers conducting
SF-78 medical examinations. All three of these referenced documents are
included as enclosures to this letter.
In addition to the Guide, it is critical that units follow the February 8, 2008
, letter with the subject: "Revised Work Capacity Test Implementation Guide,"
about designated Health Screening Questionnaire (HSQ) Coordinators and
Alternates. The HSQ contains private medical information and it is critical
that proper procedures are followed to maintain confidentiality. Human Capital
Management (HCM) has developed an instructional document that will be sent out
shortly to HSQ Coordinators through the Regional Fire Medical Standards Program
(MSP) Managers. All units should provide their current HSQ Coordinator to the
Regional Fire MSP to be forwarded to HCM.
It is the intent of the Forest Service to suspend implementation of a medical
standards program until at least October 1, 2009 . This program suspension
period will allow agency management, working in concert with NFFE union
representatives, to reengineer processes, procedures, and support staffs with
the goal of developing a more efficient Forest Service Medical Standards
Program. Our goals for this program are to be more transparent and
streamlined, responsive to the needs of Forest Service management and employees,
and less burdensome and confusing for employees and supervisors. During the
time that the Medical Standards Program is suspended, the Memorandum of
Understanding between NFFE and management will also be suspended. The Forest
Service will not use the Interagency Medical Review Board (IMRB) during this
period of MSP suspension. Cases slated to go before the IMRB will be handled
similarly by a soon-to-be established Forest Service Medical Review Board.
The enclosed MSP Transition Plan outlines the proper steps employees should take
to become cleared to take the Work Capacity Test and perform arduous duties
while the MSP is suspended.
The process for implementing the WCT program is described in the "Work Capacity
Tests for Wildland Fire Qualifications – Implementation Guide" (WCT Guide) of
December 13, 2007 . The WCT Guide is used agency-wide for all Moderate and
Light fitness category positions. If needed, we will begin work on updating
this Guide to reflect the changes occurring during this transition. It is
appropriate to use the Guide at this time for all arduous duty fire fighters in
all locations. Units represented by NFFE should avoid altering, supplementing,
or changing the Guide since portions are negotiated by the national parties.
Units represented by AFGE and NAGE should communicate with their union partners
to ensure their understanding of the need for the interim changes outlined in
this letter.
Currently, all Regions except Region 5 have implemented the MSP; Region 5
remains operating under the WCT Guide for positions at all fitness levels. The
provisions of the MSP Transition Plan do not affect Region 5 employees or
applicants. Implementation of a Medical Standards Program in Region 5 is
projected to occur on October 1, 2010 .
Payment for medical examinations associated with SF-78 completion for arduous
employees will be made through a Washington Office funding code (WFPR02, 1302).
Expenditures to this code will be closely tracked for accountability.
Employees and applicants will be offered an SF-78 medical examination only if
indicated by affirmative answers on the Health Screening Questionnaire. As
stated in page 5 of the Guide, only examinations and tests authorized under and
within these parameters will be paid for by the agency; current employees will
be on official time while obtaining these authorized medical exams.
Please contact Gary Samaha at gsamaha@ nospam fs.fed.us about labor management relations issues. Otherwise, for all other questions, contact Larry Sutton, National Fire Operations Risk Management Officer, at 208-387-xxxx or lsutton@ nospam fs.fed.us.
/s/ James E. Hubbard
Deputy Chief, State and Private Forestry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forest Service Medical Examination Transition Plan
March 26, 2009
Intent
The purpose of this transition plan is to lay out the tasks and activities that
need to take place to efficiently maintain continuity of operations and enable
firefighters to become cleared to take the Work Capacity Test (WCT) and perform
Arduous duties. Note: This plan does not apply to firefighters in Region 5 (R5)
since R5 has not implemented the Interagency Medical Standards Program.
All Incumbents/Applicants (permanent, career-seasonal, term, temporary seasonal,
and AD/EFF age 45 and older) who completed a medical examination, and were
cleared through the Interagency Medical Standards Program (IMSP) PRIOR to April
1, 2009 will not be affected. Employees medically cleared via the IMSP can
receive an Incident Qualification Card after completing Annual Fireline Safety
Refresher Training and successfully completing the WCT. Incident Qualification
Cards issued during this period will remain valid for one year from date of
issuance in accordance with FSM 5120 and FSH 5109.17.
A. Individuals Who Have Not Yet Completed a Medical Exam or HSQ:
All permanent, career-seasonal, temporary, Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)
employees, and AD/EFF firefighters (current and new hires) who have not yet
received an exam and/or whose qualification will expire during the lapse of the
Medical Standards Program contract will utilize the WCT process established in
the "Work Capacity Tests for Wildland Fire Qualifications “Implementation Guide"
located at
www.fs.fed.us/fire/safety/wct/wct_index.html
B. Employees/Applicants who are in "Pending Further Medical Evaluation Status
through Comprehensive Health Services as of 4/1/09 :
Pending status indicates a need for further medical evaluation based on the
results of a previously administered IMSP medical exam.
If an employee or applicant is in PENDING status as of April 1, 2009 , they will
need to complete an SF-78 examination and be cleared by a physician in order to
take the Work Capacity Test and be carded for Arduous positions. Employees in
this category are to take copies of their pending notification letters from
Comprehensive Health Services to their SF-78 examinations and provide them to
the physician conducting that examination.
C. Individuals in the Waiver/Accommodation Process:
Individuals actively pursuing a waiver or accommodation will not be affected.
The IMSP waiver process has not been affected by the lapse in the clinic
services contract. Current waiver requests will be processed as rapidly as
possible.
D. Employees in "Not Cleared" Status:
An employee or applicant in NOT-CLEARED status who has not initiated a
waiver/accommodation request by April 1, 2009 will remain NOT-CLEARED for
arduous duty. If an employee in this category develops additional medical
information that they believe could lead to a medical clearance, they need to
send in this information to: ASC-HCM ATTN: MSP at Mailstop 321, 3900 Masthead NE
, Albuquerque, NM 87109 .
Upon receipt, you will be contacted by the MSP HR Specialist.
SF-78 Exam Process:
When the results of a Health Screening Questionnaire indicate that an employee
or applicant should be sent for an SF-78 exam, the following items in Block 4 of
the Form are to be reviewed by the physician:
1. Functional Requirements: 1, 4, 8, 10-14, 17-22, 27, 28, 33-35
2. Environmental Factors: 2-4, 6-10, 12, 17-19, 22, 23, 26-29
NOTE: Effective immediately, only the SF 78 form revised in March 2009 is to
be used for the Arduous level firefighter medical exams.
The document "Essential Functions and Work Conditions of a Wildland Firefighter"
should accompany the SF-78 paperwork sent to the physicia's office for review.
SF-78 medical exams will be paid for via a WO funding code; current employees
will be on official time for authorized SF-78 medical exams, per page 5 of the
WCT Implementation Guide dated Decemb