2014 PHAP application

[Reex2]

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I am sure this was ask previously. But can someone tell me the grade we will start off?

GS-0685-05, step 1

And you can look here for locality pay http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2014/general-schedule/

 

[Reex2]

I received my tentative offer this morning via e-mail as well. My placement is in Long Island City with the national center for immunization and respiratory diseases. Seems like an awesome deal, but I am still on the fence as I have a significant scholarship offer to attend the University of Michigan's SPH. I haven't inquired about this yet, but I wonder if a transfer to Michigan would be possible.

Has anyone here been placed in Michigan?

I'm pretty sure location is non-negotiable or transferable. I say draw a pros and cons list to determine which one is better for you. I believe opportunities will provide you with great experience. Good luck making a decision!

 

[pursuingPublicHealth]

I'm pretty sure location is non-negotiable or transferable. I say draw a pros and cons list to determine which one is better for you. I believe opportunities will provide you with great experience. Good luck making a decision!

@cashkalahine - I would consider making a pro/con list of each opportunity. For example, pros and cons if you took the CDC offer and then the pros and cons if you did the grad school option. Assess these two lists and then compare! 🙂 Hope this helps and good luck with the decision!

 

[reskee]

Does anyone know of any companies that will move your things inexpensively? I want to avoid renting a truck and having to pull my car!

 

[UFGator8907]

Does anyone know if the locality pay is reflected in the tentative offer letter or if it's something that will be adjusted later?

 

[bmjeff]

Does anyone know if the locality pay is reflected in the tentative offer letter or if it's something that will be adjusted later?

I was wondering the same thing! I emailed to clarify because my tentative offer had a lower salary than the OPM table. I'll let you all know if/when I hear back!

 

[CO-ONE]

I was wondering the same thing! I emailed to clarify because my tentative offer had a lower salary than the OPM table. I'll let you all know if/when I hear back!

My tentative offer salary was lower than the OPM table also. I hope we can get it cleared up!

 

[Bibilola85]

I was wondering the same thing! I emailed to clarify because my tentative offer had a lower salary than the OPM table. I'll let you all know if/when I hear back!

Pay attention to the "Rest of United States (Consisting of those portions of the United States and its territories and possessions as listed in 5 CFR 591.205 not located within another locality pay area.)" category of the locality pay table (you'll find it towards the bottom).

My guess is that is the category for those of us that'll be in rural areas.

 

[bmjeff]

Pay attention to the "Rest of United States (Consisting of those portions of the United States and its territories and possessions as listed in 5 CFR 591.205 not located within another locality pay area.)" category of the locality pay table (you'll find it towards the bottom).

My guess is that is the category for those of us that'll be in rural areas.

That makes sense for the salary I got in my tentative offer letter, but my placement is New York, so I'm not sure why I didn't get the salary for New York in my letter...

 

[UFGator8907]

That makes sense for the salary I got in my tentative offer letter, but my placement is New York, so I'm not sure why I didn't get the salary for New York in my letter...

Same here, my placement is in Baltimore. I also emailed them back so I'll let you know what they respond.

 

[MarriMay]

My tentative offer had the correct annual salary and it included the locality pay. In the offer, they did not break it down separately. They presented it as 1 lump sum including the locality pay. Make sure you look up what the locality pay is for your location. If there is a difference, then please let them know before you accept!

 

[PinkLemonade]

My tentative offer had the correct annual salary and it included the locality pay. In the offer, they did not break it down separately. They presented it as 1 lump sum including the locality pay. Make sure you look up what the locality pay is for your location. If there is a difference, then please let them know before you accept!

I think if you only get the local pay if your county is listed here: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-over...ies-wages/2012/locality-pay-area-definitions/

Otherwise you get the "rest of U.S." pay. At least that is what I am assuming.

 

[reskee]

Hi GALeo and Reex2!

Congrats to you both! Philly is a very large city and you can get anywhere with convenience using public transportation. My housing advice in terms of the GS salary is to stay away from the heart of center city which is around 12-29th and market/chestnut/walnut street areas. The beautiful thing about Philadelphia is that it's home to a lot of universities which means there are always grad students looking for roommates. I'd suggest craigslist like previously mentioned for graduate housing. University City is located in West Philly and is a booming college and young professional area being that it's home to both University of Penn and Drexel. It can be a bit pricey but is by far one of the safest areas around and like I said, the roommate demand is always there. A good amount of home owners rent out their homes, or rooms as well but you'll want to be careful of the neighborhood. If possible i'd suggest you at least attempt to make one trip here to get a good lay of the land. This city if filled with sketchy areas but lots of hidden gems as well. I hope that helps! 🙂

GALeo and Reex2
I'm from Decatur and also got placed in Philadelphia. Maybe there is something to that hypothesis.

 

[lanc123]

I talked to someone from HR today and she told me that the position goes from a GS 5 to a 7 after the first year and a 9 upon completion of the program if we make satisfactory progress. This is the first year that they will be actively looking to hire participants of the program. The program has been restructured to make it a pipeline for Public Health Advisors. This makes it very important for us to be a proactive learner and receive good monthly reports that are sent to the CDC from our host sites. On another note, anyone going to Nashville and need a roommate let me know! Good luck to all and I look forward to meeting you all in November.

Congrats on Nashville! I went to school there and you'll love it. I lived off campus the last two years, so pretty familiar with good housing, etc. I still have friends in the area who might have roommate ideas and actually I know a guy at Vanderbilt med school who did PHAP a year ago and might have good program advice. Message me if you're interested.

 

[PHhopeful]

I know it is tough, but I suggest patience. I have been dealing with the HR rep who sent me my tenitive offer. I was also told that I would not receive an official offer until they receive my official transcript. Talking to a random person from HR will not help. We are all assigned to someone from HR. Some just work faster than others. When you get your tenitive offer and a contact to send transcript, send it ASAP. This will get you an offer sooner than later.....atleast in theory. lol

Done that. But the tentative letter really doesn't work for verification of employment. So I wonder how long before the true letter arrives. My contact person told me i had a start date of Oct 5 (-did everyone else get that). I need to start cancelling current lease, organizing movers, finding apts - just like the rest of you.... I don't know that another few weeks delay will allow us to get everything done in time. And I read on last year's site that CDC does background checks and requires fingerprints. Has anyone been told that this year. How does getting that all done fit in with getting a letter in time to get moved. Aggh. This is just silly.

 

[buildingalegacy]

I haven't even received my tentative offer, which looks like majority of you all have.

 

[LauTay]

I also received a tentative offer with the incorrect salary. I checked to make sure the county I will be in is included in the locality pay and it is. I responded to the HR rep that sent my tentative offer but have not heard back and I do not want to accept the offer until this is resolved which is prolonging the next steps in the process.

I was also expecting the tentative offer to at least be in a separate document on letterhead so that I could TRY to use it as verification of employment. @PHhopeful I was told my start date is October 6th which is quickly approaching!

 

[bmjeff]

I also received a tentative offer with the incorrect salary. I checked to make sure the county I will be in is included in the locality pay and it is. I responded to the HR rep that sent my tentative offer but have not heard back and I do not want to accept the offer until this is resolved which is prolonging the next steps in the process.

I was also expecting the tentative offer to at least be in a separate document on letterhead so that I could TRY to use it as verification of employment. @PHhopeful I was told my start date is October 6th which is quickly approaching!

I still haven't heard back from HR about the discrepancy in salary, and I emailed on Friday. I've gotten four emails saying that my email has been opened, so hopefully they will respond soon!

 

[buildingalegacy]

Did you all receive your tentative offer after requesting it from the housing letter resource they provided, because I haven't even received the tentative and it seems like everyone else has.

 

[LauTay]

Did you all receive your tentative offer after requesting it from the housing letter resource they provided, because I haven't even received the tentative and it seems like everyone else has.

No I don't think so. When I asked for a letter for housing I was told I would have to wait and that was earlier last week. Then the tentative offer came yesterday with instructions for also sending the transcript. I think it just depends on which HR representative has your file and how long it takes them to get info out to the associates they have been assigned...I know the lack of a concrete timeline isn't helpful :/

 

[Sonecita]

Did you all receive your tentative offer after requesting it from the housing letter resource they provided, because I haven't even received the tentative and it seems like everyone else has.

I am with you , no letter yet as of right now ! Hopefully soon....

 

[bmjeff]

I got a reply from HR about my salary being lower than I thought. The response I got was "Please be advised, the letter you received from the PHAP Office is a tentative offer. The Human Resources Office is in the process of making the final commitment/offer within 2 weeks."

I guess it will be corrected in the official offer letter?

 

[neellio]

So glad to hear that other people haven't received even tentative offer letters yet either! I was worried they were being sent to my old email address -I updated my contact information with the woman who offered me the position over the phone, and in my initiation paperwork, but so far I haven't gotten either of the recent emails. Fingers crossed that updates are coming soon! I've been placed in Minneapolis, but I would love more details about the placement!

Also, bmjeff, that is their standard reply right now. I emailed HR at the suggested email address about housing letters, and that was the exact reply they gave me. Weird!

 

[LauTay]

I got a reply from HR about my salary being lower than I thought. The response I got was "Please be advised, the letter you received from the PHAP Office is a tentative offer. The Human Resources Office is in the process of making the final commitment/offer within 2 weeks."

I guess it will be corrected in the official offer letter?

So did you go ahead and accept the tentative offer with the discrepancy?

 

[bmjeff]

So did you go ahead and accept the tentative offer with the discrepancy?

I haven't done anything yet =/ I sent my transcript to them yesterday, but I still have not replied to the tentative offer letter accepting or declining. Maybe I should say that I accept based on the locality pay in the OPM table lol.

 

[Reex2]

GALeo and Reex2
I'm from Decatur and also got placed in Philadelphia. Maybe there is something to that hypothesis.

Hey! Wow that's great. I'm about to PM you.

 

[dda188]

Hey! Wow that's great. I'm about to PM you.

Lucky you guys are all together! I am from Henry County, GA and I am placed in Raleigh. So far I think I am the only person in Raleigh in the thread.

 

[toinfinity_]

Was anyone else given a different location in their tentative offer email than originally told with the first rep? I'm not sure if they've placed me somewhere different by accident or if the original Rep told me the wrong location. I'm still waiting for their response.

 

[Reex2]

Lucky you guys are all together! I am from Henry County, GA and I am placed in Raleigh. So far I think I am the only person in Raleigh in the thread.

Raleigh isn't a bad place and it isn't that far of a drive. Luckyyyyy! One of my friends went to school there, so if you have any questions just let me know. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping out.

 

[UFGator8907]

Was anyone else placed in the Baltimore area?

 

[tboy]

Congrats on Nashville! I went to school there and you'll love it. I lived off campus the last two years, so pretty familiar with good housing, etc. I still have friends in the area who might have roommate ideas and actually I know a guy at Vanderbilt med school who did PHAP a year ago and might have good program advice. Message me if you're interested.

Thanks lanc123. I would greatly appreciate your insight. PM sent.

 

[dda188]

I received a link this morning from my HR rep to start the hiring process, it is called the on boarding invitation. The link includes questions to fill out such as health benefits, retirement, tax withholding etc. Once the questions are answered hire forms will come up related to life insurance, beneficiary, etc. In the email that was given an ambiguous answer about the timeline.

"Employment verification and exact duty location will be given once you have cleared security and effective date has been established, which will be in the near future"

 

[LauTay]

I received a link this morning from my HR rep to start the hiring process, it is called the on boarding invitation. The link includes questions to fill out such as health benefits, retirement, tax withholding etc. Once the questions are answered hire forms will come up related to life insurance, beneficiary, etc. In the email that was given an ambiguous answer about the timeline.

"Employment verification and exact duty location will be given once you have cleared security and effective date has been established, which will be in the near future"

Did you receive this after accepting the tentative offer? Is so, how long after accepting did you receive the link for the hiring process?

Sorry for all the questions just trying to gain some insight!

 

[gdlm]

I received a link this morning from my HR rep to start the hiring process, it is called the on boarding invitation. The link includes questions to fill out such as health benefits, retirement, tax withholding etc. Once the questions are answered hire forms will come up related to life insurance, beneficiary, etc. In the email that was given an ambiguous answer about the timeline.

"Employment verification and exact duty location will be given once you have cleared security and effective date has been established, which will be in the near future"

How long did it take after you sent your transcripts to get that email?

 

[wanderlust808]

How long did it take after you sent your transcripts to get that email?

I've also received the same info in my email this morning as dda188. I accepted my tentative offer on 8/10. I sent a rush order transcript request from my University 8/11. Recieved email today 8/13. Hope this helps!

 

[PHhopeful]

Was anyone else given a different location in their tentative offer email than originally told with the first rep? I'm not sure if they've placed me somewhere different by accident or if the original Rep told me the wrong location. I'm still waiting for their response.

That's annoying. Did they clarify yet?

 

[dda188]

Yes I received this information the next day after accepting the tentative offer. No problem, we all

Did you receive this after accepting the tentative offer? Is so, how long after accepting did you receive the link for the hiring process?

Sorry for all the questions just trying to gain some insight!

No problem, I understand I ask questions too so we can all be better informed. I received the link the day after I received my tentative offer. I was able to get my transcript to them fast because I have a digital official transcript so I just replied to the tentative offer within 30 minutes with my transcript.

 

[dda188]

How long did it take after you sent your transcripts to get that email?

It took one day exactly.

 

[So.Y]

How long did it take after you sent your transcripts to get that email?

I received my tentative offer on the 11th and received the on boarding process information today, the 13th. I sent my transcript on the 11th and am not sure if it's received yet, but have already received the on boarding email. Some of the forms are not required to be submitted yet (most are due on 9/29/2014 or the start of work) whereas only the security check one is due this week. It may vary according to how fast your HR is doing his/her work.

 

[toinfinity_]

That's annoying. Did they clarify yet?

No not yet :/ I'm hoping they will soon. I sent in my transcripts despite the confusion to hopefully quicken the process.

 

[LauTay]

Yes I received this information the next day after accepting the tentative offer. No problem, we all



No problem, I understand I ask questions too so we can all be better informed. I received the link the day after I received my tentative offer. I was able to get my transcript to them fast because I have a digital official transcript so I just replied to the tentative offer within 30 minutes with my transcript.

Thats good to know. I have a digital official transcript as well but I was not sure if they would accept it since it wouldn't be coming directly from my school. But I will try to send that to speed the process along. Thanks!

 

[rh1012]

Has anyone been successful in obtaining a letter/statement for housing from HR? I emailed them and they responded without answering the question, all they said was " the email you received from the PHAP office is a tentative offer". Maybe I asked the question incorrectly and someone else has had greater success with it?

 

[Aspiration001]

I would like to ask if you all have received the official offer letter? I haven't received mine...

Also, do we send in all transcripts with degree or just the most recent one with degree?

Thank you

 

[MarriMay]

I would like to ask if you all have received the official offer letter? I haven't received mine...

Also, do we send in all transcripts with degree or just the most recent one with degree?

Thank you

I would think that you should send in the transcript that you used when you submitted your initial application. That was the transcript that got you to where you are now! But if you used both..then I would send both.

 

[shahshah]

That's annoying. Did they clarify yet?

I heard that happened to someone last year too. Maybe you'll end up with a choice? - At some stage, you're going to have to start on leases, etc. How can you do that with no definite info?

 

[Reex2]

Anybody else send their transcript off last week and still not heard anything? I've emailed and called with no response.

 

[PinkLemonade]

Anybody else send their transcript off last week and still not heard anything? I've emailed and called with no response.

I'm in the same boat. Replied to their email last week and had my university send a digital transcript. I'm a little nervous because my transcript came with a tracking and so far my transcript has been sent but it hasn't been opened by the HR person who sent me the tentative offer.

 

[Reex2]

I'm in the same boat. Replied to their email last week and had my university send a digital transcript. I'm a little nervous because my transcript came with a tracking and so far my transcript has been sent but it hasn't been opened by the HR person who sent me the tentative offer.

Sounds like we may have the same HR person. Maybe she was out of office this week. This is a bad time to be doing so. I really want to have everything done by the end of the month so that I can find a place. This has been the longest process ever!!!!

 

[EpiPeace]

I received a link this morning from my HR rep to start the hiring process, it is called the on boarding invitation. The link includes questions to fill out such as health benefits, retirement, tax withholding etc. Once the questions are answered hire forms will come up related to life insurance, beneficiary, etc. In the email that was given an ambiguous answer about the timeline.

I have a quick on boarding question. Did your link have your middle name in the Identification Verification Form? I am trying to figure out if I have to contact someone in HR. Thanks for your help. Congrats to everyone. I got placed in Stockton, CA. Look forward to meeting you in Atlanta even though that seems like such a long time from now.

 

[buildingalegacy]

Am I the only one that hasn't received any other documentation besides the initiation letter/offer? I just called hr and the representative wasn't helpful at all she pretty much just told me to wait another week for the official but I'm wondering how id receive my official offer in a week without completing the other steps or requests(I haven't received any) that I see you all speaking of.