2015 PHAP application

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blessed2015 said:
Hello jsquared91, can you tell me if we can put our student loans in deferment while we are training in the PHAP program?

Thanks
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Hi,

I was able to defer my loans and know of other PHAPs who have done so as well. Once in the program my supervisor connected me with the right person to get the forms signed. It is definitely up to the discretion of the loan company - if they really dig into it or not since technically it is a full time job as stated. But I submitted it as a graduate fellowship. So doesn't hurt to try!
 
LauTay said:
Hi,

I was able to defer my loans and know of other PHAPs who have done so as well. Once in the program my supervisor connected me with the right person to get the forms signed. It is definitely up to the discretion of the loan company - if they really dig into it or not since technically it is a full time job as stated. But I submitted it as a graduate fellowship. So doesn't hurt to try!
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Thank you. I will look into that. With the salary we are getting and some of us have to live off it, it will be hard to pay student loans out of it.
 
blessed2015 said:
Thank you. I will look into that. With the salary we are getting and some of us have to live off it, it will be hard to pay student loans out of it.
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Give this a try as well: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/mobile/repayment/repaymentEstimator.action

At least you can get an idea of how much you might be able to reduce your payments. For federal loans, it's calculated as a percentage of your discretionary income (150% of the poverty line for your state). I'd guess if you have the average loans for an under grad (30k), it'd take your. Monthly payments from about $300 to $150.
 
Hi Everyone! First time poster here. I just received my offer via email this morning for Dover Delaware. No phone call, just an email. I am glad the wait is over🙂 Has anyone else get Dover or nearby?
 
Well my wait is finally over. Received an offer yesterday for Winston-Salem, North Carolina! Cannot even begin to describe how I am feeling. I thought I would be prepared. Wishful thinking! :soexcited:
 
tms2015 said:
Well my wait is finally over. Received an offer yesterday for Winston-Salem, North Carolina! Cannot even begin to describe how I am feeling. I thought I would be prepared. Wishful thinking! :soexcited:
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Congratulations! 🙂
 
tms2015 said:
Well my wait is finally over. Received an offer yesterday for Winston-Salem, North Carolina! Cannot even begin to describe how I am feeling. I thought I would be prepared. Wishful thinking! :soexcited:
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Welcome to the crew!
 
Me too... yay... Richmond VA.. I need the details of the program there, if somebody could respond quickly.
 
jsquared91 said:
http://media.giphy.com/media/BhEJyu9Kn9vR6/giphy.gif
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Update from PHAP everyone- this was an email sent out to 2015 host sites


Greetings,

The screening process for the 2015 PHAP Class is on target and we anticipate completion by mid-late August. Once the class has been confirmed you will receive email notification of your final match status.

Thank you for your support and patience as we complete the PHAP matching process.

Thank you,

PHAP Team
 
So, I need a public opinion on this:

I am tentatively scheduled for a surgery in October, yet I was placed for PHAP. I've already accepted the tentative offer but given that the estimated start time is October, how bad would it look to take time off for medical reasons? I feel so bad that I would have to leave for a week right after I begin at the health department. My surgery date is based on my interaction with certain medications so there's no set date yet, leaving me annoyingly up in the air.
 
HLG214 said:
So, I need a public opinion on this:

I am tentatively scheduled for a surgery in October, yet I was placed for PHAP. I've already accepted the tentative offer but given that the estimated start time is October, how bad would it look to take time off for medical reasons? I feel so bad that I would have to leave for a week right after I begin at the health department. My surgery date is based on my interaction with certain medications so there's no set date yet, leaving me annoyingly up in the air.
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Well, I can't speak for CDC/[Your Host Site Here], but I am inclined to believe that they would be understanding of your situation, provided you give them notice, obviously, as far in advance as you are able to.
 
Hi everyone,

Old school PHAPer here from
2008 (the second class). I love reading this thread every year...congrats to everyone who has accepted offers! I was placed in Lake County, FL outside of Orlando, not sure if anyone is going to that particular area, but I'm originally from South Florida and lived in Tampa for a bit post-PHAP while finishing my MPH. Right now I'm in the Dallas area finishing my DrPH but will be moving to Atlanta soon. Therefore I hope to meet some of you during your orientation as the PHAP Alumni Association usually attends/hosts a social.

I saw a brief discussion in the thread about this but I was one of the few in my class who did my MPH concurrently with PHAP. It was doable but I'll admit some semesters were a bit more difficult than others. However I feel that doing PHAP helped me make more sense of what I was learning in the classroom at the time.

While the program has gone through a lot of changes since I went through, please feel free to reach out with any questions! The PHAP network is pretty awesome and I can say that many of us are friends across the different classes; I am close with folks from just about every year!

Again congrats and welcome to the PHAP family!
 
JadeGreen said:
Hey that is fine with me. You can message me on here to feel me in with details. I plan to make a trip down there after the security clearnance to check out apartments
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Yea, I really want to make my way down there too once the background checks officially go through. Last time I moved without checking out an apartment first, it did not go well!
 
thereal19 said:
Hi everyone,

Old school PHAPer here from
2008 (the second class). I love reading this thread every year...congrats to everyone who has accepted offers! I was placed in Lake County, FL outside of Orlando, not sure if anyone is going to that particular area, but I'm originally from South Florida and lived in Tampa for a bit post-PHAP while finishing my MPH. Right now I'm in the Dallas area finishing my DrPH but will be moving to Atlanta soon. Therefore I hope to meet some of you during your orientation as the PHAP Alumni Association usually attends/hosts a social.

I saw a brief discussion in the thread about this but I was one of the few in my class who did my MPH concurrently with PHAP. It was doable but I'll admit some semesters were a bit more difficult than others. However I feel that doing PHAP helped me make more sense of what I was learning in the classroom at the time.

While the program has gone through a lot of changes since I went through, please feel free to reach out with any questions! The PHAP network is pretty awesome and I can say that many of us are friends across the different classes; I am close with folks from just about every year!

Again congrats and welcome to the PHAP family!
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Hello The real19, thanks for stopping by and answering questions. Im curious about the pay. How long before your first raise & how many did/could you receive by the end of two years. Im starting as a gs5 and my offer letters says there is gs9 promotion potential. Would be a big help to know how broke I will be for how long lol.
 
Hi speaking as a current 2014 PHAP you can only get one promotion and that is to a GS-7 only. That occurs after the completion of your first year and as you begin your year 2 assignment (I don't know anyone from the 2013 class who didn't get it as long as you are doing your work, you're fine). I think the GS-9 promotion is a typo and that was mentioned in a previous thread.

Dgetch75 said:
Hello The real19, thanks for stopping by and answering questions. Im curious about the pay. How long before your first raise & how many did/could you receive by the end of two years. Im starting as a gs5 and my offer letters says there is gs9 promotion potential. Would be a big help to know how broke I will be for how long lol.
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does anyone know how long the background check process takes? Is it the last step before the official offers go out?
thanks
 
AlwaysSunny5 said:
does anyone know how long the background check process takes? Is it the last step before the official offers go out?
thanks
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Last year it was about a month for us. PHAP will wait until everyone finishes security or is close to being done before they do the final offers
 
Last edited:
I received a call to let me know that I've been cleared for the background check. Does anyone know how long training in Atlanta is? How long it has been in the past? Thanks!
 
angmed said:
I received a call to let me know that I've been cleared for the background check. Does anyone know how long training in Atlanta is? How long it has been in the past? Thanks!
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It's been 5 days plus travel for a while. You'll likely fly in on a Sunday, fly out on Friday afternoon of the same week. They'll be in touch about travel plans, don't make any reservations yourself.
 
drfa said:
Me too... yay... Richmond VA.. I need the details of the program there, if somebody could respond quickly.
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No one here would know the details of your program for sure, it would depend on who submitted the application. It could be the same, or very different from other PHAPs currently in VA.
 
jsquared91 said:
It's been 5 days plus travel for a while. You'll likely fly in on a Sunday, fly out on Friday afternoon of the same week. They'll be in touch about travel plans, don't make any reservations yourself.
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Thanks jsquared91! You've been so helpful =)
 
I have talked to my reference and they have not been contacted by the CDC but I got an email that I have been cleared by my security personnel. Does this make any sense from the past PHAP?

And for the orientation, are we paying for expenses and get reimbursed or how does it work?
 
angmed said:
Thanks jsquared91! You've been so helpful =)
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Ya'll are just lucky your cycle fell during my funemployment.

north90210 said:
I have talked to my reference and they have not been contacted by the CDC but I got an email that I have been cleared by my security personnel. Does this make any sense from the past PHAP?

And for the orientation, are we paying for expenses and get reimbursed or how does it work?
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, the reference that you gave during the application process or during the security clearance process? Also, they may have changed the system, I went through this in 2013.

In my experience, they pay for the flight directly, you front the money for the hotel and per diem and then they reimburse you. If you're close enough to drive, they'll reimburse your mileage. You'll be put in touch with a travel preparer who will help you with the steps.

I'd recommend getting a credit card if you don't have one already. They attempt to make travel advances, but sometimes it doesn't exactly work. It's tough to have enough cash in your bank account to cover the hotel (which will likely put a hold on your debit card) and food. And it'll help hold you over during your move until your first paycheck rolls in. There's plenty of no fee cards with 0% interest for the first 6 months out there, even if you need a cosigner.

To me the per diem was fair, if you go cheap on breakfast and lunch, you can really do it big for dinner. Do enjoy yourself though, you only get three times during the program to see all of your fellow PHAPs in person. I've been lucky enough to have made great professional and personal relationships during those short weeks.
 
north90210 said:
I have talked to my reference and they have not been contacted by the CDC but I got an email that I have been cleared by my security personnel. Does this make any sense from the past PHAP?

And for the orientation, are we paying for expenses and get reimbursed or how does it work?
Click to expand...

PHAP will pay for your flight and hotel and will give you a per diem on your food. For ground transportation, they will reimburse you when you give them your receipts. For example if you drive to the airport and do long term parking, they can cover that expense when you send them your receipt. I believe they will also reimburse for Uber but you will have a travel preparer assigned to you who will give you more details.

However, the CDC is currently going through a new travel payment procedure so some things may change....
This is what they did for the 2014 class- hope that answered some questions.

Also you may have the opportunity to earn travel compensation time for Sunday and Friday 🙂
 
jsquared91 said:
Ya'll are just lucky your cycle fell during my funemployment.



Just to clarify, the reference that you gave during the application process or during the security clearance process? Also, they may have changed the system, I went through this in 2013.

In my experience, they pay for the flight directly, you front the money for the hotel and per diem and then they reimburse you. If you're close enough to drive, they'll reimburse your mileage. You'll be put in touch with a travel preparer who will help you with the steps.

I'd recommend getting a credit card if you don't have one already. They attempt to make travel advances, but sometimes it doesn't exactly work. It's tough to have enough cash in your bank account to cover the hotel (which will likely put a hold on your debit card) and food. And it'll help hold you over during your move until your first paycheck rolls in. There's plenty of no fee cards with 0% interest for the first 6 months out there, even if you need a cosigner.

To me the per diem was fair, if you go cheap on breakfast and lunch, you can really do it big for dinner. Do enjoy yourself though, you only get three times during the program to see all of your fellow PHAPs in person. I've been lucky enough to have made great professional and personal relationships during those short weeks.
Click to expand...

I agree- nice that we answered around the same time lol
 
zqm1 said:
PHAP will pay for your flight and hotel and will give you a per diem on your food. For ground transportation, they will reimburse you when you give them your receipts. For example if you drive to the airport and do long term parking, they can cover that expense when you send them your receipt. I believe they will also reimburse for Uber but you will have a travel preparer assigned to you who will give you more details.

However, the CDC is currently going through a new travel payment procedure so some things may change....
This is what they did for the 2014 class- hope that answered some questions.

Also you may have the opportunity to earn travel compensation time for Sunday and Friday 🙂
Click to expand...

Can't be worse than govtrip... right? I'm happy I left before I got to be a guinea pig. They'll have a few months of it before you guys go through travel prep, so hopefully it'll be smooth.
 
chs_ph said:
Hi Everyone!

First time poster. Received a call today-- I'm going to Albuquerque, New Mexico! I will be relocating from Charleston, SC. If anyone got placed there or if any other PHAP's are there now I would LOVE some info on where to live/what to do slash your experiences in general.

For everyone that hasn't received a call, don't loose hope. My HR person said they are extremely busy calling people still.
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piperlady3838 said:
Congratulations! I am actually from Albuquerque and am living here now so I can answer all of your questions. There are definitely questionable areas in Albuquerque that you should probably avoid but overall there are plenty of places to have a good time. The best part is that the cost of living here is very low so you will have no problem living off the PHAP salary. Feel free to message me I can give you a full rundown of the city 🙂
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I was offered Albuquerue, NM too! Anyone have any extra info? For starters, where to avoid when looking for housing...lol.
 
Dgetch75 said:
Hi Everyone! First time poster here. I just received my offer via email this morning for Dover Delaware. No phone call, just an email. I am glad the wait is over🙂 Has anyone else get Dover or nearby?
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Yup I'm in Dover too!
 
north90210 said:
I have talked to my reference and they have not been contacted by the CDC but I got an email that I have been cleared by my security personnel. Does this make any sense from the past PHAP?

And for the orientation, are we paying for expenses and get reimbursed or how does it work?
Click to expand...
Hello North 90210,

May I ask if you received your background clearance email from your security analyst or from a security group email account?
 
I got an over in Minneapolis, Minnesota, does anybody else get placed there? Any info on the housing situation in that city??
 
ALLY00115 said:
Hello North 90210,

May I ask if you received your background clearance email from your security analyst or from a security group email account?
Click to expand...

Yes the email is from the personnel that I was assigned for my background check and it CCd all the HR [(CDC/OCOO/HRO] who have sent us the tentative letter.

Did you receive something different?
 
north90210 said:
Yes the email is from the personnel that I was assigned for my background check and it CCd all the HR [(CDC/OCOO/HRO] who have sent us the tentative letter.

Did you receive something different?
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I haven't received any notification yet. I completed by fingerprints and submitted my paperwork on 7/13/2015.

Can I ask how long it took for your clearance to come through?
 
I got the email to submit background check on 7/6 and turned in the documents and fingerprint on 7/10. I got cleared yesterday.


It looks like they have different staff doing background checks, my personnel cleared 17 people yesterday [he emailed all of us 2gether].


Do you know if they contacted your references that you put down on the security background check questionnaire [e-QIP INVESTIGATION REQUEST]?


I am asking this because a previous PHAP said that our references were supposed to get questionnaire on the mail.
 
Questions for the PHAP veterans:

1. How do vacation days and holidays work? Can we take vacations like a regular employees? I know we get federal holidays off, but could we take off a week for Christmas? I'm just trying to get a feel for if we are treated like regular employees or do we have stipulations placed upon us.

2. Are we hourly or salary employees?

3. Do we report directly to a CDC supervisor or our health department supervisor?

4. Where did you guys gain employment after PHAP?
 
Oh, and I am still seeking a roomate for anyone placed in or around Tampa!!
 
north90210 said:
I got the email to submit background check on 7/6 and turned in the documents and fingerprint on 7/10. I got cleared yesterday.


It looks like they have different staff doing background checks, my personnel cleared 17 people yesterday [he emailed all of us 2gether].


Do you know if they contacted your references that you put down on the security background check questionnaire [e-QIP INVESTIGATION REQUEST]?


I am asking this because a previous PHAP said that our references were supposed to get questionnaire on the mail.
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First of all thanks so much for responding 🙂

Second - None of mine have been contacted yet. I don't know that a little less than 2 weeks is a long enough turn around time for completed checks via snail mail. Perhaps they are contacting /checking them after the fact. I read somewhere online the check for nonsensitive positions is a little less rigorous than those performed for a public trust position.

Hopefully, I will hear something soon - I can't wait for October when the work starts
 
ALLY00115 said:
First of all thanks so much for responding 🙂

Second - None of mine have been contacted yet. I don't know that a little less than 2 weeks is a long enough turn around time for completed checks via snail mail. Perhaps they are contacting /checking them after the fact. I read somewhere online the check for nonsensitive positions is a little less rigorous than those performed for a public trust position.

Hopefully, I will hear something soon - I can't wait for October when the work starts
Click to expand...

Yeah no problem.

It looks like each yr is different. I guess we will have to wait and see when we know our assignments.

Good luck!
 
Cdmcghee3 said:
Questions for the PHAP veterans:

1. How do vacation days and holidays work? Can we take vacations like a regular employees? I know we get federal holidays off, but could we take off a week for Christmas? I'm just trying to get a feel for if we are treated like regular employees or do we have stipulations placed upon us.

2. Are we hourly or salary employees?

3. Do we report directly to a CDC supervisor or our health department supervisor?

4. Where did you guys gain employment after PHAP?
Click to expand...

1. Every pay day (which is bi-weekly) you will earn 4 hours of annual leave and 4 hours of sick leave so in the course of a month you will have earned one sick day and one "vacation day". There are also other hours you can earn such as flex time and travel compensation time that you can use towards vacation days. You will have to go through your host site supervisor first, then your CDC supervisor for approval to take days off.


2. We are salary employees


3. We do both- you will be assigned a CDC supervisor and you will be part of his or her group. Typically you may have anywhere from 10-20 other PHAPs in your group depending on the size of the 2015 class. When you're assigned your CDC supervisor, he or she will give you more details before you begin at your host site. Your host site supervisor is the person that you will see every day and will work with on a regular basis.


4. Employment…. I’m applying to MPH programs and will most likely start school at the end of PHAP in 2016. Another former PHAP may be more suited to answer this question. However I will be applying for other jobs on top of applying to grad school, but I feel I won’t be as competitive without a master degree compared to other applicants, especially at the federal level.
 
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