42 U.S.C. § 204a: Deployment readiness

Active duty Regular Corps. Ready Reserve Corps. The Secretary shall annually determine whether each member of the Corps meets the applicable readiness requirements established under paragraph (1). A member of the Corps who fails to meet or maintain the readiness requirements established under paragraph (1) or who fails to comply with orders to respond to an urgent or emergency public health care need shall, except as provided in paragraph (4), in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary, be subject to disciplinary action as prescribed by the Secretary. a disability; a temporary medical condition; or any other extraordinary limitation as determined by the Secretary. The Secretary shall promulgate regulations under which a waiver described in subparagraph (A) may be granted. a national emergency declared by the President under the National Emergencies Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); an emergency or major disaster declared by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); a public health emergency declared by the Secretary under section 247d of this title ; or any emergency that, in the judgment of the Secretary, is appropriate for the deployment of members of the Corps. organize members of the Corps into units for rapid deployment by the Secretary to respond to urgent or emergency public health care needs; establish appropriate procedures for the command and control of units or individual members of the Corps that are deployed at the direction of the President or the Secretary in response to an urgent or emergency public health care need of national, State or local significance; ensure that members of the Corps are trained, equipped and otherwise prepared to fulfill their public health and emergency response roles; and any deployment exemptions that may be granted by the Secretary based on the unique requirements of an agency and an individual’s functional role in such agency; and the nature of the urgent or emergency public health care need. For purposes of pay, allowances, and benefits of a Commissioned Corps officer who is detailed or assigned to a Federal entity, the deployment of such officer by the Secretary in response to an urgent or emergency public health care need shall be deemed to be an authorized activity of the Federal entity to which the officer is detailed or assigned. To ensure the Corps is ready to respond rapidly to urgent or emergency public health care needs and challenges. To ensure the availability of the Corps for assignments that address clinical and public health needs in isolated, hardship, and hazardous duty positions, and, when required, to address needs related to the well-being, security, and defense of the United States. To establish the Corps as a resource available to Federal and State Government agencies for assistance in meeting public health leadership and service roles.”