§2004b Detail of Commissioned Officers as Students at Schools of Psychology

Summary

Each military department may send commissioned officers to accredited U.S. schools of psychology to train for a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. No more than 25 officers from any one military department may begin this training in a single fiscal year. Officers must be U.S. citizens, have served on active duty at least 2 years but not more than 6 years, and be in pay grade O–3 or below when training starts. The department selects officers by competition. Officers must sign an agreement to finish the training, come back to their military department as officers when training ends, and meet the service time rules below. Expenses come from the department’s appropriated funds. Any duty time from this agreement is added on top of other legal service obligations. For each year or part of a year of training, an officer owes 2 years of active duty. The officer may serve part of that obligation in the Selected Reserve, but any portion left after leaving active duty requires 3 years in the Selected Reserve for each year or part year of training not completed on active duty. If dropped from the program for conduct, academics, or other reasons, the officer may be assigned appropriate duty under Defense rules, but never for more than 1 year of active duty for each year or part year they were in the program. No new agreements may be made while the President is legally authorized to involuntarily induct people into the armed forces.