Secretary of the Army John McHugh likely had the best of intentions when he modified the nomenclature of Army Civilian Service Awards in 2014 so they would conform more closely with their military counterparts. In the case of the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal née Superior Civilian Service Award (SCSA), however, the name change has caused more than a little confusion rather than bringing clarity.
That’s because at the same time the Superior Civilian Service Award became the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, the Meritorious Civilian Service Award was retitled the Superior Civilian Service Medal. Start rolling these phrases around in your head, and you too might wind up confused as to which decoration is which.
Note that while the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal (MSCM) featured a new medal design, the scarlet-and-white ribbon remained the same, as did its award criteria. The decoration is awarded to honor civilian employees who have a proven track record of excellence, typically manifested through the receipt of at least one previous award (monetary or honorary). It is also awarded for an act of heroism to a lesser degree than that required for the Superior Civilian Service Medal.
Examples of service that merit the MCSM include accomplishing duties in a superior manner, contributing to higher productivity by fellow team members, or achieving completion of a project in a more efficient or effective manner than necessary. Also honored are the development of new equipment or procedures, inventions that yield substantial monetary savings or reductions in other costs (manpower, time, materials, etc.), or improving the safety or safeguarding the health of the workforce.
While AR 672–20, Incentive Awards, lists commanders at the Major General rank or higher (or a civilian equivalent) as the approval authority for the MCSM, it was published several months before the nomenclature change and still refers to the decoration as the SCSA. At the U.S. Army’s Civilian Personnel On Line Web site, on the other hand, the awarding authority is designated as Brigadier General or higher. Like AR 672-20, it has not been updated to reflected the nomenclature modifications, and thus still refers to the award as the SCSA.