Our hard shoulder boards for Flag Officers in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps are manufactured in the U.S. with Mil-Spec materials to meet or surpass all USPHS specifications and requirements.
Covered in gold lace that extends to 1/8-inch of each long side, the hard shoulder board features one to four stars reflecting the Flag Officer’s grade from O-7 to O-10, and an embroidered Commissioned Corps device with the top of the staff of caduceus 1-1/4 inch from the pointed inboard end of the board. A 22.5-ligne PHS gilt button is used to secure the male hard shoulder board; the button is non-functioning on our female shoulder boards, and an adapter is needed for wear on uniforms with shoulder loops.
You will note that our drop-down selection box for the number of stripes lists titles rather than standard naval Flag Officer ranks such as Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Admiral. These are the formal USPHS designation for these grades, but it is appropriate to use the equivalent Navy ranks when referring to PHS Officers, including in most documents.