Feds Extend Loan of Health Commissioner Davis

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to extend for another year the assignment of Dr. Michelle Davis to serve as the Virgin Islands Commissioner of Health, according to Government House.

Davies is regional health administrator for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s New York Office and is on loan to the territory for two years. The Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA), allows temporary assignment of federal employees to state and local government agencies. The idea behind the law is to leverage expertise in career federal officials to benefit states and localities.

The Legislature changed V.I. law last year to allow the government to pay Davies more than the maximum salary for V.I. government commissioners. Senate testimony during debate on the change to V.I. law indicated she makes around $159,000 per year. The law was needed to be changed to avoid automatically raising salaries of V.I. officials whose pay is tied to commissioners’ pay levels.

Davis’s continued service to the territory is now authorized through March 14, 2018, according to Government House.

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