Federal healthcare systems frequently face a shortage in providers to deliver timely care. Physician Assistants/Associates (PAs) have been an essential component for addressing these shortages. PAs have an opportunity to expand their general medical practice and knowledge through specialization utilizing the CAQ program offered through NCCPA. The CAQ specialization requires 2,000 to 4,000 hours of clinical experience, 75 hours of specialty CME, clinical supervisor acknowledgment and a board certification exam to qualify. In addition, maintenance of this specialization includes ongoing CME and board examination every 10 years. This results in PA’s who hold a specialization that is comparable to board certification of other medical professionals. Utilization of these specialty PA’s can have a profound impact on delivery of federal healthcare in a variety of different settings, with the possibility for expanded use in additional specialty areas. Utilization of PA’s in primary care has shown significant healthcare cost savings and ability to expand access to care. By recognizing these specialty certifications and deploying them for use in the federal healthcare system, the same improvements in savings and access can be expected. The purpose of this poster presentation is to review the CAQ program offered through NCCPA and how this can positively impact federal healthcare delivery to increase access to specialty care and alleviate the burden on primary care. In addition, this poster presentation aims to educate about the rigorous process to obtain a CAQ and the equivalency of this training to other specialty and board certifications. A review has been completed of utilization of PA’s who practice with a CAQ within the federal healthcare system in areas of high patient demand, difficult physician recruitment and specialized practice. Areas of review include positions with Department of Defense, Indian Health Service, Bureau of Prisons and ICE Health Service Corps. The results of this review revealed multiple CAQ specialty areas have value for delivering comprehensive, community standard care to federal patient populations. These include Psychiatry CAQ (increasing number of specialty trained advanced practice providers across multiple agencies, in some cases allows replacement of a psychiatrist position at a significant cost savings), Emergency Medicine CAQ (allows specialized practice in both Indian Health Service and VA facilities, providing higher level of care in difficult to hire areas), Nephrology CAQ (serves areas of high patient demand in VA and BOP facilities as these are faced with an increasing aging population with chronic illness such as chronic kidney disease and end stage renal disease leading to dialysis).