PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES

• Citation: 37 U.S.C.
• Sections: 177

§ 101 Definitions

In addition to the definitions in sections 1–5 of title 1, the following definitions apply in this title:

(1)(A) The term "United States", in a geographic sense, means the States and the District of Columbia.

(B) The term "continental United States" means the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia.

(2) The term "possessions" includes Guam, American Samoa, and the guano islands.

(3) The term "uniformed services" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Public Health Service.

(4) The term "armed forces" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force,and Coast Guard.

(5) The term "Secretary concerned" means—

(A) the Secretary of the Army, with respect to matters concerning the Army;

(B) the Secretary of the Navy, with respect to matters concerning the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard when it is operating as a service in the Navy;

(C) the Secretary of the Air Force, with respect to matters concerning the Air Force and the Space Force;

(D) the Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy;

(E) the Secretary of Commerce, with respect to matters concerning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and

(F) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to matters concerning the Public Health Service.

(6) The term "National Guard" means the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.

(7) The term "Army National Guard" means that part of the organized militia of the several States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Canal Zone, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, active and inactive, that—

(A) is a land force;

(B) is trained, and has its officers appointed, under the sixteenth clause of section 8, article I, of the Constitution;

(C) is organized, armed, and equipped wholly or partly at Federal expense; and

(D) is federally recognized.

(8) The term "Army National Guard of the United States" means the reserve component of the Army all of whose members are members of the Army National Guard.

(9) The term "Air National Guard" means that part of the organized militia of the several States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Canal Zone, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, active and inactive, that—

(A) is an air force;

(B) is trained, and has its officers appointed, under the sixteenth clause of section 8, article I, of the Constitution;

(C) is organized, armed, and equipped wholly or partly at Federal expense; and

(D) is federally recognized.

(10) The term "Air National Guard of the United States" means the reserve component of the Air Force all of whose members are members of the Air National Guard.

(11) The term "officer" means commissioned or warrant officer.

(12) The term "commissioned officer" includes a commissioned warrant officer.

(13) The term "warrant officer" means a person who holds a commission or warrant in a warrant officer grade.

(14) The term "enlisted member" means a person in an enlisted grade.

(15) The term "grade" means a step or degree, in a graduated scale of office or rank, that is established and designated as a grade by law or regulation.

(16) The term "rank" means the order of precedence among members of the uniformed services.

(17) The term "rating" means the name (such as "boatswain's mate") prescribed for members of a uniformed service in an occupational field; "rate" means the name (such as "chief boatswain's mate") prescribed for members in the same rating or other category who are in the same grade (such as chief petty officer or seaman apprentice).

(18) The term "active duty" means full-time duty in the active service of a uniformed service, and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.

(19) The term "active duty for a period of more than 30 days" means active duty under a call or order that does not specify a period of 30 days or less.

(20) The term "active service" means service on active duty.

(21) The term "pay" includes basic pay, special pay, retainer pay, incentive pay, retired pay, and equivalent pay, but does not include allowances.

(22) The term "inactive-duty training" means—

(A) duty prescribed for members of a reserve component by the Secretary concerned under section 206 of this title or any other law; and

(B) special additional duties authorized for members of a reserve component by an authority designated by the Secretary concerned and performed by them on a voluntary basis in connection with the prescribed training or maintenance activities of the units to which they are assigned;

and includes those duties when performed by members of a reserve component in their status as members of the National Guard, but (except as provided in section 206(d)(2) of this title) does not include work or study in connection with a correspondence course of a uniformed service.

(23) The term "member" means a person appointed or enlisted in, or conscripted into, a uniformed service.

(24) The term "reserve component" means—

(A) the Army National Guard of the United States;

(B) the Army Reserve;

(C) the Navy Reserve;

(D) the Marine Corps Reserve;

(E) the Air National Guard of the United States;

(F) the Air Force Reserve;

(G) the Coast Guard Reserve; or

(H) the Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service.

(25) The term "regular compensation" or "regular military compensation (RMC)" means the total of the following elements that a member of a uniformed service accrues or receives, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind every payday: basic pay, basic allowance for housing, basic allowance for subsistence; and Federal tax advantage accruing to the aforementioned allowances because they are not subject to Federal income tax.

(26) The term "contingency operation" has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 10.

§ 201 Pay grades: assignment to; general rules

(a)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), for the purpose of computing their basic pay, commissioned officers of the uniformed services (other than commissioned warrant officers) are assigned by the grade or rank in which serving to the following pay grades:

Pay grade Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps Navy, Coast Guard, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Public Health Service

O–⁠10

General

Admiral

Assistant Secretary for Health.

O–9

Lieutenant general

Vice admiral

Surgeon General.

O–8

Major general

Rear admiral

Deputy Surgeon General. Assistant Surgeon General having rank of major general.

O–7

Brigadier general

Rear admiral (lower half)

Assistant Surgeon General having rank of brigadier general.

O–6

Colonel

Captain

Director grade.

O–5

Lieutenant colonel

Commander

Senior grade.

O–4

Major

Lieutenant commander

Full grade.

O–3

Captain

Lieutenant

Senior assistant grade.

O–2

1st lieutenant

Lieutenant (junior grade)

Assistant grade.

O–1

2d lieutenant

Ensign

Junior assistant grade.

(2) For the purpose of computing their basic pay, commissioned officers of the Space Force are assigned to the pay grades in the table in paragraph (1) by grade or rank in the Air Force that is equivalent to the grade or rank in which such officers are serving in the Space Force.

(b) For the purpose of computing their basic pay, warrant officers of the armed forces are assigned, by the warrant officer grade in which serving, to the following pay grades:

Pay Grade: Warrant Officer Grade:

W–⁠5

Chief Warrant Officer, W–⁠5.

W–4

Chief Warrant Officer, W–4.

W–3

Chief Warrant Officer, W–3.

W–2

Chief Warrant Officer, W–2.

W–1

Warrant Officer, W–1.

(c) Unless entitled to the basic pay of a higher pay grade, an aviation cadet of the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard is entitled to monthly basic pay at the lowest rate prescribed for pay grade E–4.

(d) Unless he is entitled to the basic pay of a higher pay grade, an aviation pilot of the Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, or Coast Guard Reserve is entitled to monthly basic pay at the rate prescribed for pay grade E–5.

(e) Except as provided by subsections (c) and (d), enlisted members of the uniformed services shall, for the purpose of computing their basic pay, be distributed by the Secretary concerned in the various enlisted pay grades set forth in section 203 of this title. However, except as provided by section 307 of this title, an enlisted member may not be placed in pay grade E–8 or E–⁠9 until he has completed at least 8 years or 10 years, respectively, of enlisted service computed under section 205 of this title.

§ 202 Pay grades: retired Coast Guard rear admirals (lower half)

An officer of the Coast Guard holding a permanent appointment in the grade of rear admiral (lower half) on the retired list, and who in time of war or national emergency has served satisfactorily on active duty for two years in that grade or in a higher grade, is entitled when on active duty to the basic pay of a rear admiral.

§ 203 Rates

(a)(1) The rates of monthly basic pay for members of the uniformed services within each pay grade are those prescribed in accordance with section 1009 of this title or as otherwise prescribed by law.

(2) Notwithstanding the rates of basic pay in effect at any time as provided by law, the rates of basic pay payable for commissioned officers in pay grades O–7 through O–⁠10 may not exceed the monthly equivalent of the rate of pay for level II of the Executive Schedule, and the rates of basic pay payable for all other officers and for enlisted members may not exceed the monthly equivalent of the rate of pay for level V of the Executive Schedule.

(b) While serving as a permanent professor at the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, or the United States Air Force Academy or as a member of the permanent commissioned teaching staff at the United States Coast Guard Academy, an officer who has over 36 years of service computed under section 205 of this title is, in addition to the pay and allowances to which he is otherwise entitled under this title, entitled to additional pay in the amount of $250 a month. This additional pay may not be used in the computation of retired pay.

(c) A cadet at the United States Military Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, or the Coast Guard Academy, or a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, is entitled to monthly cadet pay, or midshipman pay, at the monthly rate equal to 35 percent of the basic pay of a commissioned officer in the pay grade O–1 with less than two years of service.

(d)(1) The basic pay of a commissioned officer who is in pay grade O–1, O–2, or O–3 and who is credited with a total of over four years' service described in paragraph (2) shall be computed in the same manner as the basic pay of a commissioned officer in the same pay grade who has been credited with over four years' active service as an enlisted member.

(2) Service to be taken into account for purposes of computing basic pay under paragraph (1) is as follows:

(A) Active service as a warrant officer or as a warrant officer and an enlisted member.

(B) Service as a warrant officer, as an enlisted member, or as a warrant officer and an enlisted member, for which at least 1,460 points have been credited to the officer for the purposes of section 12732(a)(2) of title 10.

(e)(1) A student at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, the United States Naval Academy Preparatory School, or the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School who was selected to attend the preparatory school from civilian life is entitled to monthly student pay at the same rate as provided for cadets and midshipmen under subsection (c).

(2) A student at a preparatory school referred to in paragraph (1) who, at the time of the student's selection to attend the preparatory school, was an enlisted member of the uniformed services shall receive monthly basic pay at the rate prescribed for the student's pay grade and years of service as an enlisted member or at the rate provided for cadets and midshipmen under subsection (c), whichever is greater.

(3) The monthly student pay of a student described in paragraph (1) shall be treated for purposes of the accrual charge for the Department of Defense Military Retirement Fund established under section 1461 of title 10 in the same manner as monthly cadet pay or midshipman pay under subsection (c).

(f)(1) An officer candidate enrolled in the basic officer training program of the commissioned officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is entitled, while participating in such program, to monthly officer candidate pay at monthly rates equal to the basic pay of an enlisted member in the pay grade E–5 with less than two years of service.

(2) An individual who graduates from such program shall receive credit for the time spent par ticipating in such program as if such time were time served while on active duty as a commissioned officer. If the individual does not graduate from such program, such time shall not be considered creditable for active duty or pay.

§ 204 Entitlement

(a) The following persons are entitled to the basic pay of the pay grade to which assigned or distributed, in accordance with their years of service computed under section 205 of this title—

(1) a member of a uniformed service who is on active duty; and

(2) a member of a uniformed service, or a member of the National Guard who is not a Reserve of the Army or the Air Force, who is participating in full-time training, training duty with pay, or other full-time duty, provided by law, including participation in exercises or the performance of duty under section 10302, 10305, 10502, or 12402 of title 10, or section 503, 504, 505, or 506 of title 32.

(b) For the purposes of subsection (a), under regulations prescribed by the President, the time necessary for a member of a uniformed service who is called or ordered to active duty for a period of more than 30 days to travel from his home to his first duty station and from his last duty station to his home, by the mode of transportation authorized in his call or orders, is considered active duty.

(c)(1) A member of the National Guard who is called into Federal service for a period of 30 days or less is entitled to basic pay from the date on which the member, in person or by authorized telephonic or electronic means, contacts the member's unit.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not authorize any expenditure to be paid for a period before the date on which the unit receives the member's contact provided under such paragraph.

(3) The Secretary of the Army, with respect to the Army National Guard, and the Secretary of the Air Force, with respect to the Air National Guard, shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subsection.

(d) Full-time training, training duty with pay, or other full-time duty performed by a member of the Army National Guard of the United States or the Air National Guard of the United States in his status as a member of the National Guard, is active duty for the purposes of this section.

(e) A payment accruing under any law to a member of a uniformed service incident to his release from active duty or for his return home incident to that release may be paid to him before his departure from his last duty station, whether or not he actually performs the travel involved. If a member receives a payment under this subsection but dies before that payment would have been made but for this subsection, no part of that payment may be recovered by the United States.

(f) A cadet of the United States Military Academy or the United States Air Force Academy, or a midshipman of the United States Naval Academy, who, upon graduation from one of those academies, is appointed as a second lieutenant of the Army or the Air Force is entitled to the basic pay of pay grade O–1 beginning upon the date of his graduation.

(g)(1) A member of a reserve component of a uniformed service is entitled to the pay and allowances provided by law or regulation for a member of a regular component of a uniformed service of corresponding grade and length of service whenever such member is physically disabled as the result of an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated—

(A) in line of duty while performing active duty;

(B) in line of duty while performing inactive-duty training (other than work or study in connection with a correspondence course of an armed force or attendance in an inactive status at an educational institution under the sponsorship of an armed force or the Public Health Service);

(C) while traveling directly to or from such duty or training;

(D) in line of duty while remaining overnight immediately before the commencement of inactive-duty training, or while remaining overnight, between successive periods of inactive-duty training, at or in the vicinity of the site of the inactive-duty training; or

(E) in line of duty while—

(i) serving on funeral honors duty under section 12503 of title 10 or section 115 of title 32;

(ii) traveling to or from the place at which the duty was to be performed; or

(iii) remaining overnight at or in the vicinity of that place immediately before so serving, if the place is outside reasonable commuting distance from the member's residence.

(2) In the case of a member who receives earned income from nonmilitary employment or self-employment performed in any month in which the member is otherwise entitled to pay and allowances under paragraph (1), the total pay and allowances shall be reduced by the amount of such income. In calculating earned income for the purpose of the preceding sentence, income from an income protection plan, vacation pay, or sick leave which the member elects to receive shall be considered.

(h)(1) A member of a reserve component of a uniformed service who is physically able to perform his military duties, is entitled, upon request, to a portion of the monthly pay and allowances provided by law or regulation for a member of a regular component of a uniformed service of corresponding grade and length of service for each month for which the member demonstrates a loss of earned income from nonmilitary employment or self-employment as a result of an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated—

(A) in line of duty while performing active duty;

(B) in line of duty while performing inactive-duty training (other than work or study in connection with a correspondence course of an armed force or attendance in an inactive status at an educational institution under the sponsorship of an armed force or the Public Health Service);

(C) while traveling directly to or from such duty or training;

(D) in line of duty while remaining overnight immediately before the commencement of inactive-duty training, or while remaining overnight, between successive periods of inactive-duty training, at or in the vicinity of the site of the inactive-duty training; or

(E) in line of duty while—

(i) serving on funeral honors duty under section 12503 of title 10 or section 115 of title 32;

(ii) traveling to or from the place at which the duty was to be performed; or

(iii) remaining overnight at or in the vicinity of that place immediately before so serving, if the place is outside reasonable commuting distance from the member's residence.

(2) The monthly entitlement may not exceed the member's demonstrated loss of earned income from nonmilitary or self-employment. In calculating such loss of income, income from an income protection plan, vacation pay, or sick leave which the member elects to receive shall be considered.

(i)(1) The total amount of pay and allowances paid under subsections (g) and (h) and compensation paid under section 206(a) of this title for any period may not exceed the amount of pay and allowances provided by law or regulation for a member of a regular component of a uniformed service of corresponding grade and length of service for that period.

(2) Pay and allowances may not be paid under subsection (g) or (h) for a period of more than six months. The Secretary concerned may extend such period in any case if the Secretary determines that it is in the interests of fairness and equity to do so.

(3) A member is not entitled to benefits under subsection (g) or (h) if the injury, illness, disease, or aggravation of an injury, illness, or disease is the result of the gross negligence or misconduct of the member.

(4) Regulations with respect to procedures for paying pay and allowances under subsections (g) and (h) shall be prescribed—

(A) by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary; and

(B) by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(j) A member of the uniformed services who is entitled to medical or dental care under section 1074a of title 10 is entitled to travel and transportation allowances, or a monetary allowance in place thereof, for necessary travel incident to such care, and return to his home upon discharge from treatment.

§ 205 Computation: service creditable

(a) Subject to subsections (b) and (c), for the purpose of computing the basic pay of a member of a uniformed service, his years of service are computed by adding—

(1) all periods of active service as an officer, Army field clerk, flight officer, aviation midshipman, or enlisted member of a uniformed service;

(2) all periods during which he was enlisted or held an appointment as an officer, Army field clerk, or flight officer of—

(A) a regular component of a uniformed service;

(B) the Regular Army Reserve;

(C) the Organized Militia before July 1, 1916;

(D) the National Guard;

(E) the National Guard Reserve;

(F) a reserve component of a uniformed service;

(G) the Naval Militia;

(H) the National Naval Volunteers;

(I) the Navy Reserve Force;

(J) the Army without specification of component;

(K) the Air Force without specification of component;

(L) the Marine Corps Reserve Force;

(M) the Philippine Scouts; or

(N) the Philippine Constabulary;

(3) for a commissioned officer in service on June 30, 1922, all service that was then counted in computing longevity pay and all service as a contract surgeon serving full time;

(4) all periods during which he held an appointment as a nurse, reserve nurse, or commissioned officer in the Army Nurse Corps as it existed at any time before April 16, 1947, the Navy Nurse Corps as it existed at any time before April 16, 1947, or the Public Health Service, or a reserve component of any of them;

(5) all periods during which he was a deck officer or junior engineer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;

(6) all periods that, under law in effect on January 10, 1962, were authorized to be credited in computing basic pay; and

(7) all periods while—

(A) on a temporary disability retired list, honorary retired list, or a retired list of a uniformed service;

(B) entitled to retired pay, retirement pay, or retainer pay, from a uniformed service or the Department of Veterans Affairs, as a member of the Fleet Reserve or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; or

(C) a member of the Honorary Reserve of the Officers' Reserve Corps or the Organized Reserve Corps.

Except for any period of active service described in clause (1) and except as provided by subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 1402 and subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 1402a of title 10, a period of service described in clauses (2) through (7) that is performed while on a retired list, in a retired status, or in the Fleet Reserve or Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, may not be included to increase retired pay, retirement pay, or retainer pay. For the purpose of clause (5), periods during which a member was a deck officer or junior engineer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration includes periods during which a member was a deck officer or junior engineer in the Environmental Science Services Administration or the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

(b) A period of time may not be counted more than once under subsection (a).

(c) The periods of service authorized to be counted under subsection (a) shall, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, include service performed by a member of a uniformed service before he became 18 years of age.

(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a commissioned officer may not count in computing basic pay a period of service after October 13, 1964, that the officer performed concurrently as a member of the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, except for service that the officer performed on or after August 1, 1979, other than for training as an enlisted member of the Selected Reserve may be so counted.

(e)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a period of service described in paragraph (2) of a member who enlists in a reserve component may not be counted under this section.

(2) Paragraph (1) applies to the following service:

(A) Service performed while a member of a reserve component under an enlistment under section 12103(b) or 12103(d) of title 10 before the member begins service on active duty under such section (including a period of active duty for training) unless the member performs inactive-duty training before beginning service on active duty or active duty for training;

(B) Service performed while a member of a reserve component under an enlistment under section 513 of title 10 (other than a period of active duty to which the member is ordered under chapter 1209 of title 10 or another provision of law).

(f) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the periods of service of a commissioned officer appointed under section 12203 of title 10 after receiving financial assistance under section 16401 of such title that are counted under this section may not include a period of service after January 1, 2000, that the officer performed concurrently as an enlisted member of the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class program and the Marine Corps Reserve, except that service after that date that the officer performed before commissioning (concurrently with the period of service as a member of the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class program) as an enlisted member on active duty or as a member of the Selected Reserve may be so counted.

§ 206 Reserves; members of National Guard: inactive-duty training

(a) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, and to the extent provided for by appropriations, a member of the National Guard or a member of a reserve component of a uniformed service who is not entitled to basic pay under section 204 of this title, is entitled to compensation, at the rate of 1/30 of the basic pay authorized for a member of a uniformed service of a corresponding grade entitled to basic pay—

(1) for each regular period of instruction, or period of appropriate duty, at which the member is engaged for at least two hours, including that performed on a Sunday or holiday;

(2) for the performance of such other equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties, as the Secretary may prescribe;

(3) for a regular period of instruction that the member is scheduled to perform but is unable to perform because of physical disability resulting from an injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated—

(A) in line of duty while performing—

(i) active duty; or

(ii) inactive-duty training;

(B) while traveling directly to or from that duty or training (unless such injury, illness, disease, or aggravation of an injury, illness, or disease is the result of the gross negligence or misconduct of the member); or

(C) in line of duty while remaining overnight immediately before the commencement of inactive-duty training, or while remaining overnight, between successive periods of inactive-duty training, at or in the vicinity of the site of the inactive-duty training; or

(4) for a regular period of instruction, period of appropriate duty, or such other equivalent training that a member would be required to perform but does not perform because such member was authorized to take parental leave pursuant to section 711 of title 10.

(b) The regulations prescribed under subsection (a) for each uniformed service, the National Guard, and each of the classes of organization of the reserve components within each uniformed service, may be different. The Secretary concerned shall, for the National Guard and each of the classes of organization within each uniformed service, prescribe—

(1) minimum standards that must be met before an assembly for drill or other equivalent period of training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties may be credited for pay purposes, and those standards may require the presence for duty of officers and enlisted members in numbers equal to or more than a minimum number or percentage of the unit strength for a specified period of time with participation in a prescribed kind of training;

(2) the maximum number of assemblies or periods of other equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties, that may be counted for pay purposes in each fiscal year or in lesser periods of time; and

(3) the minimum number of assemblies or periods of other equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties that must be completed in stated periods of time before the members of units or organizations can qualify for pay.

(c) A person enlisted in the inactive National Guard is not entitled to pay under this section.

(d)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), this section does not authorize compensation for work or study performed by a member of a reserve component or by a member of the National Guard while not in Federal service in connection with correspondence courses of a uniformed service.

(2) A member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve may be paid compensation under this section at a rate and under terms determined by the Secretary of Defense, but not to exceed the rate otherwise applicable to the member under subsection (a), upon the member's successful completion of a course of instruction undertaken by the member using electronic-based distributed learning methodologies to accomplish training requirements related to unit readiness or mobilization, as directed for the member by the Secretary concerned. The compensation may be paid regardless of whether the course of instruction was under the direct control of the Secretary concerned or included the presence of an instructor.

(3) The prohibition in paragraph (1), including the prohibition as it relates to a member of the National Guard while not in Federal service, applies to—

(A) any work or study performed on or after September 7, 1962, unless that work or study is specifically covered by the exception in paragraph (2); and

(B) any claim based on that work or study arising after that date.

(e) A member of the National Guard or of a reserve component of the uniformed services may not be paid under this section for more than four periods of equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties performed during a fiscal year instead of the member's regular period of instruction or regular period of appropriate duty during that fiscal year.

(f) A member of the Individual Ready Reserve is not entitled to compensation under this sec tion for participation in screening for which the member is paid a stipend under section 433a of this title.

§ 206a Pay of members of reserve components for inactive-duty training to obtain or maintain an aeronautical rating or designation

Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, a member of the National Guard or a member of a reserve component of a uniformed service who is receiving aviation incentive pay under section 334(a) of this title and is entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title is entitled to such compensation for a number of periods of inactive-duty training each month sufficient for the member to obtain or maintain an aeronautical rating or designation.

§ 207 Band leaders

(a) The leader of the Army Band is entitled to the basic pay of a captain in the Army.

(b) The leader of the United States Navy Band is entitled to the basic pay of a lieutenant in the Navy.

(c) A member of the Marine Corps who is appointed as director or assistant director of the United States Marine Band under section 8287 of title 10 is entitled, while serving thereunder, only to the basic pay of an officer in the grade in which he is serving. However, his basic pay may not be less that to which he was entitled at the time of his appointment under that section.

(d) The leader of the Naval Academy Band is entitled to the basic pay of the grade the Secretary of the Navy prescribes. The second leader is entitled to the basic pay of a warrant officer, W–1.

(e) The director of the Coast Guard Band is entitled to the basic pay of an officer in the grade in which he is serving. However, his basic pay may not be less than that to which he was entitled at the time of his appointment as director.

§ 209 Members of precommissioning programs

(a) Senior ROTC Members in Advanced Training .—(1) Except when on active duty, a member of the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps who is selected for advance training under section 2104 of title 10 is entitled to a monthly subsistence allowance at a rate prescribed under paragraph (2) beginning on the day he starts advanced training and ending upon the completion of his instruction under that section, but in no event shall any member receive such pay for more than 30 months.

(2) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe by regulation the monthly rates for subsistence allowances provided under this section. The rate may not be less than $250 per month, but may not exceed $674 per month.

(3) A subsistence allowance under this section may not be considered financial assistance requiring additional service within the meaning of the third sentence of section 6(d)(1) of the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3806(d)(1)).

(b) Senior ROTC Members Appointed in Reserves .—Except when on active duty, a cadet or midshipman appointed under section 2107 of title 10 is entitled to a monthly subsistence allowance at a rate prescribed under subsection (a). A member enrolled in the first two years of a four-year program is entitled to receive subsistence for a maximum of twenty months. A member enrolled in the advanced course is entitled to subsistence as prescribed for a member enrolled under section 2104 of title 10 as prescribed in subsection (a).

(c) Nonscholarship Senior ROTC Members Not in Advanced Training .—A member of the Selected Reserve Officers' Training Corps who has entered into an agreement under section 2103a of title 10 is entitled to a monthly subsistence allowance at a rate prescribed under subsection (a). That allowance may be paid to the member by reason of such agreement for a maximum of 20 months.

(d) Pay While Attending Training or Practice Cruise .—Each cadet or midshipman in the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, while he is attending training or practice cruises under chapter 103 of title 10 if the training or cruise is of at least four weeks duration and must be completed before the cadet or midshipman is commissioned, and each applicant for membership in the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, while he is attending field training or practice cruises to satisfy the requirements of section 2104(b)(6)(B) of title 10 for admission to advanced training, is entitled, while so attending, to pay at the rate prescribed for cadets and midshipmen at the United States Military, Naval, and Air Force Academies under section 203(c) of this title, except that the rate for a cadet or midshipman who is a member of the regular component of an armed force shall be the rate of basic pay applicable to the member under section 203 of this title.

(e) Members of Marine Corps Officer Candidate Program .—Except when serving on active duty, a member who is enrolled in a Marine Corps officer candidate program which requires a baccalaureate degree as a prerequisite to being commissioned as an officer and who is not enrolled in a program established under chapter 103 of title 10 or an academy established under chapter 403, 603, or 903 of title 10 may be paid a subsistence allowance at a monthly rate prescribed under subsection (a) for a member of the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps who is selected for advanced training under section 2104 of title 10.

§ 210 Pay of senior enlisted members during terminal leave and while hospitalized

(a) A noncommissioned officer of an armed force who, immediately following the completion of service as the senior enlisted member of that armed force or the senior enlisted advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, is placed on terminal leave pending retirement shall be entitled, for not more than 60 days while in such status, to the rate of basic pay authorized for the senior enlisted member of that armed force.

(b) A noncommissioned officer of an armed force who is hospitalized and who, during or immediately before such hospitalization, completed service as the senior enlisted member of that armed force, shall continue to be entitled, for not more than 180 days while so hospitalized, to the rate of basic pay authorized for the senior enlisted member of that armed force.

(c) In this section, the term "senior enlisted member" means the following:

(1) The Sergeant Major of the Army.

(2) The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.

(3) The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.

(4) The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.

(5) The Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force.

(6) The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard.

§ 211 Participation in Thrift Savings Plan

(a) Definition .—In this section, the term "member" means—

(1) a member of the uniformed services serving on active duty; and

(2) a member of the Ready Reserve in any pay status.

(b) Authority .—Any member may participate in the Thrift Savings Plan in accordance with section 8440e of title 5.

(c) Rule of Construction Regarding Separation .—For purposes of subchapters III and VII of chapter 84 of title 5, each of the following actions shall, in the case of a member participating in the Thrift Savings Plan in accordance with section 8440e of such title, be considered a separation from Government employment:

(1) Release of the member from active duty, not followed, before the end of the 31-day period beginning on the day following the effective date of the release, by—

(A) a resumption of active duty; or

(B) an appointment to a position covered by chapter 83 or 84 of title 5 or an equivalent retirement system, as identified by the Executive Director (appointed by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board) in regulations.

(2) Transfer of the member to inactive status, or to a retired list pursuant to any provision of title 10.

(d) Repayment of Amounts Borrowed From Member Account .—If a loan is issued to a member under section 8433(g) of title 5 from funds in the member's account in the Thrift Savings Plan, repayment of the loan may be required on the same semi-monthly basis as authorized for contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund on behalf of the member under section 1014(c) of this title.

§ 212 Advancement of basic pay: members deployed in combat zone for more than one year

(a) Eligibility; Amount Advanced .—If a member of the armed forces is assigned to duty in an area for which special pay under section 310, or paragraph (1) or (3) of section 351(a), of this title is available and the assignment is pursuant to orders specifying an assignment of one year or more (or the assignment is extended beyond one year), the member may request, during the period of the assignment, the advanced payment of not more than three months of the basic pay of the member.

(b) Consideration of Request .—A request by a member described in subsection (a) for the advanced payment of a single month of basic pay shall be granted. The Secretary concerned may grant a member's request for a second or third month of advanced basic pay during the assignment upon a showing of financial hardship.

(c) Recoupment of Advanced Pay .—The Secretary concerned shall recoup an advance made on the basic pay of a member under this section in equal installments over a one-year period beginning as provided in subsection (d). If the member is serving on active duty for any month during the recoupment period, the amount of the installment for the month shall be deducted from the basic pay of the member for that month. The estate of a deceased member shall not be required to repay any portion of the advanced pay paid to the member and not repaid before the death of the member.

(d) Commencement of Recoupment .—The recoupment period for an advancement of basic pay to a member under this section shall commence on the first day of the first month beginning on or after the date on which the member receives the advanced pay.

§ 301 Incentive pay: hazardous duty

(a) Subject to regulations prescribed by the President, a member of a uniformed service who is entitled to basic pay is also entitled to incentive pay, in the amount set forth in subsection (b) or (c), for the performance of hazardous duty required by orders. In this subsection, the term "hazardous duty" means duty—

(1) involving frequent and regular participation in aerial flight as a crew member, as determined by the Secretary concerned, except for a member who is entitled to incentive pay under section 301a of this title;

(2) involving frequent and regular participation in aerial flight, not as a crew member under paragraph (1);

(3) involving parachute jumping as an essential part of military duty;

(4) involving the demolition of explosives as a primary duty, including training for that duty;

(5) inside a high- or low-pressure chamber;

(6) as a human acceleration or deceleration experimental subject;

(7) as a human test subject in thermal stress experiments;

(8) involving frequent and regular participation in flight operations on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier or of a ship other than an aircraft carrier from which aircraft are launched;

(9) involving frequent and regular exposure to highly toxic pesticides or involving laboratory work that utilizes live dangerous viruses or bacteria;

(10) involving (A) the servicing of aircraft or missiles with highly toxic fuels or propellants, (B) the testing of aircraft or missile systems (or components of such systems) during which highly toxic fuels or propellants are used, or (C) the handling of chemical munitions (or components of such munitions);

(11) involving regular participation as a member of a team conducting visit, board, search, and seizure operations aboard vessels in support of maritime interdiction operations;

(12) involving use of ski-equipped aircraft on the ground in Antarctica or on the Arctic ice-pack; or

(13) involving frequent and regular participation in aerial flight by a member who is serving as an air weapons controller crew member (as defined by the Secretary concerned) aboard an airborne warning and control system aircraft (as designated by such Secretary) and who is not entitled to incentive pay under section 301a of this title.

(b) For the performance of hazardous duty described in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), a member is entitled to monthly incentive pay as follows:

Pay Grade Monthly Rate

O–⁠10

$150

O–9

150

O–8

150

O–7

150

O–6

250

O–5

250

O–4

225

O–3

175

O–2

150

O–1

150

W–⁠5

250

W–4

250

W–3

175

W–2

150

W–1

150

E–⁠9

240

E–8

240

E–7

240

E–6

215

E–5

190

E–4

165

E–3

150

E–2

150

E–1

150

(c)(1) For the performance of hazardous duty described in paragraphs (2) through (12) of subsection (a), a member is entitled to $150 a month. However, a member performing hazardous duty described in paragraph (3) of that subsection who also performs as an essential part of such duty parachute jumping in military free fall operations involving parachute deployment by the jumper without the use of a static line is entitled to $225 a month.

(2)(A) For the performance of hazardous duty described in paragraph (13) of subsection (a), a member is entitled to monthly incentive pay based upon his years of service as an air weapons controller as follows:

Pay grade Years of service as an air weapons controller

2 or less Over 2 Over 3 Over 4 Over 6 Over 8 Over 10 Over 12

O–7 and above

$200

$200

$200

$200

$200

$200

$200

$200

O–6

225

250

300

325

350

350

350

350

O–5

200

250

300

325

350

350

350

350

O–4

175

225

275

300

350

350

350

350

O–3

150

156

188

206

350

350

350

350

O–2

150

156

188

206

250

300

300

300

O–1

150

156

188

206

250

250

250

250

W–4

200

225

275

300

325

325

325

325

W–3

175

225

275

300

325

325

325

325

W–2

150

200

250

275

325

325

325

325

W–1

150

150

150

175

325

325

325

325

E–⁠9

200

225

250

275

300

300

300

300

E–8

200

225

250

275

300

300

300

300

E–7

175

200

225

250

275

275

275

300

E–6

156

175

200

225

250

250

250

300

E–5

150

156

175

188

200

200

200

250

E–4 and below

150

156

175

188

200

200

200

200

Over

Over

Over

Over

Over

Over

Over

14

16

18

20

22

24

25

O–7 and above

$200

$200

$200

$200

$200

$200

$150

O–6

350

350

350

300

250

250

225

O–5

350

350

350

300

250

250

225

O–4

350

350

350

300

250

250

225

O–3

350

350

300

275

250

225

200

O–2

300

300

275

245

210

200

180

O–1

250

250

245

210

200

180

150

W–4

325

325

325

276

250

225

200

W–3

325

325

325

325

250

225

200

W–2

325

325

325

275

250

225

200

W–1

325

325

325

275

250

225

200

E–⁠9

300

300

300

275

230

200

200

E–8

300

300

300

265

230

200

200

E–7

300

300

300

265

230

200

200

E–6

300

300

300

265

230

200

200

E–5

250

250

250

225

200

175

150

E–4 and below

200

200

200

175

150

150

150

(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the years of service of a member as an air weapons controller shall be computed, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, from the date the member begins training leading to a designation as an air weapons controller, but there shall be excluded from such computation any period of more than 90 days during which the member performs primary duties other than as an air weapons controller.

(d)(1) In time of war, the President may suspend the payment of incentive pay for any hazardous duty described in subsection (a).

(2) A member is entitled to not more than two payments of incentive pay, authorized by this section, for a period of time during which he qualifies for more than one payment of that pay.

(e) A member of a uniformed service who is entitled to basic pay may be paid incentive pay under this subsection, at a monthly rate not to exceed $150, for any month during which the member performs duty involving regular participation as a firefighting crew member, as determined by the Secretary concerned.

(f)(1) Under regulations prescribed by the President and to the extent provided for by appropriations, when a member of a reserve component of a uniformed service, or of the National Guard, who is entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title, performs, under orders, any duty described in subsection (a) for members entitled to basic pay, he is entitled to an increase in compensation equal to 1/30 of the monthly incentive pay authorized by subsection (b) or (c), as the case may be, for the performance of that hazardous duty by a member of a corresponding grade who is entitled to basic pay. He is entitled to the increase for as long as he is qualified for it, for each regular period of instruction, or period of appropriate duty, at which he is engaged for at least two hours, including that performed on a Sunday or holiday, or for the performance of such other equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties, as the Secretary may prescribe under section 206(a) of this title. This subsection does not apply to a member who is entitled to basic pay under section 204 of this title for the entire month.

(2)(A) If in any calendar month a member performs duty as described in paragraph (1) and while entitled to basic pay also performs hazardous duty as described in the same paragraph of subsection (a) as constitutes the predicate for his entitlement under paragraph (1), the earned units of measuring entitlement for incentive pay under this section shall be combined. If the sum of units determined under the preceding sentence equals or exceeds the minimum standard prescribed by the President for entitlement to pay specified under subsections (b) and (c) for a member of corresponding grade who is entitled to basic pay for the entire relevant month, the member shall be entitled to an increase in compensation equal to 1/30 of the monthly incentive pay authorized by subsection (b) or (c) for the performance of that hazardous duty by a member of corresponding grade who is entitled to basic pay for the entire month.

(B) A member who qualifies for entitlement under this paragraph is entitled to the increase for each day in the relevant month in which he is entitled to basic pay pursuant to section 204 of this title or to compensation under section 206 of this title.

(C) In this paragraph, the term "units" means the significant increments of performance prescribed as qualifying standards in regulations promulgated by the President pursuant to this section.

§ 301a Incentive pay: aviation career

(a)(1) Subject to regulations prescribed by the President, a member of a uniformed service who is entitled to basic pay is also entitled to aviation career incentive pay in the amount set forth in subsection (b) for the frequent and regular performance of operational or proficiency flying duty required by orders.

(2) Aviation career incentive pay shall be restricted to regular and reserve officers who hold, or are in training leading to, an aeronautical rating or designation and who engage and remain in aviation service on a career basis.

(3) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, or the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to members under their respective jurisdiction, an officer (except a flight surgeon or other medical officer) who is entitled to basic pay, holds an aeronautical rating or designation, and is qualified for aviation service under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, is entitled to continuous monthly incentive pay in the amount set forth in subsection (b) that is applicable to him. A flight surgeon or other medical officer who is entitled to basic pay, holds an aeronautical rating or designation, and is qualified for aviation service under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, is not entitled to continuous monthly incentive pay but is entitled to monthly incentive pay in the amounts set forth in subsection (b) for the frequent and regular performance of operational flying duty.

(4) To be entitled to continuous monthly incentive pay, an officer must perform the prescribed operational flying duties (including flight training but excluding proficiency flying) for 8 of the first 12, and 12 of the first 18 years of the aviation service of the officer. However, if an officer performs the prescribed operational flying duties (including flight training but excluding proficiency flying) for at least 10 but less than 12 of the first 18 years of the aviation service of the officer, the officer will be entitled to continuous monthly incentive pay for the first 22 years of aviation service of the officer. Entitlement to continuous monthly incentive pay ceases for an officer (other than a warrant officer) upon completion of 25 years of aviation service, but such an officer in a pay grade below pay grade O–7 remains entitled to monthly incentive pay under subsection (b)(1) for the performance of operational flying duty.

(5) If upon completion of either 12 or 18 years of aviation service it is determined that an officer has failed to perform the minimum prescribed operational flying duty requirements during the prescribed periods of time, his entitlement to continuous monthly incentive pay ceases. For the needs of the service, the Secretary concerned may permit, on a case by case basis, an officer to continue to receive continuous monthly incentive pay despite the failure of the officer to perform the prescribed operational flying duty requirements during the prescribed periods of time so long as the officer has performed those requirements for not less than 6 years of aviation service. The Secretary concerned may not delegate the authority in the preceding sentence to permit the payment of incentive pay under this subsection. If at the completion of 12 years of aviation service entitlement to continuous monthly incentive pay ceases, entitlement to that pay may again commence at the completion of 18 years of aviation service upon completion of the minimum operational flying duty requirements, such pay to continue for a period of time as prescribed in accordance with this section. However, if entitlement to continuous monthly incentive pay ceases in the case of any officer at the completion of either 12 or 18 years of aviation service, such officer remains entitled to monthly incentive pay for the performance of subsequent operational or proficiency flying duties up to the maximum period of time prescribed in accordance with this section.

(6) In this section:

(A) The term "aviation service" means service performed by an officer (except a flight surgeon or other medical officer) while holding an aeronautical rating or designation or while in training to receive an aeronautical rating or designation.

(B) The term "operational flying duty" means flying performed under competent orders by rated or designated members while serving in assignments in which basic flying skills normally are maintained in the performance of assigned duties as determined by the Secretary concerned, and flying performed by members in training that leads to the award of an aeronautical rating or designation.

(C) The term "proficiency flying duty" means flying performed under competent orders by rated or designated members while serving in assignments in which such skills would normally not be maintained in the performance of assigned duties.

(D) The term "officer" includes an individual enlisted, and designated, as an aviation cadet under section 8411 of title 10.

(b)(1) A member who satisfies the requirements described in subsection (a) is entitled to monthly incentive pay as follows:

Years of aviation service (including  flight training) as an officer:

Monthly rate

2 or less

$125

Over 2

$156

Over 3

$188

Over 4

$206

Over 6

$650

Over 14

$840

Over 22

$585

Over 23

$495

Over 24

$385

Over 25

$250

(2) An officer in a pay grade above O–6 is entitled, until the officer completes 25 years of aviation service, to be paid at the rates set forth in the table in paragraph (1), except that—

(A) an officer in pay grade O–7 may not be paid at a rate greater than $200 a month; and

(B) an officer in pay grade O–8 or above may not be paid at a rate greater than $206 a month.

(3) For a warrant officer with over 22, 23, 24, or 25 years of aviation service who is qualified under subsection (a), the rate prescribed in the table in paragraph (1) for officers with over 14 years of aviation service shall continue to apply to the warrant officer.

(4) An officer serving as an air battle manager who is entitled to aviation career incentive pay under this section and who, before becoming entitled to aviation career incentive pay, was entitled to incentive pay under section 301(a)(13) of this title, shall be paid the monthly incentive pay at the higher of the following rates:

(A) The rate otherwise applicable to the member under this subsection.

(B) The rate at which the member was receiving incentive pay under section 301(c)(2)(A) of this title immediately before the member's entitlement to aviation career incentive pay under this section.

(c) In time of war, the President may suspend the payment of aviation career incentive pay.

(d) Under regulations prescribed by the President and to the extent provided for by appropriations, when a member of a reserve component of a uniformed service, or of the National Guard, who is entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title, performs, under orders, duty described in subsection (a) for members entitled to basic pay, he is entitled to an increase in compensation equal to 1/30 of the monthly incentive pay authorized by subsection (b) for the performance of that duty by a member with corresponding years of aviation service who is entitled to basic pay. Such member is entitled to the increase for as long as he is qualified for it, for each regular period of instruction, or period of appropriate duty, at which he is engaged for at least two hours, including that performed on a Sunday or holiday, or for the performance of such other equivalent training, instruction, duty or appropriate duties, as the Secretary may prescribe under section 206(a) of this title. This subsection does not apply to a member who is entitled to basic pay under section 204 of this title.

§ 301b Special pay: aviation career officers extending period of active duty

(a) Bonus Authorized .—An aviation officer described in subsection (b) who, during the period beginning on January 1, 1989, and ending on December 31, 2018, executes a written agreement to remain on active duty in aviation service for at least one year may, upon the acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid a retention bonus as provided in this section.

(b) Covered Officers .—An aviation officer referred to in subsection (a) is an officer of a uniformed service who—

(1) is entitled to aviation career incentive pay under section 301a of this title;

(2) is in a pay grade below pay grade O–7;

(3) is qualified to perform operational flying duty; and

(4) has completed any active duty service commitment incurred for undergraduate aviator training or is within one year of completing such commitment.

(c) Amount of Bonus .—The amount of a retention bonus paid under this section may not be more than $25,000 for each year covered by the written agreement to remain on active duty.

(d) Proration .—The term of an agreement under subsection (a) and the amount of the bonus under subsection (c) may be prorated as long as such agreement does not extend beyond the date on which the officer making such agreement would complete 25 years of aviation service.

(e) Payment of Bonus .—Upon the acceptance of a written agreement under subsection (a) by the Secretary concerned, the total amount payable pursuant to the agreement becomes fixed and may be paid by the Secretary in either a lump sum or installments.

(f) Additional Pay .—A retention bonus paid under this section is in addition to any other pay and allowances to which an officer is entitled.

(g) Repayment .—An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(h) Regulations .—The Secretaries concerned shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section. Regulations prescribed by the Secretary of a military department shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of Defense.

(i) Reports .—(1) Not later than February 15 of each year, the Secretaries concerned shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report analyzing the effect of the provision of retention bonuses to aviation officers during the preceding fiscal year on the retention of qualified aviators.

(2) Not later than March 15 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives copies of the reports submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (1) with regard to the preceding fiscal year, together with such comments and recommendations as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(j) Definitions .—In this section:

(1) The term "aviation service" means service performed by an officer (except a flight surgeon or other medical officer) while holding an aeronautical rating or designation or while in training to receive an aeronautical rating or designation.

(2) The term "operational flying duty" has the meaning given such term in section 301a(a)(6)(B) of this title.

§ 301c Incentive pay: submarine duty

(a) Eligibility Requirements .—(1) Subject to regulations prescribed by the President, a member of the naval service who is entitled to basic pay, and (A) holds (or is in training leading to) a submarine duty designator, (B) is in and remains in the submarine service on a career basis, and (C) meets the requirements of paragraph (3), is entitled to continuous monthly submarine duty incentive pay in the amount prescribed pursuant to subsection (b).

(2) Subject to regulations prescribed by the President, a member of the naval service who is entitled to basic pay but is not entitled to continuous monthly submarine duty incentive pay under paragraph (1) is entitled to submarine duty incentive pay in the amount prescribed pursuant to subsection (b) for any period during which such member performs frequent and regular operational submarine duty (as defined in paragraph (5)) required by orders.

(3) To be entitled to continuous monthly submarine duty incentive pay through 26 years of service (as computed under section 205 of this title, but excluding, in the case of an officer, periods as an enlisted member before initial appointment as an officer), a member must perform operational submarine duties for at least 6 of the first 12, and at least 10 of the first 18, years of his submarine service. However, if a member performs the prescribed operational submarine duties for at least 8 but less than 10 of the first 18 years of his submarine service, he is entitled to continuous monthly submarine duty incentive pay for the first 22 years of his service (as computed under section 205 of this title, but excluding, in the case of an officer, periods as an enlisted member before initial appointment as an officer).

(4) If upon completion of either 12 or 18 years of submarine service it is determined that a member has failed to perform the minimum prescribed operational submarine duty requirements during the prescribed periods of time, his entitlement to continuous monthly submarine duty incentive pay ceases. If entitlement to continuous monthly submarine duty incentive pay ceases upon completion of 12 years of submarine service, entitlement to that pay may again commence upon completion of 18 years of submarine service if the minimum operational submarine duty requirements have been met, and such pay shall continue for the period of time prescribed in accordance with this section. However, if entitlement to continuous monthly submarine duty incentive pay ceases in the case of any member at the completion of either 12 or 18 years of submarine service or 26 years of service (as computed under section 205 of this title, but excluding, in the case of an officer, periods as an enlisted member before initial appointment as an officer), such member shall be entitled to that pay in the amount prescribed pursuant to subsection (b) for the performance of subsequent operational submarine duty, or for the performance of service as a member of a submarine operational command staff, if such member's duties require serving on a submarine during underway operations.

(5) In this section:

(A) The term "operational submarine duty" means duty—

(i) while attached under competent orders to a submarine, while serving as an operator or crew member of an operational submersible (including an undersea exploration or research vehicle), while undergoing training preliminary to assignment to a nuclear-powered submarine, while undergoing rehabilitation after assignment to a nuclear-powered submarine, or, in the case of a member qualified in submarines, while attached as a member of a submarine operational command staff whose duties require serving on a submarine during underway operations—

(I) during one calendar month: 48 hours, except that hours served underway in ex cess of 48 as a member of a submarine operational command staff during any of the immediately preceding five calendar months and not already used to qualify for incentive pay may be applied to satisfy the underway time requirements for the current month;

(II) during any two consecutive calendar months when the requirements of subclause (I) of this clause have not been met: 96 hours; or

(III) during any three consecutive calendar months when the requirements of subclause (II) of this clause have not been met: 144 hours;

(ii) while receiving instruction to prepare for assignment to a submarine of advanced design, or

(iii) while receiving instruction to prepare for a position of increased responsibility on a submarine.

(B) The term "submarine service" means the service performed, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy, by a member, and the years of submarine service are computed beginning with the effective date of the initial order to perform submarine service.

(b) Monthly Rates .—The Secretary of the Navy shall prescribe the monthly rates of submarine duty incentive pay, except that the maximum monthly rate may not exceed $1,000.

(c) Exceptions .—(1) An officer who fails of selection for assignment as an executive officer or commanding officer of a submarine or who declines to serve in either such position may not be paid submarine duty incentive pay except for periods during which the officer is serving on a submarine during underway operations.

(2) An enlisted member may not be paid continuous submarine duty incentive pay while serving ashore between submarine sea duty assignments unless the member has a sufficient period of enlistment (including any extension of an enlistment) remaining to be reassigned to submarine sea duty.

(d) Applicability to Certain Navy Reserve Duty .—Under regulations prescribed by the President and to the extent provided for by appropriations, when a member of the Navy Reserve who is entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title, performs, under orders, duty on a submarine during underway operations, he is eligible for an increase in such compensation equal to one-thirtieth of the monthly incentive pay prescribed pursuant to subsection (b) for the performance of that duty by a member of a corresponding grade and years of service who is entitled to basic pay. Such a member is eligible for the increase for each day served, for as long as he is qualified for it, during each regular period of appropriate duty.

§ 301d Multiyear retention bonus: medical officers of the armed forces

(a) Bonus Authorized .—(1) A medical officer described in subsection (b) who executes a written agreement to remain on active duty for two, three, or four years after completion of any other active-duty service commitment may, upon acceptance of the written agreement by the Secretary of the military department concerned, be paid a retention bonus as provided in this section.

(2) The amount of a retention bonus under paragraph (1) may not exceed $75,000 for each year covered by a four-year agreement. The maximum yearly retention bonus for two-year and three-year agreements shall be reduced to reflect the shorter service commitment.

(b) Eligible Officers .—This section applies to an officer of the armed forces who—

(1) is an officer of the Medical Corps of the Army or the Navy or an officer of the Air Force designated as a medical officer;

(2) is in a pay grade below pay grade O–7;

(3) has at least eight years of creditable service (computed as described in section 302(g) of this title) or has completed any active-duty service commitment incurred for medical education and training; and

(4) has completed initial residency training (or will complete such training before September 30 of the fiscal year in which the officer enters into an agreement under subsection (a)).

(c) Repayment .—An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

§ 301e Multiyear retention bonus: dental officers of the armed forces

(a) Bonus Authorized .—(1) A dental officer described in subsection (b) who executes a written agreement to remain on active duty for two, three, or four years after completion of any other active-duty service commitment may, upon acceptance of the written agreement by the Secretary of the military department concerned, be paid a retention bonus as provided in this section.

(2) The amount of a retention bonus under paragraph (1) may not exceed $50,000 for each year covered by a four-year agreement. The maximum yearly retention bonus for two-year and three-year agreements shall be reduced to reflect the shorter service commitment.

(b) Officers Automatically Eligible .—Subsection (a) applies to an officer of the armed forces who—

(1) is an officer of the Dental Corps of the Army or the Navy or an officer of the Air Force designated as a dental officer;

(2) has a dental specialty in oral and maxillofacial surgery;

(3) is in a pay grade below pay grade O–7;

(4) has at least eight years of creditable service (computed as described in section 302b(g)  1 of this title) or has completed any ac tive-duty service commitment incurred for dental education and training; and

(5) has completed initial residency training (or will complete such training before September 30 of the fiscal year in which the officer enters into an agreement under subsection (a)).

(c) Extension of Bonus to Other Dental Officers .—At the discretion of the Secretary of the military department concerned, the Secretary may enter into a written agreement described in subsection (a)(1) with a dental officer who does not have the dental specialty specified in subsection (b)(2), and pay a retention bonus to such an officer as provided in this section, if the officer otherwise satisfies the eligibility requirements specified in subsection (b). The Secretaries shall exercise the authority provided in this section in a manner consistent with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.

(d) Repayment .—An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

§ 302 Special pay: medical officers of the armed forces

(a) Variable, Additional, and Board Certification Special Pay .—(1) An officer who is an officer of the Medical Corps of the Army or the Navy or an officer of the Air Force designated as a medical officer and who is on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period of not less than one year is entitled to special pay in accordance with this subsection.

(2) An officer described in paragraph (1) who is serving in a pay grade below pay grade O–7 is entitled to variable special pay at the following rates:

(A) $1,200 per year, if the officer is undergoing medical internship training.

(B) $5,000 per year, if the officer has less than six years of creditable service and is not undergoing medical internship training.

(C) $12,000 per year, if the officer has at least six but less than eight years of creditable service.

(D) $11,500 per year, if the officer has at least eight but less than ten years of creditable service.

(E) $11,000 per year, if the officer has at least ten but less than twelve years of creditable service.

(F) $10,000 per year, if the officer has at least twelve but less than fourteen years of creditable service.

(G) $9,000 per year, if the officer has at least fourteen but less than eighteen years of creditable service.

(H) $8,000 per year, if the officer has at least eighteen but less than twenty-two years of creditable service.

(I) $7,000 per year, if the officer has twenty-two or more years of creditable service.

(3) An officer described in paragraph (1) who is serving in a pay grade above pay grade O–6 is entitled to variable special pay at the rate of $7,000 per year.

(4) Subject to subsection (c), an officer entitled to variable special pay under paragraph (2) or (3) is entitled to additional special pay of $15,000 for any twelve-month period during which the officer is not undergoing medical internship or initial residency training.

(5) An officer who is entitled to variable special pay under paragraph (2) or (3) and who is board certified is entitled to additional special pay at the following rates:

(A) $2,500 per year, if the officer has less than ten years of creditable service.

(B) $3,500 per year, if the officer has at least ten but less than twelve years of creditable service.

(C) $4,000 per year, if the officer has at least twelve but less than fourteen years of creditable service.

(D) $5,000 per year, if the officer has at least fourteen but less than eighteen years of creditable service.

(E) $6,000 per year, if the officer has eighteen or more years of creditable service.

(b) Incentive Special Pay .—(1) Subject to subsection (c) and paragraph (2) and under regulations prescribed under section 303a(a) of this title, an officer who is entitled to variable special pay under subsection (a)(2) may be paid incentive special pay for any twelve-month period during which the officer is not undergoing med ical internship or initial residency training. The amount of incentive special pay paid to an officer under this subsection may not exceed $75,000 for any 12-month period.

(2) An officer is not eligible for incentive special pay under paragraph (1) unless the Secretary concerned has determined that such officer is qualified in the medical profession.

(c) Active-Duty Agreement .—(1) An officer may not be paid additional special pay under subsection (a)(4) or incentive special pay under subsection (b) for any twelve-month period unless the officer first executes a written agreement under which the officer agrees to remain on active duty for a period of not less than one year beginning on the date the officer accepts the award of such special pay.

(2) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under section 303a(a) of this title, the Secretary of the military department concerned may terminate at any time an officer's entitlement to the special pay authorized by subsection (a)(4) or (b)(1). If such entitlement is terminated, the officer concerned shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(d) Regulations .—Regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under section 303a(a) of this title shall include standards for determining—

(1) whether an officer is undergoing medical internship or initial residency training for purposes of subsections (a)(2)(A), (a)(2)(B), (a)(4), and (b)(1); and

(2) whether an officer is board certified for purposes of subsection (a)(5).

(e) Frequency of Payments .—Special pay payable to an officer under paragraphs (2), (3), and (5) of subsection (a) shall be paid monthly. Special pay payable to an officer under subsection (a)(4) or (b)(1) shall be paid annually at the beginning of the twelve-month period for which the officer is entitled to such payment.

(f) Repayment .—An officer who does not complete the period for which the payment was made under subsection (a)(4) or subsection (b)(1) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(g) Determination of Creditable Service .—For purposes of this section, creditable service of an officer is computed by adding—

(1) all periods which the officer spent in medical internship or residency training during which the officer was not on active duty; and

(2) all periods of active service in the Medical Corps of the Army or Navy, as an officer of the Air Force designated as a medical officer, or as a medical officer of the Public Health Service.

(h) Reserve Medical Officers Special Pay .—(1) A reserve medical officer described in paragraph (2) is entitled to special pay at the rate of $450 a month for each month of active duty, including active duty in the form of annual training, active duty for training, and active duty for special work.

(2) A reserve medical officer referred to in paragraph (1) is a reserve officer who—

(A) is an officer of the Medical Corps of the Army or the Navy or an officer of the Air Force designated as a medical officer; and

(B) is on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period of less than one year.

(i) Effect of Discharge in Bankruptcy .—A discharge in bankruptcy under title 11 that is entered less than 5 years after the termination of an agreement under this section does not discharge the person signing such agreement from a debt arising under such agreement or under subsection (c)(2) or (f). This paragraph applies to any case commenced under title 11 after September 30, 1985.

§ 302 l Special pay: accession bonus for dental specialist officers in critically short wartime specialties

(a) Accession Bonus Authorized .—A person who is a graduate of an accredited dental school in a specialty designated by regulations as a critically short wartime specialty and who executes a written agreement described in subsection (d) to accept a commission as an officer of the armed forces and remain on active duty for a period of not less than four consecutive years may, upon the acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid an accession bonus in the amount determined by the Secretary concerned.

(b) Amount of Bonus .—The amount of an accession bonus under subsection (a) may not exceed $400,000.

(c) Limitation on Eligibility for Bonus .—A person may not be paid a bonus under subsection (a) if—

(1) the person, in exchange for an agreement to accept an appointment as an officer, received financial assistance from the Department of Defense to pursue a course of study in dentistry; or

(2) the Secretary concerned determines that the person is not qualified to become and remain certified as a dentist in a specialty designated by regulations as a critically short wartime specialty.

(d) Agreement .—The agreement referred to in subsection (a) shall provide that, consistent with the needs of the armed force concerned, the person executing the agreement will be assigned to duty, for the period of obligated service covered by the agreement, as an officer of the Dental Corps of the Army or the Navy or as an officer of the Air Force designated as a dental officer in a specialty designated by regulations as a critically short wartime specialty.

(e) Repayment .—A person who, after executing an agreement under subsection (a) is not commissioned as an officer of the armed forces, does not become licensed as a dentist, or does not complete the period of active duty in a specialty specified in the agreement, shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(f) Coordination With Other Accession Bonus Authority .—A person eligible to execute an agreement under both subsection (a) and section 302h of this title shall elect which authority to execute the agreement under. A person may not execute an agreement under both subsection (a) and such section 302h.

(g) Termination of Authority .—No agreement under this section may be entered into after December 31, 2018.

§ 302a Special pay: optometrists

(a) Regular Special Pay .—Each of the following officers is entitled to special pay at the rate of $100 a month for each month of active duty:

(1) A commissioned officer—

(A) of the Regular Army, Regular Navy, or Regular Air Force who is designated as an optometry officer; or

(B) who is an optometry officer of the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service.

(2) A commissioned officer—

(A) of a Reserve component of the Army, Navy, or Air Force who is designated as an optometry officer; or

(B) who is an optometry officer of the Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service,

who is on active duty as a result of a call or order to active duty for a period of at least one year.

(3) A general officer of the Army or the Air Force appointed, from any of the categories named in clause (1) or (2), in the Army, Air Force, or the National Guard, as the case may be.

(b) Retention Special Pay .—(1) Under regulations prescribed under section 303a(a) of this title, the Secretary concerned may pay an officer described in paragraph (2) a retention special pay of not more than $15,000 for any twelve-month period during which the officer is not undergoing an internship or initial residency training.

(2) An officer referred to in paragraph (1) is an officer of a uniformed service who—

(A) is entitled to special pay under subsection (a);

(B) has completed any initial active-duty service commitment incurred for education and training; and

(C) is determined by the Secretary concerned to be qualified as an optometrist.

(3) An officer may not be paid retention special pay under paragraph (1) for any twelve-month period unless the officer first executes a written agreement under which the officer agrees to remain on active duty for a period of not less than one year beginning on the date the officer accepts the award of such special pay.

(4) The Secretary concerned may terminate at any time the eligibility of an officer to receive retention special pay under paragraph (1). An officer who does not complete the period for which the payment was made under paragraph (1) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

§ 302b Special pay: dental officers of the armed forces

(a) Variable, Additional, Board Certification, and Incentive Special Pay .—(1) An officer who—

(A) is an officer of the Dental Corps of the Army or the Navy or an officer of the Air Force designated as a dental officer; and

(B) is on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period of not less than one year,

is entitled to special pay in accordance with this subsection.

(2) An officer described in paragraph (1) who is serving in a pay grade below pay grade O–7 is en titled to variable special pay at the following rates:

(A) $3,000 per year, if the officer is undergoing dental internship training or has less than three years of creditable service.

(B) $7,000 per year, if the officer has at least three but less than six years of creditable service and is not undergoing dental internship training.

(C) $7,000 per year, if the officer has at least six but less than eight years of creditable service.

(D) $12,000 per year, if the officer has at least eight but less than 12 years of creditable service.

(E) $10,000 per year, if the officer has at least 12 but less than 14 years of creditable service.

(F) $9,000 per year, if the officer has at least 14 but less than 18 years of creditable service.

(G) $8,000 per year, if the officer has 18 or more years of creditable service.

(3) An officer described in paragraph (1) who is serving in a pay grade above pay grade O–6 is entitled to variable special pay at the rate of $7,000 per year.

(4) An officer who is entitled to variable special pay under paragraph (2) or (3) is also entitled to additional special pay for any 12-month period during which an agreement executed under subsection (b) is in effect with respect to the officer. Such additional special pay shall be paid at a rate determined by the Secretary concerned, which rate may not exceed the following:

(A) $10,000 per year, if the officer has less than three years of creditable service.

(B) $12,000 per year, if the officer has at least three but less than 10 years of creditable service.

(C) $15,000 per year, if the officer has 10 or more years of creditable service.

(5) An officer who is entitled to variable special pay under paragraph (2) or (3) and who is board certified is entitled to additional special pay at the following rates:

(A) $2,500 per year, if the officer has less than 10 years of creditable service.

(B) $3,500 per year, if the officer has at least 10 but less than 12 years of creditable service.

(C) $4,000 per year, if the officer has at least 12 but less than 14 years of creditable service.

(D) $5,000 per year, if the officer has at least 14 but less than 18 years of creditable service.

(E) $6,000 per year, if the officer has 18 or more years of creditable service.

(6) An officer described in paragraph (1) who is an oral or maxillofacial surgeon may be paid incentive special pay at the same rates, and subject to the same terms and conditions, as incentive special pay available for medical officers under section 302(b) of this title.

(b) Active-Duty Agreement .—(1) An officer may not be paid additional special pay under paragraph (4) or (6) of subsection (a) for any 12-month period unless the officer first executes a written agreement under which the officer agrees to remain on active duty for a period of not less than one year beginning on the date the officer accepts the award of such special pay.

(2) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under section 303a(a) of this title, the Secretary of the military department concerned may terminate at any time an officer's entitlement to the special pay authorized by paragraph (4) or (6) of subsection (a). If such entitlement is terminated, the officer concerned shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(c) Regulations .—Regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense under section 303a(a) of this title shall include standards for determining—

(1) whether an officer is undergoing internship or residency training for purposes of subsections (a)(2)(A), (a)(2)(B), and (a)(4); and

(2) whether an officer is board certified for purposes of subsection (a)(5).

(d) Frequency of Payments .—Special pay payable to an officer under paragraphs (2), (3), and (5) of subsection (a) shall be paid monthly. Special pay payable to an officer under paragraph (4) or (6) of subsection (a) shall be paid annually at the beginning of the 12-month period for which the officer is entitled to such payment.

(e) Repayment .—An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement referred to in subsection (b) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(f) Determination of Creditable Service .—For purposes of this section, creditable service of an officer is computed by adding—

(1) all periods which the officer spent in dental internship or residency training during which the officer was not on active duty; and

(2) all periods of active service in the Dental Corps of the Army or Navy, as an officer of the Air Force designated as a dental officer, or as a dental officer of the Public Health Service.

(g) Reserve Dental Officers Special Pay .—(1) A reserve dental officer described in paragraph (2) is entitled to special pay at the rate of $350 a month for each month of active duty, including active duty in the form of annual training, active duty for training, and active duty for special work.

(2) A reserve dental officer referred to in paragraph (1) is a reserve officer who—

(A) is an officer of the Dental Corps of the Army or the Navy or an officer of the Air Force designated as a dental officer; and

(B) is on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period of less than one year.

§ 302c Special pay: psychologists and nonphysician health care providers

(a) Public Health Service Corps .—A member who is—

(1) an officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service and is designated as a psychologist; and

(2) has been awarded a diploma as a Diplomate in Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology,

is entitled to special pay, as provided in subsection (b).

(b) Rate of Special Pay .—The rate of special pay to which an officer is entitled pursuant to subsection (a) shall be—

(1) $2,000 per year, if the officer has less than 10 years of creditable service;

(2) $2,500 per year, if the officer has at least 10 but less than 12 years of creditable service;

(3) $3,000 per year, if the officer has at least 12 but less than 14 years of creditable service;

(4) $4,000 per year, if the officer has at least 14 but less than 18 years of creditable service; or

(5) $5,000 per year, if the officer has 18 or more years of creditable service.

(c) Army, Navy, and Air Force Psychologists .—The Secretary of Defense may provide special pay at the rates specified in subsection (b) to an officer who—

(1) is an officer in the Medical Service Corps of the Army or Navy or a biomedical sciences officer in the Air Force;

(2) is designated as a psychologist; and

(3) has been awarded a diploma as a Diplomate in Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

(d) Nonphysician Health Care Providers .—The Secretary concerned may authorize the payment of special pay at the rates specified in subsection (b) to an officer who—

(1) is an officer in the Medical Service Corps of the Army or Navy, a biomedical sciences officer in the Air Force, an officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps, an officer of the Nurse Corps of the Army or Navy, an officer of the Air Force designated as a nurse, an officer of the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Reserve designated as a physician assistant, or an officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service;

(2) is a health care provider (other than a psychologist);

(3) has a postbaccalaureate degree; and

(4) is certified by a professional board in the officer's specialty.

§ 302c–1 Special pay: accession and retention bonuses for psychologists

(a) Accession Bonus.—

(1) Accession bonus authorized .—A person described in paragraph (2) who executes a written agreement described in subsection (d) to accept a commission as an officer of the armed forces and remain on active duty for a period of not less than four consecutive years may, upon acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid an accession bonus in an amount, subject to subsection (c)(1), determined by the Secretary concerned.

(2) Eligible persons .—A person described in paragraph (1) is any person who—

(A) is a graduate of an accredited school of psychology; and

(B) holds a valid State license to practice as a doctoral level psychologist.

(3) Limitation on eligibility .—A person may not be paid a bonus under this subsection if—

(A) the person, in exchange for an agreement to accept an appointment as an officer, received financial assistance from the Department of Defense to pursue a course of study in psychology; or

(B) the Secretary concerned determines that the person is not qualified to become and remain certified as a psychologist.

(b) Multiyear Retention Bonus.—

(1) Retention bonus authorized .—An officer described in paragraph (2) who executes a written agreement described in subsection (d) to remain on active duty for up to four years after completion of any other active-duty service commitment may, upon acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid a retention bonus as provided in this section.

(2) Eligible officers .—An officer described in paragraph (1) is an officer of the armed forces who—

(A) is a psychologist of the armed forces;

(B) is in a pay grade below pay grade O–7;

(C) has at least eight years of creditable service (computed as described in section 302b(f) of this title) or has completed any active-duty service commitment incurred for psychology education and training;

(D) has completed initial residency training (or will complete such training before September 30 of the fiscal year in which the officer enters into the agreement under this subsection); and

(E) holds a valid State license to practice as a doctoral level psychologist.

(c) Maximum Amount of Bonus.—

(1) Accession bonus .—The amount of an accession bonus under subsection (a) may not exceed $400,000.

(2) Retention bonus .—The amount of a retention bonus under subsection (b) may not exceed $25,000 for each year of the agreement of the officer concerned.

(d) Agreement .—The agreement referred to in subsections (a) and (b) shall provide that, consistent with the needs of the armed force concerned, the person or officer executing the agreement will be assigned to duty, for the period of obligated service covered by the agreement, as an officer of such armed force as a psychologist.

(e) Repayment.—

(1) Accession bonus .—A person who, after signing an agreement under subsection (a), is not commissioned as an officer of the armed forces, does not become licensed as a psychologist, or does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(2) Retention bonus .—An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (b) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(f) Termination of Authority .—No agreement under subsection (a) or (b) may be entered into after December 31, 2018.

§ 302d Special pay: accession bonus for registered nurses

(a) Accession Bonus Authorized .—(1) A person who is a registered nurse and who, during the period beginning on November 29, 1989, and ending on December 31, 2018, executes a written agreement described in subsection (c) to accept a commission as an officer and remain on active duty for a period of not less than three years may, upon the acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid an accession bonus in an amount determined by the Secretary concerned.

(2) The amount of an accession bonus under paragraph (1) may not exceed $30,000.

(b) Limitation on Eligibility for Bonus .—A person may not be paid a bonus under subsection (a) if—

(1) the person, in exchange for an agreement to accept an appointment as an officer, received financial assistance from the Department of Defense to pursue a baccalaureate degree; or

(2) the Secretary concerned determines that the person is not qualified to become and remain licensed as a registered nurse.

(c) Agreement .—The agreement referred to in subsection (a) shall provide that, consistent with the needs of the uniformed service concerned, the person executing the agreement will be assigned to duty, for the period of obligated service covered by the agreement, as an officer of the Nurse Corps of the Army or Navy, an officer of the Air Force designated as a nurse, or an officer designated as a nurse in the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service.

(d) Repayment .—An officer who does not become and remain licensed as a registered nurse during the period for which the payment is made, or who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (a), shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

§ 302e Special pay: nurse anesthetists

(a) Special Pay Authorized .—(1) An officer described in subsection (b)(1) who, during the period beginning on November 29, 1989, and ending on December 31, 2018, executes a written agreement to remain on active duty for a period of one year or more may, upon the acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid incentive special pay in an amount not to exceed $50,000 for any 12-month period.

(2) The Secretary concerned shall determine the amount of incentive special pay to be paid to an officer under paragraph (1). In determining that amount, the Secretary concerned shall consider the period of obligated service provided for in the agreement under that paragraph.

(b) Covered Officers .—(1) An officer referred to in subsection (a) is an officer of a uniformed service who—

(A) is an officer of the Nurse Corps of the Army or Navy, an officer of the Air Force designated as a nurse, or an officer designated as a nurse in the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service;

(B) is a qualified certified registered nurse anesthetist; and

(C) is on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period of not less than one year.

(2) The Secretary of Defense may extend the special pay authorized under subsection (a) to officers of the armed forces who serve in a nursing specialty (other than as nurse anesthetists) that—

(A) is designated by the Secretary of the military department concerned as critical to meet requirements (whether such specialty is designated as critical to meet wartime or peacetime requirements); and

(B) requires postbaccalaureate education and training.

(c) Termination of Agreement .—Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, with respect to the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to the Public Health Service, the Secretary concerned may terminate an agreement entered into under subsection (a). Upon termination of an agreement, the entitlement of the officer to special pay under this section and the agreed upon commitment to active duty of the officer shall end. If such entitlement is terminated, the officer concerned shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(d) Payment .—Special pay payable to an officer under subsection (a) shall be paid annually at the beginning of the 12-month period for which the officer is to receive that payment.

(e) Repayment .—An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

§ 302f Special pay: reserve, recalled, or retained health care officers

(a) Eligible for Special Pay .—A health care officer described in subsection (b) shall be eligi ble for special pay under section 302, 302a, 302b, 302c, 302e, or 303 of this title (whichever applies) notwithstanding any requirement in those sections that—

(1) the call or order of the officer to active duty be for a period of not less than one year; or

(2) the officer execute a written agreement to remain on active duty for a period of not less than one year.

(b) Health Care Officers Described .—A health care officer referred to in subsection (a) is an officer of the armed forces who is otherwise eligible for special pay under section 302, 302a, 302b, 302c, 302e, or 303 of this title and who—

(1) is a reserve officer on active duty (other than for training) under a call or order to active duty for a period of more than 30 days but less than one year;

(2) is involuntarily retained on active duty under section 12305 of title 10, or is recalled to active duty under section 688 of title 10 for a period of more than 30 days; or

(3) voluntarily agrees to remain on active duty for a period of less than one year at a time when—

(A) officers are involuntarily retained on active duty under section 12305 of title 10; or

(B) the Secretary of Defense determines (pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary) that special circumstances justify the payment of special pay under this section.

(c) Monthly Payments .—Payment of special pay pursuant to this section may be made on a monthly basis. The officer shall repay in the manner provided in section 303a(e) of this title any amount received under this section in excess of the amount that corresponds to the actual period of active duty served by the officer.

(d) Special Rule for Reserve Medical and Dental Officers .—While a reserve medical or dental officer receives a special pay under section 302 or 302b of this title by reason of subsection (a), the officer shall not be entitled to special pay under section 302(h) or 302b(h) of this title.

§ 302g Special pay: Selected Reserve health care professionals in critically short wartime specialties

(a) Special Pay Authorized .—An officer of a reserve component of the armed forces described in subsection (b) who executes a written agreement under which the officer agrees to serve in the Selected Reserve of an armed force for a period of not less than one year nor more than three years, beginning on the date the officer accepts the award of special pay under this section, may be paid special pay at an annual rate not to exceed $25,000.

(b) Eligible Officers .—An officer referred to in subsection (a) is an officer in a health care profession who is qualified in a specialty designated by regulations as a critically short wartime specialty.

(c) Time for Payment .—Special pay under this section shall be paid annually at the beginning of each twelve-month period for which the officer has agreed to serve.

(d) Repayment .—An officer who does not complete the period of service in the Selected Reserve specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(e) Termination of Agreement Authority .—No agreement under this section may be entered into after December 31, 2018.

§ 302h Special pay: accession bonus for dental officers

(a) Accession Bonus Authorized .—(1) A person who is a graduate of an accredited dental school and who, during the period beginning on September 23, 1996, and ending on December 31, 2018, executes a written agreement described in subsection (c) to accept a commission as an officer of the armed forces and remain on active duty for a period of not less than four years may, upon the acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid an accession bonus in an amount determined by the Secretary concerned.

(2) The amount of an accession bonus under paragraph (1) may not exceed $200,000.

(b) Limitation on Eligibility for Bonus .—A person may not be paid a bonus under subsection (a) if—

(1) the person, in exchange for an agreement to accept an appointment as an officer, received financial assistance from the Department of Defense to pursue a course of study in dentistry; or

(2) the Secretary concerned determines that the person is not qualified to become and remain certified and licensed as a dentist.

(c) Agreement .—The agreement referred to in subsection (a) shall provide that, consistent with the needs of the armed service concerned, the person executing the agreement will be assigned to duty, for the period of obligated service covered by the agreement, as an officer of the Dental Corps of the Army or the Navy or an officer of the Air Force designated as a dental officer.

(d) Repayment .—A person who, after signing an agreement under subsection (a), is not commissioned as an officer of the armed forces, does not become licensed as a dentist, or does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

§ 302i Special pay: pharmacy officers

(a) Army, Navy, and Air Force Pharmacy Officers .—Under regulations prescribed pursuant to section 303a of this title, the Secretary of the military department concerned may, subject to subsection (c), pay retention special pay under this section to an officer who—

(1) is a pharmacy officer in the Medical Service Corps of the Army or Navy or the Biomedical Sciences Corps of the Air Force; and

(2) is on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period of not less than one year.

(b) Public Health Service Corps .—Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary of Health and Human Services may pay retention special pay under this section to an officer who—

(1) is an officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service and is designated as a pharmacy officer; and

(2) is on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period of not less than one year.

(c) Limitation on Eligibility for Special Pay .—Special pay may not be paid under this section to an officer serving in a pay grade above pay grade O–6.

(d) Limitation on Amount of Special Pay .—The amount of retention special pay paid to an officer under this section may not exceed $15,000 for any 12-month period.

§ 302j Special pay: accession bonus for pharmacy officers

(a) Accession Bonus Authorized .—A person who is a graduate of an accredited pharmacy school and who, during the period beginning on October 30, 2000, and ending on December 31, 2018, executes a written agreement described in subsection (d) to accept a commission as an officer of a uniformed service and remain on active duty for a period of not less than 4 years may, upon acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid an accession bonus in an amount determined by the Secretary concerned.

(b) Limitation on Amount of Bonus. —The amount of an accession bonus under subsection (a) may not exceed $30,000.

(c) Limitation on Eligibility for Bonus .—A person may not be paid a bonus under subsection (a) if—

(1) the person, in exchange for an agreement to accept an appointment as a warrant or commissioned officer, received financial assistance from the Department of Defense or the Department of Health and Human Services to pursue a course of study in pharmacy; or

(2) the Secretary concerned determines that the person is not qualified to become and remain licensed as a pharmacist.

(d) Agreement .—The agreement referred to in subsection (a) shall provide that, consistent with the needs of the uniformed service concerned, the person executing the agreement shall be assigned to duty, for the period of obligated service covered by the agreement, as a pharmacy officer in the Medical Service Corps of the Army or Navy, a biomedical sciences officer in the Air Force designated as a pharmacy officer, or a pharmacy officer of the Public Health Service.

(e) Repayment .—A person who, after signing an agreement under subsection (a), is not com missioned as an officer of the armed forces, does not become and remain certified or licensed as a pharmacist, or does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

§ 302k Special pay: accession bonus for medical officers in critically short wartime specialties

(a) Accession Bonus Authorized .—A person who is a graduate of an accredited school of medicine or osteopathy in a specialty designated by regulations as a critically short wartime specialty and who executes a written agreement described in subsection (d) to accept a commission as an officer of the armed forces and remain on active duty for a period of not less than four consecutive years may, upon the acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid an accession bonus in the amount determined by the Secretary concerned.

(b) Amount of Bonus .—The amount of an accession bonus under subsection (a) may not exceed $400,000.

(c) Limitation on Eligibility for Bonus .—A person may not be paid a bonus under subsection (a) if—

(1) the person, in exchange for an agreement to accept an appointment as an officer, received financial assistance from the Department of Defense to pursue a course of study in medicine or osteopathy; or

(2) the Secretary concerned determines that the person is not qualified to become and remain certified as a doctor or osteopath in a specialty designated by regulations as a critically short wartime specialty.

(d) Agreement .—The agreement referred to in subsection (a) shall provide that, consistent with the needs of the armed force concerned, the person executing the agreement will be assigned to duty, for the period of obligated service covered by the agreement, as an officer of the Medical Corps of the Army or the Navy or as an officer of the Air Force designated as a medical officer in a specialty designated by regulations as a critically short wartime specialty.

(e) Repayment .—A person who, after executing an agreement under subsection (a) is not commissioned as an officer of the armed forces, does not become licensed as a doctor or osteopath, as the case may be, or does not complete the period of active duty in a specialty specified in the agreement, shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(f) Termination of Authority .—No agreement under this section may be entered into after December 31, 2018.

§ 303 Special pay: veterinarians

(a) Monthly Special Pay .—Each of the following officers is entitled to special pay at the rate of $100 a month for each month of active duty:

(1) A commissioned officer—

(A) of the Regular Army who is in the Veterinary Corps;

(B) of the Regular Air Force who is an officer in the Biomedical Sciences Corps and holds a degree in veterinary medicine; or

(C) who is a veterinary officer of the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service.

(2) A commissioned officer—

(A) of a Reserve component of the Army who is in the Veterinary Corps of the Army;

(B) of a reserve component of the Air Force, of the Army or the Air Force without specification of component, or of the National Guard, who—

(i) is designated as a veterinary officer; or

(ii) is an officer in the Biomedical Sciences Corps of the Air Force and holds a degree in veterinary medicine; or

(C) who is a veterinary officer of the Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service,

who is on active duty as a result of a call or order to active duty for a period of at least one year.

(3) A general officer of the Army or the Air Force appointed, from any of the categories named in clause (1) or (2), in the Army, the Air Force, or the National Guard, as the case may be.

(b) Additional Special Pay for Board Certification .—A commissioned officer entitled to special pay under subsection (a) who has been certified as a Diplomate in a specialty recognized by the American Veterinarian Medical Association is entitled to special pay (in addition to the special pay under subsection (a)) at the same rate as is provided under section 302c(b) of this title for an officer referred to in that section who has the same number of years of creditable service as the commissioned officer.

§ 303a Special pay: general provisions

(a) The Secretary of Defense, with respect to the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to the Public Health Service, shall prescribe regulations for the administration of sections 301d, 302 through 302j, and 303 of this title.

(b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) or as otherwise provided under a provision of this chapter, a commissioned officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service is entitled to special pay under a provision of this chapter in the same amounts, and under the same terms and conditions, as a commissioned officer of the armed forces is entitled to special pay under that provision.

(2) A commissioned medical officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps  1 of the Public Health Service (other than an officer serving in the Indian Health Service) may not receive additional special pay under section 302(a)(4) of this title for any period during which the officer is providing obligated service under the following provisions of law:

(A) Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1).

(B) Section 225(e) of the Public Health Service Act, as that section was in effect before October 1, 1977.

(C) Section 752 of the Public Health Service Act, as that section was in effect between October 1, 1977, and August 13, 1981.

(c) Special pay authorized under sections 301d, 302 through 302j, and 303 of this title is in addition to any other pay or allowance to which an officer is entitled. The amount of special pay to which an officer is entitled under any of such sections may not be included in computing the amount of any increase in pay authorized by any other provision of this title or in computing retired pay, separation pay, severance pay, or readjustment pay.

(d) The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a review every two years of the special pay for health professionals authorized by sections 301d, 302 through 302j, and 303 of this title.

(e) Repayment of Unearned Portion of Bonuses and Other Benefits When Conditions of Payment not Met; Termination of Entitlement to Unpaid Amounts .—(1)(A) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), a member of the uniformed services who receives a bonus or similar benefit and whose receipt of the bonus or similar benefit is subject to the condition that the member continue to satisfy certain eligibility requirements shall repay to the United States an amount equal to the unearned portion of the bonus or similar benefit if the member fails to satisfy the eligibility requirements and may not receive any unpaid amounts of the bonus or similar benefit after the member fails to satisfy the requirements, unless the Secretary concerned determines that the imposition of the repayment requirement and termination of the payment of unpaid amounts of the bonus or similar benefit with regard to the member would be contrary to a personnel policy or management objective, would be against equity and good conscience, or would be contrary to the best interests of the United States.

(B) The Secretary concerned may establish, by regulations, procedures for determining the amount of the repayment required under this subsection and the circumstances under which an exception to the required repayment may be granted. The Secretary concerned may specify in the regulations the conditions under which an installment payment of a bonus or similar benefit to be paid to a member of the uniformed services will not be made if the member no longer satisfies the eligibility requirements for the bonus or similar benefit. For the military departments, this subsection shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.

(2)(A) If a member of the uniformed services receives a sole survivorship discharge, the Secretary concerned—

(i) shall not require repayment by the member of the unearned portion of any bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit previously paid to the member; and

(ii) may grant an exception to the requirement to terminate the payment of any unpaid amounts of a bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit if the Secretary concerned determines that termination of the payment of the unpaid amounts would be contrary to a personnel policy or management objective, would be against equity and good conscience, or would be contrary to the best interests of the United States.

(B) In this paragraph, the term "sole survivorship discharge" means the separation of a member from the Armed Forces, at the request of the member, pursuant to the Department of Defense policy permitting the early separation of a member who is the only surviving child in a family in which—

(i) the father or mother or one or more siblings—

(I) served in the Armed Forces; and

(II) was killed, died as a result of wounds, accident, or disease, is in a captured or missing in action status, or is permanently 100 percent disabled or hospitalized on a continuing basis (and is not employed gainfully because of the disability or hospitalization); and

(ii) the death, status, or disability did not result from the intentional misconduct or willful neglect of the parent or sibling and was not incurred during a period of unauthorized absence.

(3)(A) If a member of the uniformed services dies or is retired or separated with a combat-related disability, the Secretary concerned—

(i) shall not require repayment by the member or the member's estate of the unearned portion of any bonus or similar benefit previously paid to the member; and

(ii) shall require the payment to the member or the member's estate of the remainder of any bonus or similar benefit that was not yet paid to the member, but to which the member was entitled immediately before the death, retirement, or separation of the member, and would be paid if not for the death, retirement, or separation of the member.

(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply if the death or disability of the member is the result of the member's misconduct.

(C) The amount to be paid under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be equal to the full amount specified by the agreement or contract applicable to the bonus or similar benefit as if the member continued to be entitled to the bonus or similar benefit following the death, retirement, or separation.

(D) Amounts to be paid to a member or the member's estate under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be paid in a lump sum not later than 90 days after the date of the death, retirement, or separation of the member, whichever applies.

(E) In this paragraph, the term "combat-related disability" has the meaning given that term in section 1413a(e) of title 10.

(4) An obligation to repay the United States under this subsection is, for all purposes, a debt owed the United States. A discharge in bankruptcy under title 11 does not discharge a person from such debt if the discharge order is entered less than five years after—

(A) the date of the termination of the agreement or contract on which the debt is based; or

(B) in the absence of such an agreement or contract, the date of the termination of the service on which the debt is based.

(5) In this subsection:

(A) The term "bonus or similar benefit" means a bonus, incentive pay, special pay, or similar payment, or an educational benefit or stipend, paid to a member of the uniformed services under a provision of law that refers to the repayment requirements of this subsection.

(B) The term "service", as used in paragraph (4)(B), refers to an obligation willingly undertaken by a member of the uniformed services, in exchange for a bonus or similar benefit offered by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary concerned—

(i) to remain on active duty or in an active status in a reserve component;

(ii) to perform duty in a specified skill, with or without a specified qualification or credential;

(iii) to perform duty at a specified location; or

(iv) to perform duty for a specified period of time.

§ 303b Waiver of board certification requirements

(a) Certification Interrupted by Contingency Operation .—A member of the armed forces described in subsection (b) who completes the board certification or recertification requirements specified in section 302(a)(5), 302b(a)(5), 302c(c)(3), or 302c(d)(4) of this title before the end of the period established for the member in subsection (c) shall be paid special pay under the applicable section for active duty performed during the period beginning on the date on which the member was assigned to duty in support of a contingency operation and ending on the date of that certification or recertification if the Secretary of Defense determines that the member was unable to schedule or complete that certification or recertification earlier because of that duty.

(b) Eligible Members Described .—A member of the armed forces referred to in subsection (a) is a member who—

(1) is a medical or dental officer or a nonphysician health care provider;

(2) has completed any required residency training; and

(3) was, except for the board certification requirement, otherwise eligible for special pay under section 302(a)(5), 302b(a)(5), 302c(c)(3), or 302c(d)(4) of this title during a duty assignment in support of a contingency operation.

(c) Period for Certification .—The period referred to in subsection (a) for completion of board certification or recertification requirements with respect to a member of the armed forces is the 180-day period (extended for such additional time as the Secretary of Defense determines to be appropriate) beginning on the date on which the member is released from the duty to which the member was assigned in support of a contingency operation.

§ 304 Special pay: diving duty

(a) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, a member of a uniformed service who is entitled to basic pay is entitled to special pay, in the amount set forth in subsection (b), for periods during which the member—

(1) is assigned by orders to the duty of diving;

(2) is required to maintain proficiency as a diver by frequent and regular dives; and

(3) either—

(A) actually performs diving duty while serving in an assignment for which diving is a primary duty; or

(B) meets the requirements to maintain proficiency as described in paragraph (2) while serving in an assignment that includes diving duty other than as a primary duty.

(b) Special pay payable under subsection (a) shall be paid at a rate of not more than $240 a month, in the case of an officer, and at a rate of not more than $340 a month, in the case of an enlisted member.

(c) If, in addition to diving duty, a member is assigned by orders to one or more hazardous duties described in section 301 of this title, the member may be paid, for the same period of service, special pay under this section and incentive pay under such section 301 for each hazardous duty for which the member is qualified.

(d)(1) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned and to the extent provided for by appropriations, when a member of the National Guard or a reserve component of a uniformed service who is entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title performs diving duty, pursuant to orders, such member is entitled to an increase in compensation equal to 1/30 of the monthly special pay prescribed by the Secretary concerned for the performance of diving duty by a member of comparable diving classification who is entitled to basic pay under section 204 of this title. Such member is entitled to the increase—

(A) for each regular period of instruction, or period of appropriate duty, at which the member is engaged for at least two hours, including that performed on a Sunday or holiday; or

(B) for the performance of such other equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties, as the Secretary may prescribe under section 206(a) of this title.

(2) This subsection does not apply to a member who is entitled to basic pay under section 204 of this title.

(e) In time of war, the President may suspend the payment of diving duty pay.

§ 305 Special pay: hardship duty pay

(a) Special Pay Authorized .—A member of a uniformed service who is entitled to basic pay may be paid special pay under this section while the member is performing duty that is designated by the Secretary of Defense as hardship duty.

(b) Payment on Monthly or Lump Sum Basis .—Special pay payable under this section may be paid on a monthly basis or in a lump sum.

(c) Maximum Rate or Amount .—(1) The monthly rate of special pay payable to a member under this section may not exceed $1,500.

(2) The amount of the lump sum payment of special pay payable to a member under this section may not exceed the product of—

(A) the maximum monthly rate in effect under paragraph (1) at the time the member qualifies for payment of special pay under this section; and

(B) the number of months during which the member will be performing the designated hardship duty.

(d) Relationship to Other Pay and Allowances .—Special pay paid to a member under this section is in addition to any other pay and allowances to which the member is entitled.

(e) Repayment .—A member who is paid special pay in a lump sum under this section, but who fails to perform the designated hardship duty during the months included in the calculation of the amount of the lump sum under subsection (c)(2), shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(f) Regulations .—The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations for the payment of hardship duty pay under this section, including the specific monthly rates at which the special pay will be available.

§ 305a Special pay: career sea pay

(a) Availability of Special Pay .—A member of a uniformed service who is entitled to basic pay is also entitled, while on sea duty, to special pay at the applicable rate under subsection (b).

(b) Rates; Maximum .—The Secretary concerned shall prescribe the monthly rates for special pay applicable to members of each armed force under the Secretary's jurisdiction. No monthly rate may exceed $750.

(c) Premium .—A member of a uniformed service entitled to career sea pay under this section who has served 36 consecutive months of sea duty is also entitled to a career sea pay premium for the thirty-seventh consecutive month and each subsequent consecutive month of sea duty served by such member. The monthly amount of the premium shall be prescribed by the Secretary concerned, but may not exceed $350.

(d) Regulations .—The Secretary concerned shall prescribe regulations for the administration of this section for the armed force or armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary. The entitlements under this section shall be subject to the regulations.

(e) Definition of Sea Duty .—(1) In this section, the term "sea duty" means duty performed by a member—

(A) while permanently or temporarily assigned to a ship and—

(i) while serving on a ship the primary mission of which is accomplished while under way;

(ii) while serving as a member of the off-crew of a two-crewed submarine;

(iii) while serving as a member of a tender-class ship (with the hull classification of submarine or destroyer); or

(iv) while serving as an off-cycle crewmember of a multi-crewed ship; or

(B) while permanently or temporarily assigned to a ship and while serving on a ship the primary mission of which is normally accomplished while in port, but only during a period that the ship is away from its homeport.

(2) The Secretary concerned may designate duty performed by a member while serving on a ship the primary mission of which is accomplished either while under way or in port as "sea duty" for purposes of this section, even though the duty is performed while the member is permanently or temporarily assigned to a ship-based staff or other unit not covered by paragraph (1).

(3) For the purpose of determining the years of sea duty with which a member may be credited for purposes of this section, the term "sea duty" also includes duty performed after December 31, 1988, by a member while permanently or temporarily assigned to a ship or ship-based staff and while serving on a ship on which the member would be entitled, during a period that the ship is away from its homeport, to receive sea pay by reason of paragraph (1)(B).

(4) A ship shall be considered to be away from its homeport for purposes of this subsection when it is—

(A) at sea; or

(B) in a port that is more than 50 miles from its homeport.

§ 305b Special pay: service as member of Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team

(a) Special Pay Authorized .—The Secretary of a military department may pay special pay under this subsection to members of an armed force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary who are entitled to basic pay under section 204 and are assigned by orders to duty as members of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team if the Secretary determines that the payment of such special pay is needed to address re cruitment or retention concerns in that armed force.

(b) Monthly Rate .—The monthly rate of special pay under subsection (a) may not exceed $150.

(c) Inclusion of Reserve Component Members Performing Inactive Duty Training .—(1) To the extent funds are made available to carry out this subsection, the Secretary of a military department may pay the special pay under subsection (a) to members of a reserve component of the armed forces who are entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title and who perform duty under orders as members of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team.

(2) The amount of the special pay for a member referred to in paragraph (1) shall be equal to 1/30 of the monthly special pay rate in effect under subsection (b) for each day on which the member performs duty under orders as members of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team.

(d) Regulations .—Special pay under this section shall be provided in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.

(e) Definition .—In this section, the term "Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team" means a team of members of the reserve components of the armed forces that is established under section 12310(c) of title 10 in support of emergency preparedness programs to prepare for or to respond to any emergency involving the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

§ 306 Special pay: officers holding positions of unusual responsibility and of critical nature

(a)(1) The Secretary concerned may designate positions of unusual responsibility which are of a critical nature to an armed force under his jurisdiction and may pay special pay, in addition to other pay prescribed by law, to an officer of an armed force described in paragraph (2) who is performing the duties of such a position, at the following monthly rates:

Pay Grade Monthly Rate

O–6

$150

O–5

100

O–4 and below

50

(2) An officer of the armed forces referred to in paragraph (1) is an officer who is entitled to the basic pay under section 204 of this title, or the compensation under section 206 of this title, of pay grade O–6 or below.

(b) If an officer entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title is paid special pay under subsection (a) for the performance of duties in a position designated under such subsection, the special pay shall be paid at the rate of 1/30 of the monthly rate authorized by such subsection for each day of the performance of duties in the designated position.

(c) The Secretary concerned shall prescribe the criteria and circumstances under which officers of an armed force under his jurisdiction are eligible for special pay under this section and, when he considers it necessary, may abolish that special pay.

(d)(1) Not more than 5 percent of the number of officers on active duty (other than for training or mobilization in support of a contingency operation) in an armed force in each of the pay grades O–3 and below, and not more than 10 percent of the number of officers on active duty in an armed force in pay grade O–4, O–5, or O–6, may be paid special pay under this section.

(2) Of the number of officers in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of an armed force who are not on active duty (other than for training or mobilization in support of a contingency operation), not more than 5 percent of the number of such officers in each of the pay grades O–3 and below, and not more than 10 percent of the number of such officers in pay grade O–4, O–5, or O–6, may be paid special pay under subsection (b).

(e) This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under his jurisdiction, and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(f) This section does not apply to a person who is entitled to special pay under section 302, 302a, 302b, or 303 of this title.

§ 306a Special pay: members assigned to international military headquarters

Not more than nine members of the armed forces, including members detailed to international military headquarters, may be paid pay and allowances at rates referred to in section 625(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2385(d)).

§ 307 Special pay: special duty assignment pay for enlisted members

(a) An enlisted member who is entitled to basic pay and is performing duties which have been designated under subsection (b) as extremely difficult or as involving an unusual degree of responsibility in a military skill may, in addition to other pay or allowances to which he is entitled, be paid special duty assignment pay at a monthly rate not to exceed $600.

(b) The Secretary concerned shall determine which enlisted members under his jurisdiction are to be paid special duty assignment pay under subsection (a). He shall also designate those skills within each armed force under his jurisdiction for which special duty assignment pay is authorized and shall prescribe the criteria under which members of that armed force are eligible for special duty assignment pay in each skill. He may increase, decrease, or abolish such pay for any skill.

(c) This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under his jurisdiction and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(d)(1) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned and to the extent provided for by appropriations, when an enlisted member of the National Guard or a reserve component of a uniformed service who is entitled to compensation under section 206 of this title performs duty for which a member described in subsection (a) is entitled to special pay under such subsection, the member of the National Guard or reserve component is entitled to an increase in compensation equal to 1/30 of the monthly special duty assignment pay prescribed by the Secretary concerned for the performance of that same duty by members described in subsection (a).

(2) A member of the National Guard or a reserve component entitled to an increase in compensation under paragraph (1) is entitled to the increase—

(A) for each regular period of instruction, or period of appropriate duty, at which the member is engaged for at least two hours, including that performed on a Sunday or holiday; or

(B) for the performance of such other equivalent training, instruction, duty, or appropriate duties, as the Secretary may prescribe under section 206(a) of this title.

(3) This subsection does not apply to a member of the National Guard or a reserve component who is entitled to basic pay under section 204 of this title.

§ 307a Special pay: assignment incentive pay

(a) Authority .—The Secretary concerned may pay incentive pay under this section to a member of a uniformed service who performs service, while entitled to basic pay, in an assignment designated by the Secretary concerned. Incentive pay payable under this section may be paid on a monthly basis, in a lump sum, or in installments.

(b) Written Agreement .—(1) The Secretary concerned may require a member performing service in an assignment designated under subsection (a) to enter into a written agreement with the Secretary in order to qualify for the payment of incentive pay on a monthly basis under this section. The written agreement shall specify the period for which the incentive pay will be paid to the member and, subject to subsection (c), the monthly rate of the incentive pay.

(2) The Secretary concerned shall require a member performing service in an assignment designated under subsection (a) to enter into a written agreement with the Secretary in order to qualify for the payment of incentive pay on a lump sum or installment basis under this section. The written agreement shall specify the period for which the incentive pay will be paid to the member and, subject to subsection (c), the amount of the lump sum, or each installment, of the incentive pay.

(c) Maximum Rate or Amount .—(1) The maximum monthly rate of incentive pay payable to a member on a monthly basis under this section is $3,000.

(2) The amount of the lump sum payment of incentive pay payable to a member on a lump sum basis under this section may not exceed an amount equal to the product of—

(A) the maximum monthly rate authorized under paragraph (1) at the time of the written agreement of the member under subsection (b)(2); and

(B) the number of months in the period for which incentive pay will be paid pursuant to the agreement.

(3) The amount of each installment payment of incentive pay payable to a member on an installment basis under this section shall be the amount equal to—

(A) the product of (i) a monthly rate specified in the written agreement of the member under subsection (b)(2) (which monthly rate may not exceed the maximum monthly rate authorized under paragraph (1) at the time of the written agreement), and (ii) the number of months in the period for which incentive pay will be paid; divided by

(B) the number of installments over such period.

(4) If a member extends an assignment specified in an agreement with the Secretary under subsection (b), incentive pay for the period of the extension may be paid under this section on a monthly basis, in a lump sum, or in installments in accordance with this section.

(d) Repayment .—A member who enters into an agreement under this section and receives incentive pay under the agreement in a lump sum or installments, but who fails to complete the period of service covered by the payment, whether voluntarily or because of misconduct, shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(e) Relationship to Other Pay and Allowances .—Incentive pay paid to a member under this section is in addition to any other pay and allowances to which the member is entitled.

(f) Status Not Affected by Temporary Duty or Leave .—The service of a member in an assignment referred to in subsection (a) shall not be considered discontinued during any period that the member is not performing service in the assignment by reason of—

(1) temporary duty performed by the member pursuant to orders; or

(2) absence of the member for authorized leave, other than leave authorized for a period ending upon the discharge of the member or the release of the member from active duty.

(g) Termination of Authority .—No agreement under this section may be entered into after December 31, 2018.

§ 308 Special pay: reenlistment bonus

(a)(1) The Secretary concerned may pay a bonus under paragraph (2) to a member of a uniformed service who—

(A) has completed at least 17 months of continuous active duty (other than for training) but not more than 20 years of active duty;

(B) is qualified in a military skill designated as critical by the Secretary of Defense, or by the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as service in the Navy; and

(C) reenlists or voluntarily extends the member's enlistment for a period of at least three years—

(i) in a regular component of the service concerned; or

(ii) in a reserve component of the service concerned, if the member is performing active Guard and Reserve duty (as defined in section 101(d)(6) of title 10).

(2) The bonus to be paid under paragraph (1) may not exceed the lesser of the following amounts:

(A) The amount equal to the product of—

(i) 15 times the monthly rate of basic pay to which the member was entitled at the time of the discharge or release of the member; and

(ii) the number of years (or the monthly fractions thereof) of the term of reenlistment or extension of enlistment.

(B) $90,000.

(3) Any portion of a term of reenlistment or extension of enlistment of a member that, when added to the total years of service of the member at the time of discharge or release, exceeds 24 years may not be used in computing a bonus under paragraph (2)(A).

(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(B), a member who agrees to train and reenlist for service in a military skill which, at the time of that agreement, is designated as critical, may be paid the bonus approved for that skill, at the rate in effect at the time of agreement, upon completion of training and qualification in that skill, if otherwise qualified under this subsection and even if that skill is no longer designated as critical at the time the member becomes eligible for payment of the bonus.

(5) The Secretary of Defense may waive the eligibility requirement in paragraph (1)(B) in the case of a reenlistment or voluntary extension of enlistment by a member of the armed forces that is entered into as described in this subsection while the member is serving on active duty in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.

(b) Bonus payments authorized under this section may be paid in either a lump sum or in installments. If the bonus is paid in installments, the initial payment shall be not less than 50 percent of the total bonus amount.

(c) For the purpose of computing the reenlistment bonus in the case of an officer with prior enlisted service who may be entitled to a bonus under subsection (a), the monthly basic pay of the grade in which he is enlisted, computed in accordance with his years of service computed under section 205 of this title, shall be used instead of the monthly basic pay to which he was entitled at the time of his release from active duty as an officer.

(d) A member who does not complete the term of enlistment for which a bonus was paid to the member under this section, or a member who is not technically qualified in the skill for which a bonus was paid to the member under this section, shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(e) For the purposes of determining the eligibility of a member for a bonus under this section and of computing the amount of that bonus—

(1) any period of enlistment (including any extension of an enlistment) (A) that is incurred by the member for the purpose of continuing to qualify for continuous submarine duty incentive pay under section 301c of this title, and (B) for which no bonus is otherwise payable; or

(2) any unserved period of two years or less of an extension of an enlistment for which no bonus has been paid or for which no bonus is otherwise payable under this section,

may, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, be considered as part of an immediately subsequent term of reenlistment (or as part of an immediately subsequent voluntary extension of an enlistment).

(f) This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under his jurisdiction, and by the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(g) No bonus shall be paid under this section with respect to any reenlistment, or voluntary extension of an active-duty enlistment, in the armed forces entered into after December 31, 2018.

§ 308b Special pay: reenlistment bonus for members of the Selected Reserve

(a) Authority and Eligibility Requirements .—The Secretary concerned may pay a bonus under subsection (b) to an enlisted member of a reserve component who—

(1) has completed not more than 20 years of total military service; and

(2) reenlists or voluntarily extends an enlistment for a period of at least three years in a designated military skill, or in a designated unit, as determined by the Secretary concerned, in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of an armed force.

(b) Bonus Amounts; Payment .—(1) The amount of a bonus under this section may not exceed $15,000.

(2) Bonus payments authorized under this section may be paid in either a lump sum or in installments. If the bonus is paid in installments, the initial payment shall be not less than 50 percent of the total bonus amount. The Secretary concerned shall prescribe the amount of each subsequent installment payment and the schedule for making the installment payments.

(3) Any portion of a term of reenlistment or extension of enlistment of a member that, when added to the total years of service of the member at the time of discharge or release, exceeds 24 years may not be used in computing the total bonus amount under paragraph (1).

(c) Waiver of Condition on Eligibility .—In the case of a reenlistment or voluntary extension of enlistment by a member of the armed forces that is entered into as described in subsection (a) while the member is serving on active duty in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Secretary concerned may waive so much of subsection (a)(2) as requires that the skill or unit in which the member reenlists or extends an enlistment be a designated skill or designated unit determined by the Secretary concerned.

(d) Payment to Mobilized Members .—A member entitled to a bonus under this section who is called or ordered to active duty shall be paid, during that period of active duty, any amount of the bonus that becomes payable to the member during that period of active duty.

(e) Repayment .—A member who does not complete the term of enlistment in the element of the Selected Reserve for which the bonus was paid to the member under this section shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(f) Regulations .—This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under his jurisdiction and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(g) Termination of Authority .—No bonus may be paid under this section to any enlisted member who, after December 31, 2018, reenlists or voluntarily extends his enlistment in a reserve component.

§ 308c Special pay: bonus for affiliation or enlistment in the Selected Reserve

(a) Affiliation Bonus Authorized .—The Secretary concerned may pay an affiliation bonus to an enlisted member of an armed force who—

(1) has completed fewer than 20 years of military service; and

(2) executes a written agreement to serve in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of an armed force for a period of not less than three years in a skill, unit, or pay grade designated under subsection (b) after being discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions.

(b) Designation of Skills, Units, and Pay Grades .—The Secretary concerned shall designate the skills, units, and pay grades for which an affiliation bonus may be paid under subsection (a). Any skill, unit, or pay grade so designated shall be a skill, unit, or pay grade for which there is a critical need for personnel in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of an armed force, as determined by the Secretary concerned. The Secretary concerned shall establish other requirements to ensure that members accepted for affiliation meet required performance and discipline standards.

(c) Accession Bonus Authorized .—The Secretary concerned may pay an accession bonus to a person who—

(1) has not previously served in the armed forces or has served in the armed forces, but was released from such service before completing the basic training requirements of the armed force of which the person was a member and the service was characterized as either honorable or uncharacterized; and

(2) executes a written agreement to serve as an enlisted member in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of an armed force for a period of not less than three years upon acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned.

(d) Limitation on Amount of Bonus .—The amount of a bonus under subsection (a) or (c) may not exceed $20,000.

(e) Payment Method .—Upon acceptance of a written agreement by the Secretary concerned, the total amount of the bonus payable under the agreement becomes fixed. The agreement shall specify whether the bonus shall be paid by the Secretary concerned in a lump sum or in installments.

(f) Continued Entitlement to Bonus Payments .—A member entitled to a bonus under this section who is called or ordered to active duty shall be paid, during that period of active duty, any amount of the bonus that becomes payable to the member during that period of active duty.

(g) Repayment .—A person who enters into an agreement under subsection (a) or (c) and receives all or part of the bonus under the agreement, but who does not commence to serve in the Selected Reserve or does not satisfactorily participate in the Selected Reserve for the total period of service specified in the agreement, shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(h) Regulations .—This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(i) Termination of Bonus Authority .—No bonus may be paid under this section with respect to any agreement entered into under subsection (a) or (c) after December 31, 2018.

§ 308d Special pay: members of the Selected Reserve assigned to certain high priority units

(a) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, a member who is assigned to a high priority unit of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of an armed force, as designated under subsection (b), and who performs inactive duty for training for compensation under section 206 of this title with such unit may be paid compensation, in addition to the compensation to which the member is otherwise entitled, in an amount not to exceed $50 for each regular period of instruction, or period of appropriate duty, at which the member is engaged for at least four hours, including any such instruction or duty performed on a Sunday or holiday.

(b) The Secretary concerned may designate a unit, for the purposes of subsection (a) and under such terms and conditions as the Secretary considers appropriate, as a high priority unit if that unit has experienced, or reasonably might be expected to experience, critical personnel shortages. The Secretary may vacate a designation made under this subsection at any time he considers the designation no longer necessary.

(c) Additional compensation may not be paid under this section for inactive duty performed after December 31, 2018.

§ 308g Special pay: bonus for enlistment in elements of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve

(a) An eligible person who enlists in a combat or combat support skill of an element (other than the Selected Reserve) of the Ready Reserve of an armed force for a term of enlistment of not less than six years, and who has not previously served in an armed force, may be paid a bonus as provided in subsection (b).

(b) Eligibility for and the amount and method of payment of a bonus under this section shall be determined in accordance with regulations prescribed under subsection (g), except that the amount of such a bonus may not exceed $3,000. A person entitled to a bonus under this section who is called or ordered to active duty shall be paid, during that period of active duty, any amount of the bonus that becomes payable to the member during that period of active duty.

(c) A bonus may not be paid under this section for a term of enlistment to any person who fails to complete satisfactorily initial active duty for training or who, upon completion of initial active duty for training, elects to serve the remainder of the term of enlistment in the Selected Reserve or in an active component of an armed force.

(d) A person who does not serve satisfactorily in the element of the Ready Reserve in the combat or combat support skill for the period for which the bonus was paid under this section shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(e) This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under his jurisdiction and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(f) A bonus may not be paid under this section to any person for an enlistment—

(1) during the period beginning on October 1, 1992, and ending on September 30, 2005; or

(2) after December 31, 2018.

§ 308h Special pay: bonus for reenlistment, enlistment, or voluntary extension of enlistment in elements of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve

(a) Authority and Eligibility Requirements .—(1) The Secretary concerned may pay a bonus as provided in subsection (b) to an eligible person who reenlists, enlists, or voluntarily extends an enlistment in a reserve component of an armed force for assignment to an element (other than the Selected Reserve) of the Ready Reserve of that armed force if the reenlistment, enlistment, or extension is for a period of three years, or for a period of six years, beyond any other period the person is obligated to serve.

(2) A person is eligible for a bonus under this section if the person—

(A) is or has been a member of an armed force;

(B) is qualified in a skill or specialty designated by the Secretary concerned as a critically short wartime skill or critically short wartime specialty; and

(C) has not failed to complete satisfactorily any original term of enlistment in the armed forces.

(3) For the purposes of this section, the Secretary concerned may designate a skill or specialty as a critically short wartime skill or critically short wartime specialty for an armed force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary if the Secretary determines that—

(A) the skill or specialty is critical to meet wartime requirements of the armed force; and

(B) there is a critical shortage of personnel in that armed force who are qualified in that skill or specialty.

(4) The Secretary concerned may waive the eligibility requirement in paragraph (2)(B) in the case of a reenlistment or voluntary extension of enlistment by a member of the armed forces that is entered into as described in this subsection while the member is serving on active duty in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

(b) Bonus Amounts; Payment .—(1) Eligibility for and the amount and method of payment of a bonus under this section shall be determined under regulations to be prescribed under subsection (f).

(2) The amount of a bonus under this section—

(A) may not exceed $3,000, in the case of a person who enlists for a period of six years; and

(B) may not exceed $1,500 in the case of a person who enlists for a period of three years.

(3) A bonus paid under this section shall be paid as follows:

(A) In the case of a bonus under paragraph (2)(A)—

(i) $500 shall be paid at the time of the reenlistment, enlistment, or extension of enlistment for which the bonus is paid; and

(ii) the remainder shall be paid in equal annual increments.

(B) In the case of a bonus under paragraph (2)(B), the amount of the bonus shall be paid in equal annual increments.

(4) A person entitled to a bonus under this section who is called or ordered to active duty shall be paid, during that period of active duty, any amount of the bonus that becomes payable to the member during that period of active duty.

(c) Repayment .—A person who does not complete the period of enlistment or extension of enlistment for which the bonus was paid under this section shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title.

(d) Regulations .—(1) This section shall be administered under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under his jurisdiction and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy.

(2) Regulations under this section may require that as a condition of receiving a bonus under this section the person receiving the bonus agree to participate in an annual muster of the Reserves, or in active duty for training, as may be required by the Secretary concerned.

(e) Termination of Authority .—A bonus may not be paid under this section to any person for a reenlistment, enlistment, or voluntary extension of an enlistment after December 31, 2018.