37 U.S.C. § 308h : US Code - Section 308H: Special pay: bonus for reenlistment, enlistment, or voluntary extension of enlistment in elements of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve

Search 37 U.S.C. § 308h : US Code - Section 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, 2006.