§1030 Bonus to encourage Department of Defense personnel to refer persons for appointment as officers to serve in health professions

Summary

Allows the Defense Department to let military services pay a referral bonus to someone who sends a new, never-before-in-the-military person to a recruiter and that person then becomes a commissioned officer in a health job the service names. A referral counts when the referrer contacts a recruiter for the person, or when the person tells the recruiter who first brought them in. People who can get the bonus are members of the regular forces, members of the reserves, retired members (including those under 60 who would otherwise get retired pay), and civilian employees of a military department or the Department of Defense. No bonus may be paid for referring an immediate family member, to people in recruiting or retention jobs or other roles that could be seen as a conflict of interest, or to certain JROTC administrators or instructors. The bonus may not be more than $2,000 total. Up to $1,000 may be paid when the new officer signs an agreement to serve at least three years in a health job. Up to $1,000 may be paid after the new officer finishes initial officer training. The bonus is not treated as a bounty under section 514(a). Retired members who get this bonus may still receive any other pay or benefits they are owed. “Appropriate Secretary” means the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy (including the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard when it serves with the Navy), the Secretary of the Air Force (including the Space Force), or the Secretary of Defense for Department of Defense personnel. No bonus may be paid for referrals that happen after December 31, 2011.