Title 37Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed ServicesRelease 119-73

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

Title 37 › Chapter CHAPTER 5— - SPECIAL AND INCENTIVE PAYS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - EXISTING SPECIAL PAY, INCENTIVE PAY, AND BONUS AUTHORITIES › § 301d

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Medical officers can get a retention bonus if they sign a written agreement to stay on active duty for 2, 3, or 4 years after finishing any other active-duty service commitment and the Secretary of their military department accepts the agreement. The bonus may be up to $75,000 per year for each year of a four-year deal; the yearly maximum for two- and three-year deals is lowered because they are shorter. To qualify, the officer must be a Medical Corps officer in the Army or Navy or be an Air Force medical officer, be below pay grade O–7, have at least eight years of creditable service (or have finished any active-duty obligation for medical education/training), and have finished initial residency training (or will finish it before September 30 of the fiscal year when they sign the agreement). If an officer does not serve the agreed time, they must repay under section 303a(e).

Full Legal Text

Title 37, §301d

Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(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)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)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.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 110–181 substituted “$75,000” for “$50,000”. 2006—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 109–163 amended heading and text of subsec. (c) generally, substituting provisions referring to repayment provisions of section 303a(e) for specific provisions relating to refunds required when officer fails to complete total period of active duty. 2002—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 107–314 substituted “$50,000” for “$14,000”. 1992—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 102–484, § 1054(a)(2)(A), substituted “owed” for “owned”. Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 102–484, § 1054(a)(2)(B), substituted “November 5, 1990” for “the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2008 Amendment Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title VI, § 615(c), Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 150, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section and section 302 of this title] shall apply with respect to agreements entered into under section 301d(a) or 302b(c) of title 37, United States Code, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 28, 2008].”

Savings Provision

For

Savings Provision

relating to payment or repayment of any bonus, incentive pay, special pay, or similar pay obligated to be paid before Apr. 1, 2006, under a provision of this section amended by section 687(b) of Pub. L. 109–163, see section 687(f) of Pub. L. 109–163, set out as a note under section 510 of Title 10, Armed Forces. Application of Increase Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title VI, § 615(i), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2569, provided that: “In the case of an amendment made by this section [amending section 301d, 301e, 302, 302a, 302d, 302e, and 302i of this title and section 2130a of Title 10, Armed Forces] to increase the maximum amount of a special pay or bonus that may be paid during any 12-month period, the amended limitation shall apply to 12-month periods beginning after September 30, 2002.” Eligibility of Flag and General Officers for Multiyear Retention Bonus for Medical Officers Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title VI, § 615, Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1377, provided that: “(a) Reiterating Ineligibility.—The restriction contained in subsection (b)(2) of section 301d of title 37, United States Code, on the eligibility of flag and general officers serving as full-time physicians to receive a multiyear retention bonus under that section shall not be construed as being limited, modified, or superseded by any provision of law, whether enacted before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 5, 1991], unless that provision of law—“(1) specifically refers to that section and this subsection; and “(2) identifies the flag and general officers affected by that provision. “(b)

Savings Provision

.—(1) A medical officer of the Armed Forces who is a flag or general officer and has received any payment of a bonus under section 301d of title 37, United States Code, before the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 5, 1991] may not be required to reimburse the United States for such payment by reason of the enactment of subsection (a). “(2) A written agreement referred to in section 301d of title 37, United States Code, that was entered into on or after April 10, 1991, and before the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 5, 1991] by a medical officer of the Armed Forces referred to in paragraph (1) in exchange for a payment (or a promise of payment) of a bonus under that section shall be terminated as of the later of—“(A) the end of the month following the month in which this Act is enacted; or “(B) the end of the period covered by the bonus payment or payments received by that officer as described in that paragraph.” Pub. L. 102–172, title VIII, § 8084, Nov. 26, 1991, 105 Stat. 1192, provided that: “Restrictions provided under subsection (b)(2) of section 301d of title 37, United States Code, as authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 (Public Law 101–510), and hereafter, shall not apply in the case of flag or general officers serving as full-time practicing physicians.” Termination of Existing Retention Bonus Agreement Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title VI, § 611(b), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1576, provided that: “(1) Subject to the approval of the Secretary of the military department concerned, a medical officer who is eligible to enter into a retention bonus agreement under section 301d of title 37, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)) may terminate any existing retention bonus agreement entered into by that officer under [section] 612 of the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989 [Pub. L. 100–456] (37 U.S.C. 302 note), in order to enter into an agreement under section 301d of such title containing an active-duty service obligation that is not less than the active-duty service obligation remaining under the existing agreement on the date of its termination. “(2) Subsection (e) of section 612 of the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989 (37 U.S.C. 302 note), shall not apply to the termination, pursuant to paragraph (1), of a retention bonus agreement under that section.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

37 U.S.C. § 301d

Title 37Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73