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Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110

§1616i Additional Incentives for Health Professionals

Title 25 › CHAPTER 18 — INDIAN HEALTH CARE › SUBCHAPTER I — INDIAN HEALTH PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL › § 1616i

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary can give extra pay to Indian Health Service health workers who fill jobs that are hard to recruit or keep. The Secretary must make and update a list every year of those hard-to-fill positions. Civilian medical officers may get special incentive pay. Other officers and civil service employees in the listed jobs can get a bonus, except commissioned medical officers, dental officers, optometrists, and veterinarians. Bonuses are limited to $2,000 per person in any 1-year period. The Secretary can also allow flexible or compressed work schedules for health staff under the usual federal rules.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §1616i

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Incentive special pay
The Secretary may provide the incentive special pay authorized under section 302(b) or 335(b) of title 37 to civilian medical officers of the Indian Health Service who are assigned to, and serving in, positions included in the list established under subsection (b)(1) for which recruitment or retention of personnel is difficult.
(b)List of positions; bonus pay
(1)The Secretary shall establish and update on an annual basis a list of positions of health care professionals employed by, or assigned to, the Service for which recruitment or retention is difficult.
(2)(A)The Secretary may pay a bonus to any commissioned officer or civil service employee, other than a commissioned medical officer, dental officer, optometrist, and veterinarian, who is employed in or assigned to, and serving in, a position in the Service included in the list established by the Secretary under paragraph (1).
(B)The total amount of bonus payments made by the Secretary under this paragraph to any employee during any 1-year period shall not exceed $2,000.
(c)Work schedules
The Secretary may establish programs to allow the use of flexible work schedules, and compressed work schedules, in accordance with the provisions of subchapter II of chapter 61 of title 5, for health professionals employed by, or assigned to, the Service.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2017—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–91 inserted “or 335(b)” after “section 302(b)”. 1992—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102–573, § 901(1), struck out subsec. (d) which required a report to Congress by the Secretary no later than 6 months after Nov. 23, 1988, relating to overtime pay for individuals employed by the Service. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 102–573, § 117(b)(8), struck out subsec. (e) which authorized appropriations for fiscal years 1990 to 1992.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 1616i

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110