§301e Multiyear Retention Bonus: Dental Officers of the Armed Forces

Summary

Dental officers can sign a written agreement to stay on active duty for 2, 3, or 4 more years after any other service obligation and, if the military department’s secretary accepts the agreement, may receive a retention bonus. The bonus cannot be more than $50,000 per year for each year of a four-year agreement; the yearly maximum is smaller for two- and three-year agreements. The rule applies to Army or Navy Dental Corps officers or Air Force dental officers who are below pay grade O-7, who have oral and maxillofacial surgery as their specialty, who have at least eight years of creditable service (or have finished required active-duty service for dental training), and who have completed or will complete initial residency training before September 30 of the fiscal year they sign. A military secretary may allow other dental officers to get the bonus if they meet the other requirements and follow Defense Department rules. If an officer does not finish the agreed service time, they must repay the bonus under section 303a(e).