§308j Special Pay: Affiliation Bonus for Officers in the Selected Reserve

Summary

The Secretary can pay two kinds of bonuses to get officers into the Selected Reserve. An affiliation bonus can go to an eligible officer who agrees to serve in the Selected Reserve in a skill the Secretary calls “critical” or to fill a unit or pay-grade shortage. To be eligible, the person must be either on active duty for more than 30 days or a reserve member (if they used to be on active duty they must have left under honorable conditions), and they must not be getting retired or retainer pay. The Secretary picks which officer skills are “critical.” An affiliation bonus becomes payable when the person is assigned to the Selected Reserve job or unit. An accession bonus can be paid to someone who accepts an officer appointment and agrees to serve in the Selected Reserve in a skill the Secretary designates to fix a shortage. The agreement must be for at least three years. A bonus can be up to $20,000. Once the Secretary accepts the written agreement, the total bonus amount is fixed and the agreement must say if it will be paid all at once or in installments. If the person is called to active duty, any part of the bonus due during that duty must be paid then. A person cannot get one of these bonuses and certain other financial help at the same time for the same service (see chapters 1608, 1609, 1611 of title 10 or section 302g). If someone gets the bonus but does not accept the appointment or does not serve or participate as agreed, they must repay under the rules in section 303a(e).