6 U.S.C. § 292: Voluntary separation incentive…

Summary

Allows the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to offer a one-time voluntary separation bonus to help rearrange certain immigration and border agencies. Employee: a person with at least 3 years of continuous service and a permanent appointment, but some groups named in the law are excluded. Covered entity: the Immigration and Naturalization Service; the Bureau of Border Security (DHS); and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS). Transfer date: the day the listed transfer of functions takes effect. Before spending money for these bonuses, the Attorney General or the Secretary must send a strategic restructuring plan to specific House and Senate committees (including Appropriations, Government Reform/Governmental Affairs, and Judiciary). Payments must be one lump sum after the employee leaves, paid from funds for basic pay, and equal to the lesser of the amount allowed under 5 U.S.C. 5595(c) or an amount set by the official not to exceed $25,000. Employees must separate within the earlier of 3 months after the offer or the 3-year period starting November 25, 2002. The bonus is not counted for other government benefits or used to compute other severance. DOJ and DHS must also pay extra into the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund each year they make these payments; the amount is the greater of the OPM-calculated cost or 45% of the separated employees’ final basic pay. Anyone who returns to federal work or a government contract job within 5 years must repay the full bonus before starting. Agencies may reuse vacated positions for other needs and the program is not meant solely to cut total full‑time positions.

Title 6, §292

Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Definitions

For purposes of this section

(1)

(2)the term “covered entity” means—

(A)the Immigration and Naturalization Service;

(B)the Bureau of Border Security of the Department of Homeland Security; and

(C)the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security; and

(3)the term “transfer date” means the date on which the transfer of functions specified under section 251 of this title takes effect.

(b)Strategic restructuring plan

Before the Attorney General or the Secretary obligates any resources for voluntary separation incentive payments under this section, such official shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategic restructuring plan, which shall include—

(1)an organizational chart depicting the covered entities after their restructuring pursuant to this chapter;

(2)a summary description of how the authority under this section will be used to help carry out that restructuring; and

(3)the information specified in section 663(b)(2) of Public Law 104–208 (5 U.S.C. 5597 note).

As used in the preceding sentence, the “appropriate committees of Congress” are the Committees on Appropriations, Government Reform, and the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, and the Committees on Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, and the Judiciary of the Senate.

(c)Authority

The Attorney General and the Secretary may, to the extent necessary to help carry out their respective strategic restructuring plan described in subsection (b), make voluntary separation incentive payments to employees. Any such payment—

(1)shall be paid to the employee, in a lump sum, after the employee has separated from service;

(2)shall be paid from appropriations or funds available for the payment of basic pay of the employee;

(3)shall be equal to the lesser of—

(A)the amount the employee would be entitled to receive under section 5595(c) of title 5; or

(B)an amount not to exceed $25,000, as determined by the Attorney General or the Secretary;

(4)may not be made except in the case of any qualifying employee who voluntarily separates (whether by retirement or resignation) before the end of—

(A)the 3-month period beginning on the date on which such payment is offered or made available to such employee; or

(B)the 3-year period beginning on November 25, 2002,

whichever occurs first;

(5)shall not be a basis for payment, and shall not be included in the computation, of any other type of Government benefit; and

(6)shall not be taken into account in determining the amount of any severance pay to which the employee may be entitled under section 5595 of title 5, based on any other separation.

(d)Additional agency contributions to the retirement fund

(1)In general

In addition to any payments which it is otherwise required to make, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security shall, for each fiscal year with respect to which it makes any voluntary separation incentive payments under this section, remit to the Office of Personnel Management for deposit in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund the amount required under paragraph (2).

(2)Amount required

The amount required under this paragraph shall, for any fiscal year, be the amount under subparagraph (A) or (B), whichever is greater.

(A)First method

The amount under this subparagraph shall, for any fiscal year, be equal to the minimum amount necessary to offset the additional costs to the retirement systems under title 5 (payable out of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund) resulting from the voluntary separation of the employees described in paragraph (3), as determined under regulations of the Office of Personnel Management.

(B)Second method

The amount under this subparagraph shall, for any fiscal year, be equal to 45 percent of the sum total of the final basic pay of the employees described in paragraph (3).

(3)Computations to be based on separations occurring in the fiscal year involved

The employees described in this paragraph are those employees who receive a voluntary separation incentive payment under this section based on their separating from service during the fiscal year with respect to which the payment under this subsection relates.

(4)Final basic pay defined

In this subsection, the term “final basic pay” means, with respect to an employee, the total amount of basic pay which would be payable for a year of service by such employee, computed using the employee’s final rate of basic pay, and, if last serving on other than a full-time basis, with appropriate adjustment therefor.

(e)Effect of subsequent employment with the Government

An individual who receives a voluntary separation incentive payment under this section and who, within 5 years after the date of the separation on which the payment is based, accepts any compensated employment with the Government or works for any agency of the Government through a personal services contract, shall be required to pay, prior to the individual’s first day of employment, the entire amount of the incentive payment. Such payment shall be made to the covered entity from which the individual separated or, if made on or after the transfer date, to the Deputy Secretary or the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security (for transfer to the appropriate component of the Department of Homeland Security, if necessary).

(f)Effect on employment levels

(1)Intended effect

Voluntary separations under this section are not intended to necessarily reduce the total number of full-time equivalent positions in any covered entity.

(2)Use of voluntary separations

A covered entity may redeploy or use the full-time equivalent positions vacated by voluntary separations under this section to make other positions available to more critical locations or more critical occupations.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 663 of Public Law 104–208, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1) and (b)(3), probably means Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(f) [title VI, § 663], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–314, 3009–383, which is classified as a note under section 5597 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 107–296, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2135, known as the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 101 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Bureau of Border Security, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(B), changed to Bureau of Immigration and Customs

Enforcement

by Reorganization Plan Modification for the Department of Homeland Security, eff. Mar. 1, 2003, H. Doc. No. 108–32, 108th Congress, 1st Session, set out as a note under section 542 of this title. Committee on Government Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Tenth Congress, Jan. 5, 2007. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2019. Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Accountability of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023. Committee on Oversight and Accountability of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, Jan. 3, 2025. Committee on Governmental Affairs of Senate changed to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of Senate, effective Jan. 4, 2005, by Senate Resolution No. 445, One Hundred Eighth Congress, Oct. 9, 2004.

§292 Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments