37 U.S.C. § 303a Special Pay: General Provisions

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-22 with Court Rules updates (published on www.congress.gov on 12/01/2023)
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 37 U.S.C. § 303a

(a) The Secretary of Defense, with respect to the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to the Public Health Service, shall prescribe regulations for the administration of sections 301d, 302 through 302j, and 303 of this title.

(b)

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) or as otherwise provided under a provision of this chapter, a commissioned officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps ¹ of the Public Health Service is entitled to special pay under a provision of this chapter in the same amounts, and under the same terms and conditions, as a commissioned officer of the armed forces is entitled to special pay under that provision.

(2) A commissioned medical officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps ¹ of the Public Health Service (other than an officer serving in the Indian Health Service) may not receive additional special pay under section 302(a)(4) of this title for any period during which the officer is providing obligated service under the following provisions of law:

(A) Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 254l-1 ).

(B) Section 225(e) of the Public Health Service Act, as that section was in effect before October 1, 1977.

(C) Section 752 of the Public Health Service Act, as that section was in effect between October 1, 1977, and August 13, 1981.

(c) Special pay authorized under sections 301d, 302 through 302j, and 303 of this title is in addition to any other pay or allowance to which an officer is entitled. The amount of special pay to which an officer is entitled under any of such sections may not be included in computing the amount of any increase in pay authorized by any other provision of this title or in computing retired pay, separation pay, severance pay, or readjustment pay.

(d) The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a review every two years of the special pay for health professionals authorized by sections 301d, 302 through 302j, and 303 of this title.

(e) REPAYMENT OF UNEARNED PORTION OF BONUSES AND OTHER BENEFITS WHEN CONDITIONS OF PAYMENT NOT MET; TERMINATION OF ENTITLEMENT TO UNPAID AMOUNTS.-

(1)

(A) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), a member of the uniformed services who receives a bonus or similar benefit and whose receipt of the bonus or similar benefit is subject to the condition that the member continue to satisfy certain eligibility requirements shall repay to the United States an amount equal to the unearned portion of the bonus or similar benefit if the member fails to satisfy the eligibility requirements and may not receive any unpaid amounts of the bonus or similar benefit after the member fails to satisfy the requirements, unless the Secretary concerned determines that the imposition of the repayment requirement and termination of the payment of unpaid amounts of the bonus or similar benefit with regard to the member would be contrary to a personnel policy or management objective, would be against equity and good conscience, or would be contrary to the best interests of the United States.

(B) The Secretary concerned may establish, by regulations, procedures for determining the amount of the repayment required under this subsection and the circumstances under which an exception to the required repayment may be granted. The Secretary concerned may specify in the regulations the conditions under which an installment payment of a bonus or similar benefit to be paid to a member of the uniformed services will not be made if the member no longer satisfies the eligibility requirements for the bonus or similar benefit. For the military departments, this subsection shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.