37 U.S.C. § 308j — Special pay: affiliation bonus for officers in the Selected Reserve

(a) Affiliation Bonus. (1) The Secretary concerned may pay an affiliation bonus to an eligible officer who agrees to serve, for the period stated in the agreement, in the Selected Reserve of an armed force under that Secretary -- either (A) in a critical officer skill designated under (3), or (B) to fill a manpower shortage in (i) a specific unit, or (ii) a specific pay grade. (2) An officer is eligible if: (A) either (i) they're serving active duty for more than 30 days, or (ii) they're a reserve member not on active duty who, if they served on active duty before, was released honorably; and (B) they aren't already entitled to retired or retainer pay. (3) (A) The Secretary designates which officer skills count as "critical" for this bonus. (B) A skill qualifies if the armed force needs enough qualified officers in it to meet its requirements. (4) The affiliation bonus becomes payable on the date the officer is actually assigned to the agreed unit or position. (b) Accession Bonus. (1) The Secretary may also pay an accession bonus to an eligible person who agrees to (A) accept an officer appointment, and (B) serve in the Selected Reserve, in a skill designated under (2), for the agreed period. (2) (A) The Secretary designates which officer skills qualify for this bonus. (B) A skill qualifies if increasing the number of qualified or trainable people in it would help fix a real or expected personnel shortage. (3) The accession bonus becomes payable on the date the Secretary accepts the agreement. (c) Period of Obligated Service. The agreement must require the person to serve a set period in the Selected Reserve -- at least three years, or longer if the Secretary decides that's needed. (d) Amount. The bonus can be any amount up to $20,000 that the Secretary decides is appropriate. (e) Payment. (1) Once the Secretary accepts the written agreement, the total bonus amount is locked in; the agreement states whether it's paid as a lump sum or in installments. (2) A person called to active duty must still be paid any part of the bonus that comes due during that duty. (f) Relation to Other Accession Bonus Authority. A person cannot get both this bonus and financial assistance under chapter 1608, 1609, or 1611 of title 10, or under section 302g of this title, for the same period of service. (g) Repayment. Someone who takes bonus money under this agreement but doesn't accept the officer appointment or commission, or doesn't start or satisfactorily continue serving in the Selected Reserve for the full agreed period, must repay it under section 303a(e).