RETENTION BONUS FOR OPTOMETRISTS

SEC. 617. RETENTION BONUS FOR OPTOMETRISTS (a) Retention Bonus Authorized.— Section 302a of title 37, United States Code, is amended— (1) by inserting “(a) Regular Special Pay.—” before “Each”; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(b) Retention Special Pay.— (1) Under regulations prescribed under section 303a(a) of this title, an officer described in paragraph (2) may be paid retention special pay of not more than $6,000 for any twelve-month period during which the officer is not undergoing an internship or initial residency training. “(2) An officer referred to in paragraph (1) is an officer of an armed force who— “(A) is entitled to special pay under subsection (a); 104 STAT. 1579 “(B) has completed any initial active-duty service commitment incurred for education and training; and “(C) is determined by the Secretary of the military department concerned to be qualified as an optometrist. “(3) An officer may not be paid retention special pay under paragraph (1) for any twelve-month period unless the officer first executes a written agreement under which the officer agrees to remain on active duty for a period of not less than one year beginning on the date the officer accepts the award of such special pay. “(4) The Secretary of the military department concerned may terminate at any time the eligibility of an officer to receive retention special pay under paragraph (1). If such eligibility is terminated, the officer concerned shall receive such special pay only for the part of the period of active duty that the officer served and may be required to refund any amount in excess of that amount.”. (b) Implementation of Amendment.— The Secretary of Defense may not implement subsection (b) of section 302a of title 37, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)), unless the Secretary submits to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report— (1) justifying the need of the military departments for the authority provided in such subsection; and (2) describing the manner in which that authority will be implemented.