USC Chapter 17

in effect

37 U.S.C. § 901 Wartime pay of officer of armed force exercising command higher than his grade

In time of war, an officer of an armed force who is serving with troops operating against an enemy and who exercises, under assignment in orders issued by competent authority, a command above that pertaining to his grade, is entitled to the pay and allowances (not above that of pay grade O–7) appropriate to the command so exercised.

37 U.S.C. § 902 Pay of crews of wrecked or lost naval vessels

(a) When the accounts of the disbursing officer of a naval vessel are lost as a result of the destruction of the vessel, his return for the last month may, unless there is official evidence to the contrary, be used in computing later credits to and settling accounts of persons, other than officers, carried on his accounts. If the return for the last month has not been made, the pay accounts may be settled on principles of equity and justice. (b) When a naval vessel is lost or has not been heard from for so long that her loss may be presumed, the Secretary of the Navy may fix the date of loss of the vessel for the purpose of settling the accounts of persons aboard other than officers. (c) When the crew of a naval vessel is separated from that vessel because of her wreck, loss, or destruction, the pay and emoluments of those officers and enlisted members that the Secretary considers (because of the sentence of a court-martial or the finding of a court of inquiry, or by other satisfactory evidence) to have done their utmost to save the vessel and, after the wreck, loss, or destruction, to have behaved themselves according to the discipline of the Navy, continue and shall be paid to them until their discharge or death, whichever is earlier.

37 U.S.C. § 903 Retired members recalled to active duty; former members

A retired member or former member of a uniformed service, or a member of the Fleet Reserve or Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, who is serving on active duty is entitled to the pay and allowances to which he is entitled, under this title, for the grade, rank, or rating in which he is serving. In addition, while on active duty, he is entitled to the pay and allowances, while on leave of absence or while sick, of a member of a uniformed service of similar grade, rank, or rating who is entitled to basic pay.

37 U.S.C. § 905 Reserve officers of the Navy or Marine Corps not on the active-duty list: effective date of pay and allowances

(a) A reserve officer who is promoted under chapter 1405 of title 10 to a grade above lieutenant (junior grade) in the Navy Reserve or above first lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve is entitled to the pay and allowances of the grade to which promoted for duty performed from the date on which he becomes eligible for promotion to that grade. (b) A reserve officer who is promoted under section 14308(b) of title 10 to the grade of lieutenant (junior grade) in the Navy Reserve or first lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve is entitled to the pay and allowances of the higher grade for duty performed from the date given him as his date of rank.

37 U.S.C. § 906 Extension of enlistment: effect on pay and allowances

A member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard, as the case may be, who extends his enlistment under section 509 of title 10 is entitled to the same pay and allowances as though he had reenlisted. For the purposes of determining entitlement to reenlistment bonus or to travel and transportation allowances upon discharge, all such extensions of an enlistment are considered one continuous extension.

37 U.S.C. § 907 Enlisted members and warrant officers appointed as officers: pay and allowances stabilized

(a) An enlisted member who accepts an appointment as an officer shall, for service as an officer, be paid the greater of—(1) the pay and allowances to which the officer is entitled as an officer; or (2) the pay and allowances to which the officer would be entitled if the officer were in the last enlisted grade the officer held before the appointment as an officer. (b) A warrant officer who accepts an appointment as a commissioned officer in a pay grade above W–4 shall, for service as such a commissioned officer, be paid the greater of—(1) the pay and allowances to which the officer is entitled as such a commissioned officer; (2) the pay and allowances to which the officer would be entitled if the officer were in the last warrant officer grade the officer held before the appointment as such a commissioned officer; or (3) in the case of an officer who was formerly an enlisted member, the pay and allowances to which the officer would be entitled if the officer were in the last enlisted grade the officer held before the appointment as an officer. (c) For the purposes of this section—(1) the pay and allowances of a grade formerly held by an officer include—(A) subject to subsection (d), special and incentive pays under chapter 5 of this title; and (B) subject to subsection (e), allowances under chapter 7 of this title; and (2) the rates of pay and allowances of a grade which an officer formerly held are those to which the officer would have been entitled had the officer remained in that grade and continued to receive the increases in pay and allowances authorized for that grade, as otherwise provided in this title. (d)(1) In determining the amount of the pay and allowances of a grade formerly held by an officer, the following special and incentive pays may be considered only so long as the officer continues to perform the duty that creates the entitlement to, or eligibility for, that pay and would otherwise be eligible to receive that pay in the former grade:(A) Incentive pay for hazardous duty under section 301 or 351 of this title. (B) Submarine duty incentive pay under section 301c or 352 of this title. (C) Special pay for diving duty under section 304 or 353(a) of this title. (D) Hardship duty pay under section 305 or 352 of this title. (E) Career sea pay under section 305a or 352 of this title. (F) Special pay for service as a member of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team under section 305b or 352 of this title. (G) Assignment incentive pay under section 307a or 352 of this title. (H) Special pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger under section 310 or 351 of this title. (I) Special pay or bonus for an extension of duty at a designated overseas location under section 314 or 352 of this title. (J) Foreign language proficiency pay under section 353(b) of this title. (K) Critical skill retention bonus under section section 11 So in original. 355 of this title. (2) The following special and incentive pays are dependent on a member being in an enlisted status and may not be considered in determining the amount of the pay and allowances of a grade formerly held by an officer:(A) Special duty assignment pay under section 307 or 352 of this title. (B) Reenlistment bonus under section 331 of this title. (C) Enlistment bonus under section 331 of this title. (D) Career enlisted flyer incentive pay under section 320 or 353 of this title. (e) The clothing allowance under section 418 of this title may not be considered in determining the amount of the pay and allowances of a grade formerly held by an officer if the officer is entitled to a uniform allowance under section 415 of this title.

37 U.S.C. § 908 Reserves and retired members: acceptance of employment, payments, and awards from foreign governments

(a) Congressional Consent.—Subject to subsections (b) and (c), Congress consents to the following persons accepting civil employment (and compensation for that employment), accepting payment for speeches, travel, meals, lodging, or registration fees, or accepting a non-cash award, for which the consent of Congress is required by the last paragraph of section 9 of article I of the Constitution, related to acceptance of emoluments, offices, or titles from a foreign government:(1) Retired members of the uniformed services. (2) Members of a reserve component of the armed forces and members of the Space Force in space force active status not on sustained duty, except members serving on active duty under a call or order to active duty for a period in excess of 30 days. (3) Members of the Commissioned Reserve Corps 11 See Change of Name note below. of the Public Health Service. (b) Approval Required for Employment and Compensation.—(1) A person described in subsection (a) may accept employment or compensation described in that subsection only if the Secretary concerned and the Secretary of State approve the employment after determining that such approval is not contrary to the national interests of the United States. (2) The Secretary of a military department may delegate the determination of the Secretary required by paragraph (1) only to an official of the military department at or above the level of an Assistant Secretary or, in the event of a vacancy in the position of such an official, a civilian official performing the duties of that position. (c) Approval Required for Certain Payments and Awards.—A person described in subsection (a) may accept payment for speeches, travel, meals, lodging, or registration fees described in that subsection, or accept a non-cash award described in that subsection, only if the Secretary concerned approves the payment or award. (d) Annual Reports on Approvals for Retired General and Flag Officers.—(1) Not later than January 31 each year, the Secretaries of the military departments, after consulting with the Secretary of State, shall jointly submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on each approval under subsection (b) for employment or compensation described in subsection (a), and each approval under subsection (c) for a payment or award described in subsection (a), for a retired member of the armed forces in general or flag officer grade that was issued during the preceding year. (2) The report under paragraph (1) on an approval described in that paragraph with respect to a person shall set forth the following:(A) The foreign government providing the employment or compensation or payment or award. (B) A description of the duties, if any, the person is to perform and the compensation the person is to receive for such duties, as reflected in the person’s application for approval of the employment or compensation or payment or award. (C) The position the person held or holds in the armed forces, including the rank of the person and the armed force in which the person served. (D) Any other information the Secretaries of the military departments consider relevant, except that such information may not include the person’s date of birth, Social Security number, home address, phone number, or any other personal identifier other than the name and rank of the person and the armed force in which the person served. (3) Not later than 60 days after the date on which a report required by paragraph (1) is submitted, the Secretaries of the military departments shall make the report, and all contents of the report, available on a publicly accessible internet website. (e) Military Service in Foreign Armed Forces.—For a provision of law providing the consent of Congress to service in the military forces of certain foreign nations, see section 1060 of title 10. (f) Prohibition on Former Members of Armed Forces Accepting Employment With Certain Foreign Governments.—For a provision of law prohibiting former members of the armed forces from accepting post-service employment with certain foreign governments, see section 989 of title 10.

37 U.S.C. § 909 Special and incentive pay: payment at unreduced rates during suspension of personnel laws

(a) Authority To Continue Payment at Unreduced Rates.—To ensure fairness and recognize the contributions of members of the armed forces to military essential missions, the Secretary of the military department concerned may authorize members who are involuntarily retained on active duty under section 123 or 12305 of title 10 or any other provision of law and who, immediately before retention on active duty, were entitled or eligible for special pay or incentive pay under chapter 5 of this title, to receive that special pay or incentive pay for qualifying service performed during the retention period, without a reduction in the payment rate below the rate the members received immediately before retention on active duty, notwithstanding any requirement otherwise applicable to that special pay or incentive pay that would reduce the payment rate by reason of the years of service of the members. (b) Suspension During Time of War.—Subsection (a) does not apply with respect to a special pay or incentive pay under chapter 5 of this title, whenever the authority to provide that special pay or incentive pay is suspended by the President or the Secretary of Defense during a time of war. (c) Qualifying Service Defined.—In this section, the term “qualifying service” means service for which a particular special pay or incentive pay is payable under the authority of a provision of chapter 5 of this title.

37 U.S.C. § 910 Replacement of lost income: involuntarily mobilized reserve component members and members of the Space Force subject to extended and frequent active duty service

(a) Payment Required.—The Secretary concerned shall pay to an eligible member of a reserve component of the armed forces or of the Space Force an amount equal to the monthly active-duty income differential of the member, as determined by the Secretary, when the total monthly military compensation of the member is less than the average monthly civilian income of the member. The payments shall be made on a monthly basis. (b) Eligibility.—(1) A member of a reserve component or the Space Force is entitled to a payment under this section for any full month of active duty of the member, when the total monthly military compensation of the member is less than the average monthly civilian income of the member, while the member is on active duty under an involuntary mobilization order, following the date on which the member—(A) completes 547 continuous days of service on active duty under an involuntary mobilization order; (B) completes 730 cumulative days on active duty under an involuntary mobilization order during the previous 1,826 days; or (C) is involuntarily mobilized for service on active duty for a period of 180 days or more within 180 days after the date of the member’s separation from a previous period of active duty for a period of 180 days or more. (2) The entitlement of a member of a reserve component or the Space Force to a payment under this section also shall commence or, if previously commenced under paragraph (1), shall continue if the member—(A) satisfies the required number of days on active duty specified in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) or was involuntarily mobilized as provided in subparagraph (C) of such paragraph; and (B) is retained on active duty under subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 12301(h)(1) of title 10 because of an injury or illness incurred or aggravated while the member was assigned to duty in an area for which special pay under section 310, or paragraph (1) or (3) of section 351(a), of this title is available. (3) A civilian employee of the Federal Government who is also a member of a reserve component or the Space Force is not entitled to a payment under this section for any period for which the employee is entitled to—(A) a differential payment under section 5538 of title 5; or (B) a comparable benefit under an administratively established program for civilian employees absent from a position of employment with the Federal Government in order to perform active duty in the uniformed services. (c) Minimum and Maximum Payment Amounts.—(1) A payment under this section shall be made to a member for a month only if the amount of the monthly active-duty income differential for the month is greater than $50. (2) Notwithstanding the amount determined under subsection (d) for a member for a month, the monthly payment to a member under this section may not exceed $3,000. (d) Monthly Active-Duty Income Differential.—For purposes of this section, the monthly active-duty income differential of a member is the difference between—(1) the average monthly civilian income of the member; and (2) the member’s total monthly military compensation. (e) Definitions.—In this section:(1) The term “average monthly civilian income”, with respect to a member of a reserve component or the Space Force, means the amount, determined by the Secretary concerned, of the earned income of the member for either the 12 months preceding the member’s mobilization or the 12 months covered by the member’s most recent Federal income tax filing, divided by 12. (2) The term “total monthly military compensation” means the amount, computed on a monthly basis, of the sum of—(A) the amount of the regular military compensation (RMC) of the member; and (B) any amount of special pay or incentive pay and any allowance (other than an allowance included in regular military compensation) that is paid to the member on a monthly basis. (f) Regulations.—This section shall be administered under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. (g) Termination.—No payment shall be made to a member under this section for months beginning after December 31, 2026, unless the entitlement of the member to payments under this section commenced on or before that date.