37 U.S.C. § 302d: Special pay: accession bonus for registered nurses

A person who is a registered nurse and who, during the period beginning on November 29, 1989 , and ending on December 31, 2018 , executes a written agreement described in subsection (c) to accept a commission as an officer and remain on active duty for a period of not less than three years may, upon the acceptance of the agreement by the Secretary concerned, be paid an accession bonus in an amount determined by the Secretary concerned. The amount of an accession bonus under paragraph (1) may not exceed $30,000. the person, in exchange for an agreement to accept an appointment as an officer, received financial assistance from the Department of Defense to pursue a baccalaureate degree; or the Secretary concerned determines that the person is not qualified to become and remain licensed as a registered nurse. The agreement referred to in subsection (a) shall provide that, consistent with the needs of the uniformed service concerned, the person executing the agreement will be assigned to duty, for the period of obligated service covered by the agreement, as an officer of the Nurse Corps of the Army or Navy, an officer of the Air Force designated as a nurse, or an officer designated as a nurse in the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service. An officer who does not become and remain licensed as a registered nurse during the period for which the payment is made, or who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (a), shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title .