(a) In General.—
The Secretary may authorize the Under Secretary for Health to pay advance payments, recruitment or relocation bonuses, and retention allowances to the personnel described in paragraph (1) of section 7401 of this title, or interview expenses to candidates for appointment as such personnel, in the same manner, and subject to the same limitations, as in the case of the authority provided under sections 5524a, 5706b, 5753, and 5754 of title 5.
(b) Special Incentive Pay for Department Pharmacist Executives.—
(1)
In order to recruit and retain highly qualified Department pharmacist executives, the Secretary may authorize the Under Secretary for Health to pay special incentive pay of not more than $40,000 per year to an individual of the Veterans Health Administration who is a pharmacist executive.
(2) In determining whether and how much special pay to provide to such individual, the Under Secretary shall consider the following:
(3)
Special incentive pay under paragraph (1) for an individual is in addition to all other pay (including basic pay) and allowances to which the individual is entitled.
(4)
Except as provided in paragraph (5), special incentive pay under paragraph (1) for an individual shall be considered basic pay for all purposes, including retirement benefits under chapters 83 and 84 of title 5, and other benefits.
(Added Pub. L. 102–40, title I, § 103(a)[(1)], May 7, 1991, 105 Stat. 198; amended Pub. L. 102–405, title III, § 302(c)(1), Oct. 9, 1992, 106 Stat. 1984; Pub. L. 111–163, title VI, § 601(e), May 5, 2010, 124 Stat. 1169.)