§ 9902. Department of Defense personnel authorities
(a)
Performance Management and Workforce Incentives.—
(1)
The Secretary, in coordination with the Director, shall promulgate regulations providing for the following:
(B)
A fair, credible, and transparent system for linking employee bonuses and other performance-based actions to performance appraisals of employees.
(2)
In developing the regulations required by this subsection, the Secretary, in coordination with the Director, may waive the requirements of chapter 43 (other than sections
4302 and
4303
(e)) and the regulations implementing such chapter, to the extent necessary to achieve the objectives of this subsection.
(3)
(A)
The Secretary may establish a fund, to be known as the “Department of Defense Civilian Workforce Incentive Fund” (in this paragraph referred to as the “Fund”).
(b)
Flexibilities Relating to Appointments.—
(1)
The Secretary, in coordination with the Director, shall promulgate regulations to redesign the procedures which are applied by the Department of Defense in making appointments to positions within the competitive service in order to—
(2)
In redesigning the process by which such appointments shall be made, the Secretary, in coordination with the Director, may waive the requirements of chapter 33, and the regulations implementing such chapter, to the extent necessary to achieve the objectives of this section, while providing for the following:
(A)
Fair, credible, and transparent methods of establishing qualification requirements for, recruitment for, and appointments to positions.
(3)
In implementing this subsection, the Secretary shall comply with the provisions of section
2302
(b)(11), regarding veterans’ preference requirements, in a manner consistent with that in which such provisions are applied under chapter 33.
(c)
Criteria for Use of New Personnel Authorities.—
In establishing any new performance management and workforce incentive system under subsection (a) or utilizing appointment flexibilities under subsection (b), the Secretary shall—
(2)
include a means for ensuring employee involvement (for bargaining unit employees, through their exclusive representatives) in the design and implementation of such system;
(3)
provide for adequate training and retraining for supervisors, managers, and employees in the implementation and operation of such system;
(4)
develop—
(d)
Development of Training Program for Supervisors.—
(1)
The Secretary shall develop—
(A)
a program to provide training to supervisors on use of the new authorities provided in this section, including the actions, options, and strategies a supervisor may use in—
(i)
developing and discussing relevant goals and objectives with the employee, communicating and discussing progress relative to performance goals and objectives, and conducting performance appraisals;
(iii)
fostering a work environment characterized by fairness, respect, equal opportunity, and attention to the quality of the work of employees;
(B)
a program to provide training to supervisors on the prohibited personnel practices under section
2302 (particularly with respect to such practices described under subsections (b)(1) and (b)(8) of such section), employee collective bargaining and union participation rights, and the procedures and processes used to enforce employee rights; and
(e)
Provisions Regarding National Level Bargaining.—
(1)
The Secretary may bargain with a labor organization which has been accorded exclusive recognition under chapter 71 at an organizational level above the level of exclusive recognition. The decision to bargain above the level of exclusive recognition shall not be subject to review. The Secretary shall consult with the labor organization before determining the appropriate organizational level of bargaining.
(2)
Any such bargaining shall—
(B)
except as agreed by the parties or directed through an independent dispute resolution process agreed upon by the parties, be binding on all affected subordinate bargaining units of the labor organization at the level of recognition and their exclusive representatives, and the Department of Defense and its subcomponents, without regard to levels of recognition;
(C)
to the extent agreed by the parties or directed through an independent dispute resolution process agreed upon by the parties, supersede conflicting provisions of all other collective bargaining agreements of the labor organization, including collective bargaining agreements negotiated with an exclusive representative at the level of recognition; and
(3)
Any independent dispute resolution process agreed to by the parties for the purposes of paragraph (2) shall have the authority to address all issues on which the parties are unable to reach agreement.
(4)
The National Guard Bureau and the Army and Air Force National Guard may be included in coverage under this subsection.
(5)
Any bargaining completed pursuant to this subsection with a labor organization not otherwise having national consultation rights with the Department of Defense or its subcomponents shall not create any obligation on the Department of Defense or its subcomponents to confer national consultation rights on such a labor organization.
(f)
Provisions Related to Separation and Retirement Incentives.—
(1)
The Secretary may establish a program within the Department of Defense under which employees may be eligible for early retirement, offered separation incentive pay to separate from service voluntarily, or both. This authority may be used to reduce the number of personnel employed by the Department of Defense or to restructure the workforce to meet mission objectives without reducing the overall number of personnel. This authority is in addition to, and notwithstanding, any other authorities established by law or regulation for such programs.
(2)
(A)
The Secretary may not authorize the payment of voluntary separation incentive pay under paragraph (1) to more than 25,000 employees in any fiscal year, except that employees who receive voluntary separation incentive pay as a result of a closure or realignment of a military installation under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (title XXIX of Public Law 101–510; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note ) shall not be included in that number.
(3)
For purposes of this section, the term “employee” means an employee of the Department of Defense, serving under an appointment without time limitation, except that such term does not include—
(A)
a reemployed annuitant under subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84, or another retirement system for employees of the Federal Government;
(4)
An employee who is at least 50 years of age and has completed 20 years of service, or has at least 25 years of service, may, pursuant to regulations promulgated under this section, apply and be retired from the Department of Defense and receive benefits in accordance with chapter 83 or 84 if the employee has been employed continuously within the Department of Defense for more than 30 days before the date on which the determination to conduct a reduction or restructuring within 1 or more Department of Defense components is approved.
(5)
(A)
Separation pay shall be paid in a lump sum or in installments and shall be equal to the lesser of—
(B)
Separation pay shall not be a basis for payment, and shall not be included in the computation, of any other type of Government benefit. Separation pay shall not be taken into account for the purpose of determining the amount of any severance pay to which an individual may be entitled under section
5595, based on any other separation.
(6)
(A)
An employee who receives separation pay under such program may not be reemployed by the Department of Defense for a 12-month period beginning on the effective date of the employee’s separation, unless this prohibition is waived by the Secretary on a case-by-case basis.
(B)
An employee who receives separation pay under this section on the basis of a separation occurring on or after the date of the enactment of the Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–226; 108 Stat. 111) and accepts employment with the Government of the United States, or who commences work through a personal services contract with the United States within 5 years after the date of the separation on which payment of the separation pay is based, shall be required to repay the entire amount of the separation pay to the Department of Defense. If the employment is with an Executive agency (as defined by section
105) other than the Department of Defense, the Director may, at the request of the head of that agency, waive the repayment if the individual involved possesses unique abilities and is the only qualified applicant available for the position. If the employment is within the Department of Defense, the Secretary may waive the repayment if the individual involved is the only qualified applicant available for the position. If the employment is with an entity in the legislative branch, the head of the entity or the appointing official may waive the repayment if the individual involved possesses unique abilities and is the only qualified applicant available for the position. If the employment is with the judicial branch, the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts may waive the repayment if the individual involved possesses unique abilities and is the only qualified applicant available for the position.
(g)
Provisions Relating to Reemployment.—
(1)
Except as provided under paragraph (2), if an annuitant receiving an annuity from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund becomes employed in a position within the Department of Defense, his annuity shall continue. An annuitant so reemployed shall not be considered an employee for purposes of subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84.
(2)
(A)
An annuitant retired under section
8336
(d)(1) or
8414
(b)(1)(A) receiving an annuity from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, who becomes employed in a position within the Department of Defense after the date of enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108–136), may elect to be subject to section
8344 or
8468 (as the case may be).
(B)
An election for coverage under this paragraph shall be filed not later than the later of 90 days after the date the Department of Defense—
(3)
Benefits similar to those provided by paragraphs (1) and (2) may be extended, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the President, so as to be made available with respect to reemployed annuitants within the Department of Defense who are subject to such other retirement systems for Government employees (whose annuities are payable under authorities other than subchapter
III of chapter
83 or chapter
84 of title
5) as may be provided for under such regulations.