Payment of the Full Rate of Special and Incentive Pays to Members of the Reserve Components

Military service members are paid special and incentive (S and I) pays, such as hazardous duty incentive pay (HDIP) and aviation incentive pay (AvIP), on a prorated basis in proportion to the amount of basic pay they receive in a month. Typically, full-time active duty service members are assigned to the relevant duty for a full month, and so they receive the full monthly rate of the S and I pay. Typically, reserve component (RC) members serve for less than a full month and so receive a proportional amount of the pay. For example, if an RC member participates in four drill or training periods in a month(meaning two days of service) and performs qualifying duty for an S and I pay, they receive four-thirtieths of the full rate of the S and I pay. Some observers argue that RC members should be paid at the same full monthly rate as typical active component (AC)1 members, since RC members are required to undergo the same training as AC members, and the standards RC members must meet to establish proficiencies to receive certain S and I pays are the same as for AC members. For example, the eligibility requirement to receive HDIP for parachute duty is the same for AC and RC members: specifically, at least one jump in a three-month period. But AC members receive the full $150 per month for a static line parachute jump, while RC members receive a prorated amount of that $150. Others counter that RC members do not have the same readiness availability as AC members serving an entire month of duty and thus should not receive the full rate of S and I pay.