Title 5

SECTION 575.308

575.308 Approval criteria and written determination.

§ 575.308 Approval criteria and written determination.

(a) An agency in its sole and exclusive discretion, subject only to OPM review and oversight, may approve a retention incentive for an individual employee or group or category of employees using the approval criteria in § 575.306.

(b) For each determination to pay a retention incentive under this subpart, an agency must document in writing -

(1) The basis for determining that the unusually high or unique qualifications of the employee (or group of employees) or a special need of the agency for the employee's (or group of employees') services makes it essential to retain the employee(s);

(2) The basis for determining that the employee (or a significant number of employees in a group) would be likely to leave the Federal service in the absence of a retention incentive; and

(3) The basis for establishing the amount and timing of the approved retention incentive payment and the length of the required service period.