§ 7404A. Awards

• (a) The Secretary may establish an awards program for personnel listed in section 7421(b) of this title consistent with chapter 45 of title 5, to the extent practicable.
• (b) Notwithstanding section 7425 of this title or any other provision of law, the Secretary may establish a performance awards program consistent with section 5384 of title 5 for—
  • (1) personnel appointed under section 7401(1) of this title for a position that the Secretary has determined is of equivalent rank to a Senior Executive Service position (as such term is defined in section 3132(a) of title 5 ) and is subject to an agency performance management system; and
  • (2) personnel appointed under section 7306 or 7401(4) of this title.
• (c) Awards under this section may be paid based on criteria established by the Secretary and shall not be considered in calculating the limitation under section 7431(e)(4) of this title .
• (d) Awards under this section shall not be considered basic pay for any purpose.
• (e) The Secretary may prescribe regulations for the administration of this section.