--- title: "Air Force restarts bonuses, some PCS moves after hiatus" description: "Eleven days ago the Air Force said it ran low on cash for personnel programs and moves. Now it has the funds for the next few months." date: "2023-07-23" modified: "2023-07-23" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-bonuses-pcs-moves-restarted/" categories: - "Field Guide" - "Military Life" --- # Air Force restarts bonuses, some PCS moves after hiatus ![]() *U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mario Linton, 37th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, left, and Senior Airman Robert Kucholtz, 37th AS loadmaster, give a thumbs up to the 37th AS pilots of a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft during exercise Agile Spirit 21 at Tbilisi, Georgia, July 27, 2021. Linton and Kucholtz showed their enthusiasm after successful navigation of Georgian airspace. Agile Spirit 2021 is a joint, multinational exercise co-led by the Georgian Defense Forces and U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Agile Spirit enhances U.S., Georgian, allied and partner forces' lethality, interoperability and readiness in a realistic training environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Milton Hamilton) Two Air Force loadmasters during an exercise in Tbilisi, Georgia, July 27, 2021. (Senior Airman Milton Hamilton/U.S. Air Force)* Nearly two weeks after the U.S. Air Force ran out of money for personnel bonuses and personnel change-of-station moves and hit pause on those programs, the cash is back. The Air Force [announced]() on Friday, July 21 that it had, through “additional support from Congress on several pending reprogramming requests,” found the money to restart “some” of the affected programs. The funds are expected to get the Air Force through the end of the fiscal year in September. It’s not clear exactly how much money the Air Force secured for these programs but the service branch says it is enough to get the bonuses and some permanent change-of-station moves funded through the end of the fiscal year. However some Date Estimated Return From Overseas or DEROS moves remain pushed back. The reinstated programs include the Selective Retention Bonus, Foreign Language Proficiency Pay, and the Aviation Bonus, among others. On July 10, the Air Force said that it was [short on funds]() to pay for personnel programs and bonuses. In another move, the Air Force has also suspended its Legacy Aviation Bonus Program, which increased the maximum amount of money offered to retain eligible pilots from $35,000 to $50,000. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek [told Task & Purpose]() that the issue stemmed from a mix of inflation and the added costs of recruitment and retention bonuses. The Air Force expected to have the bonuses situation resolved in two weeks, but the shortfall did have other issues for service members. A leaked memo also said that some PCS moves for airmen could be delayed into 2024. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** According to this weekend’s announcement, some of those moves won’t be pushed back. Service members who had PCS moves scheduled for before the end of September will move; the Air Force is aiming to get orders to airmen 30 days in advance. For airmen whose return home was set between October and December this year will still be delayed to the first three months of 2024. “While most of the benefits have been reinstated, the Air Force will continue to communicate with Airmen whose PCS orders have not been completed, specifically those with PCS moves in FY24,” the Air Force’s announcement on Friday added. The Air Force, as with other service branches, had been working to boost enlistment and retention in the ranks, using financial incentives such as bonuses to help. Meanwhile the Department of the Air Force has been [dealing with congressional difficulty](), with financial assistance held up over a political fight over where U.S. Space Command’s new headquarters should be. Lawmakers from Colorado and Alabama are sparring over the possibility that Space Command could relocate to Huntsville, AL. instead of its current home in Colorado Springs, CO. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **What you need to know about Biden’s** [**IRR executive order**]() - **Vet whose** [**service dog died**]() **after violent arrest sues police** - **Did Ukraine** [**just assassinate**]() **a Russian submarine captain with his own Strava?** - **Space Force NCO faces murder charges in** [**shooting of two teens**]() **breaking into his Hyundai** - **How the Air Force ran short of** [**money for personnel**]() ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()