Federal Pay: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Strategic Use of Special Payments, GAO-18-91: Published: Dec 7, 2017. Publicly Released: Dec 14, 2017.

“Federal agencies can tap an array of incentives when they need to recruit or retain experts in cyber security, engineering, or some other in-demand field. Seven special payment authorities allow agencies to pay higher wages, help pay off student loans, and offer other incentives. We found that less than 6% of employees received special payments. Agencies reported that incentives were helpful, but few documented their impacts, and the Office of Personnel Management has not assessed their effectiveness. We recommended that OPM track incentive impacts, identify needed improvements, and guide agencies on assessing effectiveness.”