2014 US Code
Title 38 - Veterans' Benefits (Sections 101 - 8528)
Part I - General Provisions (Sections 101 - 905)
Chapter 7 - Employees (Sections 701 - 713)
Sec. 703 - Miscellaneous authorities respecting employees

(a) The Secretary may furnish and launder such wearing apparel as may be prescribed for employees in the performance of their official duties.

(b) The Secretary may transport children of Department employees located at isolated stations to and from school in available Government-owned automotive equipment.

(c) The Secretary may provide recreational facilities, supplies, and equipment for the use of patients in hospitals and employees in isolated installations.

(d) The Secretary may provide for the preparation, shipment, installation, and display of exhibits, photographic displays, moving pictures, and other visual educational information and descriptive material. For the purposes of the preceding sentence, the Secretary may purchase or rent equipment.

(e) The Secretary may reimburse employees for the cost of repairing or replacing their personal property damaged or destroyed by patients or domiciliary members while such employees are engaged in the performance of their official duties.

(f)(1) The Secretary, upon determining that an emergency situation exists and that such action is necessary for the effective conduct of the affairs of the Department, may use Government-owned, or leased, vehicles to transport employees to and from their place of employment and the nearest adequate public transportation or, if such public transportation is either unavailable or not feasible to use, to and from their place of employment and their home.

(2) The Secretary shall establish reasonable rates to cover the cost of the service rendered under this subsection, and all proceeds collected therefrom shall be applied to the applicable appropriation.

(Added Pub. L. 102–83, §2(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 394.)

Prior sections 703 and 704 were renumbered sections 1903 and 1904 of this title, respectively.

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in section 233 of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 102–83, §2(a).

Pub. L. 113–146, title III, §303, Aug. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 1788, provided that:

"(a) Clinic Management Training Program.—

"(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 7, 2014], the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall commence a role-specific clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on systems and processes for health care practice management and scheduling to all appropriate employees, as determined by the Secretary, at medical facilities of the Department.

"(2) Elements.—

"(A) In general.—The clinic management training program required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

"(i) Training on how to manage the schedules of health care providers of the Department, including the following:

     "(I) Maintaining such schedules in a manner that allows appointments to be booked at least eight weeks in advance.

     "(II) Proper planning procedures for vacation, leave, and graduate medical education training schedules.

"(ii) Training on the appropriate number of appointments that a health care provider should conduct on a daily basis, based on specialty.

"(iii) Training on how to determine whether there are enough available appointment slots to manage demand for different appointment types and mechanisms for alerting management of insufficient slots.

"(iv) Training on how to properly use the appointment scheduling system of the Department, including any new scheduling system implemented by the Department.

"(v) Training on how to optimize the use of technology, including the following:

     "(I) Telemedicine.

     "(II) Electronic mail.

     "(III) Text messaging.

     "(IV) Such other technologies as specified by the Secretary.

"(vi) Training on how to properly use physical plant space at medical facilities of the Department to ensure efficient flow and privacy for patients and staff.

"(B) Role-specific.—The Secretary shall ensure that each employee of the Department included in the clinic management training program required by paragraph (1) receives education under such program that is relevant to the responsibilities of such employee.

"(3) Sunset.—The clinic management training program required by paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date that is 2 years after the date on which the Secretary commences such program.

"(b) Training Materials.—

"(1) In general.—After the termination of the clinic management training program required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide training materials on health care management to each of the following employees of the Department that are relevant to the position and responsibilities of such employee upon the commencement of employment of such employee:

"(A) Any manager of a medical facility of the Department.

"(B) Any health care provider at a medical facility of the Department.

"(C) Such other employees of the Department as the Secretary considers appropriate.

"(2) Update.—The Secretary shall regularly update the training materials required under paragraph (1)."

[For definition of "facility of the Department" as used in section 303 of Pub. L. 113–146, set out above, see section 2 of Pub. L. 113–146, set out as a note under section 1701 of this title.]

Pub. L. 113–146, title VII, §705, Aug. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 1798, provided that: "In each of fiscal years 2015 through 2024, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the aggregate amount of awards and bonuses paid by the Secretary in a fiscal year under chapter 45 or 53 of title 5, United States Code, or any other awards or bonuses authorized under such title does not exceed $360,000,000."