SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel
Act of 2000’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. References to title 38, United States Code.
TITLE I—PERSONNEL MATTERS
Sec. 101. Annual national pay comparability adjustment for nurses employed
by Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 102. Special pay for dentists.
Sec. 103. Exemption for pharmacists from ceiling on special salary rates.
Sec. 104. Physician assistant adviser to Under Secretary for Health.
Sec. 105. Temporary full-time appointments of certain medical personnel.
Sec. 106. Qualifications of social workers.
Sec. 107. Extension of voluntary separation incentive payments.
TITLE II—CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATION
Sec. 201. Authorization of major medical facility projects.
Sec. 202. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE III—MILITARY SERVICE ISSUES
Sec. 301. Military service history.
Sec. 302. Study of post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans.
TITLE IV—MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION
Sec. 401. Pilot program for coordination of hospital benefits.
Sec. 402. Benefits for persons disabled by participation in compensated work
therapy program.
Sec. 403. Extension of authority to establish research and education corpora-
tions.
Sec. 404. Department of Veterans Affairs Fisher Houses.
Sec. 405. Extension of annual report of Committee on Mentally Ill Veterans.
Sec. 406. Exception to recapture rule.
Sec. 407. Change to enhanced use lease congressional notification period.
Sec. 408. Technical and conforming changes.
Sec. 409. Release of reversionary interest of the United States in certain real
property previously conveyed to the State of Tennessee.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of title 38, United States Code.
TITLE I—PERSONNEL MATTERS
SEC. 101. ANNUAL NATIONAL PAY COMPARABILITY AD-
JUSTMENT FOR NURSES EMPLOYED BY DE-
PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) REVISED PAY ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURES.—Sec-
tion 7451 is amended—
(1) in subsection (d)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) by striking ‘‘The rates’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘Subject to subsection (e), the rates’’;
and
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting
‘‘and to be by the same percentage’’ after
‘‘to have the same effective date’’;
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Such’’
in the second sentence and inserting ‘‘Except as
provided in paragraph (1)(A), such’’;
(C) in paragraph (3)(B)—
(i) by inserting after the first sentence
the following new sentence: ‘‘To the extent
practicable, the director shall use third-
party industry wage surveys to meet the
requirements of the preceding sentence.’’;
(ii) by inserting before the penul-
timate sentence the following new sentence:
‘‘To the extent practicable, all surveys con-
ducted pursuant to this subparagraph or
subparagraph (A) shall include the collec-
tion of salary midpoints, actual salaries,
lowest and highest salaries, average sala-
ries, bonuses, incentive pays, differential
pays, actual beginning rates of pay and
such other information needed to meet the
purpose of this section.’’; and
(iii) in the penultimate sentence, by
inserting ‘‘or published’’ after ‘‘com-
pleted’’;
(D) by striking clause (iii) of paragraph
(3)(C);
(2) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(e)(1) An adjustment in a rate of basic pay under
subsection (d) may not reduce the rate of basic pay appli-
cable to any grade of a covered position.
‘‘(2) The director of a Department health-care facil-
ity, in determining whether to carry out a wage survey
under subsection (d)(3) with respect to rates of basic pay
for a grade of a covered position, may not consider as a
factor in such determination the absence of a current re-
cruitment or retention problem for personnel in that grade
of that position. The director shall make such a deter-
mination based upon whether, in accordance with criteria
established by the Secretary, there is a significant pay-
related staffing problem at that facility in any grade for
a position. If the director determines that there is such
a problem, or that such a problem is likely to exist in the
near future, the Director shall provide for a wage survey
in accordance with paragraph (3) of subsection (d).
‘‘(3) The Under Secretary for Health may, to the ex-
tent necessary to carry out the purposes of subsection (d),
modify any determination made by the director of a De-
partment health-care facility with respect to adjusting the
rates of basic pay applicable to covered positions. Upon
such action by the Under Secretary, any adjustment shall
take effect on the first day of the first pay period begin-
ning after such action. The Secretary shall ensure that
the Under Secretary establishes a mechanism for the exer-
cise of the authority in the preceding sentence.
‘‘(4) Each director of a Department health-care facil-
ity shall provide to the Secretary, not later than July 31
each year, a report on staffing for covered positions at
that facility. The report shall include the following:
‘‘(A) Information on turnover rates and vacancy
rates for each grade in a covered position, including
a comparison of those rates with the rates for the
preceding three years.
‘‘(B) The director’s findings concerning the re-
view and evaluation of the facility’s staffing situa-
tion, including whether there is, or is likely to be, in
accordance with criteria established by the Sec-
retary, a significant pay-related staffing problem at
that facility for any grade of a covered position and,
if so, whether a wage survey was conducted, or will
be conducted with respect to that grade.
‘‘(C) In any case in which the director conducts
such a wage survey during the period covered by the
report, information describing the survey and any
actions taken or not taken based on the survey, and
the reasons for taking (or not taking) such actions.
‘‘(D) In any case in which the director, after
finding that there is, or is likely to be, in accordance
with criteria established by the Secretary, a signifi-
cant pay-related staffing problem at that facility for
any grade of a covered position, determines not to
conduct a wage survey with respect to that position,
a statement of the reasons why the director did not
conduct such a survey.
‘‘(5) Not later than September 30 of each year, the
Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af-
fairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report
on staffing for covered positions at Department healthcare
facilities. Each such report shall include the following:
‘‘(A) A summary and analysis of the informa-
tion contained in the most recent reports submitted
by facility directors under paragraph (4).
‘‘(B) The information for each such facility
specified in paragraph (4).’’;
(3) in subsection (f)—
(A) by striking ‘‘February 1 of 1991,
1992, and 1993’’ and inserting ‘‘March 1 of
each year’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘subsection (d)(1)(A)’’ and
inserting ‘‘subsection (d)’’; and
(4) by striking subsection (g) and redesignating
subsection (h) as subsection (g).
(b) REQUIRED CONSULTATIONS WITH NURSES.—(1)
Subchapter II of chapter 73 is amended by adding at the
end the following new section:
‘‘§ 7323. Required consultations with nurses
‘‘The Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that—