38 U.S.C. § 703: Miscellaneous authorities respecting employees

The Secretary may furnish and launder such wearing apparel as may be prescribed for employees in the performance of their official duties. The Secretary may transport children of Department employees located at isolated stations to and from school in available Government-owned automotive equipment. The Secretary may provide recreational facilities, supplies, and equipment for the use of patients in hospitals and employees in isolated installations. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Maintaining such schedules in a manner that allows appointments to be booked at least eight weeks in advance. Proper planning procedures for vacation, leave, and graduate medical education training schedules. Training on the appropriate number of appointments that a health care provider should conduct on a daily basis, based on specialty. 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. Training on how to properly use the appointment scheduling system of the Department, including any new scheduling system implemented by the Department. Telemedicine. Electronic mail. Text messaging. Such other technologies as specified by the Secretary. 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. 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. 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. Any manager of a medical facility of the Department. Any health care provider at a medical facility of the Department. Such other employees of the Department as the Secretary considers appropriate. The Secretary shall regularly update the training materials required under paragraph (1).” With respect to each of fiscal years 2017 through 2018, $250,000,000, of which not less than $20,000,000 shall be for recruitment, relocation, and retention bonuses. With respect to each of fiscal years 2019 through 2021, $290,000,000, of which not less than $20,000,000 shall be for recruitment, relocation, and retention bonuses. It is the sense of Congress that the limitation under subsection (a) should not disproportionately impact lower-wage employees and that the Department of Veterans Affairs is encouraged to use bonuses to incentivize high-performing employees in areas in which retention is challenging.”