38 U.S.C. § 317 — Center for Minority Veterans

submitted 32 years ago by Pub. L. 103-446 to r/title-38-VETERANS-BENEFITS · 651 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

The Department has a Center for Minority Veterans, led by a Director who serves six years. The Director advises the Secretary on policies affecting minority veterans and studies their needs. The Secretary must give the Center enough resources and report on it yearly.

This section creates the Center for Minority Veterans and spells out how it runs. (a) The Center exists. The Department has a Center for Minority Veterans, led by a Director. (b) The Director's appointment. The Director is a career or noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive Service, appointed for a six-year term. (c) Reporting line. The Director reports directly to the Secretary or the Deputy Secretary about the Center's activities. (d) The Director's duties. With respect to veterans who are minorities, the Director must: (1) act as the Secretary's main adviser on policies and programs affecting them; (2) recommend new or improved programs to the Secretary and other Department officials; (3) promote minority veterans' use of benefits and run outreach to them, alongside outreach under chapter 77; (4) share information and act as a resource center on programs that work well; (5) research the needs of minority veterans and how well Department programs meet those needs, without regard to laws that normally limit collecting information from the public; (6) analyze and evaluate complaints from or about minority veterans concerning the Department's services, and tell the right Department official the results; (7) work with officials who run other federal, state, local, and private veteran programs, to get them to adopt policies that increase minority veterans' use of those programs; (8) tell the Secretary when a law or policy discourages minority veterans from using benefits; (9) publicize medical research findings especially relevant to minority veterans; (10) advise the Secretary on how well the Department is meeting the goals of section 492B of the Public Health Service Act for including minorities in clinical research, flag health conditions in minority groups worth studying, and promote cooperation on medical research that could help minority veterans; (11) support the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans set up under section 544; and (12) do any other duties the Secretary assigns that fit this section. (e) Resources. The Secretary must make sure the Director has enough resources to do the Center's work on time. (f) Budget reporting. Each year, the Secretary must include in the documents submitted to Congress supporting the President's budget: (1) detailed information about the Center's budget; (2) the Secretary's opinion on whether that budget — including staff numbers — is enough for the Center to meet its legal and regulatory duties; and (3) a report on what the Center did and accomplished the previous fiscal year. (g) Definitions. "Veterans who are minorities" means veterans who are minority group members. "Minority group member" has the meaning given to that term in section 544(d) of this title.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a)

There is in the Department a Center for Minority Veterans. There is at the head of the Center a Director.

(b)

The Director shall be a career or noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive Service. The Director shall be appointed for a term of six years.

(c)

The Director reports directly to the Secretary or the Deputy Secretary concerning the activities of the Center.

(d)

The Director shall perform the following functions with respect to veterans who are minorities:

(1)

Serve as principal adviser to the Secretary on the adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting veterans who are minorities.

(2)

Make recommendations to the Secretary, the Under Secretary for Health, the Under Secretary for Benefits, and other Department officials for the establishment or improvement of programs in the Department for which veterans who are minorities are eligible.

(3)

Promote the use of benefits authorized by this title by veterans who are minorities and the conduct of outreach activities to veterans who are minorities, in conjunction with outreach activities carried out under chapter 77 of this title.

(4)

Disseminate information and serve as a resource center for the exchange of information regarding innovative and successful programs which improve the services available to veterans who are minorities.

(5)

Conduct and sponsor appropriate social and demographic research on the needs of veterans who are minorities and the extent to which programs authorized under this title meet the needs of those veterans, without regard to any law concerning the collection of information from the public.

(6)

Analyze and evaluate complaints made by or on behalf of veterans who are minorities about the adequacy and timeliness of services provided by the Department and advise the appropriate official of the Department of the results of such analysis or evaluation.

(7)

Consult with, and provide assistance and information to, officials responsible for administering Federal, State, local, and private programs that assist veterans, to encourage those officials to adopt policies which promote the use of those programs by veterans who are minorities.

(8)

Advise the Secretary when laws or policies have the effect of discouraging the use of benefits by veterans who are minorities.

(9)

Publicize the results of medical research which are of particular significance to veterans who are minorities.

(10)

Advise the Secretary and other appropriate officials on the effectiveness of the Department’s efforts to accomplish the goals of section 492B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289a–2) with respect to the inclusion of minorities in clinical research and on particular health conditions affecting the health of members of minority groups which should be studied as part of the Department’s medical research program and promote cooperation between the Department and other sponsors of medical research of potential benefit to veterans who are minorities.

(11)

Provide support and administrative services to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans provided for under section 544 of this title.

(12)

Perform such other duties consistent with this section as the Secretary shall prescribe.

(e)

The Secretary shall ensure that the Director is furnished sufficient resources to enable the Director to carry out the functions of the Center in a timely manner.

(f)

The Secretary shall include in documents submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support of the President’s budget for each fiscal year—

(1)

detailed information on the budget for the Center;

(2)

the Secretary’s opinion as to whether the resources (including the number of employees) proposed in the budget for that fiscal year are adequate to enable the Center to comply with its statutory and regulatory duties; and

(3)

a report on the activities and significant accomplishments of the Center during the preceding fiscal year.

(g)

In this section—

(1)

The term “veterans who are minorities” means veterans who are minority group members.

(2)

The term “minority group member” has the meaning given such term in section 544(d) of this title.

Source credit: (Added Pub. L. 103–446, title V, § 509(a), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4665; amended Pub. L. 104–275, title V, § 501(a)–(c), Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3340.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1994Enacted · Pub. L. 103-446 · 108 Stat. 4665
1996Amended · Pub. L. 104-275 · 110 Stat. 3340

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 103-446 on 1994-11-02.

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