24 U.S.C. § 416 — Advisory Council

(a) Establishment
The Retirement Home^* has an Advisory Council^*, called the "Armed Forces Retirement Home Advisory Council." It serves the interests of both facilities of the Retirement Home.

(b) Duties
(1) The Council gives the Chief Operating Officer and each facility's Administrator guidance and recommendations on running the Retirement Home and the quality of resident care, whenever the Council thinks it is appropriate.
(2) At least once a year, the Council must send the Secretary of Defense a report summarizing its activities during the past year, along with any observations and recommendations the Council considers appropriate.
(3) In its work, the Council must let a representative from each facility's Resident Advisory Committee^* take part in its activities.

(c) Composition
(1) The Council must have at least 15 members.
(2) The Secretary of Defense designates the members, except that a member who does not work for the Department of Defense is designated by the head of whatever federal department or agency employs them, after consulting the Secretary of Defense.
(3) The Council must include these specific members: one expert in nursing home or retirement home administration and financing; one expert in gerontology; one expert in financial management; two representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs, one from each of the two VA regional offices closest to the Retirement Home's facilities; the Chairpersons of each facility's Resident Advisory Committee; one enlisted representative from the Services' Retiree Advisory Council; the senior noncommissioned officer of one of the Armed Forces; two senior representatives of military medical treatment facilities, one from each of the two military hospitals closest to the Retirement Home's facilities; one senior judge advocate from one of the Armed Forces; one senior representative from one of the Armed Forces' chief personnel officers^*; and any other members the Secretary of Defense chooses to add.
(4) Each facility's Administrator is a nonvoting member of the Council.
(5) The Secretary of Defense designates one member to be the Council's Chairperson, who runs its meetings.

(d) Term of service
(1) Except as described below, a member serves a two-year term. The Secretary of Defense may let a member serve one additional term.
(2) Unless the Secretary of Defense ends it earlier, a member may keep serving after their term ends until a successor is designated.
(3) The Secretary of Defense may end a member's term before it is due to expire.
(4) A member only stays on the Council for as long as they hold the position whose duties include serving on the Council.

(e) Vacancies
A vacancy is filled the same way the original member was designated. Someone filling a vacancy that opened before a term ended only serves out the rest of that predecessor's term. A vacancy does not stop the Council from carrying out its duties.

(f) Compensation
(1) Except as described in (2), a member may receive a daily stipend matching the standard government consultant fee for each day they work for the Council, and, while traveling away from home for Council work, travel expenses — including a daily allowance in place of reimbursing actual costs — the same way as someone temporarily employed by the government under 5 U.S.C. §§ 5701-5707.
(2) A member who is on active duty in the Armed Forces, or who is a full-time federal officer or employee, receives no extra pay for serving on the Council.