24 U.S.C. § 422 — Authority to accept certain uncompensated services

(a) Authority to accept services The Chief Operating Officer or a facility Administrator can accept volunteer help. This includes free or gratuitous services from any person. This is allowed even though a general law (section 1342 of title 31) normally limits accepting free services. Subsection (b)'s rules still apply. (b) Requirements and limitations (1) The official must tell each volunteer exactly what services are accepted. (2) The official must supervise the volunteer the same way a paid employee doing similar work would be supervised. The official must also make sure the volunteer is licensed, credentialed, or otherwise qualified to do the work. (3) A volunteer cannot hold a policymaking position at the Retirement Home. A volunteer also cannot be paid by the Retirement Home for the accepted services. (c) Authority to recruit and train The Chief Operating Officer or Administrator can recruit people to volunteer. They can also train volunteers for the accepted services. (d) Status of persons providing services (1) While volunteering or training, a person counts as a federal employee only for two purposes: getting workers' compensation for a work injury, and being covered under the law for claims of damage or loss caused by federal employees. (2) This federal-employee status only covers work that falls within the volunteer's accepted scope of service. (3) To figure out workers' compensation pay for an injured volunteer, the law sets a formula. Multiply the average number of hours the volunteer worked per month by the federal minimum wage. That amount counts as the volunteer's monthly pay. (e) Reimbursement of incidental expenses The Chief Operating Officer or Administrator can reimburse a volunteer for small expenses from doing the volunteer work. The official decides which expenses qualify.