38 U.S.C. § 512 — Delegation of authority; assignment of functions and duties

(a) Except when another law says otherwise, the Secretary can assign functions and duties to officers and employees of the Department. The Secretary can also delegate — or authorize repeated redelegation of — authority to act and make decisions, covering all the laws the Department administers. The Secretary picks whichever officers and employees the Secretary finds necessary. As long as an officer or employee stays within the limits of that delegation, redelegation, or assignment, their official acts and decisions carry the same force and effect as if the Secretary had made them directly. (b) The Secretary's technical and administrative staff must include whatever staff officers, experts, inspectors, and assistants — including legal assistants — the Secretary decides to prescribe.