38 U.S.C. § 542 — Advisory Committee on Women Veterans

(a)(1) The Secretary^* must establish an advisory committee called the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. This section calls it “the Committee.”

(2)(A) The Secretary must appoint Committee members from the general public, including: (i) representatives of women veterans; (ii) recognized authorities in fields related to women veterans' needs, including women's gender-specific health-care needs; (iii) both female and male veterans with service-connected^* disabilities, including at least one female and one male veteran^* with such a disability; and (iv) women veterans recently separated from service in the Armed Forces^*.

(B) The Committee must include these ex officio members: (i) the Secretary of Labor, or a representative designated after consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment; (ii) the Secretary of Defense, or a representative designated after consultation with the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services; and (iii) the Under Secretary for Health and the Under Secretary for Benefits, or their designees.

(C) The Secretary may invite representatives of other United States departments and agencies to Committee meetings and other activities.

(3) The Secretary must set the number, terms, pay, and allowances of Secretary-appointed members. A member's term may not exceed 3 years. The Secretary may reappoint a member for additional terms.

(b) The Secretary must regularly consult the Committee and seek its advice about the Department's administration of benefits for women veterans; reports and studies about women veterans; and women veterans' needs involving compensation^*, health care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other Department^* benefits and programs, including the Center for Women Veterans.

(c)(1) By July 1 of each year, the Committee must send the Secretary a report on Department programs and activities concerning women veterans. Each report must include: (A) an assessment of women veterans' needs involving compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other Department benefits and programs; (B) a review of Department programs and activities designed to meet those needs; (C) an assessment of intimate partner violence's effects on women veterans; and (D) recommendations the Committee considers appropriate, including administrative and legislative recommendations.

(2) Within 60 days after receiving each report, the Secretary must send Congress a copy with any comments the Secretary considers appropriate.

(3) The Committee may send the Secretary other reports and recommendations it considers appropriate.

(4) With each annual report to Congress under section 529 of this title, the Secretary must include a summary of all Committee reports and recommendations sent to the Secretary since the Secretary's previous annual report under that section.