42 U.S.C. § 300hh–15 — Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps

(a) In general. Within 180 days of December 19, 2006, the Secretary, working with state, local, and tribal officials, had to build on existing programs to create the Medical Reserve Corps — a supply of volunteers ready for a federal, state, local, or tribal public health emergency. The Secretary may appoint a Director to run the Corps and oversee its state, local, tribal, and territorial chapters. (b) State, local, and tribal coordination. The Corps must be built using existing state, local, and tribal teams, without changing those teams. (c) Composition. Corps members must: (1) either (A) be health professionals with training the Director decides is appropriate, or (B) be non-health professionals interested in a support role that helps people get health care during an emergency; (2) be certified under the process described below; (3) live in a range of different geographic areas; (4) register and train with a local Corps chapter; and (5) say whether they are willing to be sent outside their home area during an emergency. (d) Certification; drills. (1) The Director, with state, local, and tribal officials, must set up a process to periodically certify volunteers, which must include finishing core training programs created under section 247d–6. This certification cannot override state licensing or credentialing rules. (2) Along with that core training, Corps members must do periodic local training exercises, which should, as appropriate, address the needs of at-risk individuals during an emergency. (e) Deployment. During a public health emergency, the Secretary may activate and deploy willing Corps members to areas of need, considering what medical expertise is needed, and only with the agreement of the state, local, or tribal officials where the members live. (f) Expenses and transportation. Corps members not already employed by the federal government get travel and transportation expenses, including a daily allowance, while on assignment from the Secretary, including travel time. (g) Identification. The Secretary, working with the states, must create a Medical Reserve Corps ID card showing a member's license and certification information, plus anything else the Secretary decides is needed. (h) Intermittent disaster-response personnel. (1) During a public health emergency, the Secretary may appoint selected people as intermittent Corps staff under normal civil service rules; otherwise, Corps members follow the laws of the state where the Corps is working. (2) The same work-injury and employment-rights protections that apply to National Disaster Medical System intermittent staff under section 300hh–11(c)(2), (d), and (e) apply the same way here. (3) State, local, and tribal officials cannot name a Corps member as federal intermittent disaster-response personnel themselves, though they may ask for that member's services. (i) Authorization of appropriations. Congress may spend $11,200,000 a year for fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to carry out this section.