CHAPTER 3.-Continued BUBCHAPTER IV-VETERANS OUTREACH SERVICES PROGRAM Sec. 240. Purpose; definitions. 241. Outreach services. 242. Veterans assistance office. 243. Veterans' representatives. 244. Utilization of other agencies. 245. Report to Congress. Subchapter I-Veterans' Administration § 201. Veterans' Administration an independent agency The Veterans' Administration is an independent establishmen: in the executive branch of the Government, especially created fo: or concerned in the administration of laws relating to the relief and other benefits provided by law for veterans, their dependents, and their beneficiaries. § 202. Seal of the Veterans' Administration The seal of the Veterans' Administration shall be judicially noticed. Copies of any public documents, records, or papers be longing to or in the files of the Veterans' Administration, when authenticated by the seal and certified by the Administrator or by any employee of the Veterans' Administration to whom proper authority shall have been delegated in writing by the Adminis trator, shall be evidence equal with the originals thereof. § 203. Availability of appropriations Any funds appropriated to the Veterans' Administration may, to the extent provided in this title or an appropriations Act, remain available until expended. (Added P.L. 94–424, § 2 (a).) Subchapter II-Administrator of Veterans' Affairs § 210. Appointment and general authority of Administrator; Deputy Administrator (a) The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the Veterans' Administration. He is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. (Amended P.L. 88-426. § 305 (15).) (b) The Administrator, under the direction of the President, is responsible for the proper execution and administration of all laws administered by the Veterans' Administration and for the control. direction, and management of the Veterans' Administration. Except to the extent inconsistent with law, he may consolidate, eliminate, abolish, or redistribute the functions of the bureaus, agencies. offices, or activities in the Veterans' Administration, create new bureaus, agencies, offices, or activities therein, and fix the functions thereof and the duties and powers of their respective executive heads, (c) (1) The Administrator has authority to make all rules and regulations which are necessary or appropriate to carry out the laws administered by the Veterans' Administration and are consistent therewith, including regulations with respect to the nature and ex tent of proofs and evidence and the method of taking and furnishing hem in order to establish the right to benefits under such laws, the orms of application by claimants under such laws, the methods of naking investigations and medical examinations, and the manner and orm of adjudications and awards. Any rules, regulations, guidelines, r other published interpretations or orders, or any amendment thereo, issued pursuant to the authority granted by this subsection or any ther provision of this title shall contain, immediately following each ubstantive provision of such rules, regulations, guidelines, or other ublished interpretations or orders, or any amendment thereto, citaions to the particular section or sections of statutory law or other gal authority upon which such rule, regulation, guideline, or other ublished interpretation or order is based or, in the case of any mendment thereto, upon which such amendment and the rule, regulaon, guideline, interpretation or order being amended is based. Amended P.L. 95-202, § 301.) (2) If the Administrator determines that benefits administered y the Veterans' Administration have not been provided by reason f administrative error on the part of the Federal Government or ny of its employees, he is authorized to provide such relief on acount of such error as he determines equitable, including the payent of moneys to any person whom he determines equitably entitled ereto. (3) (A) If the Administrator determines that any veteran, widow, hild of a veteran, or other person, has suffered loss as a consequence f reliance upon a determination by the Veterans' Administration of igibility or entitlement to benefits, without knowledge that it was roneously made, he is authorized to provide such relief on account f such error as he determines equitable, including the payment of oneys to any person who he determines equitably entitled thereto. (B) The Administrator shall submit an annual report to the ongress on January 1, 1973, and each succeeding year containing brief summary, including a statement as to the disposition of each ise recommended to him for equitable relief under this paragraph. Amended P.L. 89-785, § 301; P.L. 92-328, § 201.) (d) There shall be in the Veterans' Administration a Deputy dministrator of Veterans' Affairs who shall be appointed by the dministrator. The Deputy Administrator shall perform such funcons as the Administrator shall designate and, unless the President all designate another officer of the Government, shall be Acting Adinistrator of Veterans' Affairs during the absence or disability of the dministrator or in the event of a vacancy in the office of Administrar. (Added P.L. 89-361, § 1 (a).) 211. Decisions by Administrator; opinions of Attorney General (a) On and after October 17, 1940, except as provided in sections 5, 784, and as to matters arising under chapter 37 of this title, the ecisions of the Administrator on any question of law or fact under ay law administered by the Veterans' Administration providing enefits for veterans and their dependents or survivors shall be final and conclusive and no other official or any court of the United States all have power or jurisdiction to review any such decision by an tion in the nature of mandamus or otherwise. (Amended P.L. 89-214, 1(b); P.L. 89–358, § 4(h); P.L. 91-376, § 8(a).) (b) The Administrator may require the opinion of the Attorney General on any question of law arising in the administration of the Veterans' Administration. § 212. Delegation of authority and assignment of duties (a) The Administrator may assign duties, and delegate or author ize successive redelegation of, authority to act and to render decisions with respect to all laws administered by the Veterans' Administration. to such officers and employees as he may find necessary. Within the limitations of such delegations, redelegations or assignments, all offcial acts and decisions of such officers and employees shall have the same force and effect as though performed or rendered by the Administrator. (Amended P.L. 89-361, § 2.) (b) There shall be included on the technical and administrative staff of the Administrator such staff officers, experts, inspectors, and assistants (including legal assistants), as the Administrator may prescribe. § 213. Contracts and personal services The Administrator may, for purposes of all laws administered by the Veterans' Administration, accept uncompensated services, and enter into contracts or agreements with private or public agencies o persons (including contracts for services of translators without regar to any other law), for such necessary services (including person:" services) as he may deem practicable. The Administrator may als enter into contracts or agreements with private concerns or public agencies for the hiring of passenger motor vehicles or aircraft for of ficial travel whenever, in his judgment, such arrangements are in the interest of efficiency or economy. (Amended P.L. 89-785, § 302; P.L 91-24, § 2(c).) § 214. Reports to the Congress The Administrator shall make annually, at the close of each fiscal year, a report in writing to the Congress, giving an account of all moneys received and disbursed by the Veterans' Administration, describing the work done, and stating the activities of the Veterans' Ad ministration for such fiscal year. § 215. Publication of laws relating to veterans The Administrator may compile and publish all Federal laws r lating to veterans' relief, including such laws as are administered by the Veterans' Administration as well as by other agencies of the Gorernment, in such form as he deems advisable for the purpose of mak ing currently available in convenient form for the use of the Veterans Administration and full-time representatives of the several service organizations an annotated, indexed, and cross-referenced statemert of the laws providing veterans' relief. The Administrator may main tain such compilation on a current basis either by the publication from time to time, of supplementary documents or by complete re vision of the compilation. The distribution of the compilation to the representatives of the several service organizations shall be as deter mined by the Administrator. § 217. Studies of rehabilitation of disabled persons (a) The Administrator may make or have made studies, investiga tions, and reports, relative to the rehabilitation of disabled persons he relative abilities, aptitudes, and capacities of the several groups f the variously handicapped, and how their potentialities can best be eveloped and their services best utilized in gainful and suitable emloyment including the rehabilitation programs of foreign nations. (b) In carrying out this section, the Administrator may cooperate ith such public and private agencies as he may deem advisable, and ay employ consultants who shall receive a reasonable per diem, as rescribed by the Administrator, for each day actually employed, plus ecessary travel and other expenses. 218. Standards of conduct and arrests for crimes at hospitals, domiciliaries, cemeteries, and other Veterans' Administration reservations (a) For the purpose of maintaining law and order and of protectg persons and property on land (including cemeteries) and in buildgs under the jurisdiction of the Veterans' Administration (and not nder the control of the Administrator of General Services), the dministrator or any officer or employee of the Veterans' Administraon duly authorized by him may (1) make all needful rules and regulations for the governing of the property under his charge and control, and annex to such rules and regulations such reasonable penalties within the limits prescribed in subsection (b) of this section as will insure their enforcement. Such rules and regulations shall be posted in a conspicuous place on such property; (2) designate officers and employees of the Veterans' Administration to act as special policemen on such property and, if the Administrator deems it economical and in the public interest, with the concurrence of the head of the agency concerned, utilize the facilities and services of existing Federal law-enforcement agencies, and, with the consent of any State or local agency, utilize the facilities and services of such State or local law-enforcement agencies; and (3) empower officers or employees of the Veterans' Administration who have been duly authorized to perform investigative functions to act as special investigators and to carry firearms, whether on Federal property or in travel status. Such special investigators shall have, while on real property under the charge and control of the Veterans' Administration, the power to enforce Federal laws for the protection of persons and property and the power to enforce rules and regulations issued under subsection (a) (1) of this section. Any such special investigator may make an arrest with or without a warrant for any offense committed upon such property in his presence or if he has reasonable ground to believe (A) the offense constitutes a felony under the laws of the United States, and (B) that the person to be arrested is guilty of that offense. (Added P.L. 93-43, § 4(a).) (b) Whoever shall violate any rule or regulation issued pursuant subsection (a) (1) of this section shall be fined not more than $50 or prisoned not more than thirty days, or both. (Added P.L. 93-43, (a).) 219. Evaluation and data collection (a) The Administrator, pursuant to general standards which he all prescribe in regulations, shall measure and evaluate on a con tinuing basis the impact of all programs authorized under this title in order to determine their effectiveness in achieving stated goals in general, and in achieving such goals in relation to their cost, their impact on related programs, and their structure and mechanisms for 12 delivery of services. Such information as the Administrator may deer necessary for purposes of such evaluations shall be made available to him, upon request, by all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive branch. (Added P.L. 93-508, § 213.) (b) In carrying out this section, the Administrator shall collect. collate, and analyze on a continuing basis full statistical data regard ing participation (including the duration thereof), provision of serv ices, categories of beneficiaries, planning and construction of facilities acquisition of real property, proposed excessing of land, accretion and attrition of personnel, and categorized expenditures attributable thereto, under all programs carried out under this title. (Added P.L 93-508, § 213.) (c) The Administrator shall make available to the public and on 1 regular basis provide to the appropriate committees of the Congres copies of all completed evaluative research studies and summaries of evaluations of program impact and effectiveness carried out, and tabu lations and analyses of all data collected, under this section. (Added P.L. 93-508, § 213.) § 220. Coordination of other Federal programs affecting vet erans and their dependents The Administrator shall seek to achieve the maximum feasible effectiveness, coordination, and interrelationship of services among al programs and activities affecting veterans and their dependents carried out by and under all other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive branch and shall seek to achieve the maximum feasible coordination of such programs with programs carried out under this title. (Added P.L. 93-508, § 213.) Subchapter III-Veterans' Administration Regional Offices; Employees § 230. Central and regional offices (a) The Central Office of the Veterans' Administration shall be in the District of Columbia. The Administrator may establish such regional offices and such other field offices within the United States, its Territories, Commonwealths, and possessions, as he deems necessary. (b) The Administrator may exercise authority under this section. in the territory of the Republic of the Philippines until September 30 1981. (Amended P.L. 86-103; P.L. 91-338; P.L. 93-82, § 401; P.L 95-520, § 2.) (c) The Administrator is authorized to establish and maintain an office in Europe, at such location as he deems appropriate, to render technical advice and assistance in the administration of veterans' programs in that area. (Added P.L. 87-815, § 5.) § 231. Placement of employees in military installations The Administrator may place officers and employees of the Veterans' Administration in such Army, Navy, and Air Force installations as may be deemed advisable for the purpose of adjudicating dis |