§1091. Personal services contracts

(a) Authority.-The Secretary of Defense may enter into personal services contracts to carry out health care responsibilities in medical treatment facilities of the Department of Defense, as determined to be necessary by the Secretary. The authority provided in this subsection is in addition to any other contract authorities of the Secretary, including authorities relating to the management of such facilities and the administration of this chapter.

(b) Limitation on Amount of Compensation.-In no case may the total amount of compensation paid to an individual in any year under a personal services contract entered into under subsection (a) exceed the amount of annual compensation (excluding the allowances for expenses) specified in section 102 of title 3.

(c) Procedures.-(1) The Secretary shall establish by regulation procedures for entering into personal services contracts with individuals under subsection (a). At a minimum, such procedures shall assure-

(A) the provision of adequate notice of contract opportunities to individuals residing in the area of the medical treatment facility involved; and

(B) consideration of interested individuals solely on the basis of the qualifications established for the contract and the proposed contract price.

(2) Upon the establishment of the procedures under paragraph (1), the Secretary may exempt contracts covered by this section from the competitive contracting requirements specified in section 2304 of this title or any other similar requirements of law.

(d) Exceptions.-The procedures and exemptions provided under subsection (c) shall not apply to personal services contracts entered into under subsection (a) with entities other than individuals or to any contract that is not an authorized personal services contract under subsection (a).

(Added Pub. L. 98–94, title IX, §932(a)(1), Sept. 24, 1983, 97 Stat. 649 ; amended Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title VII, §714, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1584 ; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title VII, §712(a)(1), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1688 .)

Amendments

1993-Pub. L. 103–160 substituted "Personal services contracts" for "Contracts for direct health care providers" in section catchline and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows:

"(a) The Secretary concerned may contract with persons for services (including personal services) for the provision of direct health care services determined by the Secretary concerned to be required for the purposes of this chapter.

"(b) A person with whom the Secretary contracts under this section for the provision of direct health care services under this chapter may be compensated at a rate prescribed by the Secretary concerned, but at a rate not greater than the rate of basic pay, special and incentive pays and bonuses, and allowances authorized by chapters 3, 5, and 7 of title 37 for a commissioned officer with comparable professional qualifications in pay grade O–6 with 26 or more years of service computed under section 205 of such title."

1990-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–510 substituted "basic pay, special and incentive pays and bonuses, and allowances authorized by chapters 3, 5, and 7 of title 37 for a commissioned officer with comparable professional qualifications" for "basic pay and allowances authorized by chapters 3 and 7 of title 37 for a commissioned officer".

Effective Date

Section 932(f) of Pub. L. 98–94 provided that: "The amendments made by this section [enacting this section, amending section 201 of Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services, and repealing sections 4022 and 9022 of this title and section 421 of Title 37] shall take effect on October 1, 1983. Any contract of employment entered into under the authority of section 4022 or 9022 of title 10, United States Code, before the effective date of this section and which is in effect on such date shall remain in effect in accordance with the terms of such contract."

Personal Service Contracts To Provide Care

Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title VII, §704(c), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2799 , provided that:

"(1) The Secretary of Defense may enter into personal service contracts under the authority of section 1091 of title 10, United States Code, with persons described in paragraph (2) to provide the services of clinical counselors, family advocacy program staff, and victim's services representatives to members of the Armed Forces and covered beneficiaries who require such services. Notwithstanding subsection (a) of such section, such services may be provided in medical treatment facilities of the Department of Defense or elsewhere as determined appropriate by the Secretary.

"(2) The persons with whom the Secretary may enter into a personal services contract under this subsection shall include clinical social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other comparable professionals who have advanced degrees in counseling or related academic disciplines and who meet all requirements for State licensure and board certification requirements, if any, within their fields of specialization."

Report on Compensation by Medical Specialty

Section 712(b) of Pub. L. 103–160 provided that: "Not later than 30 days after the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date on which the Secretary of Defense first uses the authority provided under section 1091 of title 10, United States Code (as amended by subsection (a)(1)), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report specifying-

"(1) the compensation, by medical specialty, provided by the Secretary to individuals agreeing to enter into a personal services contract under such section during that period;

"(2) the extent to which the amounts of such compensation exceed the amounts previously provided by the Secretary for individuals in such medical specialties;

"(3) the total number and medical specialties of individuals serving in military medical treatment facilities during that period pursuant to such a contract; and

"(4) the number of such individuals (and their medical specialties) who are receiving compensation under such a contract in an amount in excess of the maximum amount authorized under such section, as such section was in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 30, 1993]."

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in section 1072 of this title.