Pub. L. 93-82, tit. III, sec. 301

Sec. 301. (a) Subsection (a) of section 5001 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by— (1) striking out the period at the end of paragraph (2) and inserting in lieu thereof a comma and the following: “and the Administrator shall staff and maintain, in such a manner as to insure the immediate acceptance and timely and complete care of patients, sufficient beds and other treatment capacities to accommodate, and provide such care to. eligible veterans applying for admission and found to be in need of hospital care or medical services. The Administrator shall maintain the bed and treatment capacities of all Veterans’ Administration medical facilities so as to insure the accessibility and availability of such beds and treatment capacities to eligible veterans in all States and to minimize delays m admissions and in the provision of such care and of services pursuant to section 612 of this title. The Chief Medical Director shall periodically analyze agency wide admission policies and the records of those eligible veterans who apply for hospital care and medical services but are rejected or not immediately admitted or provided such care or services, and the Administrator shall annually advise the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affair’s of the results of such analysis and the number of any additional beds and treatment capacities and the appropriate staffing and funds therefor found necessary to meet the needs of such veterans for such necessary care and services.”; and (2) striking out in the first sentence of paragraph (3) “is authorized to” and inserting in lieu thereof “shall”, and by striking out “four thousand beds” and inserting in lieu thereof “eight thousand beds in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, and in each fiscal year thereafter”. (b) Subsection (b) of section 5001 of such tide is amended to read as follows: “(b) Hospitals, domiciliaries, and other medical facilities provided by the Administrator (including nursing home facilities for which the Administrator contracts under section 620 of this title) shall be of fire, earthquake, and other natural disaster resistant construction in accordance with standards which the Administrator shall prescribe on a State or regional basis after surveying appropriate State and local laws, ordinances, and building codes and climatic and seismic conditions pertinent to each such facility. When an existing plant is purchased, it shall be remodeled to comply with the requirements stated in the first 87 Stat. 195 sentence of this subsection. In order to carry out this subsection, the Administrator shall appoint an Advisory Committee on Structural Safety of Veterans’ Administration Facilities, on which shall serve at least one architect and one structural engineer expert in fire, earthquake, and other natural disaster resistance who shall not be employees of the Federal Government, to advise him on all matters of structural safety in the construction and remodeling of Veterans’ Administration facilities in accordance with the requirement of this subsection, and which shall approve regulations prescribed thereunder. The Associate Deputy Administrator, the Chief Medical Director, or his designee, and the Veterans’ Administration official charged with the responsibility for construction shall be ex officio members of such committee.”. (c) Section 5001 of such title is further amended by adding the following new subsection: “(g) The Administrator may make contributions to local authorities toward, or for. the construction of traffic controls, road improvements, or other devices adjacent to Veterans’ Administration medical facilities when deemed necessary for safe ingress or egress.”.