118 STAT. 2636 PUBLIC LAW 108–445—DEC. 3, 2004 Public Law 108–445 108th Congress An Act To amend title 38, United States Code, to simplify and improve pay provisions for physicians and dentists and to authorize alternate work schedules and execu tive pay for nurses, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Enhancement Act of 2004’’. SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE. Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment is expressed in terms of an amendment to a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of title 38, United States Code. SEC. 3. SIMPLIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF GRADE AND PAY PROVISIONS FOR PHYSICIANS AND DENTISTS. (a) SIMPLIFICATION OF GRADES AND GRADE REQUIREMENTS.— (1) Subsection (b) of section 7404 is amended— (A) by striking ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(b)’’; (B) in the Physician and Dentist Schedule, by striking the items relating to the grades and inserting the following: ‘‘Physician grade. ‘‘Dentist grade.’’; and (C) by striking paragraph (2). (2) Subsection (a) of such section is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The pay of physicians and dentists serving in positions to which an Executive order applies under the preceding sentence shall be determined under subchapter III of this chapter instead of such Executive order.’’. (b) SIMPLIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF PAY AUTHORITIES.— Subchapter III of chapter 74 is amended to read as follows: ‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—PAY FOR PHYSICIANS AND DENTISTS ‘‘§ 7431. Pay ‘‘(a) ELEMENTS OF PAY.—Pay of physicians and dentists in the Veterans Health Administration shall consist of three elements as follows: ‘‘(1) Base pay as provided for under subsection (b). ‘‘(2) Market pay as provided for under subsection (c). ‘‘(3) Performance pay as provided under subsection (d). 38 USC 101 note. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Enhancement Act of 2004. Dec. 3, 2004 [S. 2484]
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