USC Subchapter III

in effect

38 U.S.C. § 7281 Employees

(a) The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may appoint a clerk without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service. The clerk shall serve at the pleasure of the Court. (b) The judges of the Court may appoint law clerks and secretaries, in such numbers as the Court may approve, without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service. Any such law clerk or secretary shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing judge. (c) The clerk, with the approval of the Court, may appoint necessary deputies and employees without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service. (d) The Court may fix and adjust the rates of basic pay for the clerk and other employees of the Court without regard to the provisions of chapter 51, subchapter III of chapter 53, or section 5373 of title 5. To the maximum extent feasible, the Court shall compensate employees at rates consistent with those for employees holding comparable positions in the judicial branch. (e) In making appointments under subsections (a) through (c) of this section, preference shall be given, among equally qualified persons, to persons who are preference eligibles (as defined in section 2108(3) of title 5). (f) The Court may procure the services of experts and consultants under section 3109 of title 5. (g) The chief judge of the Court may exercise the authority of the Court under this section whenever there are not at least two other judges of the Court. (h) The Court shall not be considered to be an agency within the meaning of section 3132(a)(1) of title 5. (i) The Court may accept and utilize voluntary services and uncompensated (gratuitous) services, including services as authorized by section 3102(b) of title 5 and may accept, hold, administer, and utilize gifts and bequests of personal property for the purposes of aiding or facilitating the work of the Court. Gifts or bequests of money to the Court shall be covered into the Treasury. (j) For purposes of chapter 87 of title 5, a judge who is in regular active service and a judge who is retired under section 7296 of this title or under chapter 83 or 84 of title 5 shall be treated as an employee described in section 8701(a)(5) of title 5. (k) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Court may pay on behalf of its judges, who are age 65 or older, any increase in the cost of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance imposed after April 24, 1999, including any expenses generated by such payments, as authorized by the chief judge of the Court in a manner consistent with such payment authorized by the Judicial Conference of the United States pursuant to section 604(a)(5) of title 28.

38 U.S.C. § 7282 Budget and expenditures

(a) The budget of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims as submitted by the Court for inclusion in the budget of the President for any fiscal year shall be included in that budget without review within the executive branch. (b) The Court may make such expenditures (including expenditures for personal services and rent at the seat of Government and elsewhere, and for law books, books of reference, and periodicals) as may be necessary to execute efficiently the functions vested in the Court. (c) All expenditures of the Court shall be allowed and paid upon presentation of itemized vouchers signed by the certifying officer designated by the chief judge. Except as provided in section 7285 of this title, all such expenditures shall be paid out of moneys appropriated for purposes of the Court.

38 U.S.C. § 7283 Disposition of fees

Except for amounts received pursuant to section 7285 of this title, all fees received by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims shall be covered into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.

38 U.S.C. § 7284 Fee for transcript of record

The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may fix a fee, not in excess of the fee authorized by law to be charged and collected therefor by the clerks of the district courts, for comparing, or for preparing and comparing, a transcript of the record of any proceeding before the Court, or for copying any record, entry, or other paper and the comparison and certification thereof.

38 U.S.C. § 7285 Practice and registration fees

(a) The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may impose a reasonable periodic registration fee on persons admitted to practice before the Court. The frequency and amount of such fee shall be determined by the Court. The Court may also impose a reasonable registration fee on persons (other than judges of the Court) participating at judicial conferences convened pursuant to section 7286 of this title or in any other court-sponsored activity. (b) Amounts received by the Court under subsection (a) of this section shall be available to the Court for the following purposes:(1) Conducting investigations and proceedings, including employing independent counsel, to pursue disciplinary matters. (2) Defraying the expenses of—(A) judicial conferences convened pursuant to section 7286 of this title; and (B) other activities and programs of the Court that are intended to support and foster communication and relationships between the Court and persons practicing before the Court or the study, understanding, public commemoration, or improvement of veterans law or of the work of the Court.

38 U.S.C. § 7286 Judicial Conference of the Court

The Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may summon the judges of the Court to an annual judicial conference, at a time and place that the Chief Judge designates, for the purpose of considering the business of the Court and recommending means of improving the administration of justice within the Court’s jurisdiction. The Court shall provide by its rules for representation and active participation at such conference by persons admitted to practice before the Court and by other persons active in the legal profession.

38 U.S.C. § 7287 Administration

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may exercise, for purposes of management, administration, and expenditure of funds of the Court, the authorities provided for such purposes by any provision of law (including any limitation with respect to such provision of law) applicable to a court of the United States (as that term is defined in section 451 of title 28), except to the extent that such provision of law is inconsistent with a provision of this chapter.

38 U.S.C. § 7288 Annual report

(a) In General.—The chief judge of the Court shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress each year a report summarizing the workload of the Court for the fiscal year ending during the preceding year. (b) Elements.—Each report under subsection (a) shall include, with respect to the fiscal year covered by such report, the following information:(1) The number of appeals filed with the Court. (2) The number of petitions filed with the Court. (3) The number of applications filed with the Court under section 2412 of title 28. (4) The total number of dispositions by each of the following:(A) The Court as a whole. (B) The Clerk of the Court. (C) A single judge of the Court. (D) A multi-judge panel of the Court. (E) The full Court. (5) The number of each type of disposition by the Court, including settlement, affirmation, remand, vacation, dismissal, reversal, grant, and denial. (6) The median time from filing an appeal to disposition by each of the following:(A) The Court as a whole. (B) The Clerk of the Court. (C) A single judge of the Court. (D) Multiple judges of the Court (including a multi-judge panel of the Court or the full Court). (7) The median time from filing a petition to disposition by the Court. (8) The median time from filing an application under section 2412 of title 28 to disposition by the Court. (9) The median time from the completion of briefing requirements by the parties to disposition by the Court. (10) The number of oral arguments before the Court. (11) The number of cases appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. (12) The number and status of appeals and petitions pending with the Court and of applications described in paragraph (3) as of the end of such fiscal year. (13) The number of cases pending with the Court more than 18 months as of the end of such fiscal year. (14) A summary of any service performed for the Court by a recalled retired judge of the Court. (15) An assessment of the workload of each judge of the Court, including consideration of the following:(A) The time required of each judge for disposition of each type of case. (B) The number of cases reviewed by the Court. (C) The average workload of other Federal judges. (c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.—In this section, the term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—(1) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and (2) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.