
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC253]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                    CHAPTER 6A--PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
 
                SUBCHAPTER II--GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES
 
        Part C--Hospitals, Medical Examinations, and Medical Care
 
Sec. 253. Medical services to Coast Guard, National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration, and Public Health Service
        

(a) Persons entitled to medical services

    Subject to regulations of the President--
        (1) commissioned officers, chief warrant officers, warrant 
    officers, cadets, and enlisted personnel of the Regular Coast Guard 
    on active duty, including those on shore duty and those on detached 
    duty; and Regular, and temporary members of the United States Coast 
    Guard Reserve when on active duty;
        (2) commissioned officers, ships' officers, and members of the 
    crews of vessels of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
    Administration on active duty, including those on shore duty and 
    those on detached duty; and
        (3) commissioned officers of the Regular or Reserve Corps of the 
    Public Health Service on active duty;

shall be entitled to medical, surgical, and dental treatment and 
hospitalization by the Service. The Surgeon General may detail 
commissioned officers for duty aboard vessels of the Coast Guard or the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(b) Health care for involuntarily separated officers and dependents

    (1) The Secretary may provide health care for an officer of the 
Regular or Reserve Corps involuntarily separated from the Service, and 
for any dependent of such officer, if--
        (A) the officer or dependent was receiving health care at the 
    expense of the Service at the time of separation; and
        (B) the Secretary finds that the officer or dependent is unable 
    to obtain appropriate insurance for the conditions for which the 
    officer or dependent was receiving health care.

    (2) Health care may be provided under paragraph (1) for a period of 
not more than one year from the date of separation of the officer from 
the Service.

(c) Examination of personnel of Service assigned to Coast Guard or 
        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    The Service shall provide all services referred to in subsection (a) 
of this section required by the Coast Guard or National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration and shall perform all duties prescribed by 
statute in connection with the examinations to determine physical or 
mental condition for purposes of appointment, enlistment, and 
reenlistment, promotion and retirement, and officers of the Service 
assigned to duty on Coast Guard or National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration vessels may extend aid to the crews of American vessels 
engaged in deep-sea fishing.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, Sec. 326, 58 Stat. 697; June 7, 1956, 
ch. 374, Sec. 306(3), 70 Stat. 254; Pub. L. 86-415, Sec. 5(d), Apr. 8, 
1960, 74 Stat. 34; Pub. L. 88-71, Sec. 2, July 19, 1963, 77 Stat. 83; 
1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 13, 1965, 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318; 
1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970, 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090; 
Pub. L. 99-117, Sec. 5, Oct. 7, 1985, 99 Stat. 492.)


                               Amendments

    1985--Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99-117 added subsec. (b).
    1963--Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 88-71, Sec. 2(a), repealed subsec. (b) 
which provided for treatment of dependents of personnel. See section 
253a(b) of this title.
    Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 88-71, Sec. 2(b), inserted ``or Coast and 
Geodetic Survey'' after ``Coast Guard'' in two places.
    1960--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 86-415 struck out provisions which 
authorized medical, surgical, and dental care and hospitalization for 
retired personnel of Coast Guard, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Public 
Health Service.
    1956--Subsec. (b). Act June 7, 1956, repealed subsec. (b) except 
insofar as it related to dependent members of families of ships' 
officers and members of crews of vessels of Coast and Geodetic Survey.

                         Change of Name

    Coast and Geodetic Survey consolidated with Weather Bureau to form a 
new agency in Department of Commerce to be known as Environmental 
Science Services Administration, and commissioned officers of Survey 
transferred to ESSA, by Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1965, eff. July 13, 1965, 
30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, 
Government Organization and Employees. Reorg. Plan No. 4 of 1970, eff. 
Oct. 3, 1970, 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090, abolished Environmental 
Science Services Administration, established National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, and redesignated Commissioned Officer Corps 
of ESSA as Commissioned Officer Corps of NOAA. For further details, see 
Transfer of Functions note set out under section 851 of Title 33, 
Navigation and Navigable Waters.


                    Effective Date of 1956 Amendment

    Amendment by act June 7, 1956, effective six months after June 7, 
1956, see section 307 of act June 7, 1956.

                          Transfer of Functions

    Functions of Public Health Service, Surgeon General of Public Health 
Service, and all other officers and employees of Public Health Service, 
and functions of all agencies of or in Public Health Service transferred 
to Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 
1966, eff. June 25, 1966, 31 F.R. 8855 80 Stat. 1610, set out as a note 
under section 202 of this title. Secretary of Health, Education, and 
Welfare redesignated Secretary of Health and Human Services by section 
509(b) of Pub. L. 96-88 which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 
20, Education.


                            Cross References

    Members of Coast Guard Reserve entitled to benefits of subsecs. (a) 
and (b) of this section, see section 705 of Title 14, Coast Guard.
    Third party tort liability to United States for hospital and medical 
care, see section 2651 et seq. of this title.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 254e of this title; title 14 
section 705.
