§ 5371. Health care positions
(a)
For the purposes of this section, “health care” means direct patient-care services or services incident to direct patient-care services.
(b)
The Office of Personnel Management may, with respect to any employee described in subsection (c), provide that 1 or more provisions of chapter
74 of title
38 shall apply—
(1)
in lieu of any provision of chapter 51 or 61, subchapter V of chapter 55, or any other provision of this chapter; or
(2)
notwithstanding any lack of specific authority for a matter with respect to which chapter 51 or 61, subchapter V of chapter 55, or this chapter, relates.
(c)
Authority under subsection (b) may be exercised with respect to any employee holding a position—
(1)
to which chapter 51 applies, excluding any Senior Executive Service position and any position in the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration Senior Executive Service; and
(2)
which involves health care responsibilities.