Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§2504a Health care for volunteers at Peace Corps posts

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 34— - THE PEACE CORPS › § 2504a

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Make sure every overseas Peace Corps post has a medical office sized to its needs. The President can assign licensed medical staff from other U.S. agencies if needed. The Peace Corps Director must hire strong medical officers and support staff by checking seven areas: medical training and credentials, experience and past performance, administrative and people skills, ability to work in English, knowledge of the local language and culture, and other needed factors. Medical officers in malaria-endemic countries must get training to spot medication side effects. The Director, through the Associate Director of the Office of Health Services and country directors, must review all medical staff to ensure they follow Peace Corps rules and keep up required continuing medical education. The Director must confirm that these reviews were done in the annual budget report to Congress. The Director must also consult CDC experts about malaria prevention medicine.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2504a

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The President shall ensure that each overseas post has the services of a medical office that is consistent in size and scope with the needs of the Peace Corps at such post, including, if necessary, by detailing to any such post the licensed medical staff of other United States departments, agencies, or establishments.

(b)In selecting medical officers and support staff for overseas Peace Corps posts, the Director of the Peace Corps shall hire well-qualified and capable personnel to support the effectiveness of health care for Peace Corps volunteers by evaluating each candidate’s—

(1)medical training, experience, and accreditations or other qualifications;

(2)record of performance;

(3)administrative capabilities;

(4)understanding of the local language and culture;

(5)ability to work in the English language;

(6)interpersonal skills; and

(7)such other factors that the Director determines appropriate.

(c)The Director of the Peace Corps shall ensure that each Peace Corps medical officer serving in a malaria-endemic country receives training in the recognition of the side effects of such medications.

(d)(1)The Director of the Peace Corps, acting through the Associate Director of the Office of Health Services and the country directors, shall review and evaluate the performance and health care delivery of all Peace Corps medical staff, including medical officers, to—

(A)ensure compliance with all relevant Peace Corps policies, practices, and guidelines; and

(B)ensure that medical staff complete the necessary continuing medical education to maintain their skills and satisfy licensing and credentialing standards, as designated by the Director.

(2)The Director of the Peace Corps shall include, in the annual Peace Corps congressional budget justification, a confirmation that the review and evaluation of all Peace Corps medical staff required under paragraph (1) has been completed.

(e)The Director of the Peace Corps shall consult with experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding recommendations for prescribing malaria prophylaxis, in order to provide the best standard of care within the context of the Peace Corps environment.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2504a

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73