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Title 24, Hospitals and AsylumsRelease 119-110

§415 Chief Operating Officer

Title 24 › CHAPTER 10 — ARMED FORCES RETIREMENT HOME › SUBCHAPTER I — ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF RETIREMENT HOME › § 415

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Defense must appoint a Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Retirement Home. The COO serves at the Secretary’s pleasure and must be reviewed at least once each year. The COO must meet three qualifications: be a continuing care retirement community professional, have leadership and management skills, and have experience running retirement homes and providing long-term medical care for older people. The COO answers to the Secretary and runs the overall operation, including supervising the Armed Forces Retirement Home—Washington and the Armed Forces Retirement Home—Gulfport. The COO must make and enforce rules, inspect facilities, audit the Home’s accounts, and set up any advisory groups needed. The Secretary may set the COO’s pay, but the basic pay plus locality pay cannot exceed the annual rate for level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 5. The Secretary may give one performance bonus per year, with the amount set by the Secretary, but total basic pay plus bonus cannot exceed the annual rate for level I under section 5312 of title 5. With the Secretary’s approval, the COO may hire administrative staff and set their pay, subject to limits in section 5373 of title 5; active duty service members or full-time U.S. employees may not get extra pay for this service. The COO may accept gifts for the Home, and gift money or proceeds must go into the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund.

Full Legal Text

Title 24, §415

Hospitals and Asylums, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Appointment
(1)The Secretary of Defense shall appoint the Chief Operating Officer of the Retirement Home.
(2)The Chief Operating Officer shall serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of Defense.
(3)The Secretary of Defense shall evaluate the performance of the Chief Operating Officer at least once each year.
(b)Qualifications
To qualify for appointment as the Chief Operating Officer, a person shall—
(1)be a continuing care retirement community professional;
(2)have appropriate leadership and management skills; and
(3)have experience and expertise in the operation and management of retirement homes and in the provision of long-term medical care for older persons.
(c)Responsibilities
(1)The Chief Operating Officer shall be responsible to the Secretary of Defense for the overall direction, operation, and management of the Retirement Home and shall report to the Secretary on those matters.
(2)The Chief Operating Officer shall supervise the operation and administration of the Armed Forces Retirement Home—Washington and the Armed Forces Retirement Home—Gulfport.
(3)The Chief Operating Officer shall perform the following duties:
(A)Issue, and ensure compliance with, appropriate rules for the operation of the Retirement Home.
(B)Periodically visit, and inspect the operation of, the facilities of the Retirement Home.
(C)Periodically examine and audit the accounts of the Retirement Home.
(D)Establish any advisory body or bodies that the Chief Operating Officer considers to be necessary.
(d)Compensation
(1)The Secretary of Defense may prescribe the pay of the Chief Operating Officer, except that the annual rate of basic pay, including locality pay, of the Chief Operating Officer may not exceed the annual rate of basic pay payable for level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 5.
(2)In addition to basic pay and any locality pay prescribed for the Chief Operating Officer, the Secretary may award the Chief Operating Officer, not more than once each year, a bonus based on the performance of the Chief Operating Officer for the year. The Secretary shall prescribe the amount of any such bonus.
(3)The total amount of the basic pay and bonus paid the Chief Operating Officer for a year under this section may not exceed the annual rate of basic pay payable for level I of the Executive Schedule under section 5312 of title 5.
(e)Administrative staff
(1)The Chief Operating Officer may, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Defense, appoint a staff to assist in the performance of the Chief Operating Officer’s duties in the overall administration of the Retirement Home.
(2)The Chief Operating Officer shall prescribe the rates of pay applicable to the members of the staff appointed under paragraph (1), except that—
(A)a staff member who is a member of the Armed Forces on active duty or who is a full-time officer or employee of the United States may not receive additional pay by reason of service on the administrative staff; and
(B)the limitations in section 5373 of title 5, relating to pay set by administrative action, shall apply to the rates of pay prescribed under this paragraph.
(f)Acceptance of gifts
(1)The Chief Operating Officer may accept, receive, solicit, hold, administer, and use any gift, devise, or bequest, either absolutely or in trust, of real or personal property, or any income therefrom or other interest therein, for the benefit of the Retirement Home.
(2)Monies received as gifts, or realized from the disposition of property and facilities received as gifts, shall be deposited in the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 115–232 amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “The Chief Operating Officer may accept gifts of money, property, and facilities on behalf of the Retirement Home.” 2011—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 112–81 struck out “, including the Local Boards of those facilities” before period at end. 2001—Pub. L. 107–107 amended section catchline and text generally, substituting provisions relating to the Chief Operating Officer of the Retirement Home for provisions relating to the composition and operation of Retirement Home Board. 1996—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1051(a), added par. (3). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1051(b)(1), amended heading and text of subsec. (f) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Not later than the

Effective Date

specified in section 1541(a), members of the Retirement Home Board and the members of each Local Board shall be first appointed to staggered terms.” 1993—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 103–160 amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “The Secretary of Defense shall select one of the members of the Retirement Home Board to serve as chairman. The term of office of the chairman of the Retirement Home Board shall be five years.” 1991—Subsecs. (a), (c). Pub. L. 102–190, § 1062(a)(4)(A), substituted “Local Boards” for “local boards”. Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 102–190, § 1062(a)(4)(B), substituted “that Board” for “that board”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective one year after Nov. 5, 1990, except that provisions of this section relating to appointment and designation of members of Retirement Home Board and Local Boards effective Oct. 1, 1991, see section 1541(a), (c) of Pub. L. 101–510, formerly set out as a note under section 401 of this title.

Savings Provision

Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title X, § 1051(b)(2), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2649, provided that: “The amendment made by this subsection [amending this section] shall not affect the staggered terms of members of the Armed Forces Retirement Home Board or a Local Board of the Retirement Home under section 1515(f) of such Act [subsec. (f) of this section], as such section is in effect before the date of the enactment of this Act [Sept. 23, 1996].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

24 U.S.C. § 415

Title 24, Hospitals and Asylums

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110