--- kind: "section" citation: "42 U.S.C. § 251" title: "42" title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare" number: "251" heading: "Medical examination and treatment of Federal employees; medical care at remote stations" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/251" units: - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service" - "Subchapter II — General Powers and Duties" - "Part C — Hospitals, Medical Examinations, and Medical Care" --- # §251. Medical examination and treatment of Federal employees; medical care at remote stations - (a) The [Surgeon General](/usc/42/201.md?p=b) is authorized to provide at institutions, [hospitals](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=1), and station of the [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) medical, surgical, and [hospital](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=1) [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) and supplies for persons entitled to [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) under subchapter I of [Chapter 81](/usc/5/chptIII/sptG/ch81.md) of title 5 and extensions thereof. The [Surgeon General](/usc/42/201.md?p=b) may also provide for making medical examinations of— - (1) [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) of the Federal Government for retirement purposes; - (2) [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) in the Federal classified [service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a), and applicants for appointment, as requested by the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the Office of Personnel Management for the purpose of promoting health and efficiency; - (3) seamen for purposes of qualifying for certificates of [service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a); and - (4) [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) eligible for benefits under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, as amended [[33 U.S.C. 901](/usc/33/901.md) et seq.], as requested by any deputy commissioner thereunder. - (b) The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) is authorized to provide medical, surgical, and dental [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) and hospitalization and optometric care for Federal [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) (as defined in [section 8901(1) of title 5](/usc/5/8901.md?p=1)) and their dependents at remote [medical facilities](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=11) of the Public Health [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) where such care and [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) are not otherwise available. Such [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) and their dependents who are not entitled to this care and [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) under any other provision of law shall be charged for it at rates established by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) to reflect the reasonable cost of providing the care and [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11). Any payments pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be credited to the applicable appropriation to the Public Health [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) for the year in which such payments are received. ## Source credit (July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, § 324, 58 Stat. 697; Pub. L. 90–174, § 10(a), (b), Dec. 5, 1967, 81 Stat. 540; 1978 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 102, eff. Jan. 1, 1979, 43 F.R. 36037, 92 Stat. 3783; Pub. L. 97–468, title VI, § 615(b)(4), Jan. 14, 1983, 96 Stat. 2578; Pub. L. 98–426, § 27(d)(2), Sept. 28, 1984, 98 Stat. 1654.) ## Notes ### Editorial Notes ### References in Text The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, as amended, referred to in subsec. (a)(4), is act Mar. 4, 1927, ch. 509, 44 Stat. 1424, which is classified generally to chapter 18 (§ 901 et seq.) of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 901 of Title 33 and Tables. ### Codification In subsec. (a), “subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5” substituted for “United States Employees’ Compensation Act” on authority of Pub. L. 89–554, § 7(b), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 631, the first section of which enacted Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. ### Amendments 1984—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 98–426 substituted “Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act” for “Longshoremen’s and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act”. 1983—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 97–468 struck out “employees of the Alaska Railroad and” before “employees of the Federal Government”. 1967—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 90–174, § 10(a), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and redesignated cls. (a) to (d) as cls. (1) to (4), respectively. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 90–174, § 10(b), added subsec. (b). ### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries ### Change of Name “Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (b) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88, which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education. ### Effective Date of 1984 Amendment Amendment by Pub. L. 98–426 effective Sept. 28, 1984, see section 28(e)(1) of Pub. L. 98–426, set out as a note under section 901 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters. ### Effective Date of 1983 Amendment Amendment by Pub. L. 97–468 effective on date of transfer of Alaska Railroad to the State [Jan. 5, 1985], pursuant to section 1203 of Title 45, Railroads, see section 615(b) of Pub. L. 97–468. ### Executive Documents ### Transfer of Functions “Director of the Office of Personnel Management” substituted for “Civil Service Commission” in subsec. (a)(2), pursuant to Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1978, § 102, 43 F.R. 36037, 92 Stat. 3783, set out under section 1101 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, which transferred all functions vested by statute in United States Civil Service Commission to Director of Office of Personnel Management (except as otherwise specified), effective Jan. 1, 1979, as provided by section 1–102 of Ex. Ord. No. 12107, Dec. 28, 1978, 44 F.R. 1055, set out under section 1101 of Title 5. 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.