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The General Accountability Office (GAO) released a letter in May on the use of Title 42 and the Senior Biomedical Research Service (SBRS).   The letter noted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has had trouble recruiting and retaining medical and other professionals to support activities like biomedical and clinical research. This research can include studies of HIV, flu, and COVID-19. The 21st Century Cures Act provides additional hiring and retention authority—allowing HHS to hire up to 2,000 scientists with certain specialized graduate degrees, and increasing top pay to hire and retain an expert staff.

On June 1, 2020, the House passed Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or the HEROES Act, a 3 trillion bill, which is another effort to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.  While the Senate and White House said the bill was “dead on arrival,” some of its provisions may survive, since most everyone agrees another response to the pandemic is needed.

HHS memo raising concerns

On December 9, the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a notice of annual pay ranges, which includes base pay and market pay for physicians, dentists and podiatrists in the Veterans Health Administration.  The annual pay ranges are effective February 16, 2020.  The notice of pay ranges is required to be issued once every two years.  Under U.S. Code, the total compensation cannot exceed the annual compensation (less expenses) of the President of the United States, which is $400,000.            Other federal agencies which use the modified Title 38 (VA pay system) are expected to adopt these new pay ranges.

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