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VA Office of General Counsel (OGC) and NPCs
As
stated on the VA OGC web site (http://www4.va.gov/ogc/):
The mission of the Office of General
Counsel (OGC) is to identify and meet the legal needs of
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Its primary
objective is to ensure the just and faithful execution
of the laws, regulations and policies that the Secretary
has responsibility for administering, and by so doing
enable the Department to accomplish its mission of
service to our Nation's veterans.
OGC accomplishes its mission
through the work of professional staff groups (PSGs) located in VA
Central Office (VACO) in Washington, DC, and 22 Regional Counsel (RC)
offices located around the country. Professional Staff Group III
has primary OGC responsibility for ethics, technology transfer and
matters related to NPCs.
NPCs may use private sector
attorneys and often do so, particularly on matters involving state
incorporation or corporate law; private sector labor law; visas;
contracts with vendors; leases; etc. However, NPCs are encouraged to
consult with the local Regional Counsel on matters that involve VA.
Among these are issues related to federal ethics as they apply to NPC
employees on Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignments, or
working on VA research on VA without compensation (WOC) appointments;
interpretation of the NPC authorizing statute; application of VA
statutes, regulations and policies to NPC activities; etc.
Additionally, every Cooperative
Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) must be reviewed and approved
by a VA attorney before being signed. In most cases, this approval
can be handled by the local Regional Counsel.
NPCs are encouraged to
establish close working relationships with their local Regional Counsel
office. For local RC contact information, inquire in the medical
center director's office.
Each RC office designates at
least one attorney to be responsible for NPC issues and assigned to
review CRADAs. The designated attorney is a member of the OGC NPC
"Expert Panel" and receives regular training on issues that pertain to
NPCs. NPCs - individually or shared among several NPCs - often
support the NAVREF Annual Conference registration and travel expenses of
the designated attorney(s) so they may attend sessions specifically
geared toward VA attorneys as well as the general sessions. This
helps these attorneys gain proficiency in CRADAs and familiarity with
NPC operations.
|
Region |
Main
Regional Counsel (RC) Office |
Other RC Office Locations |
|
1 |
Boston,
Massachusetts |
Hartford, Connecticut
Manchester, New Hampshire
Providence, Rhode Island
Togus, Maine |
|
2 |
Brooklyn, New York |
Newark, New Jersey |
|
3 |
Washington, DC |
Baltimore, Maryland |
|
4 |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
|
5 |
Atlanta, Georgia |
Columbia, South Carolina |
|
6 |
Bay Pines, Florida |
San Juan, Puerto Rico
West Palm Beach, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Miami, Florida |
|
7 |
Cleveland, Ohio |
Huntington, West Virginia
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio |
|
8 |
Nashville, Tennessee |
North Little Rock, Arkansas |
|
9 |
Jackson, Mississippi |
Montgomery, Alabama |
|
10 |
Chicago, Illinois |
Des Moines, Idaho |
|
11 |
Detroit, Michigan |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|
12 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
Lincoln, Nebraska
Wichita, Kansas
Omaha, Nebraska
Kansas City, Missouri |
|
13 |
Waco, Texas |
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Dallas, Texas
Temple, Texas
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Austin, Texas |
|
14 |
Houston, Texas |
New Orleans, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
San Antonio, Texas |
|
15 |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Fargo, North Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
|
16 |
Denver, Colorado |
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Fort Harrison, Montana
Salt Lake City, Utah |
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18 |
San Francisco and Los Angeles, California |
Honolulu, Hawaii
San Diego California |
|
19 |
Phoenix, Arizona |
Reno, Nevada
Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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20 |
Portland, Oregon |
Boise, Idaho
Seattle, Washington
Anchorage, Alaska |
|
21 |
Buffalo, New York |
Albany, New York
Syracuse, New York
White River Junction, Vermont |
|
22 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Louisville, Indiana
Lexington, Kentucky |
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23 |
Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
Roanoke, Virginia |
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