38 USC § 7331 - Informed consent

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t38/s7331"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "38 USC § 7331 - Informed consent"
title_number: 38
title_name: "VETERANS’ BENEFITS"
section_number: "7331"
section_name: "Informed consent"
chapter_number: 73
chapter_name: "VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION—ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS"
subchapter_number: "III"
subchapter_name: "PROTECTION OF PATIENT RIGHTS"
part_number: "V"
part_name: "BOARDS, ADMINISTRATIONS, AND SERVICES"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-21"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 94–581, title I, § 111(a)(1), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2849, § 4131; renumbered § 7331 and amended Pub. L. 102–40, title IV, §§ 401(a)(4)(A), 402(d)(1), 403(a)(1), May 7, 1991, 105 Stat. 221, 239; Pub. L. 102–405, title III, § 302(c)(1), Oct. 9, 1992, 106 Stat. 1984.)"
---


# § 7331. Informed consent

section 7334 of this title

The Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health and pursuant to the provisions of , shall prescribe regulations establishing procedures to ensure that all medical and prosthetic research carried out and, to the maximum extent practicable, all patient care furnished under this title shall be carried out only with the full and informed consent of the patient or subject or, in appropriate cases, a representative thereof.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 94–581, title I, § 111(a)(1), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2849, § 4131; renumbered § 7331 and amended Pub. L. 102–40, title IV, §§ 401(a)(4)(A), 402(d)(1), 403(a)(1), May 7, 1991, 105 Stat. 221, 239; Pub. L. 102–405, title III, § 302(c)(1), Oct. 9, 1992, 106 Stat. 1984.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1992— substituted “Under Secretary for Health” for “Chief Medical Director”.

1991—, renumbered  as this section.

, substituted “Secretary” for “Administrator”.

, substituted “7334” for “4134”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Subchapter effective , see , set out as an Effective Date of 1976 Amendment note under .