§ 1437b — Support For Out-of-area Covered Employees

(a) All covered employees whose location of employment is outside of the Washington, DC area (referred to in this section as “out-of-area covered employees”) shall have equitable access to the resources and services provided by the Office and under this chapter as is provided to covered employees who work in the Washington, DC area. (b) The Office shall— (1) establish a method by which out-of-area covered employees may communicate securely with the Office, which shall include an option for real-time audiovisual communication; and (2) provide guidance to employing offices regarding how each office can facilitate equitable access to the resources and services provided under this chapter for its out-of-area covered employees, including information regarding the communication methods described in paragraph (1). (c) It is the sense of Congress that each employing office with out-of-area covered employees should use its best efforts to facilitate equitable access to the resources and services provided under this chapter for those employees.