38 U.S.C. § 7331

The Secretary, upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary for Health and pursuant to the provisions of section 7334 of this title , 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.