Updated Parking Policy.pdf

PARKING AND TRAFFIC REGULATIONS

MCP 132-4

North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGVHS) Gainesville, FL 32608

Signatory Authority:

Executive Health System Director

Responsible Owner:

Chief, Police Service

Rescinded Document:

MCP 132-4, Dated: April 3, 2022

Effective Date:

January 15, 2026

Recertification Date:

January 31, 2031

1. POLICY

This Medical Center Policy (MCP) establishes that safe driving and pedestrian conditions will be ensured for all employees, visitors, and patients. Employees must adhere to and will be held accountable for all State and Federal traffic codes.

2. JUSTIFICATION

To ensure employees, visitors, patients, and contractors follow the parking and traffic regulations for State and Federal codes. The Agency will provide a safe and secure parking area for its employees.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES

a. Chief, Police Service: The Chief, Police Service, is responsible for clarifying all parking and traffic regulations at new employee orientation, controlling and issuing vehicle registration decals or hang tags to employees.

b. VA Police Officers: VA Police Officers are responsible for regularly monitoring all parking areas to ensure vehicle security and compliance, issuing citations for traffic and parking violations, immobilizing repeat offender vehicles, and towing of those vehicles that are found to be posing traffic flow obstructions.

c. Human Resources Management Service: Human Resources Management Service is responsible for sending new employees to Police Service to obtain parking decals or hang tags.

d. Service Chiefs: Service Chiefs are responsible for ensuring their employees are appropriately parking in employee-only parking.

e. Center for Development and Civil Engagement (CDCE): CDCE is responsible for certifying the names of volunteers eligible for a parking pass, issuing parking passes as needed, and instructing volunteers on proper decal or hang tag display. Ensuring all

January 15, 2026 MCP 132-4 volunteers, working through their service, are familiar with the provisions of this NF/SGVHS policy and that terminated volunteers turn-in their parking pass to CDCE.

f. All Employees and Volunteers: Employees and volunteers are responsible for complying with the parking and traffic rules in this policy, processing through Police Service and/or CDCE for initial and subsequent vehicle registration and obtaining a parking decal or hang tag. All issued decals or hang tags are to be displayed as directed by this policy, and upon termination, remove the parking decal or hang tag and turn it into Police Service at the time of clearance from the system. At no time will an employee or volunteer park in patient parking areas.

4. OTHER PARAGRAPHS

a. Parking and Locking of Vehicles:

(1) Vehicles must be parked in areas marked for parking at all locations.

(2) All vehicles, government and privately owned, will have keys removed, windows up, and doors locked when unattended.

b. No Parking Areas: Vehicles will not be parked on roadways, in areas marked "NO PARKING", or in areas as follows:

(1) Fire lanes;

(2) Emergency vehicle areas and other essential lanes;

(3) Crosswalks;

(4) Striped out areas; or

(5) Grassy, seeded, or planted areas.

c. Registration of Vehicles:

(1) All privately owned vehicles used by employees, students, residents, and volunteers who use NF/SGVHS parking facilities must be registered with the VA Police as a condition of employment. A copy of the Driver’s License will be kept on file with the VA Police.

(2) All employees who are eligible to park in designated parking lots, including VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Patient Clinics (OPCs), Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), and facility-leased and offsite parking areas, must register and maintain a current parking decal or hang tag registration of their personally owned vehicle (POV) with the VA Police within the first week of employment. Registration of newly acquired vehicles will occur within the first week of ownership. Employees at

CBOCs, OPCs, and leased facilities are required to comply with their local parking restrictions.

(3) Parking decals will be displayed on the outside of the lower-left portion of the rear window or the left rear bumper. The decal will be affixed utilizing the adhesive provided on the decal. Motorcycles will display the decal on the front left fork. The decal is not transferable from one vehicle to another.

(4) Parking hang tags will be displayed on the review mirror with the number facing outward. The hang tag is not authorized for motorcycles. The hang tag is transferable to other vehicles.

(5) The exception to parking decals or hang tags is employees that are enrolled in the Transit Benefit Program (TBP). Facility Directors may determine that it is necessary to VA operations for selected employees to use Federally subsidized parking areas because of changes in their work schedules or exigent circumstances. Accordingly, employees who receive fare media or self-certify through the TBP may request authority to use the facility parking areas on an extremely limited basis, no more than three times per month, or at the discretion of and under procedures established by the Facility Director. Employees must understand that it is a violation of Title 18 USC Section 1001 to provide false or fraudulent information to obtain transit benefits. Employees who misuse transit subsidies may be subject to appropriate administrative action, including recoveries up to $10,000, adverse action, and disqualification for future transit benefits.

d. Parking and Traffic Regulations

(1) Parking is permitted only in designated parking areas. Parking is not permitted on any VA street or drive, service area, ambulance entrance, fire lane, red or yellow curb, or in median grass areas unless specific authorization is provided by the VA Police.

(2) The maximum speed limit is 10 miles per hour.

(3) All traffic control signs and instructions will be observed.

(4) All vehicle accidents will be reported immediately to the VA Police, and the vehicle will not be moved unless impending traffic flow or until directed by the VA Police.

e. Reserved Parking Areas and Times: All parking areas will be posted with signs designating reserved spaces. Maps can be found on the Police SharePoint site at the following link:

https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/vhanflpolice/Shared%20Documents/Forms/Parking %20Maps.aspx. Unauthorized personnel will not park in reserved parking spaces.

(1) Handicapped Spaces: Reserved 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7) for vehicles displaying appropriate handicap identification (i.e., State-issued license plate or State-issued hangtag). Handicap parking regulations, as outlined in Florida State Statutes, will be adhered to on all property occupied by the NF/SGVHS. Employees requesting handicap parking for temporary medical disabilities, i.e., broken leg, knee https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/vhanflpolice/Shared%20Documents/Forms/Parking%20Maps.aspx https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/vhanflpolice/Shared%20Documents/Forms/Parking%20Maps.aspx surgery, etc., must submit a doctor’s statement along with a memo from their Service Chief to Employee Health. Approval/disapproval will be made on a case-by-case basis and at the sole discretion of the Employee Health Provider.

(2) Gainesville Pride, Victory and Heritage Parking Lots, along with the Lake City

Red Parking Lot are reserved 24/7 for employees with red decals/hang tags authorized by the Deputy Director.

f. Patient/Visitor Parking:

(1) Gainesville: Reserved 24/7 for the exclusive use of patient and visitor vehicles.

(2) Lake City Blue and Yellow Lots: Reserved from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm, Monday - Friday, for the exclusive use of patient and visitor vehicles.

(3) Lake City Brown Lot Designated Spaces: Reserved 24/7.

(4) Patients and visitors may use employee parking lots when needed.

g. General Employee Parking:

(1) Gainesville: Freedom and Independence Garages, Employee Handicapped Lot (Employees will not park in the Patient Handicapped lot), or designated off-site overflow parking unless otherwise directed by VA Police. Night shift employees must park at designated employee parking areas 24/7.

(2) Lake City: Limited to Brown, Pink, Purple, and Green lots only and designated off-site overflow parking unless otherwise directed by VA Police. Additional employee parking will be available in the Orange Lot as illustrated on the Lake City Parking Map, located under the Police Service SharePoint site. The remaining Orange Lot and the entire Blue Lot will continue to be restricted to patient/visitor parking only. (Employees will not park in the Patient Handicapped lot)

(3) Employee Carpool Spaces: All NF/SGVHS parking lots reserved from 6:00 am to 8:30 am, Monday - Friday. These spaces are reserved for two or more employees riding together and are registered with the VA Police as carpool members. Carpool spaces are available Monday – Friday on a first-come, first-served basis for registered users.

(4) Police Vehicle Spaces: Reserved 24/7 for police patrol vehicles at all facilities.

(5) Volunteer Spaces: Gainesville/Lake City: Reserved 24/7 and requires a parking permit.

(6) Disabled American Veterans & Service Organizations: Gainesville: Spaces are reserved from 6:00 am to 2:30 pm daily in SW Basement Shuttle Bus drop/pick-up and Honor Lot (spaces are identified). Lake City: Three reserved spaces between 6:00 am – 4:30 pm in the Blue Parking Lot.

(7) Government Vehicles: Government-owned vehicles will be parked in the area that is designated as “Government Vehicle Parking Only” and returned to the Government Vehicle Parking Lot upon completion of official use.

(8) Two or Three-Wheeled Vehicles: Bicycles will be parked in bicycle racks as provided on the property. Bicycles are not allowed inside NF/SGVHS buildings.

Motorcycles must utilize designated motorcycle parking areas only.

(9) Vehicles (excluding Police and Emergency Vehicles) will be parked in marked spaces and between the parking lines.

(10) In Gainesville, all Without Compensation Employees (WOCs), Research Students, and temporary staff are required to park in designated off-site overflow parking locations by utilizing their VA-issued identification badge during the hours of 6:00 am – 2:30 pm, Monday -Friday, excluding Holidays. Any special arrangements must be cleared through VA Police. Parking decals or hang tags will be excluded for WOCs.

(11) Employees who are also patients may park in a parking space designed in this policy for Veteran/patient only. When employees have an appointment on an off-tour they must call VA Police Dispatch and give their VA-issued parking tag/decal number along with the lot they are parked in.

(12) Employees who are patients and have an appointment during a scheduled duty day can park in patient/Veteran designated parking only areas for the duration of the appointment. VA Police Dispatch must be contacted and provide the VA-issued parking tag/decal number and the amount of time the appointment will take. After the appointment is completed, the employee’s vehicle must be relocated to a parking area that is designed for employees.

h. Traffic/Parking Violations:

(1) To ensure enforcement actions are fair and consistent within the offense, the following progressive actions apply to employees and volunteers only:

(a) 1st Offense: The Police Officer may issue a Courtesy Violation Notice or U.S.

District Court Violation Notice for any traffic, parking, or decal/hang tag violations.

Moving violations, parking in emergency lanes (red and yellow borders), handicapped parking spaces, emergency vehicle parking spaces, or marked reserved parking spaces will be subject to the issuance of a U.S. District Court Violation Notice on the first offense. The Police Officer may hand a copy of the citation directly to the employee or place it on the windshield of the vehicle.

(b) 2nd Offense: Upon issue of a second Courtesy Violation Notice or U.S. District Court Violation Notice for any parking violation, the vehicle will be towed at the owner’s expense.

(c) 3rd Offense: Upon the third and any subsequent parking infractions, a U.S.

District Court Violation Notice will be issued, and the vehicle will be towed at the owner’s expense. The infraction will be forwarded to the Director’s Office for administrative action, and parking privileges revoked.

i. Contractor Parking

(1) Parking passes will be issued by the Police Service (T-7) after Engineering has verified the Contractor.

(2) If a contractor does not have a VA Police Parking pass, the contractor will be ticketed and towed.

(3) The contractor parking will be numbered, and the corresponding number will be on the parking pass. If the contractor is not parked in their issued spot, the contractor will be ticketed and towed.

(4) In Gainesville, no contractors (without a parking pass) or construction workers are allowed to park on the property; all contractors (without a pass) or construction workers will park off-site in the parking lots that the VA leases. In Lake City, contractor parking is in the Green Lot or off-site in the parking lots that the VA leases.

(5) Contractors (without a pass) or construction workers parked on VA property will be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.

5. DEFINITIONS

a. None

6. REFERENCES

a. VA Directive 0730.

b. USC 38, Chapter 1.218, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1.

7. RESCISSION

MCP 132-4, Dated: April 3, 2022.

8. REVIEW

This MCP will be reviewed at a minimum at recertification, including when there are changes to the governing document (for example, national policy or a health care accreditation body mandate).

9. RECERTIFICATION

This MCP is scheduled for recertification on or before January 31, 2031. This MCP will continue to serve as a local policy until it is recertified or rescinded. In the event of contradiction with national policy, the national policy supersedes and controls.

10. SIGNATORY AUTHORITY

Wende K. Dottor Executive Health System Director

NOTE: The signature remains valid until rescinded by appropriate administrative action.

DISTRIBUTION: MCPs are available at Director's Office - MCP (sharepoint.com) https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/northflorida/dir/SitePages/MCP.aspx