Request for Data and Information on Minority Veterans, 39908-39909 [2023-13067]

Download as PDF 39908 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 117 / Tuesday, June 20, 2023 / Notices Authority: 28 U.S.C. 994(a), (o); USSC Rules of Practice and Procedure 2.2, 5.2. Carlton W. Reeves, Chair. [FR Doc. 2023–12991 Filed 6–16–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 2210–40–P DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Request for Data and Information on Minority Veterans Department of Veterans Affairs. Notice-request for information. AGENCY: ACTION: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of the Secretary, Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), is hereby giving notice of an opportunity for the public to provide available data and information on minority and historically underserved Veterans. Historically underserved Veterans includes racial and ethnic minority (Asian American; Black; Hispanic/ Latino; Native American (including American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian); or Pacific-Islander American); LGBTQ+; those whose religious or conscientious identity, beliefs, and practices have been determined to be underserved; language barriers or are without citizenship status; and those in rural areas and on tribal lands. DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 21, 2023. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Albino, Director, Center for Minority Veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20420, email address: VACOCMV@va.gov, 202–461–0500. This is not a toll-free number. ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted through www.regulations.gov. Except as provided below, comments received before the close of the comment period will be available at www.regulations.gov for public viewing, inspection, or copying, including any personally identifiable or confidential business information that is included in a comment. We post the comments received before the close of the comment period on the following website as soon as possible after they have been received: https:// www.regulations.gov. VA will not post on Regulations.gov public comments that make threats to individuals or institutions or suggest that the commenter will take actions to harm the individual. VA encourages individuals not to submit duplicative comments. We will post acceptable comments from lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:52 Jun 16, 2023 Jkt 259001 multiple unique commenters even if the content is identical or nearly identical to other comments. Any public comment received after the comment period’s closing date is considered late and will not be considered in a potential rulemaking. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committee for Minority Veterans (ACMV) and CMV were first authorized in 1994 to address disparities in the use of VA benefits and services for five racial/ethnic groups defined by statute specifying Veterans who identify as Asian American; Black; Hispanic; Native American*(including American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian) or Pacific-Islander American. CMV identified that in addition to the current racial/ethnic groups, Veterans of Middle Eastern or North African descent and Veterans who identify as belonging to more than one race or ethnicity would benefit from being included in the list of groups served by CMV and ACMV. Additionally, with the input of various stakeholders, CMV identified additional groups of Veterans that have been historically underserved by the Department and designated ‘‘historically underserved’’ Veterans as those who are LGBTQ+ or are members in any religious faith that has been determined to be underserved. CMV invites the general public, educational institutions, Veteran serving organizations, nonprofit/non-governmental organization and other Federal agencies that conduct research on and/or provide services to the aforementioned cohorts of Veterans to submit and/or comment on data and information on six priority areas: Demographic/Location data; Experience; Memorialization; Health; Benefits; Social Determinants of Health. CMV will utilize this input (information and comments, perhaps) to inform its effort to improve outreach, education, engagement, enrollment, advocacy and access programs for minority and underserved Veterans. CMV is specifically interested in evidence and research-based quantitative and qualitative information related to these six priority areas. Background: CMV was established by Public Law 103–446 on November 2, 1994, in response to low utilization of VA benefits and services by minority Veterans. Public Law 103–446 defines ‘‘minority group member’’ as a Veteran who is: Asian American; Black; Hispanic/Latino; Native American (including American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian); or PacificIslander American. CMV is the Department of Veterans Affairs model PO 00000 Frm 00090 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 for inter-and intra-agency co-operation, to ensure all Veterans receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion or gender. CMV is focused on process improvement oriented for both internal and external customer-centric activities by assisting VA in executing its mission in the most equitable, efficient and humane way possible. CMV also supports the Administration and the VA’s Secretary’s Goals: Executive Order (E.O.) On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (E.O. 13985); VA Strategic Objective 2.1—Reaching all Veterans. Dignity and an acceptable quality of life are the products we seek to deliver to ALL Veterans no matter what their circumstance. Request for Information: CMV invites the general public, educational institutions, Veteran-serving organizations, non-profit/nongovernmental organization and other Federal agencies that conduct research on and/or provide services to the aforementioned cohorts of Veterans to submit and/or comment on data and information related to the following six priority areas: Demographic/Location data; Experience; Memorialization; Health; Benefits; Social Determinants of well-being. CVM requests available data and information on utilization, equity or demographic data and potential barriers that underserved communities may face in accessing and benefitting from the agency’s policies, programs and activities on minority and historically underserved Veterans as identified. CMV will utilize this input to inform CMV’s effort to improve outreach, education, engagement, enrollment, advocacy and access programs for minority and underserved Veterans. CMV is specifically interested in evidence and research based quantitative and qualitative information related to these six priority areas. Respondents should provide data and information on any activities relevant to the identified cohort of Veterans in related to the six priority areas and those that capture equity-focused health; demographics/location; benefits; experience; social determinants of health; and memorialization. Respondents to this request for data and information should include their name, affiliation (if applicable), mailing address, telephone, email and sponsoring organization (if any) with their communications. The deadline for receipt of the requested information is August 21, 2023. Responses to this request are voluntary. No proprietary, classified, confidential or sensitive information E:\FR\FM\20JNN1.SGM 20JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 117 / Tuesday, June 20, 2023 / Notices should be included in responses. This request for information is for planning purposes only and is not a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the U.S. Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to the request. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for its use of that information. Instructions: Response to this request for data and information is voluntary. Each individual or institution is requested to submit only one response. Electronic responses must be provided as attachments to your comment in regulations.gov. Comments of 7 pages or fewer (3,500 words) are requested; longer responses will not be considered. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the response. Responses containing references, studies, research and other empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of or electronic links to the referenced materials. Responses containing profanity, vulgarity, threats or other inappropriate language or content will not be considered. Signing Authority Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved and signed this document on June 12, 2023, and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Luvenia Potts, Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs. [FR Doc. 2023–13067 Filed 6–16–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8320–01–P DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Ch. 10, that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board (hereinafter the Board) will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, via Webex. The meeting will be held between 1–1:30 p.m. EST. The meeting will be partially closed to the public from 1:10–1:30 p.m. EST for the VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:52 Jun 16, 2023 Jkt 259001 discussion, examination and reference to the research applications and scientific review. Discussions will involve reference to staff and consultant critiques of research proposals. Discussions will also deal with scientific merit of each proposal and qualifications of personnel conducting the studies, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Additionally, premature disclosure of research information could significantly obstruct implementation of proposed agency action regarding the research proposals. As provided by Public Law 92–463 subsection 10(d), as amended by Public Law 94–409, closing the Board meeting is in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c) (6) and (9)(B). The objective of the Board is to provide for the fair and equitable selection of the most meritorious research projects for support by VA research funds and to offer advice for research program officials on program priorities and policies. The ultimate objective of the Board is to ensure that the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development program promotes functional independence and improves the quality of life for impaired and disabled Veterans. Board members advise the Director, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service and the Chief Research and Development Officer on the scientific and technical merit, the mission relevance, and the protection of human and animal subjects of Rehabilitation Research and Development proposals. The Board does not consider grants, contracts or other forms of extramural research. Members of the public may attend the open portion of the meeting in listenonly mode as the time limited open agenda does not enable public comment presentations. To attend the open portion of the meeting (1–1:10 p.m. EST), the public may join by dialing the phone number 1–833–558–0712 and entering the meeting number (access code): 2760 821 8338. Written public comments must be sent to Kristy Benton-Grover, Designated Federal Officer, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs (14RDR), 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420, or to Kristy.Benton-Grover@va.gov at least five days before the meeting via the email listed above. The written public comments will be shared with the Board members. The public may not attend the closed portion of the meeting as disclosure of research information could significantly obstruct implementation of PO 00000 Frm 00091 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 39909 proposed agency action regarding the research proposals (Pub. L. 92–463 subsection 10(d), as amended by Public Law 94–409, closing the Board meeting is in accordance with Title 5 U.S.C. 552b(c) (6) and (9)(B). Dated: June 13, 2023. LaTonya L. Small, Federal Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 2023–13010 Filed 6–16–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900–0321] Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Appointment of Veterans Service Organization as Claimant’s Representative and Appointment of Individual as Claimant’s Representative Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and it includes the actual data collection instrument. SUMMARY: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function. Refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0321. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maribel Aponte, Office of Enterprise and Integration, Data Governance Analytics (008), 810 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 266–4688 or email maribel.aponte@va.gov. Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0321’’ in any correspondence. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority: 38 U.S.C. 5701, 5702, 5902, 5903, and 7332, 38 CFR 14.631 and 1.525. DATES: E:\FR\FM\20JNN1.SGM 20JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 117 (Tuesday, June 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39908-39909]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13067]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Request for Data and Information on Minority Veterans

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice-request for information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of the 
Secretary, Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), is hereby giving notice 
of an opportunity for the public to provide available data and 
information on minority and historically underserved Veterans. 
Historically underserved Veterans includes racial and ethnic minority 
(Asian American; Black; Hispanic/Latino; Native American (including 
American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian); or Pacific-
Islander American); LGBTQ+; those whose religious or conscientious 
identity, beliefs, and practices have been determined to be 
underserved; language barriers or are without citizenship status; and 
those in rural areas and on tribal lands.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 21, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Albino, Director, Center for 
Minority Veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC 20420, email address: [email protected], 202-461-0500. This 
is not a toll-free number.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted through www.regulations.gov. 
Except as provided below, comments received before the close of the 
comment period will be available at www.regulations.gov for public 
viewing, inspection, or copying, including any personally identifiable 
or confidential business information that is included in a comment. We 
post the comments received before the close of the comment period on 
the following website as soon as possible after they have been 
received: https://www.regulations.gov. VA will not post on 
Regulations.gov public comments that make threats to individuals or 
institutions or suggest that the commenter will take actions to harm 
the individual. VA encourages individuals not to submit duplicative 
comments. We will post acceptable comments from multiple unique 
commenters even if the content is identical or nearly identical to 
other comments. Any public comment received after the comment period's 
closing date is considered late and will not be considered in a 
potential rulemaking.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committee for Minority Veterans 
(ACMV) and CMV were first authorized in 1994 to address disparities in 
the use of VA benefits and services for five racial/ethnic groups 
defined by statute specifying Veterans who identify as Asian American; 
Black; Hispanic; Native American*(including American Indian, Alaskan 
Native, and Native Hawaiian) or Pacific-Islander American. CMV 
identified that in addition to the current racial/ethnic groups, 
Veterans of Middle Eastern or North African descent and Veterans who 
identify as belonging to more than one race or ethnicity would benefit 
from being included in the list of groups served by CMV and ACMV. 
Additionally, with the input of various stakeholders, CMV identified 
additional groups of Veterans that have been historically underserved 
by the Department and designated ``historically underserved'' Veterans 
as those who are LGBTQ+ or are members in any religious faith that has 
been determined to be underserved. CMV invites the general public, 
educational institutions, Veteran serving organizations, non-profit/
non-governmental organization and other Federal agencies that conduct 
research on and/or provide services to the aforementioned cohorts of 
Veterans to submit and/or comment on data and information on six 
priority areas: Demographic/Location data; Experience; Memorialization; 
Health; Benefits; Social Determinants of Health. CMV will utilize this 
input (information and comments, perhaps) to inform its effort to 
improve outreach, education, engagement, enrollment, advocacy and 
access programs for minority and underserved Veterans. CMV is 
specifically interested in evidence and research-based quantitative and 
qualitative information related to these six priority areas.
    Background: CMV was established by Public Law 103-446 on November 
2, 1994, in response to low utilization of VA benefits and services by 
minority Veterans. Public Law 103-446 defines ``minority group member'' 
as a Veteran who is: Asian American; Black; Hispanic/Latino; Native 
American (including American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native 
Hawaiian); or Pacific-Islander American. CMV is the Department of 
Veterans Affairs model for inter-and intra-agency co-operation, to 
ensure all Veterans receive equal service regardless of race, origin, 
religion or gender. CMV is focused on process improvement oriented for 
both internal and external customer-centric activities by assisting VA 
in executing its mission in the most equitable, efficient and humane 
way possible. CMV also supports the Administration and the VA's 
Secretary's Goals: Executive Order (E.O.) On Advancing Racial Equity 
and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government 
(E.O. 13985); VA Strategic Objective 2.1--Reaching all Veterans. 
Dignity and an acceptable quality of life are the products we seek to 
deliver to ALL Veterans no matter what their circumstance.
    Request for Information: CMV invites the general public, 
educational institutions, Veteran-serving organizations, non-profit/
non-governmental organization and other Federal agencies that conduct 
research on and/or provide services to the aforementioned cohorts of 
Veterans to submit and/or comment on data and information related to 
the following six priority areas: Demographic/Location data; 
Experience; Memorialization; Health; Benefits; Social Determinants of 
well-being. CVM requests available data and information on utilization, 
equity or demographic data and potential barriers that underserved 
communities may face in accessing and benefitting from the agency's 
policies, programs and activities on minority and historically 
underserved Veterans as identified. CMV will utilize this input to 
inform CMV's effort to improve outreach, education, engagement, 
enrollment, advocacy and access programs for minority and underserved 
Veterans. CMV is specifically interested in evidence and research based 
quantitative and qualitative information related to these six priority 
areas.
    Respondents should provide data and information on any activities 
relevant to the identified cohort of Veterans in related to the six 
priority areas and those that capture equity-focused health; 
demographics/location; benefits; experience; social determinants of 
health; and memorialization.
    Respondents to this request for data and information should include 
their name, affiliation (if applicable), mailing address, telephone, 
email and sponsoring organization (if any) with their communications. 
The deadline for receipt of the requested information is August 21, 
2023.
    Responses to this request are voluntary. No proprietary, 
classified, confidential or sensitive information

[[Page 39909]]

should be included in responses. This request for information is for 
planning purposes only and is not a solicitation for applications or an 
obligation on the part of the U.S. Government to provide support for 
any ideas identified in response to the request. Please note that the 
U.S. Government will not pay for the preparation of any information 
submitted or for its use of that information.
    Instructions: Response to this request for data and information is 
voluntary. Each individual or institution is requested to submit only 
one response. Electronic responses must be provided as attachments to 
your comment in regulations.gov. Comments of 7 pages or fewer (3,500 
words) are requested; longer responses will not be considered. 
Responses should include the name of the person(s) or organization(s) 
filing the response. Responses containing references, studies, research 
and other empirical data that are not widely published should include 
copies of or electronic links to the referenced materials. Responses 
containing profanity, vulgarity, threats or other inappropriate 
language or content will not be considered.

Signing Authority

    Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved and signed 
this document on June 12, 2023, and authorized the undersigned to sign 
and submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for 
publication electronically as an official document of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.

Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy & 
Management, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023-13067 Filed 6-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
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