Timely Certification and Reporting for Veterans Attending Training Programs, 72351-72353 [2024-19852]

Download as PDF khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 172 / Thursday, September 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules prohibited from entering, transiting through, anchoring in, or remaining within unless authorized by the Captain of the Port St. Petersburg (COTP) or a designated representative. The event area covers all navigable waters in Seddon Channel commencing at latitude 27°56′27″ N, 082°27′28″ W, thence to position 27°56′29″ N, 082°27′28″ W, thence to position 27°56′25″ N, 082°27′18″ W, thence to position 27°56′23″ N, 082°27′19″ W, thence to the original position; (2) A spectator area where vessels will be directed to anchor while the event is taking place. The spectator area covers all navigable waters in Seddon Channel commencing at latitude 27°56′25″ N, 082°27′32″ W, thence to position 27°56′28″ N, 082°27′30″ W, thence to position 27°56′23″ N, 082°27′19″ W, thence to position 27°56′19″ N, 082°27′23″ W, thence to position 27°56′12″ N, 082°27′21″ W, thence to position 27°56′12″ N, 082°27′23″ W, thence to original position; and (3) An enforcement area where designated representatives may control vessel traffic as determined by the prevailing conditions. The enforcement area covers all navigable waters in Seddon Channel commencing at latitude 27°56′18″ N, 082°27′43″ W, thence to position 27°56′30″ N, 082°27′33″ W, thence to position 27°56′30″ N, 082°27′29″ W, thence to position 27°56′25″ N, 082°27′17″ W, thence to position 27°56′22″ N, 082°27′16″ W, thence to position 27°56′18″ N, 082°27′20″ W, thence to position 27°56′04″ N, 082°27′13″ W, thence to position 27°56′02″ N, 082°27′19″ W, thence to position 27°56′23″ N, 082°27′32″ W, thence to position 27°56′17″ N, 082°27′39″ W thence to the original position. (b) Definitions. As used in this section— Captain of the Port (COTP) St. Petersburg means the Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg or any Coast Guard commissioned, warrant or petty officer who has been authorized by the COTP to act on his behalf. Designated representative means a Coast Guard Patrol Commander, including a Coast Guard coxswain, petty officer, or other officer operating a Coast Guard vessel and a Federal, State, and local officer designated by or assisting the COTP in the enforcement of the regulations in this section. Participant means all persons and vessels registered with the event sponsor as a participant in the race. (c) Regulations. (1) All nonparticipants are prohibited from entering, transiting through, anchoring in, or remaining within the event area VerDate Sep<11>2014 21:09 Sep 04, 2024 Jkt 262001 described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section unless authorized by the COTP or their designated representative. (2) Designated representatives may control vessel traffic throughout the enforcement area described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section as determined by the prevailing conditions. (3) To seek permission to enter, contact the COTP or the COTP’s representative by contacting the COTP St. Petersburg by telephone at (727) 824–7506. Those in the regulated area must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or the designated representative. (4) The COTP will provide notice of the regulated area through advanced notice via broadcast notice to mariners and by on-scene designated representatives. (d) Enforcement period. This section will be enforced from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 9, 2024. Dated: August 26, 2024. Michael P. Kahle, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port St. Petersburg. [FR Doc. 2024–19847 Filed 9–4–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9110–04–P DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 38 CFR Part 21 RIN 2900–AS15 Timely Certification and Reporting for Veterans Attending Training Programs Department of Veterans Affairs. Proposed rule. AGENCY: ACTION: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Service is proposing to amend a regulation to establish timeframes for initial or monthly certification to VA of a Chapter 31 veteran’s enrollment at a facility, which would include information regarding the veteran’s rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, and the number of credit or training hours, and for reporting to VA when changes are made. This would allow for the timely processing of monthly subsistence allowance payments to participating veterans who depend on these funds. It would also help prevent undue hardship for veterans resulting from underpayments or overpayments caused by the delay in reporting changes in rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, or the number of credit or training hours. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 72351 Comments must be received on or before November 4, 2024. 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 www.regulations.gov as soon as possible after they have been received. VA will not post on www.regulations.gov public comments that make threats to individuals or institutions or suggest that the commenter will take actions to harm an individual. VA encourages individuals not to submit duplicative comments; however, we will post 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 the final rulemaking. In accordance with the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act of 2023, a 100 word Plain-Language Summary of this proposed rule is available at Regulations.gov, under RIN 2900–AS15. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Loraine Spangler, Policy Analyst, Veteran Readiness and Employment Services (28), 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420, loraine.spangler@va.gov, (202) 461– 9600. (This is not a toll-free telephone number.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Per 38 U.S.C. 3100, one of the purposes of the VR&E program (also known as Chapter 31) is to provide services and assistance necessary to enable veterans with service-connected disabilities to obtain suitable employment. This may encompass training or retraining at a facility as part of a veteran’s Chapter 31 vocational rehabilitation program. As provided in 38 U.S.C. 3684(a)(1), the veteran and the educational institution offering a course in which such veteran is enrolled under Chapter 31 ‘‘shall, without delay, report to the Secretary, in the form prescribed by the Secretary, such enrollment and any interruption or termination of the education of each such veteran.’’ VA also pays veterans a subsistence allowance during the period of training. The purpose of the subsistence allowance is to assist with expenses related to the training. VA pays the DATES: E:\FR\FM\05SEP1.SGM 05SEP1 72352 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 172 / Thursday, September 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS subsistence allowance after receiving the School Certifying Official’s (SCO) certification of a Chapter 31 veteran’s enrollment in a facility. The SCO certifies a veteran’s rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, and the number of credit or training hours and informs VA when changes are made. Currently, VR&E has no established timeframes for SCOs to initially certify and inform VA of changes made to a Chapter 31 veteran’s rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, and the number of credit or training hours. The lack of an established timeframe contributes to unnecessary delays in the timely processing of monthly subsistence allowance payments to veterans who depend on these funds. Additionally, if a veteran increases, decreases, or terminates enrollment and the certification is not updated in a timely manner, the delay may create an undue hardship for the veteran if he or she is underpaid or overpaid. If a veteran is overpaid, VA must establish a debt against the veteran even though it may have been due to the SCO’s delay in updating the certification. VA is proposing to revise 38 CFR 21.294 to describe what would constitute timely initial certification and timely reporting of changes to rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, and the number of credit or training hours for Chapter 31 veterans. Revised § 21.294(a)(4)(ii) would require SCOs to submit initial certifications to VA within 30 days of the beginning of the school term. See, e.g., 38 CFR 21.4203(d) (reporting requirements under VA’s education program). SCOs would also be required to report changes in rate of pursuit, dates of attendance or the number of credit or training hours within 30 days of when a veteran makes such change. This amendment would help prevent underpayments and overpayments that may otherwise create unnecessary hardship for veterans. A veteran could request waiver of a debt, but such request would not be granted automatically. These changes would result in improved, timelier services to veterans. Executive Orders 12866, 13563 and 14094 Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review) directs agencies to assess the costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, when regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public health and safety effects, and other advantages; distributive impacts; and equity). Executive Order 13563 (Improving VerDate Sep<11>2014 21:09 Sep 04, 2024 Jkt 262001 Regulation and Regulatory Review) emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and benefits, reducing costs, harmonizing rules, and promoting flexibility. Executive Order 14094 (Executive Order on Modernizing Regulatory Review) supplements and reaffirms the principles, structures, and definitions governing contemporary regulatory review established in Executive Order 12866 of September 30, 1993 (Regulatory Planning and Review), and Executive Order 13563 of January 18, 2011 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review). The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has determined that this rulemaking is not a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, as amended by Executive Order 14094. The Regulatory Impact Analysis associated with this rulemaking can be found as a supporting document at www.regulations.gov. Regulatory Flexibility Act The Secretary hereby certifies that this proposed rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities as they are defined in the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601–612). The factual basis for this certification is that the changes made by this rulemaking would require SCOs, which are currently required to submit certifications and reports to VA, to submit them in a timely manner, which would primarily impact the veteran participants. Any impact this rulemaking may have on facilities that may be considered small entities should be nominal because we would not be creating any additional obligations or burdens on the facilities. Therefore, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), the initial and final regulatory flexibility analysis requirements of 5 U.S.C. 603 and 604 do not apply. Unfunded Mandates The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 requires, at 2 U.S.C. 1532, that agencies prepare an assessment of anticipated costs and benefits before issuing any rule that may result in the expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 million or more (adjusted annually for inflation) in any one year. This proposed rule would have no such effect on State, local, and tribal governments, or on the private sector. Paperwork Reduction Act Although this proposed rule contains collections of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3521), there are no provisions associated with this rulemaking constituting any new collection of information or any revisions to the current collections of information. The collections of information for 38 CFR 21.294 are currently approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and have valid OMB control numbers of 2900–0073 and 2900–0156. List of Subjects in 38 CFR Part 21 Administrative practice and procedure, Armed forces, Civil rights, Claims, Colleges and universities, Conflict of interests, Education, Employment, Grant programs— education, Grant programs—veterans, Health care, Loan programs—education, Loan programs—veterans, Manpower training programs, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Schools, Travel and transportation expenses, Veterans, Vocational education, Vocational rehabilitation. Signing Authority Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved and signed this document on August 29, 2024, 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. Jeffrey M. Martin, Assistant Director, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs. For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Department of Veterans Affairs proposes to amend 38 CFR part 21 as set forth below: PART 21—VETERAN READINESS AND EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION Subpart A—Veteran Readiness and Employment 1. The authority citation for part 21, subpart A, continues to read as follows: ■ Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501(a), chs. 18, 31, and as noted in specific sections. 2. Amend § 21.294 by revising paragraph (a)(4)(ii) to read as follows: ■ § 21.294 Selecting the training or rehabilitation facility. (a) * * * (4) * * * (ii) To provide timely and accurate information covering the veteran’s attendance, performance, and progress in training. The school certifying official must initially certify the rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, and credit or E:\FR\FM\05SEP1.SGM 05SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 172 / Thursday, September 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules training hours within 30 calendar days of the beginning of the term. Any change in the rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, or credit or training hours must be submitted to VA within 30 calendar days of when a veteran makes such a change. * * * * * [FR Doc. 2024–19852 Filed 9–4–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8320–01–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 52 [EPA–R09–OAR–2024–0315; FRL–12098– 01–R9] Air Plan Approval; California; Feather River Air Quality Management District Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Proposed rule. AGENCY: khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS Table of Contents The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve a revision to the Feather River Air Quality Management District (FRAQMD or ‘‘District’’) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision concerns recodification of certain rules to replace historical Sutter County Air Pollution Control District and Yuba County Air Pollution Control District rules with the corresponding FRAQMD rules. These rules regulate pollutants under the Clean Air Act (CAA or ‘‘Act’’). We are taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action. DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 7, 2024. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–R09– OAR–2024–0315 at https:// www.regulations.gov. For comments submitted at Regulations.gov, follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from Regulations.gov. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 21:09 Sep 04, 2024 Jkt 262001 other file sharing system). For additional submission methods, please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. For the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/ commenting-epa-dockets. If you need assistance in a language other than English or if you are a person with a disability who needs a reasonable accommodation at no cost to you, please contact the person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kira Wiesinger, EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne St., San Francisco, CA 94105; phone: (415) 972–3827; email: wiesinger.kira@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this document, ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us’’ and ‘‘our’’ refer to the EPA. I. The State’s Submittal A. What is the purpose of the submitted SIP revision? B. What rules did the State submit? C. Are there other versions of these rules? II. The EPA’s Evaluation and Action A. Scope of the EPA’s Review B. Proposed Action and Public Comment III. Incorporation by Reference IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews I. The State’s Submittal A. What is the purpose of the submitted SIP revision? Under the CAA, the EPA has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for certain pervasive air pollutants, including, among others, ozone and particulate matter. Under CAA section 110(a), states are required to adopt and submit SIPs to implement, maintain and enforce the NAAQS. Under CAA section 107(d), the EPA has designated all areas of the country as attainment, nonattainment, or unclassifiable for the NAAQS. Areas designated as nonattainment must adopt and submit SIP revisions that, among other things, provide for attainment of the NAAQS by the applicable attainment date. In 1972, when the original California SIP was submitted and approved by the EPA, the Sutter County Air Pollution Control District (SCAPCD) managed air quality programs in Sutter County, while the Yuba County Air Pollution Control District (YCAPCD) managed air quality programs in Yuba County. On various dates, the EPA approved rules and revisions submitted by these two districts for inclusion in the California SIP. PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 72353 In 1991, the SCAPCD merged with the YCAPCD to form the FRAQMD. The FRAQMD is a bi-county agency that administers air quality management programs for Sutter and Yuba counties. The newly formed FRAQMD adopted many rules and regulations for the District that were identical to the previously existing SCAPCD and YCAPCD rules and regulations, but many of those FRAQMD rules were not submitted for inclusion in the California SIP. The FRAQMD portion of the California SIP currently includes rules adopted by the predecessor agencies, the SCAPCD and the YCAPCD, to the extent that such rules have not been superseded or removed through EPA approval of rules or rescissions adopted by the FRAQMD. Thus, the SCAPCD and the YCAPCD no longer exist, but several of their rules remain in the California SIP while the corresponding locally-adopted FRAQMD rules are not included in the SIP. On May 11, 2023, the FRAQMD submitted a request through the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to replace specific SCAPCD and YCAPCD rules with applicable FRAQMD rules. Approval of the request would revise the California SIP to include the FRAQMD rules and remove the historical SCAPCD and YCAPCD rules that are no longer needed in the SIP. The approval of this request would be considered administrative in nature and treated as a recodification of existing SIP rules to align the SIP version of the rules with those that are currently in effect in the FRAQMD. B. What rules did the State submit? The following rules were locally adopted by the FRAQMD on August 12, 1991,1 and submitted by CARB on May 11, 2023, for inclusion in the California SIP: Rule 3.0, Visible Emissions Rule 3.1, Exceptions to Rule 3.0 (excluding paragraph D) Rule 3.2, Particulate Matter Concentration Rule 3.3, Dust and Fumes Rule 3.4, Separation of Emissions Rule 3.5, Combination of Emissions Rule 3.6, Abrasive Blasting Rule 3.7, Reduction of Animal Matter Rule 3.10, Sulfur Oxides Rule 3.13, Circumvention 1 The FRAQMD rules were initially scheduled for adoption at a June 1991 Board Meeting, but the adoption was postponed to August 1991. The FRAQMD ultimately adopted the rules in this section on August 12, 1991, but ‘‘6/91’’ remained as the adoption date printed on the rules. Additionally, a typographic error in Rule 3.3 was corrected and adopted by the FRAQMD on October 3, 2022, without changing the official adoption date of the rule. E:\FR\FM\05SEP1.SGM 05SEP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 72351-72353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19852]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

38 CFR Part 21

RIN 2900-AS15


Timely Certification and Reporting for Veterans Attending 
Training Programs

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Readiness and 
Employment (VR&E) Service is proposing to amend a regulation to 
establish timeframes for initial or monthly certification to VA of a 
Chapter 31 veteran's enrollment at a facility, which would include 
information regarding the veteran's rate of pursuit, dates of 
attendance, and the number of credit or training hours, and for 
reporting to VA when changes are made. This would allow for the timely 
processing of monthly subsistence allowance payments to participating 
veterans who depend on these funds. It would also help prevent undue 
hardship for veterans resulting from underpayments or overpayments 
caused by the delay in reporting changes in rate of pursuit, dates of 
attendance, or the number of credit or training hours.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 4, 2024.

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 
www.regulations.gov as soon as possible after they have been received. 
VA will not post on www.regulations.gov public comments that make 
threats to individuals or institutions or suggest that the commenter 
will take actions to harm an individual. VA encourages individuals not 
to submit duplicative comments; however, we will post 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 the final rulemaking. In accordance with the Providing 
Accountability Through Transparency Act of 2023, a 100 word Plain-
Language Summary of this proposed rule is available at Regulations.gov, 
under RIN 2900-AS15.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Loraine Spangler, Policy Analyst, 
Veteran Readiness and Employment Services (28), 810 Vermont Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20420, [email protected], (202) 461-9600. (This is 
not a toll-free telephone number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Per 38 U.S.C. 3100, one of the purposes of 
the VR&E program (also known as Chapter 31) is to provide services and 
assistance necessary to enable veterans with service-connected 
disabilities to obtain suitable employment. This may encompass training 
or retraining at a facility as part of a veteran's Chapter 31 
vocational rehabilitation program. As provided in 38 U.S.C. 3684(a)(1), 
the veteran and the educational institution offering a course in which 
such veteran is enrolled under Chapter 31 ``shall, without delay, 
report to the Secretary, in the form prescribed by the Secretary, such 
enrollment and any interruption or termination of the education of each 
such veteran.''
    VA also pays veterans a subsistence allowance during the period of 
training. The purpose of the subsistence allowance is to assist with 
expenses related to the training. VA pays the

[[Page 72352]]

subsistence allowance after receiving the School Certifying Official's 
(SCO) certification of a Chapter 31 veteran's enrollment in a facility. 
The SCO certifies a veteran's rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, and 
the number of credit or training hours and informs VA when changes are 
made.
    Currently, VR&E has no established timeframes for SCOs to initially 
certify and inform VA of changes made to a Chapter 31 veteran's rate of 
pursuit, dates of attendance, and the number of credit or training 
hours. The lack of an established timeframe contributes to unnecessary 
delays in the timely processing of monthly subsistence allowance 
payments to veterans who depend on these funds. Additionally, if a 
veteran increases, decreases, or terminates enrollment and the 
certification is not updated in a timely manner, the delay may create 
an undue hardship for the veteran if he or she is underpaid or 
overpaid. If a veteran is overpaid, VA must establish a debt against 
the veteran even though it may have been due to the SCO's delay in 
updating the certification. VA is proposing to revise 38 CFR 21.294 to 
describe what would constitute timely initial certification and timely 
reporting of changes to rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, and the 
number of credit or training hours for Chapter 31 veterans. Revised 
Sec.  21.294(a)(4)(ii) would require SCOs to submit initial 
certifications to VA within 30 days of the beginning of the school 
term. See, e.g., 38 CFR 21.4203(d) (reporting requirements under VA's 
education program). SCOs would also be required to report changes in 
rate of pursuit, dates of attendance or the number of credit or 
training hours within 30 days of when a veteran makes such change. This 
amendment would help prevent underpayments and overpayments that may 
otherwise create unnecessary hardship for veterans. A veteran could 
request waiver of a debt, but such request would not be granted 
automatically. These changes would result in improved, timelier 
services to veterans.

Executive Orders 12866, 13563 and 14094

    Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review) directs 
agencies to assess the costs and benefits of available regulatory 
alternatives and, when regulation is necessary, to select regulatory 
approaches that maximize net benefits (including potential economic, 
environmental, public health and safety effects, and other advantages; 
distributive impacts; and equity). Executive Order 13563 (Improving 
Regulation and Regulatory Review) emphasizes the importance of 
quantifying both costs and benefits, reducing costs, harmonizing rules, 
and promoting flexibility. Executive Order 14094 (Executive Order on 
Modernizing Regulatory Review) supplements and reaffirms the 
principles, structures, and definitions governing contemporary 
regulatory review established in Executive Order 12866 of September 30, 
1993 (Regulatory Planning and Review), and Executive Order 13563 of 
January 18, 2011 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review). The 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has determined that this 
rulemaking is not a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 
12866, as amended by Executive Order 14094. The Regulatory Impact 
Analysis associated with this rulemaking can be found as a supporting 
document at www.regulations.gov.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Secretary hereby certifies that this proposed rule would not 
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities as they are defined in the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 
U.S.C. 601-612). The factual basis for this certification is that the 
changes made by this rulemaking would require SCOs, which are currently 
required to submit certifications and reports to VA, to submit them in 
a timely manner, which would primarily impact the veteran participants. 
Any impact this rulemaking may have on facilities that may be 
considered small entities should be nominal because we would not be 
creating any additional obligations or burdens on the facilities. 
Therefore, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), the initial and final 
regulatory flexibility analysis requirements of 5 U.S.C. 603 and 604 do 
not apply.

Unfunded Mandates

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 requires, at 2 U.S.C. 
1532, that agencies prepare an assessment of anticipated costs and 
benefits before issuing any rule that may result in the expenditure by 
State, local, and tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the 
private sector, of $100 million or more (adjusted annually for 
inflation) in any one year. This proposed rule would have no such 
effect on State, local, and tribal governments, or on the private 
sector.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Although this proposed rule contains collections of information 
under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501-3521), there are no provisions associated with this rulemaking 
constituting any new collection of information or any revisions to the 
current collections of information. The collections of information for 
38 CFR 21.294 are currently approved by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) and have valid OMB control numbers of 2900-0073 and 2900-
0156.

List of Subjects in 38 CFR Part 21

    Administrative practice and procedure, Armed forces, Civil rights, 
Claims, Colleges and universities, Conflict of interests, Education, 
Employment, Grant programs--education, Grant programs--veterans, Health 
care, Loan programs--education, Loan programs--veterans, Manpower 
training programs, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Schools, 
Travel and transportation expenses, Veterans, Vocational education, 
Vocational rehabilitation.

Signing Authority

    Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved and signed 
this document on August 29, 2024, 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.

Jeffrey M. Martin,
Assistant Director, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of 
General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Department of Veterans 
Affairs proposes to amend 38 CFR part 21 as set forth below:

PART 21--VETERAN READINESS AND EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION

Subpart A--Veteran Readiness and Employment

0
1. The authority citation for part 21, subpart A, continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501(a), chs. 18, 31, and as noted in 
specific sections.

0
2. Amend Sec.  21.294 by revising paragraph (a)(4)(ii) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  21.294   Selecting the training or rehabilitation facility.

    (a) * * *
    (4) * * *
    (ii) To provide timely and accurate information covering the 
veteran's attendance, performance, and progress in training. The school 
certifying official must initially certify the rate of pursuit, dates 
of attendance, and credit or

[[Page 72353]]

training hours within 30 calendar days of the beginning of the term. 
Any change in the rate of pursuit, dates of attendance, or credit or 
training hours must be submitted to VA within 30 calendar days of when 
a veteran makes such a change.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2024-19852 Filed 9-4-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P


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