Department of Veterans Affairs May 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is moving its regulations on nonprocurement debarment and suspension from title 38, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), to title 2 of the CFR, and is adopting the format established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in its interim final guidance on nonprocurement debarment and suspension, and OMB's final guidance on those matters. Accordingly, in this final rule, VA adopts OMB's guidance and consolidates it with VA's supplemental nonprocurement debarment and suspension provisions, which are codified at 38 CFR part 44. This rule removes part 44 and makes conforming changes to other 38 CFR provisions. This regulatory action is a government-wide administrative initiative for purposes of simplification and clarity, and makes no substantive changes to VA's policy or procedures for nonprocurement debarment and suspension.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to reorganize and rewrite in plain language general provisions applicable to its compensation and pension regulations, including general evidence requirements, general effective dates for new awards, revision of decisions, and protection of existing ratings. These revisions are proposed as part of VA's rewrite and reorganization of all of its compensation and pension rules in a logical, claimant-focused, and user-friendly format. The intended effect of the proposed revisions is to assist claimants and VA personnel in locating and understanding these general provisions.

As required by the ``Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Enhancement Act of 2004'' (Pub. L. 108-445, dated December 3, 2004) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is hereby giving notice of annual pay ranges for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) physicians and dentists as prescribed by the Secretary for Department-wide applicability. These annual pay ranges are intended to enhance the flexibility of the Department to recruit, develop, and retain the most highly qualified providers to serve our Nation's veterans and maintain a standard of excellence in the VA healthcare system.

This document amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) delegation regulation, which authorizes a VA official to take final action on complaints of employment discrimination when the Office of Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication (OEDCA) recuses itself due to a conflict of interest. The amendment provides that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has delegated authority to take such action to the Chairman, Board of Veterans' Appeals, and clarifies that such authority includes awarding remedial relief in cases where there has been a finding of discrimination.

Notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), recipient agency, intends to continue a recurring computer- matching program with the Social Security Administration (SSA), source agency. The goal of this match is to compare income and employment status as reported to VA with wage records maintained by SSA. The proposed matching program will enable VA to ensure accurate reporting of income and employment status. VA will use this information to adjust VA benefit payments as prescribed by law.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its regulations governing the representation of claimants for veterans benefits in order to implement provisions of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, and to reorganize and clarify existing regulations. The proposed regulations would establish the procedures and rules necessary for VA to facilitate the paid representation of claimants by accredited agents and attorneys after a notice of disagreement has been filed with respect to a case. The intended effect of these regulations is to fulfill Congress' direction that agents and attorneys may be paid for services rendered after a notice of disagreement is filed with respect to a decision by an agency of original jurisdiction while ensuring that claimants for veterans benefits have responsible qualified representation in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for veterans benefits.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted 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 includes the actual data collection instrument.