Department of Veterans Affairs December 20, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amends its medical regulations concerning the copayment required for certain medications. Under current regulations, beginning on January 1, 2012, the copayment amount must be increased based on the prescription drug component of the Medical Consumer Price Index, and the maximum annual copayment amount must be increased when the copayment is increased. A prior action ``froze'' the copayment amount for veterans in VA's health care system enrollment priority categories 2 through 6 and allowed for increased copayments, as required by the current regulation, only for veterans in priority categories 7 and 8. This document freezes copayments at the current rate for veterans in priority categories 2 through 6 for the next 12 months, and thereafter resumes increasing copayments in accordance with any change in the prescription drug component of the Medical Consumer Price Index (CPI-P).

This document amends a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Loan Guaranty regulation related to modification of guaranteed housing loans in default. Specifically, changes are made to requirements related to maximum interest rates on modified loans and to items that may be capitalized in a modified loan amount. In addition, we are revising the regulation to clarify that the holder of a loan may seek VA approval for a loan modification that does not otherwise meet prescribed conditions. The amendments are intended to liberalize the requirements for modification of VA-guaranteed loans and provide holders more options for working with veterans to avoid foreclosure.