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

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its regulations in part 17 to establish a new program to provide grants to eligible entities to assist veterans in highly rural areas through innovative transportation services to travel to VA medical centers, and to otherwise assist in providing transportation services in connection with the provision of VA medical care to these veterans. This rulemaking is necessary to implement new statutory authority by establishing procedures for evaluating grant applications under the new grant program, and otherwise administering the new grant program. This proposed rule would implement section 307 of title III of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (the 2010 Act).

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.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-21), this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration, 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; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-21), this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration, 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 includes the actual data collection instrument.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its regulation concerning the medical benefits package offered to veterans enrolled in the VA health care system. This rulemaking updates the regulation to conform to amendments made by the enactment of the Caregivers and Veteran Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, which authorized VA to provide certain health care services to a newborn child of a woman veteran who is receiving maternity care furnished by VA. Health services for newborn care will be authorized for no more than seven days after the birth of the child if the veteran delivered the child in a VA facility or in another facility pursuant to a VA contract for maternity services.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), 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; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (``VA'') proposes to amend its regulations governing Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (``SGLI'') and Veterans' Group Life Insurance (``VGLI'') to prohibit payment of insurance proceeds payable because of the death of a person whose life was insured under SGLI or VGLI (``decedent'') or payment of a SGLI Traumatic Injury Protection (``TSGLI'') benefit to a person who is convicted of intentionally killing the decedent or determined in a civil proceeding to have intentionally killed the decedent (``slayer''); a member of the slayer's family who is not related to the decedent by blood, legal adoption, or marriage; and a member of the slayer's family who is related to the decedent by blood, legal adoption, or marriage and who is convicted of a crime involving the intentional killing of the decedent or found in a civil proceeding to have been involved in the intentional killing of the decedent.

This Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notice informs the public of updated data for calculating the ``Reasonable Charges'' collected or recovered by VA for medical care or services provided or furnished by VA to a veteran for: (1) A non service-connected disability for which the veteran is entitled to care or the payment of expenses for care under a health plan contract; (2) a non service- connected disability incurred incident to the veteran's employment and covered under a worker's compensation law or plan that provides reimbursement or indemnification for such care and services; or (3) a non service-connected disability incurred as a result of a motor vehicle accident in a state that requires automobile accident reparations insurance. The charge tables and supplemental tables that are applicable to this notice can be viewed on the Veterans Health Administration Chief Business Office's Internet Web sites. These changes are effective January 1, 2012.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its regulation that governs the performance of autopsies on veterans. The proposed rule would correct a cross-reference to VA regulations that authorize certain outpatient and ambulatory care. The proposed rule would also clarify that consent for an autopsy will be implied if 6 months has passed since the decedent's death and there are no objections from the decedent's surviving spouse or next of kin. The proposed rule would also modify current regulations to make the laws of the jurisdiction in which the autopsy will be performed the controlling laws for purposes of determining who has authority to grant permission for the autopsy. The proposed rule would also clarify the authorized purposes of a VA autopsy. Lastly, the proposed rule would clarify that the authority to order an autopsy includes transporting the body at VA's expense to the autopsy facility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the availability of funds for supportive services grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. This Notice contains information concerning the SSVF Program, initial and renewal supportive services grant application processes, and amount of funding available.