Department of Veterans Affairs 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking final action to amend its regulation that governs VA services that are not subject to copayment requirements for inpatient hospital care or outpatient medical care. Specifically, the regulation is amended to exempt in-home video telehealth care from having any required copayment. This removes a barrier that may have previously discouraged veterans from choosing to use in-home video telehealth as a viable medical care option. In turn, VA hopes to make the home a preferred place of care, whenever medically appropriate and possible.

This final rule amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regulations regarding access to VA facilities by pharmaceutical company representatives. The purposes of the rule are to reduce or eliminate any potential for disruption in the patient care environment, manage activities and promotions at VA facilities, and provide pharmaceutical company representatives with a consistent standard of permissible business practice at VA facilities. The amendments will facilitate mutually beneficial relationships between VA and pharmaceutical company representatives.

Notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development, intends to grant to Somahlution, Inc., 3401 Fiechtner Drive, Fargo, North Dakota 58103, USA, an exclusive license to practice the following: U.S. Patent No. 7,981,596 (Tissue preservation with a salt solution isotonic with interstitial fluid) issued July 19, 2011.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its regulations to establish a pilot program to offer premium-based dental insurance to enrolled veterans and certain survivors and dependents of veterans. VA would contract with a private insurer through the Federal contracting process to offer dental insurance, and the private insurer would then be responsible for the administration of the dental insurance plan. VA's role would primarily be to form the contract with the private insurer and verify the eligibility of veterans, survivors, and dependents. The program is authorized, and this rulemaking is required, by section 510 of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (the 2010 Act).

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each extension of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments for information to needed to assess the quality of care provided to veterans prior to his or her death.

To encourage creation of systems which help good jobs find Veterans and Veterans find good jobs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) announces a prize contest under Section 105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2011, Public Law 111-358 (2011) (the ``Act'').

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), 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.

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) amends existing regulations to reflect a new statutory authority to extend eligibility for burial in a national cemetery to include parents of certain veterans, as authorized by the Veterans' Benefits Act of 2010 (the Act), enacted on October 13, 2010. The Act authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to inter the biological or legally adoptive parents of a deceased veteran if the deceased veteran is a hostile casualty or dies from a training-related injury, is interred in a VA national cemetery in a gravesite with available space, and has no spouse or child who is buried, or surviving spouse or child who, upon death, may be eligible for burial, in a national cemetery.

This final rule amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regulations governing Federal grants for the establishment, expansion, and improvement of veterans cemeteries. This final rule implements through regulation new statutory authority to provide grants for the establishment, expansion, and improvement of Tribal Organization veterans cemeteries, as authorized by Section 403 of the ``Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006'' (the Act). The Act requires VA to administer grants to Tribal Organizations in the same manner and under the same conditions as grants to States. This final rule makes non-substantive changes to the part heading of Part 39 and the name of the State Cemetery Grants Service to more accurately reflect that VA awards veteran cemetery grants to States and Tribal Organizations. The final rule establishes criteria to guide VA's decisions on granting Tribal Organization requests to obtain grants for establishing, expanding, and improving veterans cemeteries that are or will be owned and operated by a Tribal Organization. The final rule also expands VA's preapplication requirement to all veterans cemetery grants as a means to promote consistency and communication in the grant application process. Further, the final rule revises VA regulations to address structural differences between Tribal Organizations and States.

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to this notice. This notice solicits comments on information needed to ensure that separating service members, especially service members with disabilities are informed about their life insurance option, including converting from Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance to Veterans' Group Life Insurance.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Office of Management (OM), 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 it includes the actual data collection instrument.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA), 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. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Office of Management (OM), 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; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published in the Federal Register of September 23, 2008, a document amending its Schedule for Rating Disabilities by revising that portion of the Schedule that addresses the Skin, so that it more clearly reflected VA's policies concerning the evaluation of scars. In the preamble of that document, VA incorrectly stated the applicability date. VA made a similar error in the first sentence of the introductory paragraph of 38 CFR 4.118. This document corrects the error in the introductory paragraph of Sec. 4.118.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each revision of a previously approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on information needed to identify problems or complaints in VA's health care 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.