Department of Veterans Affairs December 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is updating the monetary allowance payable for qualifying interments that occur during calendar year 2019, which applies toward the private purchase of an outer burial receptacle (or ``graveliner'') for use in a VA national cemetery. The allowance is equal to the average cost of Government- furnished graveliners less any administrative costs to VA. The purpose of this Notice is to notify interested parties of the average cost of Government-furnished graveliners, administrative costs that relate to processing and paying the allowance and the amount of the allowance payable for qualifying interments that occur during calendar year 2019.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is proposing to amend and update its VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) in phased increments to revise or remove any policy superseded by changes in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), to remove any procedural guidance that is internal to VA into the VA Acquisition Manual (VAAM), and to incorporate new regulations or policies. These changes seek to streamline and align the VAAR with the FAR and remove outdated and duplicative requirements and reduce burden on contractors. The VAAM incorporates portions of the removed VAAR as well as other internal agency acquisition policy. VA will rewrite certain parts of the VAAR and VAAM, and as VAAR parts are rewritten, VA will publish them in the Federal Register. VA will combine related topics, as appropriate. In particular, this rulemaking revises VAAR concerning Special Contracting Methods and Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses.

Current statutory provisions provide Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) insureds under the age of 60 with the opportunity to increase their VGLI coverage by $25,000 not more than once in each five-year period beginning on the one-year anniversary of the date a person becomes insured under VGLI. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is finalizing the amendment of its VGLI regulations to establish a permanent regulatory framework for such elections of increased coverage. The final rule clarifies that coverage increases in an amount less than $25,000 are available only when existing VGLI coverage is within $25,000 of the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance maximum of $400,000, and any increases of less than $25,000 must be only in an amount that would bring the insurance coverage up to the statutory maximum.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the availability of funds for supportive services grants for new applicants and existing grantees under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. This Notice of Fund Availability (NOFA) contains information concerning the SSVF Program, supportive services grant application process. Awards made for supportive services grants will fund operations beginning October 1, 2019.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its rules on VA-guaranteed or insured cash-out refinance loans. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act requires VA to promulgate regulations governing cash-out refinance loans. This interim final rule defines the parameters of when VA will permit cash-out refinance loans, to include defining net tangible benefit, recoupment, and seasoning requirements.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announces that the aggregate amounts of assistance available under the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant program will increase by 5.63 percent for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.

This Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notice updates the data for calculating the ``Reasonable Charges'' collected or recovered by VA for medical care or services. This notice also updates the ``National Average Administrative Prescription Costs'' for purposes of calculating VA's charges for prescription drugs that were not administered during treatment, but provided or furnished by VA to a veteran.