Department of Veterans Affairs January 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 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 and it includes the actual data collection instrument.

Veterans Information Solution (VIS) is an intranet web-based application that provides a consolidated view of comprehensive eligibility utilization data from across the Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) and Department of Defense (DoD). VIS provides access to Veteran/Service Member profile, service, rating and award information, Medals and Awards, benefits payments data and other miscellaneous information. VIS is an active application but does not store data and all the systems from which data is retrieved are covered by system of records notices (SORNs). Therefore, there is no need for VIS to have a SORN.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is providing public notice of inflationary adjustments to the maximum civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by VA, as implemented by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, for calendar year 2022. VA may impose civil monetary penalties for false loan guaranty certifications. Also, VA may impose civil monetary penalties for fraudulent claims or written statements made in connection with VA programs generally. The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, sets forth a formula that increases the maximum statutory amounts for civil monetary penalties and directs VA to give public notice of the new maximum amounts by regulation.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits 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 it includes the actual data collection instrument.

As required by the ``Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021,'' the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is hereby giving notice of Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) in certain benefit rates. These COLAs affect the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) program. The rate of the adjustment is tied to the increase in Social Security benefits effective December 1, 2021, as announced by the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA has announced an increase of 5.9%.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend the Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD or rating schedule) that addresses the Digestive System. These changes add medical conditions not currently in the rating schedule, revise the rating criteria to reflect medical advances that have occurred since the last revision, clarify existing rating criteria, and update medical terminology. The proposed rule also reflects recommendations from the 2007 report of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, ``A 21st Century System for Evaluating Veterans for Disability Benefits.'' In fashioning this proposed rule, VA considered the most up-to-date medical knowledge and clinical practice of gastroenterology and hepatology specialties.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits 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 it includes the actual data collection instrument.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is proposing to amend its regulations to implement the provisions of the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016. In this proposed rule, we would add new approval requirements as specified in the statutory provisions for accredited and nonaccredited programs designed to prepare an individual for licensure and certification in a State. We would also implement VA's new authority to waive the added approval requirements under certain circumstances and adjust the authority of a State approving agency to add new approval criteria. In addition, we would add a circumstance for disapproval of a program designed to prepare an individual for licensure and certification, as prescribed by the law we are implementing.

The purpose of this modified system of record is to combine SORN 132VAOSDBU with this SORN, 181VAOSDBU, to reflect the merging of the system interfaces. The combined system's purpose is fourfold: To gather and maintain information on small businesses owned and controlled by Veterans, including service-disabled Veterans; provide VA personnel with access to resources that allow them to perform market research upon Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) and Service- Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs); provide a platform for registration and announcement of Direct Access Program (DAP) events; and allow Federal, State, and local government personnel and the general public, including private sector companies and corporate entities, the ability to locate potential Veteran entrepreneur resources through searches of the Vendor Information Pages (VIP). This combined system provides the mechanism that enables Veteran owned businesses to compete effectively for Federal contracts. It also provides the Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) with the data and reports needed to manage their responsibilities under the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999, as amended. VA personnel may utilize the VIP database to counsel and assist Veteran entrepreneurs in starting a small business or expanding an existing small business.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its medical regulations that govern copayments for VA outpatient medical care and medications (to include outpatient medical care and medications provided by VA directly or community care obtained by VA through contracts, provider agreements or sharing agreements) by effectively eliminating the copayment for outpatient care and reducing the copayment for medications dispensed to veterans identified by VA as being at high risk for suicide. These copayment changes would be applied until VA determines that the veteran is no longer at high risk for suicide.