Federal Regulations Significant to Veterans [December 2006] - Congressional and Legislative Affairs

Advisory Committee on CARES Business Plan Studies, Notice of Meeting - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a notice in the Federal Register on December 28, 2006, that the Advisory Committee on CARES Business Plan Studies will meet on January 22, 2007, at the VA Medical Center in Saint Albans, New York.
The purpose of the meeting is to present and receive public comment on the proposed capital plan for new facilities at Saint Albans and the process for receiving community input on developing reuse proposals for portions of the campus that will be vacated.
Contact: Jay Halpern, Designated Federal Officer, (CARES), 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420; telephone: (202) 273-5994; e-mail: jay.halpern@va.gov.
Reasonable Charges for Medical Care or Services; 2007 Calendar Year Update - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a notice in the Federal Register on December 22, 2006, relative to the Department's medical regulations concerning ''reasonable charges'' for nonservice-connected medical care or services provided or furnished by VA to a veteran:
- for which the veteran is entitled to care (or the payment of expenses of care) under a health plan contract;
- 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
- incurred as a result of a motor vehicle accident in a State that requires automobile accident reparations insurance.
Data for calculating actual charge amounts at individual VA facilities based on these methodologies will either be published in a notice in the Federal Register or will be posted on the Internet site of the Veterans Health Administration Chief Business Office, currently at http://www1.va.gov/CBO/rates.asp; fax: (202) 254-0473.
Effective date: January 1, 2007.
Contact: Romona Greene, Chief Business Office (168), Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420; telephone: (202) 254-0361.
Extension of the Presumptive Period for Compensation for Gulf War Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published an interim final rule in the Federal Register on December 18, 2006, to amend its adjudication regulations regarding compensation for disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses suffered by veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War. This amendment is necessary to extend the presumptive period for qualifying chronic disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses that must become manifest to a compensable degree in order that entitlement for compensation be established. The intended effect of this amendment is to provide consistency in VA adjudication policy and preserve certain rights afforded to Persian Gulf War veterans and ensure fairness for current and future Persian Gulf War veterans.
Effective Date: December 18, 2006.
Comments Deadline: February 16, 2007.
Address: Director, Regulations Management (00REG1), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Room 1068, Washington, DC 20420; or fax comments to (202) 273-9026; or e-mail through: http://www.Regulations.gov. Comments should indicate that they are submitted in response to ``RIN 2900-AM47--Extension of the Presumptive Period for Compensation for Gulf War Veterans.''
Contact: Rhonda Ford, Consultant, Regulations Staff, Compensation and Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW</ acronym>, Washington, DC 20420; telephone number (202) 273-7210.
Transfer of Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty Entitlement to Dependents - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a final rule in the Federal Register on December 18, 2006, to implement VA's authority under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 and the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 to provide educational assistance to dependents eligible for transferred Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB) entitlement. The legislation authorized the Department of Defense (DoD) to offer individuals in the Armed Forces, who have critical military skills, the option to transfer up to 18 months of their MGIB entitlement to their dependents as a reenlistment incentive. In addition, the rule implements a provision in the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, which increased the maximum amount of benefits payable under DoD's college fund program.
Effective Date: December 18, 2006.
Contact: Lynn Nelson (225C), Education Advisor, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420; telephone: (202) 273-7294.
Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting - The Department of Veterans Affairs published a notice in the Federal Register on December 14, 2006, that the Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board will meet on March 6 through 8, 2007, in San Francisco, California. The following subcommittees will convene:
- Chronic Disease Management & Long Term Aging
- Equity/Women's Health review group
- Implementation and Management Research Science
- General Health Services Research
- Nursing Research Initiative
- Special Populations
The purpose of Board is to review research and development applications concerned with the measurement and evaluation of health care services, the testing of new methods of health care delivery and management, and nursing research. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit.
Contact: Scientific Merit Review Program Manager (124R), Health Services Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, 1722 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20420; telephone: (202) 254-0207.