Significant Federal Register Submissions of Interest to
Veterans

[January 2004]

•	Service Requirements for Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on January 30, 2004, to amend its Compensation and Pension regulations relating to service requirements for veterans, currently found in part 3 of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and to relocate them in new part 5. We propose to reorganize these regulations in a more logical order, add new section and paragraph headings, rewrite certain sections, and divide certain sections into one or more separate new sections. The Department's principal goals in rewriting and reorganizing the current regulations are to provide readers with clearer language and more easily understood regulatory requirements.  
Comments deadline:  March 30, 2004.  
Address:  Director, Regulations Management (00REG1), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Room 1064, Washington, DC 20420; fax:  (202) 273-9026; or e-mail:  VAregulations@mail.va.gov.  Comments should indicate that they are submitted in response to ``RIN 2900- AL67.''
Contact:  Bill Russo, Chief, C&P Regulations Rewrite Project (00REG2), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20420; telephone:  (202) 273-9515.

•	National Commission on VA Nursing; Notice of Meeting - The Department of Veterans Affairs published a notice in the Federal Register on January 28, 2004, that the National Commission on VA Nursing will meet on February 10 - 11, 2004 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.  The Commission will complete its consideration of recommendations to be submitted to Congress and the Secretary. This is expected to be the last formal meeting of the Commission.  
Contact:  Ms. Oyweda Moorer, Director of the National Commission on VA Nursing, at Department of Veterans Affairs (108N), 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20420; telephone:  (202) 273-4944.

•	Professional Certification and Licensure Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting - The Department of Veterans Affairs published a notice in the Federal Register on January 28, 2004, that the Professional Certification and Licensure Advisory Committee will meet on February 24, 2004 in Washington, DC.  The Committee will receive a progress report on the Licensing and Certification Approval System as part of The Education Expert System, and a presentation on licensure and certification usage.  
Contact:  Giles Larrabee, Designated Federal Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration (225B), 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20420; telephone:  (202) 273-7187.

•	Veteran's Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards; Notice of Meeting - The Department of Veterans Affairs published a notice in the Federal Register on January 15, 2004, that the Veteran's Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards will meet on February 11-12, 2004 in Washington, DC.  The major items on the agenda for both days will be discussions and analyses of medical and scientific papers concerning the health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation. On the basis of those analyses and discussions, the Committee may make recommendations to the Secretary concerning diseases that are the result of exposure to ionizing radiation. The agenda for the second day will include planning future Committee activities and assignment of tasks among the members.  
Contact:  Bernice Green, Compensation and Pension Service, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20420; telephone:  (202) 275-1728.

•	Government Owned Invention for Licensing - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a notice in the Federal Register on January 12, 2004, of an invention owned by the U.S. Government as represented by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and available for licensing in accordance with 35 USC 207 and 37 CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patents are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for US companies and may also be available for licensing:  
o	International Patent Application No. PCT/US03/23257 ``Method of Detecting and Preventing Alzheimer's Disease, Particularly at Prodromal and Early Stages''
Contact: Robert W. Potts, Director Technology Transfer Program, Research and Development Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue,  NW, Washington, DC  20420; e-mail:  bob.potts@hq.med.va.gov; telephone:  (202) 273-5226.  

•	Charges Used for Recovery From Tortiously Liable Third Parties for Medical Care or Services Provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs - The Department of Veterans Affairs published a final rule in the Federal Register on January 7, 2004, which amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical regulations with respect to charges used for the purpose of recovering from tortiously liable third parties the reasonable value of medical care and services provided by VA. The effect of this action is to amend VA's medical regulations to conform with the decision of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget regarding the charges that are to be used for this purpose. 
Effective Date: These amendments are effective January 7, 2004.
Contact:  David Cleaver, Chief Business Office (168), Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20420; telephone:  (202) 254-0361.

Except as noted, the numbers listed in this document are not toll-free.