[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 62 (Thursday, March 30, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16827-16828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7913]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

38 CFR Part 3

RIN 2900-AJ09


Eligibility Reporting Requirements

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This document adopts as a final rule the provisions of an 
interim final rule that amended the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
adjudication regulations concerning eligibility verification reports 
(EVRs) for recipients of pension under programs in effect prior to 
January 1, 1979. The amendment reduces the number of circumstances 
under which VA requires such pensioners to furnish annual EVRs. The 
intended effect of this amendment is to reduce the reporting burden on 
these beneficiaries, reduce the workload at VA regional offices, and 
enable VA to use its resources more effectively.

DATES: Effective Date: March 30, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don England, Chief, Regulations Staff, 
Compensation and Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, 810 
Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420, telephone (202) 273-7210.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 6, 1998, VA published in the 
Federal Register an interim final rule generally exempting old law and 
section 306 pension beneficiaries from the requirement to submit annual 
eligibility verification reports (EVRs). (63 FR 53593-96, October 6, 
1998.) The term ``old law pension'' means the disability and death 
pension programs that were in effect on June 30, 1960. The term 
``section 306 pension'' means those disability and death pension 
programs in effect on December 31, 1978. VA uses EVRs to request 
information, such as income and marital status, that VA needs to 
determine or verify eligibility for its need-based benefit programs.
    We requested interested persons to submit comments on or before 
December 7, 1998. We received no comments. Based on the rationale set 
forth in the interim final rule and in this document, we are adopting 
the interim final rule as a final rule without change, except that we 
are adding statements explaining that the information collections are 
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control 
number 2900-0101. We also affirm the information in the interim final 
rule document concerning the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    VA submitted the information collection provisions contained in the 
interim final rule to OMB for review in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). The only action concerning 
information collection is to eliminate certain collections of 
information. We requested interested parties to submit comments on the 
collection of information provisions to OMB by October 14, 1998. No 
comments were submitted. OMB has approved the information collection 
provisions under control number 2900-0101.
    OMB assigns a control number for each collection of information it 
approves. VA may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program numbers are 
64.104 and 64.105.

List of Subjects in 38 CFR Part 3

    Administrative practice and procedure, Claims, Disability benefits, 
Health care, Pensions, Veterans, Vietnam.

    Approved: February 29, 2000.
Togo D. West, Jr.,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

    Accordingly, the interim final rule amending 38 CFR part 3 which 
was published at 63 FR 53593 on October 6, 1998, is adopted as final 
with the following change:

PART 3--ADJUDICATION

Subpart A--Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity 
Compensation

    1. The authority citation for part 3, subpart A continues to read 
as follows:

    Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501(a), unless otherwise noted.


Secs. 3.256 and 3.277  [Amended]

    2. In Secs. 3.256 and 3.277, a parenthetical is added at the end of 
each section to read as follows:

    (The Office of Management and Budget has approved the 
information collection

[[Page 16828]]

requirements in this section under control number 2900-0101.)

[FR Doc. 00-7913 Filed 3-29-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P