[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 187 (Friday, September 26, 2003)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 55467-55468]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24212]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

38 CFR Parts 17 and 61

RIN 2900-AL30


VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This document affirms without any changes except for adding 
OMB information collection citations in part 61, to the provisions of 
an interim final rule that revised the regulations concerning the VA 
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program.
    In large part the interim final rule implemented the provisions of 
the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001.
    The interim final rule also established provisions in the form of 
funding priorities to meet a statutory mandate. In addition, to help 
ensure that program objectives are met by those receiving assistance, 
the interim final rule added provisions to state that to receive 
assistance, an entity must not be in default by failing to meet 
requirements under any previously awarded grant.
    Further, the interim final rule made changes to provide that each 
resident of supportive housing may be required to pay rent in an amount 
determined by the recipient, except that such rent may not exceed 30 
percent of the resident's monthly income not including amounts equal to 
medical expenses, child care expenses, or court-ordered payments. This 
was intended to provide a system that is administratively feasible, 
that allows for significant help for covering operating expenses, and 
that would allow veterans to retain sufficient funds to help prepare 
for a successful transition to independent living.

DATES: Effective Date: This final rule is effective on October 27, 
2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Guy A. Liedke, VA Homeless Providers 
Grant and Per Diem Program, Mental Health Strategic Health Care Group 
(116E), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20420; (877) 332-0334. (This is a toll-free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a document published in the Federal 
Register on March 19, 2003 at 68 FR 13590, we promulgated an interim 
final rule that revised the regulations concerning the VA Homeless 
Providers Grant and Per Diem Program as explained in the SUMMARY 
portion of this document.
    We provided a 60-day comment period that ended May 19, 2003. We did 
not receive any comments. Based on the rationale set forth in the 
interim final rule, we are adopting the provisions of the interim final 
rule as a final rule without any changes, except for the addition of 
OMB's information collection requirements approval number for the 
affected sections.
    This final rule is issued under authority of 38 U.S.C. 501, 2002, 
2011, 2012, 2061, 2064, and 7721 note.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This final rule contains new collections of information under the 
Paperwork Reduction at Sec. Sec.  61.11, 61.15, 61.17, 61.20, 61.31, 
61.41, 61.51, 61.55 and 61.80. We described the new information 
collections in the preamble of the interim final rule and provided 
comment periods on both emergency and non-emergency bases. We did not 
receive any comments concerning the new information collections. The 
Office of Management and Budget has assigned control number 2900-0554 
to the new

[[Page 55468]]

information collections. VA may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it 
displays this currently valid OMB control number.

Executive Order 12866

    This document has been reviewed by the Office of Management and 
Budget under Executive Order 12866.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Secretary hereby certifies that the final rule will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities 
as they are defined in the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601-
602. In all likelihood, only similar entities that are small entities 
will participate in the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. 
Therefore, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), this final rule is exempt from 
the initial and final regulatory flexibility analysis requirement of 
sections 603 and 604.

Unfunded Mandates

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act requires, at 2 U.S.C. 1532, that 
agencies prepare an assessment of anticipated costs and benefits before 
developing any rule that may result in an expenditure by State, local, 
or tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of 
$100 million or more in any given year. This rule would have no such 
effect on State, local, or tribal governments, or the private sector.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program number is 
64.024.

List of Subjects

38 CFR Part 17

    Administrative practice and procedure, Alcohol abuse, Alcoholism, 
Claims, Day care, Dental health, Drug abuse, Foreign relations, 
Government contracts, Grant programs--health, Grant programs--veterans, 
Health care, Health facilities, Health professions, Health records, 
Homeless, Medical and dental schools, Medical devices, Medical 
research, Mental health programs, Nursing homes, Philippines, Reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements, Scholarships and fellowships, Travel 
and transportation expenses, Veterans.

38 CFR Part 61

    Administrative practice and procedure, Alcohol abuse, Alcoholism, 
Day care, Dental health, Drug abuse, Government contracts, Grant 
programs--health, Grant programs--veterans, Health care, Health 
facilities, Health professions, Health records, Homeless, Mental health 
programs, Per-diem program; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, 
Travel and transportation expenses, Veterans.

    Approved: August 11, 2003.
Anthony J. Principi,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

0
Accordingly, the interim final rule amending 38 CFR parts 17 and 61 
that was published in the Federal Register at 68 FR 13590 on March 19, 
2003, is adopted as a final rule with the following changes.

PART 61--VA HOMELESS PROVIDERS GRANT AND PER DIEM PROGRAM

0
1. The authority citation for part 61 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501, 2002, 2011, 2012, 2061, 2064, 7721 
note.


0
2. In Sec.  61.11, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.11  Applications for capital grants.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)


0
3. In Sec.  61.15, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.15  Obtaining additional information and awarding capital 
grants.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

0
4. In Sec.  61.17, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.17  Site control for capital grants.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

0
5. In Sec.  61.20, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.20  Life Safety Code capital grants.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

0
6. In Sec.  61.31, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.31  Application for per diem.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

0
7. In Sec.  61.41, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.41  Special needs grants application.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

0
8. In Sec.  61.51, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.51  Applications for technical assistance grants.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

0
9. In Sec.  61.55, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.55  Technical assistance reports.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

0
10. In Sec.  61.80, add a parenthetical immediately preceding the 
authority citation at the end of the section to read as follows:


Sec.  61.80  General operation requirements for supportive housing and 
service centers.

* * * * *

(The Office of Management and Budget has approved the information 
collection requirements in this section under control number 2900-
0554.)

[FR Doc. 03-24212 Filed 9-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P