[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 246 (Monday, December 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78427-78428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30425]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit 
Review Board; Notice of Meeting

    The Department of Veterans Affairs gives notice under Public Law 
92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Rehabilitation 
Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will 
meet from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each day as indicated

[[Page 78428]]

below: January 27-28, 2009--Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Washington, DC., 
March 2-3, 2009--Marriott Crystal Gateway, Arlington, VA.
    The purpose of the Board is to review rehabilitation research and 
development applications for scientific and technical merit and to make 
recommendations to the Director, Rehabilitation Research and 
Development Service, regarding their funding.
    The meetings will be open to the public for the January 27 and 
March 2 sessions from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. for the discussion of 
administrative matters, the general status of the program and the 
administrative details of the review process. The meetings will be 
closed as follows for the Board's review of research and development 
applications: January 27 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; January 28 from 8 
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; March 2 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; March 3 from 8 
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
    The reviews involve oral comments, discussion of site visits, staff 
and consultant critiques of proposed research protocols, and similar 
analytical documents that necessitate the consideration of the personal 
qualifications, performance and competence of individual research 
investigators. Disclosure of such information would constitute a 
clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Disclosure would also 
reveal research proposals and research underway which could lead to the 
loss of these projects to third parties and thereby frustrate future 
agency research efforts. Thus, the closing is in accordance with 5 
U.S.C. 552b(c)(6), and (c)(9)(B) and the determination of the Secretary 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs under Sections 10(d) of Public 
Law 92-463 as amended by Section 5(c) of Public Law 94-409.
    Those who plan to attend the open sessions should contact Terrilynn 
Carlton, Designated Federal Officer, Portfolio Manager, Rehabilitation 
Research and Development Service (122P), Department of Veterans 
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420, at (202) 461-
1757.

    Dated: December 16, 2008.

    By direction of the Secretary.
E. Philip Riggin,
Committee Management Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-30425 Filed 12-19-08; 8:45 am]
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