[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 20298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08753]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War; Notice of Meeting

    The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under Public 
Law 92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Advisory Committee 
on Former Prisoners of War (FPOW) has scheduled a meeting on April 27-
29, 2015, at Hamilton Crowne Plaza, 1401 K Street, NW., Washington, DC. 
The meeting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is open to the 
public.
    In exceptional circumstances, the agency may give less than 15 
calendar days notice, provided that the reasons for doing so are 
included in the advisory committee meeting notice published in the 
Federal Register. 41 CFR 102-3.150. In this case, a new Designated 
Federal Officer, unfamiliar with the procedures, failed to prepare the 
notice in time. The meeting has already been scheduled, and travel 
plans have been made. Rescheduling will thus be expensive and delay the 
work of the Committee. We believe that this is sufficient exceptional 
circumstances for giving less than 15 calendar days notice.
    The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Secretary of VA on 
the administration of benefits under title 38, United States Code, for 
Veterans who are FPOWs. The committee also makes recommendations on the 
needs of FPOW Veterans for compensation, health care, and 
rehabilitation.
    On Tuesday, April 28, the Committee will hear from its Chairman and 
will receive briefings by VA management, as well as representatives 
from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the Veterans Health 
Administration. Annual ethics training will be presented by the Office 
of General Counsel. The Associate Chief Consultant of Mental Health 
Disaster Response and Post-Deployment Activities and a learning 
consultant from the Cleveland Center Employee Education System will 
report on the FPOW training agenda. A Chief from VBA's Benefits 
Assistance Service will report on FPOW outreach efforts.
    Also on April 28, the Committee will host an open public forum and 
FPOW panel, at 3:30 p.m. to gain information from FPOWs about their 
experiences, issues, and recommendations for health benefits and claims 
processing.
    On Wednesday, April 29, the Committee will draft their 2015 
recommendations and decide the location of their next meeting in the 
fall.
    FPOWs who wish to speak at the public forum are invited to submit a 
1-2 page summary of their comments at the end of the meeting for 
inclusion in the official meeting record. Members of the public may 
also submit written statements for the Committee's review to Mr. Eric 
Robinson, Designated Federal Officer, Advisory Committee on Former 
Prisoners of War, Compensation Service (212), Department of Veterans 
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420, or via email at 
[email protected].
    Any member of the public seeking additional information should 
contact Mr. Robinson via email or call (202) 443-6016.

    Dated: April 13, 2015.
Jelessa Burney,
Federal Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-08753 Filed 4-14-15; 8:45 am]
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