[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 93 (Thursday, May 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27669-27670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11643]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Charter Amendment of Department of Defense Federal Advisory 
Committees

AGENCY: Department of Defense.

ACTION: Amendment of Federal Advisory Committee.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense is publishing this notice to 
announce that it is amending the charter for the Defense Health Board 
(``the Board'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Freeman, Advisory Committee 
Management Officer for the Department of Defense, 703-692-5952.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This committee's charter is being amended in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972 (5 
U.S.C., Appendix, as amended) and 41 CFR 102-3.50(d).
    The Board is a discretionary Federal advisory committee that 
provides independent advice and recommendations to maximize the access 
to safety and quality of health care for Department of Defense (DoD) 
health care beneficiaries.
    The Board provides the Secretary of Defense and/or the Deputy 
Secretary of Defense, through the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) and the Assistant Secretary of 
Defense for Health Affairs, independent advice and recommendations on 
matters pertaining to: (a) DoD healthcare policy and program 
management; (b) health research programs; (c) treatment and prevention 
of disease and injury; (d) promotion of health and wellness within the 
DoD and the delivery of efficient, effective high-quality health care 
services to DoD beneficiaries; and (e) other health-related matters of 
special interest to the DoD, as determined by the Secretary of Defense, 
the Deputy Secretary of Defense, or the USD(P&R). The Board reports to 
the Secretary of Defense and/or the Deputy Secretary of Defense, 
through the USD(P&R). The USD(P&R), pursuant to DoD policy, may act 
upon the Board's advice and recommendations.
    The Board is composed of no more than 19 members who are appointed 
by the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of Defense. The 
members are eminent authorities in one or more of the following 
disciplines: Health care research/academia, infectious disease, 
occupational/environmental health, public health, health care policy, 
trauma medicine/systems, clinical health care, strategic decision 
making, bioethics or ethics, beneficiary representative, neuroscience, 
and behavioral health. The USD(P&R) selects and appoints the Board's 
President from the total membership approved by the Secretary of 
Defense or Deputy Secretary of Defense.
    Each member, based upon his or her individual professional 
experience, provides his or her best judgment on the matters before the 
Board, and he or she does so in a manner that is free from conflict of 
interest. Board members who are not full-time or permanent part-time 
Federal officers or employees will be appointed as experts or 
consultants pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109 to serve as special government 
employee (SGE) members. Board members who are full-time or permanent 
part-time Federal officers or employees will serve as regular 
government employee (RGE) members pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.130(a). No 
member may serve more than two consecutive terms of service without 
Secretary of Defense or Deputy Secretary of Defense approval.
    Board members are not compensated for service on the Board, but 
each member is reimbursed for travel and per diem as it pertains to 
official business of the Board. Pursuant to DoD policies and 
procedures, the USD(P&R) may appoint experts or consultants with 
special expertise to assist, on an ad hoc intermittent basis, the Board 
or its subcommittees on specific issues. These experts or consultants 
have no voting rights whatsoever and will not engage or participate in 
any deliberations by the Board or its subcommittees. These experts or 
consultants, if not full-time or permanent part-time Federal officers 
or employees, will be appointed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109, serve as 
SGEs.
    The DoD, when necessary and consistent with the Board's mission and 
DoD policies and procedures, may establish subcommittees, task forces, 
or working groups to support the Board. Establishment of subcommittees 
will be based upon a written determination, to include terms of 
reference, by the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of 
Defense, or the USD(P&R) as the Board's Sponsor.
    Such subcommittees will not work independently of the Board and 
will report all of their recommendations and advice solely to the Board 
for full and open deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees, task 
forces, or working groups have no authority to make decisions and 
recommendations, verbally or in writing, on behalf of the Board. No 
subcommittee or any of its members can update or report, verbally or in 
writing, on behalf of the Board, directly to the DoD or any Federal 
officers or employees. Each member, based upon his or her individual 
professional experience, provides his or her best judgment on the 
matters before the Board, and he or she does so in a manner that is 
free from conflict of interest. All subcommittee members will be 
appointed by the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of 
Defense to a term of service of one-to-four years, with annual 
renewals, even if the individual in question is already a member of the 
Board. Subcommittee member will not serve more than two consecutive 
terms of service, unless authorized by the Secretary of Defense or the 
Deputy Secretary of Defense. Subcommittee members who are not full-time 
or permanent part-time Federal officers or employees will be appointed 
as experts or consultants pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109 to serve as SGE 
members. Subcommittee members who are full-time or permanent part-time 
Federal officers or employees will be appointed pursuant to 41 CFR 102-
3.130(a) to serve as RGE members. With the

[[Page 27670]]

exception of reimbursement of official travel and per diem related to 
the Board or its subcommittees, subcommittee members will serve without 
compensation. The USD(P&R), as the Board's Sponsor, selects and 
appoints the Board's subcommittee chairs from the total membership of 
the subcommittee.
    All subcommittees operate under the provisions of FACA, the 
Sunshine Act, governing Federal statutes and regulations, and 
established DoD policies and procedures. Currently, DoD has approved 
the following permanent subcommittees to the Board:
    a. Health Care Delivery Subcommittee: This subcommittee is composed 
of not more than nine members, who are eminent authorities in at least 
one of the following disciplines: Health care research/academia, 
strategic decision making, health care policy and clinical health care.
    The subcommittee, when tasked according to DoD policies and 
procedures, provides advice on matters pertaining to health care 
delivery, to include DoD health care policy and program management, as 
well as research.
    b. Medical Ethics Subcommittee: This subcommittee is composed of 
not more than five members, who are eminent authorities in at least one 
of the following disciplines: Strategic decision making, clinical 
health care, and bioethics or ethics. One member must have formal 
bioethics or medical ethics training or expertise.
    The subcommittee, when tasked according to DoD policies and 
procedures, provides advice on matters pertaining to medical ethics.
    c. Neurological/Behavioral Health Subcommittee: This subcommittee 
is composed of not more than 10 members, who are eminent authorities in 
the discipline of neuroscience and behavioral health.
    The subcommittee, when tasked according to DoD policies and 
procedures, provides advice on matters pertaining to psychological/
mental health issues and neurological symptoms or conditions among 
members of the Armed Forces and their families.
    d. Public Health Subcommittee: This subcommittee is composed of not 
more than 10 members, who are eminent authorities in at least one of 
the following disciplines: Infectious disease, occupational/
environmental health, and public health.
    The subcommittee, when tasked according to DoD policy and 
procedures, provides advice on matters pertaining to improving the 
overall health of members of the Armed Forces and their families 
through the evaluation of DoD public health programs and initiatives, 
including education, health promotion, and prevention activities, as 
well as disease and injury prevention research.
    e. Trauma and Injury Subcommittee: This subcommittee is composed of 
not more than 10 members, who are eminent authorities in the 
disciplines of trauma medicine and systems.
    The subcommittee, when tasked according to DoD policies and 
procedures, provides advice on matters pertaining to trauma and injury, 
to include methods for prevention, recognition, clinical management, 
and treatment.
    The Board's Designated Federal Officer (DFO) must be a full-time or 
permanent part-time DoD officer or employee, designated in accordance 
with established DoD policies and procedures. The Board's DFO is 
required to attend at all meetings of the Board and its subcommittee 
for the entire duration of each and every meeting. However, in the 
absence of the Board's DFO, a properly approved Alternate DFO, duly 
designated to the Board according to established DoD policies and 
procedures, must attend the entire duration of all meetings of the 
Board and its subcommittees.
    The DFO, or the Alternate DFO, calls all meetings of the Board and 
its subcommittees; prepares and approves all meeting agendas; and 
adjourns any meeting when the DFO, or the Alternate DFO, determines 
adjournment to be in the public interest or required by governing 
regulations or DoD policies and procedures.
    Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102-3.140, the public or 
interested organizations may submit written statements to Defense 
Health Board's membership about the Board's mission and functions. 
Written statements may be submitted at any time or in response to the 
stated agenda of planned meeting of the Board.
    All written statements shall be submitted to the DFO for the Board, 
and this individual will ensure that the written statements are 
provided to the membership for their consideration. Contact information 
for the Board's DFO can be obtained from the GSA's FACA Database--
http://www.facadatabase.gov/.
    The DFO, pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150, will announce planned 
meetings of the Board. The DFO, at that time, may provide additional 
guidance on the submission of written statements that are in response 
to the stated agenda for the planned meeting in question.

    Dated: May 11, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015-11643 Filed 5-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P