[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]
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