[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 170 (Thursday, September 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60414-60415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21035]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-NEW]


Agency Information Collection (Notice of Disagreement (NOD) 
(Pension, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), Burial and 
Accrued), VA Form 21P-0970) Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans 
Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 
(44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits 
Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the 
collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes 
the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and 
burden; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 3, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information 
through www.Regulations.gov, or to Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attn: VA Desk Officer; 725 
17th St. NW., Washington, DC 20503 or sent through electronic mail to 
[email protected]. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-
NEW, VA Form 21P-0970'' in any correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Harvey-Pryor, Enterprise 
Records Service (005R1B), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 461-5870 or email 
[email protected]. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-
NEW, VA Form 21P-0970.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Notice of Disagreement (NOD) (Pension, Dependency and 
Indemnity Compensation (DIC), Burial and Accrued).
    OMB Control Number: 2900-NEW (To be assigned by OMB upon approval 
of the Information Collection Request).
    Type of Review: New Collection (Request for a new OMB Control 
Number).
    Abstract: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through its 
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), administers an integrated 
program of benefits and services, established by law, for Veterans, 
service personnel, and their dependents and/or beneficiaries. 
Information is requested by this form under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 
7105. The statute is codified at 38 CFR 20.201, 20.302, and 20.501.
    The statute and regulations describe the process by which a 
claimant can appeal the decisions made by VBA on a claim for benefits.
    VA Form 21P-0970 will be used by the claimant to initiate an appeal 
by indicating disagreement with a decision issued by a VA Regional 
Office (RO) specifically related to a claim for VA pension benefits, 
dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits, burial benefits, 
and accrued benefits. VA Form 21P-0970 will be the

[[Page 60415]]

claimant's first step in the appeal process. The respondent may or may 
not continue with an appeal to the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA). If 
the claimant opts to continue to BVA for an appeal, this form will be 
included in the claim folder as evidence.
    VA will provide VA Form 21P-0970 to the claimant with the 
notification letter of the decision in paper form or via hyperlink to 
VA's Web site. The use of VA Form 21P-0970 will be mandatory when 
claimants initiate an appeal of a decision on a pension, DIC, burial, 
or accrued claims for benefits.
    Currently, VBA does not have a mandatory form which would enable 
the claimant to initiate an appeal of a decision made regarding 
entitlement to pension, DIC, burial, or accrued benefits. As a result, 
claimants may provide their notice of disagreement in any format. The 
variety of submissions hampers efforts to identify, and process timely, 
the claimant's appeal. With the implementation of this collection, the 
submissions will be standardized, increasing efficiency.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of 
information was published at 81 FR 12033 on May 23, 2016.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 6,000 hours.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: 30 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: One-time.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 12,000 respondents.

    By direction of the Secretary.
Cynthia Harvey-Pryor,
Program Specialist, Office of Privacy and Records Management, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016-21035 Filed 8-31-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P