[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14553-14555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06766]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Disruption of Mail Service

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice of exception to date of receipt.

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SUMMARY: In late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey interrupted operations 
at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regional office in Houston, 
Texas, as well as postal service in multiple Texas communities. In late 
September 2017, Hurricane Maria interrupted operations at the VA 
regional office in Puerto Rico, and postal service throughout the 
Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands area. Correspondence containing 
claims, information, or evidence sent to VA during these periods was 
likely delayed due to interrupted operations of the regional office or 
postal service. VA aims to protect the interest of claimants who sent 
correspondence to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) through 
the normal channels of communication during these periods and prevent 
them from possibly being deprived of benefits solely because those 
channels of communication were disrupted due to events outside of the 
claimants' control. Therefore, VA is instituting procedures to consider 
alternative dates as the date of receipt of correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonathan Hughes, Acting Assistant 
Director, Policy and Procedures, Compensation Service, Department of 
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 
461-9700 (this is not a toll-free telephone number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A VA regulation, 38 CFR 3.1(r), allows the 
Under Secretary for Benefits to establish exceptions to VA's rule about 
date of receipt of claims, information, or evidence. Ordinarily, ``date 
of receipt'' means the date on which a claim, information or evidence 
was received in a VA office. The regulation states that exceptions may 
be established when a natural or man-made interference with the normal 
channels through which VA ordinarily receives correspondence has 
resulted in one or more VA regional offices experiencing extended 
delays in receipt of claims, information or evidence to an extent that, 
if not addressed, the delay would adversely affect such claimants, 
through no fault of their own.
    In late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey interrupted operations at the 
VA regional office in Houston, Texas, as well as postal service in 
multiple surrounding Texas communities. In late September 2017, 
Hurricane Maria interrupted operations at the VA regional office in 
Puerto Rico, as well as postal service in the Puerto Rico and U.S. 
Virgin Islands areas. Correspondence containing claims, information or 
evidence sent to VA during these periods was likely delayed due to 
interrupted operations of the regional office or postal service. 
Because regional offices and the mail system were impacted, VA 
established the following exceptions to the standard rule, on date of 
receipt.

Exceptions to Date of Receipt for Claimants Affected By Hurricane 
Harvey

    VA hereby gives notice that, for purposes of determining the date 
of entitlement, any correspondence received by VA during the period 
September 1 through September 7, 2017, from individuals in zip codes 
designated to have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey that contained 
claims, information or evidence will be considered received no later 
than August 31, 2017. Alternatively, if the correspondence was received 
during the period September 1 through September 7, 2017, but the 
postmark date is prior to August 31, 2017, the correspondence will be 
considered received on the date of postmark.
    This guidance applies to correspondence received during the 
designated period from the zip codes designated below.

                                     Zip Codes Impacted by Hurricane Harvey
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
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      75928          77062         77252         77364         77467         77573         77950         78393
      75930          77063         77253         77365         77468         77574         77951         78401
      75931          77064         77254         77367         77469         77575         77954         78402
      75932          77065         77255         77368         77470         77577         77957         78403
      75933          77066         77256         77369         77471         77578         77960         78404
      75934          77067         77257         77371         77473         77580         77961         78405
      75936          77068         77258         77372         77474         77581         77962         78406
      75938          77069         77259         77373         77475         77582         77963         78407
      75939          77070         77261         77374         77476         77583         77964         78408
      75942          77071         77262         77375         77477         77584         77967         78409

[[Page 14554]]

 
      75948          77072         77263         77376         77478         77585         77968         78410
      75951          77073         77265         77377         77479         77586         77969         78411
      75956          77074         77266         77378         77480         77587         77970         78412
      75959          77075         77267         77379         77481         77588         77971         78413
      75960          77076         77268         77380         77482         77590         77973         78414
      75966          77077         77269         77381         77483         77591         77974         78415
      75968          77078         77270         77382         77484         77592         77975         78416
      75977          77079         77271         77383         77485         77597         77976         78417
      75979          77080         77272         77384         77486         77598         77977         78418
      75990          77081         77273         77385         77487         77611         77978         78419
      77001          77082         77274         77386         77488         77612         77979         78426
      77002          77083         77275         77387         77489         77613         77982         78427
      77003          77084         77277         77388         77491         77614         77983         78460
      77004          77085         77279         77389         77492         77615         77984         78463
      77005          77086         77280         77391         77493         77616         77986         78465
      77006          77087         77282         77393         77494         77617         77987         78466
      77007          77088         77284         77396         77496         77619         77988         78467
      77008          77089         77287         77399         77497         77622         77989         78468
      77009          77090         77288         77401         77498         77623         77990         78469
      77010          77091         77289         77402         77501         77624         77991         78472
      77011          77092         77290         77404         77502         77625         77993         78480
      77012          77093         77291         77406         77503         77626         77994         78602
      77013          77094         77292         77407         77504         77627         77995         78604
      77014          77095         77293         77410         77505         77629         78102         78612
      77015          77096         77297         77411         77506         77630         78104         78614
      77016          77098         77299         77412         77507         77631         78107         78616
      77017          77099         77301         77413         77508         77632         78111         78621
      77018          77201         77302         77414         77510         77639         78113         78622
      77019          77202         77303         77415         77511         77640         78116         78629
      77020          77203         77304         77417         77512         77641         78117         78632
      77021          77204         77305         77418         77514         77642         78118         78644
      77022          77205         77306         77419         77515         77643         78119         78648
      77023          77206         77315         77420         77516         77650         78122         78650
      77024          77207         77316         77422         77517         77651         78125         78655
      77025          77208         77318         77423         77518         77655         78140         78656
      77026          77209         77320         77428         77519         77656         78141         78658
      77027          77210         77325         77429         77520         77657         78142         78659
      77028          77212         77326         77430         77521         77659         78144         78661
      77029          77213         77327         77431         77522         77660         78145         78662
      77030          77215         77328         77432         77523         77661         78146         78677
      77031          77216         77331         77433         77530         77662         78151         78931
      77032          77217         77332         77434         77531         77663         78159         78932
      77033          77218         77333         77435         77532         77664         78162         78933
      77034          77219         77334         77436         77533         77665         78164         78934
      77035          77220         77335         77437         77534         77670         78330         78935
      77036          77221         77336         77440         77535         77701         78335         78938
      77037          77222         77337         77441         77536         77702         78336         78940
      77038          77223         77338         77442         77538         77703         78339         78941
      77039          77224         77339         77443         77539         77704         78340         78942
      77040          77225         77340         77444         77541         77705         78343         78943
      77041          77226         77341         77445         77542         77706         78347         78944
      77042          77227         77342         77446         77545         77707         78351         78945
      77043          77228         77343         77447         77546         77708         78352         78946
      77044          77229         77344         77448         77547         77710         78358         78947
      77045          77230         77345         77449         77549         77713         78359         78948
      77046          77231         77346         77450         77550         77720         78362         78949
      77047          77233         77347         77451         77551         77725         78363         78950
      77048          77234         77348         77452         77552         77726         78364         78951
      77049          77235         77349         77453         77553         77830         78368         78952
      77050          77236         77350         77454         77554         77831         78370         78953
      77051          77237         77351         77455         77555         77853         78373         78954
      77052          77238         77353         77456         77560         77861         78374         78956
      77053          77240         77354         77457         77561         77868         78377         78957
      77054          77241         77355         77458         77562         77873         78379         78959
      77055          77242         77356         77459         77563         77875         78380         78960
      77056          77243         77357         77460         77564         77876         78381         78961
      77057          77244         77358         77461         77565         77901         78382         78962
      77058          77245         77359         77463         77566         77902         78387         78963
      77059          77248         77360         77464         77568         77903         78389    ............
      77060          77249         77362         77465         77571         77904         78390    ............
      77061          77251         77363         77466         77572         77905         78391    ............
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[[Page 14555]]

Exceptions to Date of Receipt for Claimants Affected By Hurricane Maria

    VA hereby gives notice that, for purposes of determining the date 
of entitlement, any correspondence received by VA during the period 
October 1 through October 31, 2017, from claimants under the 
jurisdiction of the Puerto Rico Regional Office that contained claims, 
information or evidence will be considered received no later than 
September 30, 2017. Claimants under the jurisdiction of the Puerto Rico 
Regional Office include residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, as well as those claimants receiving pension or survivor 
benefits who are in the geographic region covered by the Puerto Rico 
Regional Office, but serviced by the Philadelphia Pension Management 
Center. Alternatively, if the correspondence was received between 
October 1 and 31, 2017, and the postmark date is prior to September 30, 
2017, the correspondence will be considered received on the date of 
postmark.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jacquelyn 
Hayes-Byrd, Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, 
approved this document on March 13, 2018, for publication.

    Dated: March 29, 2018.
Jeffrey Martin,
Impact Analyst, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of the 
Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-06766 Filed 4-3-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P