[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 97 (Monday, May 20, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 22709-22710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10261]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
38 CFR Part 0
RIN 2900-AQ60
Core Values, Characteristics, and Customer Experience Principles
of the Department
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This document amends the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA)
regulations concerning the standards of ethical conduct and related
responsibilities of its employees by adding a new section to the
subpart for VA's Core Values and Characteristics, which includes VA's
Customer Experience Principles. VA's Customer Experience Principles add
to the foundational values and organizational characteristics that
define VA employees and articulate what VA stands for, respectively,
and these principles are a set of guidelines that will be applied
Department-wide to all VA employees. This final rule establishes VA's
Customer Experience Principles and ensures their proper application to
the VA workforce.
DATES: This final rule is effective on May 20, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Justin Madigan, Action Officer,
Veterans Experience Office (30), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810
Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 632-5939. (This is not a
toll-free telephone number.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This rulemaking amends 38 CFR part 0 to add
Customer Experience Principles to Subpart A. Maintaining a sustained
organizational commitment to, and institutionalized focus on, the voice
of the customer is a critical component of modernizing VA to meet the
needs and expectations of Veterans, their families, caregivers, and
survivors. VA is privileged to serve a vast and diverse population: In
Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 VA had 9.15 million enrollees in VA health care;
4.74 million Veterans receiving VA disability compensation (as of
September 30, 2018); 3.12 million active VA home loan participants (as
of September 30, 2018); and 946,829 VA education beneficiaries (FY17).
With hundreds of facilities and over 350,000 employees, VA must provide
consistent and exceptional experiences to every customer across all the
different ways in which Veterans, servicemembers, their families,
caregivers, and survivors interact with VA. Codifying these principles
will ensure that they receive the proper emphasis at all levels within
VA, are clearly understood by the workforce, and, most importantly,
become an enduring part of the VA culture. Adding Customer Experience
Principles to the Core Values and Characteristics further demonstrates
that VA is a people-centric organization.
Administrative Procedure Act
This final rule establishes internal guidelines relating to agency
practice or procedure and sets forth general statements of agency
policy. Accordingly, it is exempt from the prior notice-and-comment
requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
553(b)(A). Also, because this final rule only establishes internal
guidelines relating to agency practice or procedure and sets forth
general statements of agency policy, VA finds application of the
delayed-effective-date requirement of 5 U.S.C. 553(d) is unnecessary,
and consequently there is good cause to exempt this rule from that
requirement in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).
Effect of Rulemaking
Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as revised by this
final rulemaking, represents VA's implementation of its legal authority
on this subject. Other than future amendments to this regulation or
governing statutes, no contrary guidance or procedures are authorized.
All existing or subsequent VA guidance must be read to conform with
this rulemaking if possible or, if not possible, such guidance is
superseded by this rulemaking.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This document contains no provisions constituting a collection of
information under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3521).
Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601-612, is not applicable
to this rulemaking because notice of proposed rulemaking is not
required. 5 U.S.C. 601(2), 603(a), 604(a). In any event, the Secretary
hereby certifies that this rule does not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small entities as they are defined in
the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Therefore, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b),
this rulemaking is exempt from the initial and final regulatory
flexibility analysis requirements of 5 U.S.C. 603 and 604.
Executive Orders 12866, 13563 and 13771
Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess all
costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, when
regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize
net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public
health and safety, and other advantages; distributive impacts; and
equity). Executive Order 13563 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory
Review) emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and
benefits, reducing costs, harmonizing rules, and promoting flexibility.
Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review) defines a
``significant regulatory action,'' requiring review by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) unless OMB waives such review, as ``any
regulatory action that is likely to result in a rule that may: (1) Have
an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely
affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy,
productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or
safety, or State, local, or tribal governments or communities; (2)
Create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an action
taken or planned by another agency; (3) Materially alter the budgetary
impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the
rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) Raise novel legal
or policy issues arising out of legal mandates, the President's
priorities, or the principles set forth in this Executive Order.''
The economic, interagency, budgetary, legal, and policy
implications of this final rule have been examined and it has been
determined not to be a significant regulatory action under Executive
Order 12866. VA's impact analysis can be found as a supporting document
at http://www.regulations.gov, usually within 48 hours after the
rulemaking document is published. Additionally, a copy of the
rulemaking and its impact analysis are available on VA's website at
http://
[[Page 22710]]
www.va.gov/orpm/, by following the link for ``VA Regulations Published
From FY 2004 Through Fiscal Year to Date.'' This rule is not an E.O.
13771 regulatory action because this rule is not significant under E.O.
12866.
Unfunded Mandates
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 requires, at 2 U.S.C.
1532, that agencies prepare an assessment of anticipated costs and
benefits before issuing any rule that may result in the expenditure by
State, local, and tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the
private sector, of $100 million or more (adjusted annually for
inflation) in any given year. This final rule will have no such effect
on State, local, and tribal governments, or on the private sector.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers
There are no Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program numbers
for this rule.
List of Subjects in 38 CFR Part 0
Conflict of interests, Employee ethics and related
responsibilities, Government employees.
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. Robert L.
Wilkie, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on April 8, 2019, for publication.
Dated: May 14, 2019.
Consuela Benjamin,
Regulations Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy &
Management, Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
For the reasons stated in the preamble, Department of Veterans
Affairs amends 38 CFR part 0 as follows:
PART 0--VALUES, STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT, AND RELATED
RESPONSIBILITIES
0
1. The authority citation for 38 CFR part 0 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 38 U.S.C. 501; see sections 201, 301,
and 502(a) of E.O. 12674, 54 FR 15159, 3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 215 as
modified by E.O. 12731, 55 FR 42547, 3 CFR, 1990 Comp., p. 306.
0
2. Revise the heading of Subpart A to read as follows:
Subpart A--Core Values, Characteristics, and Customer Experience
Principles of the Department
0
3. Revise Sec. 0.600 to read as follows:
Sec. 0.600 General.
This section describes the Core Values, Characteristics, and
Customer Experience Principles that serve as internal guidelines for
employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These Core
Values, Characteristics, and Customer Experience Principles define VA
employees, articulate what VA stands for, and underscore its moral
obligation to veterans, their families, and other beneficiaries. They
are intended to establish one overarching set of guidelines that apply
to all VA Administrations and staff offices, confirming the values
already instilled in many VA employees and enforcing their commitment
to provide the best experience possible to veterans, servicemembers,
their families, caregivers, and survivors.
0
4. Add Sec. 0.603 to read as follows:
Sec. 0.603 Customer Experience principles.
VA will provide the best customer experience in its delivery of
care, benefits, and memorial services to veterans, servicemembers,
their families, caregivers, and survivors. The delivery of exceptional
customer experience is the responsibility of all VA employees and will
be guided by VA's Core Values and Characteristics. Customer experience
is the product of interactions between an organization and a customer
over the duration of their relationship. VA measures these interactions
through Ease, Effectiveness, and Emotion, all of which impact the
overall trust the customer has in the organization.
(a) Ease. VA will make access to VA care, benefits, and memorial
services smooth and easy.
(b) Effectiveness. VA will deliver care, benefits, and memorial
services to the customer's satisfaction.
(c) Emotion. VA will deliver care, benefits, and memorial services
in a manner that makes customers feel honored and valued in their
interactions with VA. VA will use customer experience data and insights
in strategy development and decision-making to ensure that the voice of
veterans, servicemembers, their families, caregivers, and survivors
inform how VA delivers care, benefits, and memorial services.
[FR Doc. 2019-10261 Filed 5-17-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P