[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 31 (Thursday, February 18, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 10168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03206]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0862]


Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Decision 
Review Request: Higher-Level 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, 
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 and it 
includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Refer to 
``OMB Control No. 2900-0862.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maribel Aponte, Office of Enterprise 
and Integration, Data Governance Analytics (008), 1717 H Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20006, (202) 266-4688 or email [email protected]. 
Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0862'' in any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Authority: Public Law 115-55; 38 CFR 3.2601.
    Title: Decision Review Request: Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-
0996).
    OMB Control Number: 2900-0862.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: VA Form 20-0996, Decision Review Request: Higher-Level 
Review is used by a claimant to formally request a Higher-Level Review 
of an initial VA decision, in accordance with the Appeals Modernization 
Act. The information collected is used by VA to identify the issues in 
dispute which the claimant seeks review of in the Higher-Level Review 
Lane. Additionally, the information collected is used to schedule a 
telephonic informal conference, when requested.
    This is revision to the form. Changes include significant revisions 
to the instructions section to make them easier to understand. New 
sections were added to the form to provide clarify and easier 
completion: Claimant's Identification Information, Benefit Type, SOC/
SSOC Opt-In from Legacy Appeals System, and Authorized Representative 
Signature. The section on requesting informal conferences was edited to 
make it easier to understand and complete. Examples were added to the 
Issues for Higher-Level Review section. Formatting changes were made to 
simplify the form. Optical character recognition boxes were added to 
assist scanning technology.
    There is a decrease in the respondent burden because the associated 
control number originally included two forms but we are using this 
revision to separate the two forms into two control numbers and only VA 
Form 20-0996 will remain under the current control number.
    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 85 FR 81287 on December 15, 2020, pages 
81287 and 81288.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 23,375 hours.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: 15 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 85,500 per year.

    By direction of the Secretary.
Maribel Aponte,
VA PRA Clearance Officer, Office of Enterprise and Integration, Data 
Governance Analytics, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021-03206 Filed 2-17-21; 8:45 am]
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