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. Title 38 U.S.C. 5101(a) provides
that a specific claim in the form provided by the Secretary must be
filed in order for benefits to be paid to any individual under the
laws administered by the Secretary. VA Form 21P-527EZ will be the
prescribed form for Veterans Pension applications. In RIN
2900-AO73, VA proposes to amend its pension regulations to maintain
the integrity of its needs-based pension program. VA has authority
under 38 U.S.C. 501(a) to prescribe all rules and regulations which
are necessary or appropriate to carry out the laws administered by
VA. VA would amend its information collections in conjunction with
RIN 2900-AO73. This rulemaking is largely in response to a
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, GAO-12-50, Veterans’
Pension Benefits: Improvements Needed to Ensure Only Qualified
Veterans and Survivors Receive Benefits. VA Form 21P-527EZ,
Application for Pension, is the prescribed form for claiming
Veterans Pension. VA Form 21P-527EZ is used to gather the necessary
information to determine a veteran’s eligibility to Veterans
Pension. Without the information, VA will not be able to determine
a Veteran’s eligibility to the benefit. VA Form 21P-527, Income,
Asset, and Employment Statement (formerly Income, Net Worth and
Employment Statement) is another form used to gather necessary
information to determine a veteran’s entitlement to Veterans
Pension. Veterans use this form to reopen a previously discontinued
pension award to reinstate benefits.
US Code:
38
USC 1502 Name of Law: Determinations with respect to
disability
US Code: 38
USC 1503 Name of Law: Determinations with respect to annual
income
The reduction in the number of
estimated annual respondents and burden hours was published in the
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 2900-AO73 (80 FR 3839 through 386, on
January 23, 2015).
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.