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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2022 / Notices

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transportation options, such as the
Volunteer Transportation Network, may
also be available.
Appeals
During the course of the pilot
program, disagreements may arise
regarding veteran participation. We
anticipate that the vast majority of these
disagreements will be subject to VA’s
clinical appeals process, as set forth
currently in VHA Directive 1041,
Appeal of Veterans Health
Administration Clinical Decisions
(September 28, 2020). The clinical
appeals process applies to a written
request for higher review of one or more
medical determinations. Medical
determinations usually concern the
need for and appropriateness of specific
types of medical care and treatment for
an individual and generally include
decisions by an appropriate health care
professional based on their medical
judgment.
Eligibility to participate in the pilot
program is limited, by section 2(j)(2), to
veterans who are: (1) Enrolled in the VA
health care system; (2) diagnosed with
PTSD; and (3) recommended for
participation in the pilot program by a
qualified mental health care provider or
clinical team, based on medical
judgment that the veteran may benefit
from such participation with respect to
the diagnosed PTSD of the veteran.
While determinations of whether a
veteran is enrolled in the VA health care
system are administrative and not
clinical, such matters are typically
easily discernable and do not entail
much dispute. Disagreements with
administrative decisions are appealable
to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
However, diagnosis of PTSD and a
recommendation concerning the need
for, and the appropriateness of, specific
types of medical care and treatment,
based on medical judgment, are
decisions that are clinical in nature and
therefore subject to the clinical appeals
process in VHA Directive 1041.
Throughout the course of the pilot
program, SDOs providing the canine
training will have the discretion and
authority to determine whether they
will provide training to a veteran at a
particular time. A veteran who is
disruptive; incapable of or unwilling to
follow directions; or presents a danger
to themselves or others (including the
dogs being trained) could be denied the
ability to participate in the program on
at least a temporary basis. In any of
these situations, such information will
be relayed to the pilot champion, who
will coordinate with the provider or
clinical team responsible for the initial
recommendation for participation to

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determine if that recommendation is
still applicable. If the provider’s or
team’s medical judgment changes, based
on this or any other information, such
that they no longer recommend the
veteran’s participation, that decision
would be a clinical decision appealable
under VHA Directive 1041. If the SDO
determines it will not or cannot provide
the canine training for other reasons,
such as limited resources or other
constraints, the SDO and VA will
attempt to ensure that eligible veterans
who have been recommended for
participation are able to do so at a later
time. Participation will generally be
granted on a first-come, first-served
basis.
Signing Authority
Denis McDonough, Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on March 23, 2022 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.
Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office
of Regulation Policy & Management, Office
of General Counsel, Department of Veterans
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022–06735 Filed 3–29–22; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
[OMB Control No. 2900–0002]

Agency Information Collection
Activity: 21P–527 Income, Net Worth
and Employment Statement; 21P–
527EZ Application for Veterans
Pension
Veterans Benefits
Administration, Department of Veterans
Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

Veterans Benefits
Administration, Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), is announcing an
opportunity for public comment on the
proposed collection of certain
information by the agency. Under the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of
1995, Federal agencies are required to
publish notice in the Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of
information, including each proposed
revision of a currently approved
collection, and allow 60 days for public
comment in response to the notice.
DATES: Written comments and
recommendations on the proposed
SUMMARY:

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collection of information should be
received on or before May 31, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
on the collection of information through
Federal Docket Management System
(FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov or to
Nancy J. Kessinger, Veterans Benefits
Administration (20M33), Department of
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20420 or email to
[email protected]. Please refer to
‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0002’’ in any
correspondence. During the comment
period, comments may be viewed online
through FDMS.
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. 2900–0002’’
in any correspondence.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
PRA of 1995, Federal agencies must
obtain approval from the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for each
collection of information they conduct
or sponsor. This request for comment is
being made pursuant to Section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA.
With respect to the following
collection of information, VBA invites
comments on: (1) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of VBA’s
functions, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of VBA’s estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of
information; (3) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (4)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents, including through the use
of automated collection techniques or
the use of other forms of information
technology.
Authority: 38 U.S.C. 5101(a), 38 CFR
1502, 38 CFR 1503.
Title: 21P–527 Income, Net Worth and
Employment Statement; 21P–527EZ
Application for Veterans Pension.
OMB Control Number: 2900–0002.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
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.
Title 38 U.S.C. 5101(a), 38 CFR 1502, 38
CFR 1503 provides that a specific claim
in the form provided by the Secretary
must be filed in order for benefits to be

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2022 / Notices
paid to any individual under the laws
administered by the Secretary. VA Form
21P–527EZ, Application for Pension, is
the prescribed form for Veterans
Pension applications. VA Form 21P–527
Income, Net Worth and Employment
Statement, is used by Veterans to apply
for pension benefits after they have
previously applied for pension or for
service-connected disability
compensation using one of the
prescribed forms. A Veteran might
reapply for pension using this form if a
previous compensation or pension
claim was denied or discontinued, or if
the Veteran is receiving compensation
and the veteran now believes that
pension would be a greater benefit.
The following updates were made:

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• VA Form 21P–527EZ, Application for
Veterans Pension
• VA Form 21P–527, Income, Net Worth
and Employment Statement

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VA Form 21P–527EZ has been
updated, to include:
• Updated instructions.
• Added an optional use Veterans
Benefits Application Checklist for
applicant’s benefit to assist in
organizing submission of claim
• Separated Section I and II to split
Veteran’s Identification Information
from contact information
• Removed questions—How many
times veteran married?/How many times
Spouse married? as regulations allow
• Removed mailing address of
nursing home or facility from Section
VIII as this is covered in the Worksheet
the claimant is directed to complete.
• Added an income source section
and updated Section IX instructions to
reflect this change.
• Added an Alternate Signer
Certification and Signature (Section
XIII).
• Restructured Worksheet for An
Assisted Living, Adult Daycare, or a

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Similar Facility and the Worksheet for
In-Home Attendant Expenses and
questions removed for better clarity.
New standardization data points; to
include optical character recognition
boxes. This is a non-substantive change.
Affected Public: Individuals and
households.
Estimated Annual Burden: 24,731
hours.
Estimated Average Burden per
Respondent: 27.5 minutes.
Frequency of Response: On occasion.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
53,958.
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. 2022–06651 Filed 3–29–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320–01–P

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