Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 21 / Thursday, January 31, 2019 / Notices 885 

• HSR2—Behavioral, Social, and 

Cultural Determinants of Health and 

Care on March 7–8, 2019; 

• HSR3—Healthcare Informatics on 

March 5, 2019; 

• HSR4—Mental and Behavioral 

Health on March 7–8, 2019; 

• HSR5—Health Care System 

Organization and Delivery on March 7, 

2019; 

• HSR6—Long-Term Care, Aging and 

Support Services on March 5, 2019; 

• HSR7—Opioid and Pain 

Management Special Emphasis on 

March 6, 2019; 

• HSR9—Learning Health Care 

System Initiative on March 8, 2019; 

• MRA0—Mentored Research on 

March 5–6, 2019; 

• HS8A—Randomized Program 

Evaluations on March 7–8, 2019; 

• HQ6, HQ7, HQ8—QUERI on March 

7–8, 2019; 

• HSRN1—Innovation (Access, LTSS) 

on March 5, 2019 at 1100 1st St. NE, 

Washington, DC 20002; 

• HSRN2—Innovation (Suicide 

Prevention, Non-Opioid Pain) on March 

6, 2019 

The purpose of the Board is to review 

health services research and 

development applications involving: 

The measurement and evaluation of 

health care services; the testing of new 

methods of health care delivery and 

management; and mentored research. 

Applications are reviewed for scientific 

and technical merit, mission relevance, 

and the protection of human and animal 

subjects. Recommendations regarding 

funding are submitted to the Chief 

Research and Development Officer. 

Each subcommittee meeting of the 

Board will be open to the public the first 

day for approximately one half-hour 

from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the start 

of the meeting on March 5 (MRA0, 

HSR1, HSR3, HSR6, HSRN1), March 6 

(MRA0, HSR1, HSR7, HSRN2), March 7 

(HSR2, HSR4, HSR5, HS8A, HQ6/HQ7/ 

HQ8), and March 8 (HSR2, HSR4, HSR9, 

HS8A, HQ6/HQ7/HQ8), to cover 

administrative matters and to discuss 

the general status of the program. 

Members of the public who wish to 

attend the open portion of the 

subcommittee meetings may dial 1– 

800–767–1750, participant code 10443. 

The remaining portion of each 

subcommittee meeting will be closed for 

the discussion, examination, reference 

to, and oral review of the intramural 

research proposals and critiques. During 

the closed portion of each subcommittee 

meeting, discussion and 

recommendations will include 

qualifications of the personnel 

conducting the studies (the disclosure of 

which would constitute a clearly 

unwarranted invasion of personal 

privacy), as well as research information 

(the premature disclosure of which 

would likely compromise significantly 

the implementation of proposed agency 

action regarding such research projects). 

As provided by subsection 10(d) of 

Public Law 92–463, as amended by 

Public Law 94–409, closing the meeting 

is in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 

552b(c)(6) and (9)(B). 

No oral or written comments will be 

accepted from the public for either 

portion of the meetings. Those who plan 

to participate during the open portion of 

a subcommittee meeting should contact 

Ms. Shannon Jordan, SMRB Program 

Manager, Department of Veterans 

Affairs, Health Services Research and 

Development Service (10P9H), 810 

Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 

20420, or by email at Shannon.Jordan2@

va.gov. For further information, please 

call Ms. Jordan at (202) 443–5744. 

Dated: January 28, 2019. 

LaTonya L. Small, 

Federal Advisory Committee Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2019–00426 Filed 1–30–19; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Reimbursement for Caskets and Urns 

for Burial of Unclaimed Remains in a 

National Cemetery or a VA-Funded 

State or Tribal Veterans’ Cemetery 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) is updating the monetary 

reimbursement rates for caskets and 

urns purchased for the interment in a 

VA national cemetery or a VA-funded 

state or tribal veterans’ cemetery of 

Veterans who die with no known next 

of kin and where there are insufficient 

resources for furnishing a burial 

container. The purpose of this notice is 

to notify interested parties of the rates 

that will apply to reimbursement claims 

that occur during calendar year (CY) 

2019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane 

Kang, Program Analyst, National 

Cemetery Administration, Department 

of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont 

Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420. 

Telephone: (202) 461–6216 (this is not 

a toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

2306(f) of title 38, U.S.C., authorizes VA 

National Cemetery Administration 

(NCA) to furnish a casket or urn for 

interment in a VA national cemetery or 

a VA-funded state or tribal veterans’ 

cemetery of the unclaimed remains of 

Veterans for whom VA cannot identify 

a next of kin and determines that 

sufficient financial resources for the 

furnishing of a casket or urn for burial 

are not available. VA implemented 

regulations to administer this authority 

as a reimbursement benefit in section 

38.628 of title 38, Code of Federal 

Regulations. 

Reimbursement for a claim received 

in any CY will not exceed the average 

cost of a 20-gauge metal casket or a 

durable plastic urn during the fiscal 

year (FY) preceding the CY of the claim. 

Average costs are determined by market 

analysis for 20-gauge metal caskets, 

designed to contain human remains, 

with a gasketed seal, and external rails 

or handles. The same analysis is 

completed for durable plastic urns, 

designed to contain human remains, 

which include a secure closure to 

contain the cremated remains. 

Using this method of computation, in 

FY 2018, the average costs for caskets 

were determined to be $2,681 for 

caskets and $162 for urns. Accordingly, 

the maximum reimbursement rates 

payable for qualifying interments 

occurring during CY 2019 are $2,681 for 

caskets and $162 for urns. 

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 January 2, 2019, for 

publication. 

Dated: January 2, 2019. 

Jeffrey M. Martin, 

Assistant Director, Office of Regulation Policy 

& Management, Office of the Secretary, 

Department of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2019–00379 Filed 1–30–19; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 


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