27636 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 94 / Wednesday, May 16, 2007 / Notices 

that a meeting of the Clinical Science 

Research and Development Service 

Cooperative Studies Scientific Merit 

Review Board will be held on June 13, 

2007, in the Capitol Room 5th Floor at 

the International Square Center, 1875 I 

Street NW., Washington, DC. The 

meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 

a.m. and end at 4 p.m. 

The Board advises the Chief Research 

and Development Officer through the 

Director of the Clinical Science 

Research and Development Service on 

the relevance and feasibility of proposed 

studies, the adequacy of the protocols 

and the scientific validity and propriety 

of technical details, including 

protection of human subjects. 

The session will be open to the public 

from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. for the 

discussion of administrative matters and 

the general status of the program. The 

session will be closed from 9 a.m. to 4 

p.m. for the Board’s review of research 

and development applications. 

During the closed portion of the 

meeting, discussions and 

recommendations will deal with 

qualifications of personnel conducting 

the studies, staff and consultant 

critiques of research proposals and 

similar documents, and the medical 

records of patients who are study 

subjects, the disclosure of which would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of personal privacy. As 

provided by section 10(d) of Public Law 

92–463, as amended, closing portions of 

this meeting is in accordance with 5 

U.S.C. 552b(c)(6) and (c)(9)(B). 

Those who plan to attend should 

contact Dr. Grant Huang, Deputy 

Director, Cooperative Studies Program 

(125), Department of Veterans Affairs, 

810 Vermont Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20420 at (202) 254–

0183. 

Dated: May 9, 2007. 

By direction of the Secretary. 

E. Philip Riggin, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–2395 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Genomic Medicine Program Advisory 

Committee; Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA) gives notice under Public Law 92–

463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) 

that the Genomic Medicine Program 

Advisory Committee will meet on June 

11, 2007 in the Virginia Room, 2nd 

floor, at the Mayflower Renaissance 

Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC. The meeting will 

convene at 8 a.m. and adjourn at 5:30 

p.m. The meeting is open to the public. 

The purpose of the Committee is to 

provide advice and make 

recommendations to the Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs on using genetic 

information to optimize medical care of 

veterans and to enhance development of 

tests and treatments for diseases 

particularly relevant to veterans. 

At the June 11 meeting, the 

Committee will receive an overview of 

the VA health care system and 

electronic medical record, and will be 

asked to provide insight into optimal 

ways for VA to incorporate genomic 

information into its health care program 

while applying appropriate ethical 

oversight and protecting the privacy of 

veterans. 

Members of the public may make oral 

statements, limited to 5 minutes each, 

during the period reserved for public 

comments. They may also submit, at the 

time of the meeting, a 1–2 page 

summary of each statement for 

inclusion in the official meeting record. 

Any member of the public seeking 

additional information should contact 

Dr. Timothy O’Leary at 

timothy.oleary@va.gov. 

Dated: May 9, 2007. 

By direction of the Secretary. 

E. Philip Riggin, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–2397 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Advisory Committee on Women 

Veterans; Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA) gives notice under Public Law 92–

463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) 

that the Advisory Committee on Women 

Veterans will conduct a site visit on 

June 4–8, 2007, to the VA Palo Alto 

Health Care System (VAPAHCS), 3801 

Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. Unless 

otherwise indicated, all briefings and 

updates will be held at the VA Palo Alto 

Health Care System. Site visit briefings, 

updates, and tours will be held from 

8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day and 

will be open to the public. 

The purpose of the Committee is to 

advise the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

regarding the needs of women veterans 

with respect to health care, 

rehabilitation, compensation, outreach, 

and other programs and activities 

administered by VA designed to meet 

such needs. The Committee will make 

recommendations to the Secretary 

regarding such programs and activities. 

On June 4, the agenda topics for this 

meeting will include briefings and 

updates from key leadership of the 

VAPAHCS and Polytrauma Center, as 

well as a tour of the polytrauma area, 

Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit 

(MSICU), laboratory, hospice, and 

pharmacy. On June 5, the Committee 

will receive briefings and updates on 

the VAPAHCS Women’s Health Center, 

resident training, academic affairs/ 

research, quality assurance, and surgical 

services. 

On June 6, the Committee will receive 

briefings from key leadership of the 

Veterans Integrated Service Network 21 

(Sierra Pacific Network), California State 

Department of Veterans Affairs, Oakland 

VA Regional Office, VA National 

Cemetery Service, Redwood City Vet 

Center, and VAPAHCS’s communitybased outpatient clinics (CBOSs). 

On June 7, the Committee will visit 

the Menlo Park Division of the 

VAPAHCS, located at 795 Willow Road, 

Menlo Park, CA. The Committee will 

receive briefings and updates on the 

Women’s Mental Health Program, 

inpatient Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

(PTSD), program, drug addiction 

programs, crisis intervention, OIF Help 

Center, chaplain services for women 

veterans, and the Health Resources 

Initiatives for Veterans Everywhere 

(THRIVE). The Committee will tour the 

resource center for women veterans, the 

domiciliary, and the substance abuse 

inpatient unit. 

On June 8, the Committee will receive 

briefings and updates on veteran service 

organizations, nursing services, and 

inpatient acute psychiatry building 

plans for privacy issues. These 

presentations will be followed by an 

open forum and town hall meeting. The 

five day site visit will conclude with an 

exit briefing by VAPAHCS leadership. 

Any member of the public wishing to 

attend or seeking additional information 

should contact Ms. Chanel BankstonCarter at the Department of Veterans 

Affairs, Center for Women Veterans 

(00W), 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20420. Ms. BankstonCarter may be contacted either by phone 

at (202) 273–6193, fax at (202) 273–

7092, or e-mail at 00W@mail.va.gov. 

Interested persons may attend, appear 

before, or file statements with the 

Committee. Written statements must be 

filed before the meeting or within 10 

days after the meeting. 

Dated: May 9, 2007. 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 94 / Wednesday, May 16, 2007 / Notices 27637 

By direction of the Secretary. 

E. Philip Riggin, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–2396 Filed 5–15–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Annual Pay Ranges for Physicians and 

Dentists of the Veterans Health 

Administration (VHA) 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: As required by the 

‘‘Department of Veterans Affairs Health 

Care Personnel Enhancement Act of 

2004’’ (Pub. L. 108–445, dated 

December 3, 2004) the Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) is hereby giving 

notice of annual pay ranges for Veterans 

Health Administration (VHA) 

physicians and dentists as prescribed by 

the Secretary for Department-wide 

applicability. These annual pay ranges 

are intended to enhance the flexibility 

of the Department to recruit, develop, 

and retain the most highly qualified 

providers to serve our Nation’s veterans 

and maintain a standard of excellence in 

the VA healthcare system. 

EFFECTIVE DATES: Annual pay ranges are 

effective on July 8, 2007. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donna R. Schroeder, Director, 

Compensation and Classification 

Service (055), Office of Human 

Resources Management, Department of 

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, 

NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273–

9803. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 38 

U.S.C. 7431(e)(1)(A), not less often than 

once every two years, the Secretary 

must prescribe for Department-wide 

applicability the minimum and 

maximum amounts of annual pay that 

may be paid to VHA physicians and 

dentists. Further, 38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(1)(B) 

allows the Secretary to prescribe 

separate minimum and maximum 

amounts of pay for a specialty or 

assignment. In construction of the 

annual pay ranges, 38 U.S.C. 

7431(c)(4)(A) requires the consultation 

of two or more national surveys of pay 

for physicians and dentists, as 

applicable, whether prepared by private, 

public, or quasi-public entities in order 

to make a general assessment of the 

range of pays payable to physicians and 

dentists. Lastly, 38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(1)(C) 

states amounts prescribed under 

paragraph 7431(e) shall be published in 

the Federal Register, and shall not take 

effect until at least 60 days after date of 

publication. 

Background 

The ‘‘Department of Veterans Affairs 

Health Care Personnel Enhancement Act 

of 2004’’ (Pub. L. 108–445) was signed 

by the President on December 3, 2004. 

The major provisions of the law 

established a new pay system for 

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) 

physicians and dentists consisting of 

base pay, market pay, and performance 

pay. While the base pay component is 

set by statute, market pay is intended to 

reflect the recruitment and retention 

needs for the specialty or assignment of 

a particular physician or dentist at a 

facility. Further, performance pay is 

intended to recognize the achievement 

of specific goals and performance 

objectives prescribed annually. These 

three components create a system of pay 

that is driven by both market indicators 

and employee performance, while 

recognizing employee tenure in VHA. 

Discussion 

VA identified and utilized salary 

survey data sources which most closely 

represent VA comparability in the areas 

of practice setting, employment 

environment, and hospital/healthcare 

system. The Association of American 

Medical Colleges (AAMC), Hospital and 

Healthcare Compensation Service 

(HHCS), Sullivan, Cotter, and Associates 

(S&C), Physician Executive Management 

Center (PEMC), and the Survey of 

Dental Practice published by the 

American Dental Association (ADA) 

were collectively utilized as 

benchmarks from which to prescribe 

annual pay ranges for physicians and 

dentists across the scope of 

assignments/specialties within the 

Department. While aggregating the data, 

a preponderance of weight was given to 

those surveys which most directly 

resembled the environment of the 

Department. 

In constructing annual pay ranges to 

accommodate the more than thirty 

specialties that currently exist in the VA 

system, VA continued the practice of 

grouping specialties into consolidated 

pay ranges. This allows VA to use 

multiple sources that yield a high 

number of physician salary data which 

helps to minimize disparities and 

aberrations that may surface from data 

involving smaller numbers of 

physicians and dentists for comparison 

and from sample change from year to 

year. Thus, by aggregating multiple 

survey sources into like groupings, 

greater confidence exists that the 

average compensation reported is truly 

representative. In addition, aggregation 

of data provides for a large enough 

sample size and provides pay ranges 

with maximum flexibility for pay setting 

for the more than 15,000 VHA 

physicians and dentists. 

In developing the annual pay ranges, 

a few distinctive principles were 

factored into the compensation analysis 

of the data. The first principle is to 

ensure that both the minimum and 

maximum salary is at a level that 

accommodates special employment 

situations, from fellowships and 

medical research career development 

awards to Nobel Laureates, high-cost 

areas, and internationally renowned 

clinicians. The second principle, to 

attempt to establish a rate range of 

+/¥25 percent of the mean, is 

imperative to provide ranges large 

enough to accommodate career 

progression, geographic differences, 

sub-specialization, and special factors. 

This principle is also the standard 

recommended by World@Work for 

professional compensation ranges. 

All clinical specialties for VHA 

physicians and dentists were reviewed 

against relevant private sector data. The 

specialties are grouped into five clinical 

pay ranges that reflect comparable 

complexity in salary, recruitment, and 

retention considerations. Two 

additional pay ranges apply to VHA 

Chiefs of Staff and physicians and 

dentists in executive level 

administrative assignments at the 

facility, network, or headquarters level. 

PAY TABLE 1.—CLINICAL SPECIALTY

Tier level Minimum Maximum 

Tier 1 ........ $91,530 $175,000 

Tier 2 ........ 110,000 200,000 

Tier 3 ........ 120,000 215,000 

Tier 4 ........ 130,000 225,000 

PAY TABLE 1.—COVERED CLINICAL

SPECIALTIES

Allergy and Immunology. 

Endocrinology. 

Geriatrics. 

Infectious Diseases. 

Internal Medicine/Primary Care/Family Practice/Admitting physician. 

Neurology. 

Preventive Medicine. 

Psychiatry. 

Rheumatology. 

General Practice—Dentistry. 

Endodontics. 

Periodontics. 

Prosthodontics. 

Assignments that do not require a specific 

specialty. 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES