78096 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 218 / Tuesday, November 14, 2023 / Notices 

33According to 13 CFR 121.201, the Small 

Business Administration’s size standards 

regulations used to define small business concerns, 

manufacturers of these buses fall under North 

American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 

No. 336213, Motor Home Manufacturing, which has 

a size standard of 1,250 employees or fewer. 

34 49 CFR 555.9(c)(2) refers to § 567.5(c)(7)(iii) as 

the regulation setting forth the certification 

statement final-stage manufacturers are to use in 

their certification labels. That reference to 

§ 567.5(c)(7)(iii) is outdated; it should be to 

§ 567.5(d)(2)(v)(A). The certification label 

requirements for final-stage manufacturers formerly 

were in § 567(c)(7)(iii) but the requirements were 

moved to § 567.5(d)(2)(v)(A) (see, 70 FR 7433; 

February 14, 2005). 

NHTSA believes that granting the 

petitioner’s exemption request is 

consistent with the public interest. The 

exemption will enable the applicant to 

sell buses whose overall level of safety 

is at least equal to that of non-exempted 

vehicles. Further, we acknowledge that 

the petitioner is a small business as 

defined in 13 CFR 121.201 33 Thus, this 

temporary exemption not only permits 

the manufacturer to sell vehicles whose 

overall level of safety is at least equal to 

that of non-exempted vehicles, but also 

provides relief to a small business. 

A grant is consistent with the Safety 

Act. The requested exemption will not 

impact motor vehicle safety because the 

exempted buses will provide overall 

safety at least equal to that of 

nonexempted buses. Further, the 

petitioner produces a small number of 

affected vehicles annually. The 

petitioner stated that it expects to 

produce no more than 14 affected 

vehicles during the exemption period. 

Thus, NHTSA concludes that the 

petitioner will manufacture very few 

vehicles relative to the 2,500 per 

manufacturer limit set forth in the 

Safety Act and 49 CFR 555.6(d)(4). 

Further, as explained below, in 

accordance with 49 CFR 555.9 and 

§ 30113(h) of the Safety Act, prospective 

purchasers will also be notified of the 

exemption prior to making their 

purchasing decisions. The vehicles must 

have a label notifying prospective 

purchasers that the vehicles are 

exempted from the shoulder belt 

requirement of FMVSS No. 208 for the 

side-facing seats. 

V. Labeling 

Under 49 CFR 555.9(b), a 

manufacturer of an exempted vehicle 

must securely affix to the windshield or 

side window of each exempted vehicle 

a label containing a statement that the 

vehicle meets all applicable FMVSS in 

effect on the date of manufacture 

‘‘except for Standard Nos. [Listing the 

standards by number and title for which 

an exemption has been granted] 

exempted pursuant to NHTSA 

Exemption No.__.’’ This label notifies 

prospective purchasers about the 

exemption and its subject. Under 

§ 555.9(c)(2), this information must also 

be included on the vehicle’s 

certification label.34

The text of § 555.9 does not expressly 

indicate how the required statement on 

the two labels should read in situations 

in which an exemption covers part, but 

not all, of an FMVSS. In this case, 

NHTSA believes that a blanket 

statement that the vehicle has been 

exempted from Standard No. 208, 

without an indication that the 

exemption is limited to the shoulder 

belt on side-facing seats, could be 

confusing. A purchaser might 

incorrectly believe that the vehicle has 

been exempted from all requirements of 

FMVSS No. 208. For this reason, 

NHTSA believes the two labels should 

state that the vehicle meets all 

applicable FMVSS ‘‘except for the 

shoulder belt requirement for sidefacing seats (Standard No. 208, 

Occupant Crash Protection), exempted 

pursuant to NHTSA Exemption No. 23– 

02.’’ 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 

30113(b)(3)(B)(iv), the petitioner is 

granted NHTSA Temporary Exemption 

No. EX 23–02 from the shoulder belt 

requirement of 49 CFR 571.208 for sidefacing seats on their motorcoaches. The 

exemption shall remain effective for the 

period designated at the beginning of 

this document in the DATES section. 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30113; delegation 

of authority at 49 CFR 1.95. 

Ann Carlson, 

Acting Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25073 Filed 11–13–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Solicitation of Nominations for 

Appointment to the Advisory 

Committee on Former Prisoners of War 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) is seeking nominations of 

qualified candidates to be considered 

for appointment to the Advisory 

Committee (Committee) on Former 

Prisoners of War (FPOW). 

DATES: Nominations for membership on 

the Committee must be received no later 

than 5 p.m. EST on December 15, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: All nominations should be 

mailed to Outreach, Transition and 

Economic Development (OTED), 

Veterans Benefits Administration 

(VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, 

1800 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20006 

or emailed to julian.wright2@va.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Julian Wright, Designated Federal 

Officer (DFO), OTED, Department of 

Veterans Affairs, 1800 G St. NW, 

Washington, DC 20006, telephone (202) 

302–8629. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

carrying out the duties set forth, the 

activities of the Committee include, but 

are not limited to: 

(1) Advising the Secretary on how VA 

can assist and represent FPOWs’, 

including recommendations regarding 

expanding services and benefits to 

FPOWs’ and related policy. 

Administrative, legislative and/or 

regulatory actions; 

(2) Advising the Secretary on 

incorporating lessons learned from 

current, and previous, successful family 

research and outreach efforts that 

measure the impact of provided care 

and benefits services on FPOWs; 

(3) Advising the Secretary on 

collaborating with family support 

programs within VA and engaging with 

other VA and non-VA advisory 

committees focused on specific 

demographics of FPOWs; 

(4) Advising the Secretary on working 

with interagency, intergovernmental, 

private/non-profit, community, and 

Veteran service organizations to identify 

and address gaps in services for FPOWs; 

(5) Providing such reports as the 

Committee deems necessary, but not 

less than one report per year, to the 

Secretary, through the DFO/VBA to 

describe the Committee’s activities, 

deliberations, and findings, which may 

include but are not limited to: (1) 

identification of current challenges and 

recommendations for remediation 

related to access to care and benefits 

services of FPOWs; and (2) 

identification of current best practices 

in care and benefits delivery to FPOWs, 

and the impact of such best practices. 

Authority: The Committee is 

authorized by statute and operates 

under the provisions of the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The 

Committee advises the Secretary on the 

following: 

(1) The administration of benefits for 

Veterans who are FPOW, in the areas of 

service-connected compensation, 

dependency and indemnity 

compensation, health care, and 

rehabilitation. 

(2) The use of VA care and benefits 

services by FPOWs, and possible 

adjustments to such care and benefits 

services. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 218 / Tuesday, November 14, 2023 / Notices 78097 

(3) Factors that influence access to, 

quality of, and accountability for 

services and benefits for FPOWs. 

Membership Criteria and 

Qualifications: 

VA is seeking nominations for 

Committee membership. The Committee 

is composed of up to 12 members and 

several ex-officio members. 

The members of the Committee are 

appointed by the Secretary of Veteran 

Affairs from the general public, from 

various sectors and organizations, 

including but not limited to: 

(1) Veterans who are FPOWs; 

(2) Appropriate representatives of 

Veterans who are former prisoners of 

war; 

(3) Individuals who are recognized 

authorities in fields of pertinent to 

disabilities prevalent among former 

prisoners of war, including authorities 

in epidemiology, mental health, 

nutrition, geriatrics and internal 

medicine; and 

(4) Appropriate representatives of 

disabled Veterans. 

In accordance with the Committee 

Charter, the Secretary shall determine 

the number, terms of service, and pay 

and allowances of Committee members. 

The term of service for any member may 

not exceed three years. The Secretary 

may reappoint any Committee member 

for additional terms of service. 

To the extent possible, the Secretary 

seeks members who have diverse 

professional and personal qualifications 

including but not limited to subject 

matter experts in the areas described 

above. We ask that nominations include 

any relevant experience information so 

that VA can ensure diverse Committee 

membership. 

Requirements for Nomination 

Submission: Nominations should be 

typed (one nomination per nominator). 

Nomination package should include: 

(1) A letter of nomination that clearly 

states the name and affiliation of the 

nominee, the basis for the nomination 

(i.e. specific attributes which qualify the 

nominee for service in this capacity), 

and a statement from the nominee 

indicating the willingness to serve as a 

member of the Committee; 

(2) The nominee’s contact 

information, including name, mailing 

address, telephone numbers and email 

address; 

(3) The nominee’s resume or 

curriculum vitae; and 

(4) A summary of the nominee’s 

experience and qualifications relative to 

the membership considerations 

described above. 

Individuals selected for appointment 

to the Committee shall be invited to 

serve a two-year term. Committee 

members will receive a stipend for 

attending Committee meetings, 

including per diem and reimbursement 

for eligible travel expenses incurred. 

The Department makes every effort to 

ensure that the membership of VA 

Federal advisory committees are diverse 

in terms of points of view represented 

and the committee’s capabilities. 

Appointments to this Committee shall 

be made without discrimination because 

of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, 

sexual orientation, gender identify, 

national origin, age, disability or genetic 

information. Nominations must state 

that the nominee is willing to serve as 

a member of the Committee and appears 

to have no conflict of interest that 

would preclude membership. An ethics 

review is conducted for each selected 

nominee. 

Dated: November 8, 2023. 

Jelessa M. Burney, 

Federal Advisory Committee Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25020 Filed 11–13–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Loan Guaranty: Assistance to Eligible 

Individuals in Acquiring Specially 

Adapted Housing; Cost-ofConstruction Index 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) announces that the 

aggregate amounts of assistance 

available under the Specially Adapted 

Housing (SAH) grant program have 

increased by 6.39% for fiscal year (FY) 

2024. 

DATES: The increases in the aggregate 

amounts outlined in this notice were 

effective as of October 1, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Terry Rouch, Assistant Director for Loan 

Policy and Valuation, Loan Guaranty 

Service, Veterans Benefits 

Administration, Department of Veterans 

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20420, 202–632–8862 

(This is not a toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with 38 U.S.C. 2102(e), 38 

U.S.C. 2102A(b)(2), 38 U.S.C. 

2102B(b)(2), and 38 CFR 36.4411, the 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs announces 

for FY 2024 the aggregate amounts of 

assistance available to Veterans and 

Service members eligible for SAH 

program grants. 

Section 2102(e)(2) authorizes the 

Secretary to increase the aggregate 

amounts of SAH assistance annually 

based on a residential home cost-of 

construction index. The Secretary uses 

the Turner Building Cost Index for this 

purpose. See 38 CFR 36.4411(a). Such 

increase will be equal to the percentage 

by which the Turner Building Cost 

Index for the most recent calendar year 

exceeds that of the next preceding 

calendar year. If, however, the Turner 

Building Cost Index for the most recent 

full calendar year is equal to or less than 

the next preceding calendar year, the 

percentage increase will be zero. See 38 

CFR 36.4411(b). 

In the most recent quarter for which 

the Turner Building Cost Index is 

available, second quarter 2023, the 

index showed an increase of 6.39% over 

the index value listed for second quarter 

2022. Turner Construction Company, 

https://www.turnerconstruction.com/ 

cost-index (last visited August 1, 2023). 

Pursuant to 38 CFR 36.4411(a), 

therefore, the aggregate amounts of 

assistance for SAH grants made 

pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 2101(a) and 

2101(b) have increased by 6.39% for FY 

2024. VA measures the calendar year 

from the end of the second quarter of 

the preceding year to the end of the 

second quarter of the current year for 

the purpose of adjusting SAH grant 

amounts. This calendar year period 

provides more up-to-date cost of 

construction information for a possible 

adjustment effective October 1 when 

compared to a January-throughDecember period, which would result in 

a 10-month delay in implementation. 

Sections 2102A(b)(2) and 2102B(b)(2) 

require the Secretary to apply the same 

percentage calculated pursuant to 

section 2102(e) to grants authorized 

pursuant to sections 2102A and 2102B. 

As such, the maximum amount of 

assistance available under these grants 

has also increased by 6.39% for FY 

2024. 

The increases were effective as of 

October 1, 2023 (38 U.S.C. 2102(e), 38 

U.S.C. 2102A(b)(2) and 38 U.S.C. 

2102B(b)(2)). 

SAH: Aggregate Amounts of Assistance 

Available During Fiscal Year 2024 

Section 2101(a) Grants and Temporary 

Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grants 

Effective October 1, 2023, the 

aggregate amount of assistance available 

for SAH grants made pursuant to 38 

U.S.C. 2101(a) is $117,014 during FY 

2024. The maximum TRA grant made to 

an individual who satisfies the 

eligibility criteria under 38 U.S.C. 

2101(a) and 2102A is $47,130 during FY 

2024. 


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