[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10281-10283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03734]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Request for Information Regarding Veterans Outdoor 
Recreation

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Request for information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is requesting 
information to assist in implementing the statutory requirements of the 
Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment 
(COMPACT) Act of 2020. The COMPACT Act mandates VA to establish an 
interagency task force to be known as the Task Force on Outdoor 
Recreation for Veterans (Task Force). The Task Force will carry out its 
duties in consultation with appropriate veterans outdoor recreation 
groups, and through this request for information, VA seeks comments on 
various topics from these groups to help inform the work and ultimately 
the recommendations of the Task Force. This effort aligns with the 
Administration's America the Beautiful initiative, which seeks to 
improve opportunities for outdoor recreation and address inequitable 
access to nature and its benefits. Feedback from the public will also 
help inform the work ahead.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through www.regulations.gov. 
Comments should indicate that they are submitted in response to 
``Notice of Request for Information Regarding Veterans Outdoor 
Recreation.'' Comments received will be available at 
www.regulations.gov for public viewing, inspection or copies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria D. Llorente, M.D., Deputy to the 
Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Patient Care Services, 12PCS, 
Veterans Health Administration, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 
20420; 202-461-7800. This is not a toll-free telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203 of the COMPACT Act, requires VA 
to establish the Task Force not later than 18 months after the date on 
which the national emergency declared by the President, pursuant to the 
National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) with respect to the 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), expires. The Task Force is 
responsible for identifying opportunities to formalize coordination 
between VA, public land agencies and partner organizations regarding 
the use of public lands and other outdoor spaces for facilitating 
health and wellness for veterans and their caregivers; it is also 
charged with identifying barriers that exist to providing veterans with 
opportunities to augment the delivery of services for health and 
wellness through the use of outdoor recreation on public lands and 
other outdoor spaces and developing recommendations to better 
facilitate the use of public lands and other outdoor spaces for 
promoting wellness and facilitating the delivery of health care and 
therapeutic interventions for veterans. The Task Force will be composed 
of representatives from VA; the Departments of Interior, Health and 
Human Services, Agriculture, Defense and Homeland Security; the Army 
Corps of Engineers; at least two representatives from veterans service 
organizations; as well as others determined appropriate by VA. The Task 
Force is required to carry out its duties in consultation with 
appropriate veterans outdoor recreation groups. These would include 
organizations that provide adaptive sports opportunities; those that 
support veterans and their families and caregivers through outdoor 
recreational activities; those that offer outdoor recreation and nature 
experiences for overall health and well-being; and those that utilize 
outdoor recreation as an additional strategy to cope with posttraumatic 
stress disorder and other psychological sequelae of military service. 
Section 203 defines public lands to mean any recreational lands under 
the jurisdiction of the Federal Government or a State or local 
government.

Consultation With Interested Parties

    The COMPACT Act requires VA to consult with appropriate veterans 
outdoor recreation groups to help inform the duties of the Task Force. 
This request for information will facilitate the consultation required 
by the COMPACT Act. Responses to this

[[Page 10282]]

request for information will be used to inform the work of the Task 
Force. VA invites individuals, groups and entities to reply to the 
questions presented below. Commenters are encouraged to provide 
complete but concise responses to the questions outlined below. Please 
note that VA will not respond to comments or other questions regarding 
policies, plans, decisions or issues regarding this notice; however, VA 
reserves the right to choose to contact individual commenters, and such 
communication would serve to further clarify their written comments. 
Comments received in response to this notice will be evaluated and, as 
appropriate, incorporated into the consultation provided to the Task 
Force for its duties under this law.

Request for Information

    To accomplish the duties of the Task Force, consistent with and 
pursuant to section 203 of the COMPACT Act, the Secretary seeks 
information on the topics and issues listed below. Each responding 
group is requested to submit only one response. Please provide the name 
of your group or organization and contact information. Commenters do 
not need to address every question and should focus on those that 
relate to their expertise or perspectives. To the extent possible, 
please clearly indicate which topics and issues you address in your 
response.
    A. Identify opportunities to formalize coordination between VA, 
public land agencies and partner organizations regarding the use of 
public lands and other outdoor spaces for facilitating health and 
wellness for veterans (section 203(d)(1)(A)).
    1. Does your group offer veterans outdoor recreational activities 
locally, State-wide, regionally (e.g., Southwestern United States) or 
nationally?
    2. What types of outdoor recreational activities or experiences do 
you provide (e.g., hiking, fly-fishing, sailing, hunting, skiing, 
rafting, rock climbing, etc.)? Does your organization provide adaptive 
sports and recreation for veterans with disabilities? Does your 
organization primarily serve a local town, city or comparable unit; 
State, region or the entire country?
    3. Do you currently conduct programs on public lands such as 
national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, national 
recreation areas, other Federal or State lands or public parks? What is 
the form of your relationship with public land managers (e.g., 
memorandum of understanding or agreement; permit; contract or other 
agreement; or something informal)?
    4. Does your organization offer outdoor recreation with a focus on 
specific populations of veterans (e.g., women, racial/ethnic minority, 
LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus), seniors, 
disabled, etc.)?
    5. Does your organization offer outdoor recreation with a focus on 
veterans with specific health conditions (e.g., paralyzed, spinal cord 
injured or other disability; visual impairments; mental illness; 
substance use disorders; chronic pain; etc.)? How are your staff 
members trained to address the needs of the veterans?
    6. How many individual veterans are served by your group annually?
    7. What types of outdoor recreation opportunities in public lands, 
specifically designed to enhance the overall health and wellness of 
veterans, would you like to see (provide a short description in 2-3 
sentences)?
    8. Does your group charge veterans fees to participate? Is your 
group registered in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov)?
    9. Does your group employ veterans to work with other veterans in 
these outdoor recreation activities?
    10. Does your group include the families or caregivers of veterans 
in the recreational activities?
    11. Does your group incorporate spiritual care as a component of 
the outdoor recreation experience?
    12. Does your group utilize or include animals in outdoor 
activities (e.g., equine therapy, service animals, etc.)? If so, please 
describe (provide a short description in 2-3 sentences).
    13. How does your group communicate and execute outreach to 
veterans and/or their families and caregivers about your outdoor 
recreation activities?
    14. Are you currently coordinating your outdoor recreation 
activities with a local VA medical facility or a local adaptive sports 
program that receives funding through VA's Grants for Adaptive Sports 
Programs for Disabled Veterans and Disabled Members of the Armed Forces 
Program? If not, have you tried to do so? If so, how were you able to 
do so (for example, a memorandum of understanding, grant, through 
volunteer services, etc.)?
    15. How do you manage physical and emotional risks of veteran 
participants during program activities? How do you ensure safety? Is 
there any type of technical assistance or training that Federal 
agencies could offer to support your mission?
    16. What tools do you use to evaluate the effectiveness of your 
program and veteran experiences with your program?
    17. What outcomes has your program accomplished? Please describe.
    18. How can coordination between VA and public land agencies or 
managers be strengthened? Are there examples that could be used as a 
model?
    19. Does your organization have corporate sponsorships or partner 
with the sports or recreation industry? If so, how did you develop 
those relationships?
    B. Identify barriers that exist to providing veterans with 
opportunities to augment the delivery of services for health and 
wellness through the use of outdoor recreation on public lands and 
other outdoor spaces (section 203(d)(1)(B)).
    1. What barriers have you experienced that make it challenging to 
provide veterans with outdoor recreation opportunities to augment their 
health and wellness with respect to public lands managed by the Federal 
Government? What specific measures would address these barriers and 
make nature-based or outdoor recreation programs more available on 
Federal public lands?
    2. What barriers have you experienced that make it challenging to 
provide veterans with outdoor recreation opportunities to augment their 
health and wellness with respect to public lands managed by State 
governments? What specific measures would make nature-based or outdoor 
recreation programs more available on State public lands?
    3. What barriers have you experienced that make it challenging to 
provide veterans with outdoor recreation opportunities to augment their 
health and wellness with respect to public lands managed by local 
governments? What specific measures would make nature-based or outdoor 
recreation programs more available on local public lands?
    4. Are there other barriers that you or the veterans you serve have 
encountered that interfere with veterans' access to public lands?
    5. Do you offer adaptive equipment for disabled veterans (e.g., 
recumbent bicycles, hand cycles, sit-skis, etc.)? If yes, what type?
    6. Are veterans required to sign liability waivers to participate 
in your activities?
    7. Are there recreation activities/experiences your organization 
would like to offer but is currently unable to do so? If so, what are 
these activities, and what prevents you from being able to offer them?
    C. Develop recommendations to better facilitate the use of public 
lands and other outdoor spaces for promoting

[[Page 10283]]

wellness and facilitating the delivery of health care and therapeutic 
interventions for veterans (section 203(d)(1)(C)).
    1. What specific actions could the Task Force consider to better 
facilitate the use of public lands for promoting wellness to veterans?
    2. Which health and therapeutic interventions for veterans should 
be prioritized and why?
    3. How can VA and other Federal agencies better communicate the 
various types of programs that exist to support and facilitate veteran 
participation in wellness activities using public lands?
    4. What type of research should VA and other Federal agencies carry 
out to address gaps in the evidence base on health outcomes related to 
outdoor recreation activities for veterans?
    5. Is there any type of training or technical assistance that 
Federal agencies could provide to your organization to enhance or 
facilitate your group's ability to offer outdoor recreational 
activities and experiences to veterans and their families and 
caregivers?
    6. Do you have any other suggestions or comments to facilitate the 
use of public lands by veterans and their families and caregivers? If 
so, please share them.
    Signing Authority: Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
approved this document on January 27, 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. 2022-03734 Filed 2-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P