18484 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2022 / Notices 

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 

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] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

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 

AGENCY: Veterans Benefits 

Administration, Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: 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 

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 

nancy.kessinger@va.gov. 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 maribel.aponte@va.gov. 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 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2022 / Notices 18485 

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: 

• VA Form 21P–527EZ, Application for 

Veterans Pension 

• VA Form 21P–527, Income, Net Worth 

and Employment Statement 

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 

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 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES