Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 23, 2001 / Notices 28597

information; (c) ways to enhance the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on respondents, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology; and (e) estimates of capital

or start-up costs and costs of operation,

maintenance, and purchase of services

to provide information.

Approved: May 17, 2001.

Garrick R. Shear,

IRS Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–13065 Filed 5–22–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4830–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900–0300]

Agency Information Collection

Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Veterans Benefits

Administration, Department of Veterans

Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995

(44 U.S.C., 3501 et seq.), this notice

announces that the Veterans Benefits

Administration (VBA), Department of

Veterans Affairs, has submitted the

collection of information abstracted

below to the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) for review and comment.

The PRA submission describes the

nature of the information collection and

its expected cost and burden; it includes

the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before June 22, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF

THE SUBMISSION CONTACT: Denise

McLamb, Information Management

Service (045A4), Department of

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue,

NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273–

8030, FAX (202) 273–5981 or e-mail

denise.mclamb@mail.va.gov. Please

refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0300.’’

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Veterans Application for

Assistance in Acquiring Special

Housing Adaptations, VA Form 26–

4555d.

OMB Control Number: 2900–0300.

Type of Review: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Abstract: VA Form 26–4555d is used

by disabled veterans in applying for

special housing and adaptations to

dwellings. Grants are available to assist

disabled veterans in making adaptations

to their current residences or one, which

they intend to live in as long as the

veteran or a member of the veteran’s

family owns the home. It also provides

information for use in approving or

disapproving a veteran’s application for

a grant.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor, and a person is not required to

respond to a collection of information

unless it displays a currently valid OMB

control number. The Federal Register

Notice with a 60-day comment period

soliciting comments on this collection

of information was published on

October 17, 2000, on page 61380.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households.

Estimated Annual Burden: 25 hours.

Estimated Average Burden Per

Respondent: 20 minutes.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

75.

Send comments and

recommendations concerning any

aspect of the information collection to

VA’s OMB Desk Officer, OMB Human

Resources and Housing Branch, New

Executive Office Building, Room 10235,

Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395–7316.

Please refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–

0300’’ in any correspondence.

Dated: May 4, 2001.

Donald L. Neilson,

Director, Information Management Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12972 Filed 5–22–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS

Office of Research and Development;

Department of Veterans Affairs Human

Research Protection Accreditation

Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice of draft accreditation

standards.

SUMMARY: This notice informs interested

parties that draft standards for the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Human Research Protection

Accreditation Program (VAHRPAP) will

be available for public comment on the

National Committee for Quality

Assurance (NCQA) Web site:

www.ncqa.org.

DATES: The public comment period will

start May 16, 2001, and will continue

through June 1, 2001.

ADDRESS: The preferred method for

receiving comments is as a Microsoft

Word file attached to an e-mail message.

The e-mail message should be sent to

VAHRPAP@ncqa.org and have ‘‘Public

Comment’’ in the subject line. Please

include your name, organizational

affiliation and telephone number in any

e-mail correspondence.

Mail written comments (one original

and three copies) to the following

address: NCQA, Attn: VAHRPAP, 2000

L Street, NW., Suite 500, Washington,

DC 20036. If you sent your comments by

e-mail, please do not send duplicate

comments by mail.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Department of Veterans Affairs awarded

a five-year contract to the National

Committee for Quality Assurance

(NCQA) to conduct an accreditation

program, the first of its kind, to help to

ensure that VA medical centers are

complying with VA and other

applicable Federal regulations for the

protection of human subjects of

research. NCQA is a private, non-profit

organization dedicated to improving

health care quality, with 10 years of

experience in accrediting and certifying

health care programs. NCQA will

partner with Medical Care Management

Corporation (MCMC) to design the

program and to recruit, credential and

schedule surveyors. MCMC has

established a large panel of experienced

clinical researchers who evaluate the

appropriateness of experimental

treatments, conduct technology

assessments and review research

protocols.

VA conducts biomedical, health

services, and rehabilitation research to

improve the health care delivered to the

Nation’s veterans. The Office of

Research and Development (ORD) has

developed policies, consistent with the

Common Rule and the Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) regulations, to

safeguard human subjects in research.

Also, as part of its responsibilities in

protecting human subjects, VA’s Office

of Research Compliance and Assurance

(ORCA) collaborates with the Office of

Research and Development in carrying

out this accreditation contract, and will

analyze trends from the accreditation

reports for continuing quality

improvement. The VA Human Research

Protection Accreditation Program

(VAHRPAP) will provide a routine

external evaluation of compliance with

VA and other Federal policies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further

information about the accreditation

program, contact NCQA Customer

Service, at (202) 955–5697. For

questions about the Department of

Veterans Affairs human subjects

protection policies or programs, call

Brenda Cuccherini, PhD, VA Office of

Research and Development, at (202)

408–3614.