4316 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 14 / Friday, January 23, 2009 / Notices 

Dated: January 15, 2009. 

Gordon H. Mansfield, 

Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. E9–1508 Filed 1–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Advisory Committee on Homeless 

Veterans; Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA) gives notice under Public Law 92– 

463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) 

that a meeting of the Advisory 

Committee on Homeless Veterans will 

be held on February 19–20, 2009, in 

room 730, Department of Veterans 

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., 

Washington, DC, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

each day. The meeting is open to the 

public. 

The purpose of the Committee is to 

provide the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

with an ongoing assessment of the 

effectiveness of the policies, 

organizational structures, and services 

of the Department in assisting homeless 

veterans. The Committee shall assemble 

and review information relating to the 

needs of homeless veterans and provide 

advice on the most appropriate means of 

offering assistance to homeless veterans. 

The Committee will make 

recommendations to the Secretary 

regarding such activities. 

The agenda will include briefings 

from VA and other officials regarding 

services for homeless veterans. The 

Committee will also begin final 

preparation of its upcoming annual 

report and recommendations to the 

Secretary. 

Those wishing to attend the meeting 

should contact Mr. Pete Dougherty, 

Department of Veterans Affairs, at (202) 

461–7401. No time will be allocated for 

receiving oral presentations from the 

public. However, the Committee will 

accept written comments from 

interested parties on issues affecting 

homeless veterans. Such comments 

should be referred to the Committee at 

the following address: Advisory 

Committee on Homeless Veterans, 

Homeless Veterans Programs Office 

(075D), U.S. Department of Veterans 

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20420. 

Dated: January 8, 2009. 

By direction of the Secretary: 

E. Philip Riggin, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–1373 Filed 1–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Health Services Research and 

Development Service Merit Review 

Board; Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA) gives notice under Public Law 92– 

463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) 

that a meeting of the Health Services 

Research and Development Service 

Merit Review Board will be held March 

2–4, 2009, at the Crowne Plaza San 

Diego, 2270 Hotel Circle North, San 

Diego, CA. Various subcommittees of 

the Board will meet. Each subcommittee 

meeting of the Merit Review Board will 

be open to the public the first day for 

approximately one half-hour from 8 a.m. 

until 8:30 a.m. to cover administrative 

matters and to discuss the general status 

of the program. The remaining portion 

of the meetings will be closed. The 

closed portion of each meeting will 

involve discussion, examination, 

reference to, and oral review of the 

research proposals and critiques. 

The purpose of the Board is to review 

research and development applications 

involving the measurement and 

evaluation of health care services, the 

testing of new methods of health care 

delivery and management, and nursing 

research. Applications are reviewed for 

scientific and technical merit. 

Recommendations regarding funding are 

submitted to the Chief Research and 

Development Officer. 

On March 2, the subcommittee on 

Nursing Research Initiative will 

convene from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On March 

3–4, five subcommittees on Health 

Services Research A through E will 

convene from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

After the subcommittees meet, there 

will be a debriefing provided to 

members of the Health Services 

Research & Development Scientific 

Merit Review Board. The purposes of 

the debriefing are to discuss the 

outcomes of the review sessions and to 

ensure the integrity and consistency of 

the review process. 

During the closed portion of each 

meeting, discussion and 

recommendations will include 

qualifications of the personnel 

conducting the studies (the disclosure of 

which would constitute a clearly 

unwarranted invasion of personal 

privacy), as well as research information 

(the premature disclosure of which 

would likely compromise significantly 

the implementation of proposed agency 

action regarding such research projects). 

As provided by subsection 10(d) of 

Public Law 92–463, as amended by 

Public Law 94–409, closing portions of 

each meeting is in accordance with 5 

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

Those who plan to attend the open 

session should contact Ms. Rita Lysik, 

Scientific Merit Review Program 

Manager (124R), Health Services 

Research and Development Service, 

Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 

Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 

20420, at least five days before the 

meeting. For further information, please 

call (202) 461–1521. 

By Direction of the Secretary. 

Dated: January 16, 2009. 

E. Philip Riggin, 

Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–1511 Filed 1–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFFAIRS 

Voluntary Service National Advisory 

Committee; Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

gives notice under Public Law 92–463 

(Federal Advisory Committee Act) that 

the annual meeting of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service 

(VAVS) National Advisory Committee 

(NAC) will be held May 20–22, 2009, at 

the Marriott Westchase, 2900 Briarpark 

Drive, Houston, Texas. The meeting is 

open to the public, and the sessions are 

scheduled as follows: 

May 20—2 p.m. until 4 p.m. 

May 21—8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. 

May 22—8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. 

The Committee, comprised of sixtythree national voluntary organizations, 

advises the Secretary, through the 

Under Secretary for Health, on the 

coordination and promotion of 

volunteer activities within VA health 

care facilities. The primary purposes of 

this meeting are: To provide for 

Committee review of volunteer policies 

and procedures; to accommodate full 

and open communications between 

organization representatives and the 

Voluntary Service Office and field staff; 

to provide educational opportunities 

geared towards improving volunteer 

programs with special emphasis on 

methods to recruit, retain, motivate and 

recognize volunteers; and to approve 

Committee recommendations. 

The May 20 session will involve 

opening ceremonies and remarks by 

several VA and local officials. The May 

21 session will feature the Voluntary 

Service Report and recognition of the 

recipients of the VAVS Award for 

Excellence and NAC Volunteers of the 

Year. In addition, the James H. Parke 

Memorial Scholarship Luncheon will be 

held to honor an outstanding youth 

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