[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 198 (Monday, October 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48153-48154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22352]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Employees Whose Association With For-Profit Educational 
Institutions Poses No Detriment to Veterans

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal of notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a Notice of 
intent and request for comments in the Federal Register on September 
14, 2017. This document withdraws the Notice of intent and request for 
comments that published in the Federal Register on September 14, 2017.

DATES: Effective October 16, 2017, the Notice of intent and request for 
comments published at 82 FR 43288, September 14, 2017 is withdrawn.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Britt, Office of General 
Counsel (02-EST), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue 
NW., Washington, DC 20420, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a8ebc0dac1dbdcc7d8c0cdda86cadac1dcdce8dec986cfc7de"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e8ab809a819b9c8798808d9ac68a9a819c9ca89e89c68f879e">[email protected]</span></a>, 202-461-7637 (this 
is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The VA published a Notice of intent and 
request for comments in the Federal Register on September 14, 2017, 82 
FR 43288, that proposed issuance of a blanket waiver of the conflict of 
interest provisions of 38 U.S.C. 3683(a). This statute requires 
immediate dismissal from VA service of any officer or employee who has, 
while an officer or employee, owned any interest in, or received any 
wages, salary, dividends, profits, gratuities, or services from, any 
educational institution operated for profit in which an eligible person 
or veteran was using VA educational benefits. The document stated that 
the Secretary intended to waive the application of 38 U.S.C. 3683(a) 
for all VA employees who receive any wages, salary, dividends, profits, 
gratuities, or services from, or own any interest in, a for-profit 
educational institution in which an eligible person or veteran is 
pursuing a program of education using VA education benefits, as long as 
employees abided by the existing criminal conflict of interest laws and 
the Standards of Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, as the 
Secretary had determined that no detriment would result to the United 
States, veterans, or eligible persons from such activities.
    Comments to the document were to be provided to the VA on or before 
October 16, 2017. The VA received a significant number of comments and 
has determined not to pursue implementation of the waiver as

[[Page 48154]]

originally proposed. This document withdraws the Notice of intent and 
request for comments that published in the Federal Register on 
September 14, 2017, 82 FR 43288.

    Dated: October 11, 2017.
Michael Shores,
Director, Regulation Policy & Management, Office of the Secretary, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2017-22352 Filed 10-13-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P


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