The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adopts as final, with no changes, a proposed rule to revise its medical regulations concerning collection and recovery by VA for medical care and services provided to an individual at a VA medical facility for treatment of a nonservice-connected condition. Specifically, this rulemaking adds a regulation that establishes the requirements VA will use to determine whether a VA medical facility has provider-based status.
Health records
Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its regulations that govern scholarship programs to certain health care professionals. This rulemaking implements the mandates of the VA MISSION Act of 2018 by establishing a Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program, which will assist VA in meeting the staffing needs of VA physicians in medical specialties for which VA has determined that recruitment or retention of qualified personnel is difficult.
Technical Correction to Reimbursement of Qualifying Adoption Expenses for Certain Veterans
This final rule will add the Office of Management and Budget approval number for the new collection of information in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regulation that governs the reimbursement of qualifying adoption expenses incurred by a veteran with a service- connected disability that results in the inability of the veteran to procreate without the use of fertility treatment.
Informed Consent and Advance Directives
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amends its regulation regarding informed consent and advance directives. We amend the regulation by reorganizing it and amending language where necessary to enhance clarity. In addition, we amend the regulation to facilitate the informed consent process, the ability to communicate with patients or surrogates through available modalities of communication, and the execution and witness requirements for a VA Advance Directive.
Health Professional Scholarship Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its regulations that govern the Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP). The amended regulations ensures that VA award not less than 50 HPSP scholarships each year to students who are accepted for enrollment or are enrolled in a program of education or training that leads to employment as a physician or dentist until such a date as VA determines the current staffing shortage is reduced. The amended regulation will also expand the number of years of obligated service that a HPSP participant would have to serve in VA as a physician or a dentist. This rulemaking implements the mandates of the VA MISSION Act of 2018.
