Notice2022-03734
Notice of Request for Information Regarding Veterans Outdoor Recreation
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 23, 2022
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is requesting information to assist in implementing the statutory requirements of the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment (COMPACT) Act of 2020. The COMPACT Act mandates VA to establish an interagency task force to be known as the Task Force on Outdoor Recreation for Veterans (Task Force). The Task Force will carry out its duties in consultation with appropriate veterans outdoor recreation groups, and through this request for information, VA seeks comments on various topics from these groups to help inform the work and ultimately the recommendations of the Task Force. This effort aligns with the Administration's America the Beautiful initiative, which seeks to improve opportunities for outdoor recreation and address inequitable access to nature and its benefits. Feedback from the public will also help inform the work ahead.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2022)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10281-10283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03734]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Notice of Request for Information Regarding Veterans Outdoor
Recreation
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is requesting
information to assist in implementing the statutory requirements of the
Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment
(COMPACT) Act of 2020. The COMPACT Act mandates VA to establish an
interagency task force to be known as the Task Force on Outdoor
Recreation for Veterans (Task Force). The Task Force will carry out its
duties in consultation with appropriate veterans outdoor recreation
groups, and through this request for information, VA seeks comments on
various topics from these groups to help inform the work and ultimately
the recommendations of the Task Force. This effort aligns with the
Administration's America the Beautiful initiative, which seeks to
improve opportunities for outdoor recreation and address inequitable
access to nature and its benefits. Feedback from the public will also
help inform the work ahead.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 25, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Comments should indicate that they are submitted in response to
``Notice of Request for Information Regarding Veterans Outdoor
Recreation.'' Comments received will be available at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> for public viewing, inspection or copies.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria D. Llorente, M.D., Deputy to the
Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Patient Care Services, 12PCS,
Veterans Health Administration, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20420; 202-461-7800. This is not a toll-free telephone number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203 of the COMPACT Act, requires VA
to establish the Task Force not later than 18 months after the date on
which the national emergency declared by the President, pursuant to the
National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) with respect to the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), expires. The Task Force is
responsible for identifying opportunities to formalize coordination
between VA, public land agencies and partner organizations regarding
the use of public lands and other outdoor spaces for facilitating
health and wellness for veterans and their caregivers; it is also
charged with identifying barriers that exist to providing veterans with
opportunities to augment the delivery of services for health and
wellness through the use of outdoor recreation on public lands and
other outdoor spaces and developing recommendations to better
facilitate the use of public lands and other outdoor spaces for
promoting wellness and facilitating the delivery of health care and
therapeutic interventions for veterans. The Task Force will be composed
of representatives from VA; the Departments of Interior, Health and
Human Services, Agriculture, Defense and Homeland Security; the Army
Corps of Engineers; at least two representatives from veterans service
organizations; as well as others determined appropriate by VA. The Task
Force is required to carry out its duties in consultation with
appropriate veterans outdoor recreation groups. These would include
organizations that provide adaptive sports opportunities; those that
support veterans and their families and caregivers through outdoor
recreational activities; those that offer outdoor recreation and nature
experiences for overall health and well-being; and those that utilize
outdoor recreation as an additional strategy to cope with posttraumatic
stress disorder and other psychological sequelae of military service.
Section 203 defines public lands to mean any recreational lands under
the jurisdiction of the Federal Government or a State or local
government.
Consultation With Interested Parties
The COMPACT Act requires VA to consult with appropriate veterans
outdoor recreation groups to help inform the duties of the Task Force.
This request for information will facilitate the consultation required
by the COMPACT Act. Responses to this
[[Page 10282]]
request for information will be used to inform the work of the Task
Force. VA invites individuals, groups and entities to reply to the
questions presented below. Commenters are encouraged to provide
complete but concise responses to the questions outlined below. Please
note that VA will not respond to comments or other questions regarding
policies, plans, decisions or issues regarding this notice; however, VA
reserves the right to choose to contact individual commenters, and such
communication would serve to further clarify their written comments.
Comments received in response to this notice will be evaluated and, as
appropriate, incorporated into the consultation provided to the Task
Force for its duties under this law.
Request for Information
To accomplish the duties of the Task Force, consistent with and
pursuant to section 203 of the COMPACT Act, the Secretary seeks
information on the topics and issues listed below. Each responding
group is requested to submit only one response. Please provide the name
of your group or organization and contact information. Commenters do
not need to address every question and should focus on those that
relate to their expertise or perspectives. To the extent possible,
please clearly indicate which topics and issues you address in your
response.
A. Identify opportunities to formalize coordination between VA,
public land agencies and partner organizations regarding the use of
public lands and other outdoor spaces for facilitating health and
wellness for veterans (section 203(d)(1)(A)).
1. Does your group offer veterans outdoor recreational activities
locally, State-wide, regionally (e.g., Southwestern United States) or
nationally?
2. What types of outdoor recreational activities or experiences do
you provide (e.g., hiking, fly-fishing, sailing, hunting, skiing,
rafting, rock climbing, etc.)? Does your organization provide adaptive
sports and recreation for veterans with disabilities? Does your
organization primarily serve a local town, city or comparable unit;
State, region or the entire country?
3. Do you currently conduct programs on public lands such as
national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, national
recreation areas, other Federal or State lands or public parks? What is
the form of your relationship with public land managers (e.g.,
memorandum of understanding or agreement; permit; contract or other
agreement; or something informal)?
4. Does your organization offer outdoor recreation with a focus on
specific populations of veterans (e.g., women, racial/ethnic minority,
LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus), seniors,
disabled, etc.)?
5. Does your organization offer outdoor recreation with a focus on
veterans with specific health conditions (e.g., paralyzed, spinal cord
injured or other disability; visual impairments; mental illness;
substance use disorders; chronic pain; etc.)? How are your staff
members trained to address the needs of the veterans?
6. How many individual veterans are served by your group annually?
7. What types of outdoor recreation opportunities in public lands,
specifically designed to enhance the overall health and wellness of
veterans, would you like to see (provide a short description in 2-3
sentences)?
8. Does your group charge veterans fees to participate? Is your
group registered in the System for Award Management (<a href="http://www.sam.gov">www.sam.gov</a>)?
9. Does your group employ veterans to work with other veterans in
these outdoor recreation activities?
10. Does your group include the families or caregivers of veterans
in the recreational activities?
11. Does your group incorporate spiritual care as a component of
the outdoor recreation experience?
12. Does your group utilize or include animals in outdoor
activities (e.g., equine therapy, service animals, etc.)? If so, please
describe (provide a short description in 2-3 sentences).
13. How does your group communicate and execute outreach to
veterans and/or their families and caregivers about your outdoor
recreation activities?
14. Are you currently coordinating your outdoor recreation
activities with a local VA medical facility or a local adaptive sports
program that receives funding through VA's Grants for Adaptive Sports
Programs for Disabled Veterans and Disabled Members of the Armed Forces
Program? If not, have you tried to do so? If so, how were you able to
do so (for example, a memorandum of understanding, grant, through
volunteer services, etc.)?
15. How do you manage physical and emotional risks of veteran
participants during program activities? How do you ensure safety? Is
there any type of technical assistance or training that Federal
agencies could offer to support your mission?
16. What tools do you use to evaluate the effectiveness of your
program and veteran experiences with your program?
17. What outcomes has your program accomplished? Please describe.
18. How can coordination between VA and public land agencies or
managers be strengthened? Are there examples that could be used as a
model?
19. Does your organization have corporate sponsorships or partner
with the sports or recreation industry? If so, how did you develop
those relationships?
B. Identify barriers that exist to providing veterans with
opportunities to augment the delivery of services for health and
wellness through the use of outdoor recreation on public lands and
other outdoor spaces (section 203(d)(1)(B)).
1. What barriers have you experienced that make it challenging to
provide veterans with outdoor recreation opportunities to augment their
health and wellness with respect to public lands managed by the Federal
Government? What specific measures would address these barriers and
make nature-based or outdoor recreation programs more available on
Federal public lands?
2. What barriers have you experienced that make it challenging to
provide veterans with outdoor recreation opportunities to augment their
health and wellness with respect to public lands managed by State
governments? What specific measures would make nature-based or outdoor
recreation programs more available on State public lands?
3. What barriers have you experienced that make it challenging to
provide veterans with outdoor recreation opportunities to augment their
health and wellness with respect to public lands managed by local
governments? What specific measures would make nature-based or outdoor
recreation programs more available on local public lands?
4. Are there other barriers that you or the veterans you serve have
encountered that interfere with veterans' access to public lands?
5. Do you offer adaptive equipment for disabled veterans (e.g.,
recumbent bicycles, hand cycles, sit-skis, etc.)? If yes, what type?
6. Are veterans required to sign liability waivers to participate
in your activities?
7. Are there recreation activities/experiences your organization
would like to offer but is currently unable to do so? If so, what are
these activities, and what prevents you from being able to offer them?
C. Develop recommendations to better facilitate the use of public
lands and other outdoor spaces for promoting
[[Page 10283]]
wellness and facilitating the delivery of health care and therapeutic
interventions for veterans (section 203(d)(1)(C)).
1. What specific actions could the Task Force consider to better
facilitate the use of public lands for promoting wellness to veterans?
2. Which health and therapeutic interventions for veterans should
be prioritized and why?
3. How can VA and other Federal agencies better communicate the
various types of programs that exist to support and facilitate veteran
participation in wellness activities using public lands?
4. What type of research should VA and other Federal agencies carry
out to address gaps in the evidence base on health outcomes related to
outdoor recreation activities for veterans?
5. Is there any type of training or technical assistance that
Federal agencies could provide to your organization to enhance or
facilitate your group's ability to offer outdoor recreational
activities and experiences to veterans and their families and
caregivers?
6. Do you have any other suggestions or comments to facilitate the
use of public lands by veterans and their families and caregivers? If
so, please share them.
Signing Authority: Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
approved this document on January 27, 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. 2022-03734 Filed 2-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 23, 2022.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.