Notice2026-05111
Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee
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
March 16, 2026
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
We are giving notice that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs intends to renew the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee for a 2-year period. The Secretary has determined that the Committee is necessary and in the public interest.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 50 (Monday, March 16, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 50 (Monday, March 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12669-12670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05111]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice of intent to file.
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SUMMARY: We are giving notice that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
intends to renew the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Rural
Health Advisory Committee for a 2-year period. The Secretary has
determined that the Committee is necessary and in the public interest.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Moragne, Committee Management
Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, Advisory Committee Management
Office (00AC), 811 Vermont Avenue, 4th Floor NW, Washington, DC 20420;
telephone (202) 714-1578; or email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#58123d3e3e2a3d217615372a393f363d182e39763f372e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90daf5f6f6e2f5e9beddffe2f1f7fef5d0e6f1bef7ffe6">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee
ACT, notice is hereby given that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA)
intends to renew the Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee
(Committee or VRHAC) for two (2) years from the filing date of the
charter's renewal. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the
Secretary of VA on rural health care issues affecting Veterans. The
VHRAC examines programs and policies that impact the delivery of VA
rural health care to Veterans and discusses ways to improve and enhance
VA access to rural health care services for Veterans.
In addition, pursuant to 41 C.F.R section 102-3.65, the Department
of Veterans Affairs provides this written notice determination stating
that the Committee is in the public interest and found to be in
accordance with the Federal Advisory Community Act (FACA), the 2025
FACA Final Rule, and current to the U.S. General Services
Administration, Committee Management Secretariat guidance. The
following factors below provide an overview of the Committee's
operations and public interest intent.
Annual Budget--The overall operating costs for the Committee is
$184,169. All members receive travel expenses and a per diem allowance
in
[[Page 12670]]
accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation for any travel made in
connection with their duties as members of the Committee. The expected
costs are broken into:
(i) Federal personnel (based on full-time equivalent (FTE) usage
basis) is .80 with other Federal internal costs being $135,369.
(ii) Proposed payments to Non-Federal Members is $3,218. Payments
to Federal Members are $7,081. The Committee is composed of not more
than 12 appointed members and up to 3 ex-officio members.
(iii) Reimbursable costs equate to travel reimbursement for Non-
Federal Members is $11,230, for Federal Members is $3,671 and for
Federal Staff is $23,600.
This Committee does not have any dollar value of grants expected
for the fiscal year.
Membership Selection--The Committee's membership includes academic
experts in rural health care delivery, state and federal government
professionals who focus on rural health issues, Department of Veterans
Affairs officials at the state level, and selected Veterans service
organization leaders. VHRAC members range from patient care advocates
to medical policy strategists. Additionally, the Committee works with
the Department's Advisory Committee Management Office, the Committee
Chair, and the Office of Rural Health (ORD) leadership to ensure the
committee is balanced ethnically and geographically to include
representation of all five minority groups mandated by law: African
American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native
American, including American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native
Hawaiian.
Existing Federal Advisory Committees--The following list are the 27
VA advisory committees includes 18 that are statute (with an asterisk
*) and 9 non-statutory committees.
(1) VA National Academic Affiliations Council
*(2) Advisory Committee on Cemeteries and Memorials
(3) Cooperative Studies Scientific Evaluation Committee
*(4) Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation
*(5) Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education
*(6) Veterans' Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards
(Administratively Inactive)
*(7) Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War
*(8) Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee
*(9) Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses
(10) Health Systems Research Service Merit Review Board
*(11) Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans
(12) Joint Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical
Science Research and Development Services Scientific Merit Review Board
*(13) Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans
(14) National Research Advisory Council
*(15) Advisory Committee on U.S. Outlying Areas and Freely Associated
States
*(16) Advisory Committee on Prosthetics and Special Disabilities
Programs
*(17) Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans
*(18) Veterans' Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation
(19) Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit
Review Board
(20) Veterans' Rural Health Advisory Committee
*(21) Special Medical Advisory Group
*(22) Advisory Committee on Structural Safety of Department of Veterans
Affairs Facilities
*(23) Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
(24) Veterans' Family, Caregiver, and Survivor Advisory Committee
*(25) Veterans and Community Oversight and Engagement Board
(26) Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service National Advisory
Committee
*(27) Advisory Committee on Women Veterans
Justification--VRHAC continues to provide valuable external rural
health stakeholder perspective regarding rural health care and the
challenges of accessing and delivering services in rural and highly
rural areas. Stakeholder representation of Federal, state, regional,
and local organizations is good; though proposed solutions to
overcoming challenges specific to rural Veterans are often limited by
implementation feasibility in the VA and the Veterans Health
Administration.
Summary of Previous Committee Accomplishments--The Committee's
standard operations entail conducting one local meeting in Washington,
DC to receive updates from VA Senior Leaders, and one site visit to a
VA facility with a high concentration of rural Veterans. Its meetings
focus on evaluating the programs and initiatives of VHA's ORD and its
VHA program office partners; and on recommending ways to improve. The
Committee evaluates current VA rural health program activities and
identifies existing barriers to rural health services. It recommends
strategies to improve those services for Veterans to the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs.
Why Committee is Essential--VRHAC provides advice and
recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on health care
issues that affect Veterans residing in rural areas. The Committee
meets at least twice annually to discuss programs and policies that
impact the provision of VA health care to Veterans. This is obtained
from its committee meetings and through the valuable external rural
health stakeholder perspective regarding rural health care and the
challenges of accessing and delivering services in rural and highly
rural areas.
In conclusion, this Notice of Intent states that this renewing
ommittee is in the public interest, essential to the conduct of agency
business and that the information provided is not available through any
other advisory committee or source within the Federal Government.
Dated: March 12, 2026.
LaTonya L. Small,
Federal Advisory Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2026-05111 Filed 3-13-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
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