[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64065-64066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-25045]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Discontinuance of Annual Financial Assessments
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This Notice informs the public that the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) will no longer request that certain veterans enrolled in
the VA health care system annually submit income and asset information.
VA uses such information to verify a veteran's continuing eligibility
for certain health care benefits; however, VA is now able to get
similar information through a means less burdensome on veterans.
Moreover, annual, routine collection of this information has not
significantly impacted veteran enrollment, and places an unwarranted
burden on affected veterans. Therefore, VA will discontinue requesting
that veterans submit an annual financial assessment following initial
enrollment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin J. Cunningham, Director
Business Policy, Chief Business Office (10NB6), Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420; (202) 461-1599.
(This is not a toll-free number.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform
Act of 1996, Public Law 104-262, made major changes in the laws
governing eligibility for VA health care benefits. This law added a new
section 38 U.S.C. 1705, which established a patient enrollment system
to manage the provision of health care services. This statute requires
VA to place an enrolled veteran into a defined priority group. Veterans
enrolled in the VA health care system are placed in priority groups
based on criteria found in 38 U.S.C. 1705, 1710 and 38 CFR 17.36.
Enrollment in three of these priority groups is based on the income of
the veteran. Priority Group 5 includes, among others, veterans who are
determined by VA to be unable to defray the expenses of necessary care.
Priority Group 7 includes veterans with incomes below the geographic
means test income thresholds and who agree to pay the applicable
copayment. Priority Group 8 includes veterans with gross household
incomes above the VA national income threshold and the geographically-
adjusted income threshold for their resident location and who agree to
pay copayments.
VA has established a means test program to determine when a
veteran's income would meet the requirements for enrollment in one of
the priority groups mentioned above. The means test developed by VA
requires a veteran to submit a financial assessment (38 CFR
17.36(d)(3)(iv)) using the Application for Health Benefits, VA Form 10-
10EZ. VA verifies that self-
[[Page 64066]]
reported financial information through a computer matching of income
reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security
Administration (SSA). VA has authority to obtain income information
from IRS and SSA under 38 U.S.C. 5317. IRS and SSA have authority to
share this information with VA under 26 U.S.C. 6103(l)(7)(D)(viii).
VA requires a veteran whose assignment to a priority group is based
on income to submit a financial assessment when initially enrolled and
then requests resubmission of this information each year thereafter on
the enrollment anniversary. As a reminder of this requirement, VA mails
a Health Benefits Renewal (VA Form 10-10EZR) to the veteran 60 days
before the anniversary date, and a second notification 30 days before
the anniversary date, if the veteran has not yet submitted the
requested information. If the veteran's financial assessment
information is not updated prior to the anniversary date, VA asks the
veteran to update the financial assessment when they arrive for their
next health care appointment.
To accurately complete the financial assessment portion of the VA
Form 10-10EZR, the veteran must maintain and have ready access to
information on gross household income, assets, and expenses for the
previous year. The average time required for a veteran to complete the
financial assessment renewal form is 24 minutes. Of the approximately
2.1 million veterans required to submit annual financial assessments,
only about ten percent have a change in income or assets sufficient to
affect the veteran's priority group placement. For the approximately 90
percent of veterans who have no change in income or assets, the annual
reporting requirement is an unnecessary burden.
VA intends to eliminate this burden by changing the financial
reporting practices. Veterans will be requested to submit financial
assessment information using a VA Form 10-10EZ only during the initial
enrollment process. VA will continue to receive income information from
IRS and SSA, which will then be compared to the information initially
provided by the veteran. A veteran will be asked to provide further
income and asset information or to verify the data provided by IRS or
SSA only in those cases where VA identifies a change to the veteran's
income that would result in a change to the veteran's priority group
status. However, any veteran who has information that he or she
believes will affect his or her enrollment status may submit that
information at any time using VA Form 10-10EZR.
Because this change in policy requires revision of current VA forms
and processes, including updating existing information technology, it
will be implemented in two phases. VA anticipates that Phase I,
affecting current enrollees, will be implemented by December 31, 2013.
During Phase I, we will eliminate the need for current enrollees to
submit the annual financial assessment. VA will use the income matching
process from IRS and SSA to determine a veteran's income. Prior to
implementation VA will send correspondence to affected veterans
notifying them of this change. Phase II, which will include new
enrollees, is targeted after Phase I is completed. During Phase II, VA
will discontinue the requirement that new enrollees placed in Priority
Group 5, 7, or 8 provide an annual update of financial assessment
information. Again, we will compare the financial assessment initially
provided by the new enrollee against the IRS and SSA data to determine
income information and priority group placement for new enrollees.
Signing Authority
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this
document 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. Jose D.
Riojas, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on October 17, 2013, for publication.
Dated: October 21, 2013.
William F. Russo,
Deputy Director, Regulation Policy and Management, Office of the
General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2013-25045 Filed 10-24-13; 8:45 am]
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