Duty Periods for Establishing Eligibility for Health Care

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Veterans Affairs 38 CFR Part 17 RIN 2900-AO25 ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its medical regulations concerning eligibility for health care to re-establish the definitions of “active military, naval, or air service,” “active duty,” and “active duty for training.” These definitions were deleted in 1996; however, we believe that all duty periods should be ( printed page 78259) defined in part 17 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to ensure proper determination of eligibility for VA health care. We are also providing a more complete definition of “inactive duty training.” DATES: Effective Date: This final rule is effective January 27, 2014. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin J. Cunningham, Director, Business Policy, Chief Business Office (10NB6), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20420; (202) 461-1599. (This is not a toll-free number.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 101(2) of title 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) defines the term “veteran” to mean “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” “Active military, naval, or air service” includes “active duty” and certain periods of “active duty for training” and “inactive duty training,” which a…