Veterans Affairs Department
The rule proposes to amend United States Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) general regulations to implement Executive Order 13831 (Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative). Among other changes, this rule proposes changes to provide clarity about the rights and obligations of faith- based organizations participating in Department programs, clarify the Department's rules for financial assistance in regard to faith-based organizations, and eliminate certain requirements for faith-based organizations that no longer reflect executive branch guidance. This proposed rulemaking is intended to ensure that the Department's social service programs are implemented in a manner consistent with the requirements of federal law, including the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
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 Parts 50, 61 and 62 RIN 2900-AQ75 AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The rule proposes to amend United States Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) general regulations to implement Executive Order 13831 (Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative). Among other changes, this rule proposes changes to provide clarity about the rights and obligations of faith-based organizations participating in Department programs, clarify the Department's rules for financial assistance in regard to faith-based organizations, and eliminate certain requirements for faith-based organizations that no longer reflect executive branch guidance. This proposed rulemaking is intended to ensure that the Department's social service programs are implemented in a manner consistent with the requirements of federal law, including the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. DATES: Comments must be received by VA on or before February 18, 2020. ADDRESSES: To ensure proper handling of comments, please reference RIN 2900-AQ75—EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN VETERANS AFFAIRS PROGRAMS: IMPLEMENTATION OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 13831 on all electronic and written correspondence. The Department encourages the electronic submission of all comments through http://www.regulations.gov using the electronic comment form provided on that site. For easy reference, an el…
Citation: 85 FR 2938
