FACACLASSIC

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VA - 34739 - Veterans' Rural Health Advisory Committee - Agency Authority

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	Veterans' Rural Health Advisory Committee	Agency Name	Department of Veterans Affairs
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	34739
Original Establishment Date	6/8/2008	Committee Status	Chartered
Actual Termination Date		Committee URL
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	15
Terminated This FY	No	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	Designated Federal Officer
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix
Current Charter Date	3/21/2024	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Peter
Date Of Renewal Charter	3/21/2026	Designated Federal Officer Middle Name
Projected Termination Date		Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Kaboli
Exempt From Renewal*	No	Designated Federal Officer Suffix
Specific Termination Authority	N/A	Designated Federal Officer Phone*	(319) 330-6131
Establishment Authority*	Agency Authority	Designated Federal Officer Fax*
Specific Establishment Authority*	38 U.S.C. 7308	Designated Federal Officer Email*	peter.kaboli@va.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	6/8/2008
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Non Scientific Program Advisory Board

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Continue
Legislation to Terminate Required	Not Applicable
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	The Committee provides advice to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) on health care issues affecting Veterans residing in rural areas. It recommends strategies to improve those services for Veterans. and its reports are delivered directly to the Secretary of the VA. • Goal 1: VA consistently communicates with its customers and partners to assess and maximize performance, evaluate needs and build long-term relationships and trust. To further our commitment to the rural Veterans community, the Committee continues to engage and receive briefings from VA program offices and non-VA partners on VA's progress in addressing new and prior recommendations made by the Committee, as well as understanding the challenges rural Veteran experiences when they utilize VA/VHA services. This will help optimize the use of technology and build partnership with other Federal, state community health centers to develop enhance access points of care and options for VA rural Veterans. • Goal 2: VA delivers timely, accessible and high-quality benefits, care and services to meet the unique needs of Veterans and all those we serve. The Veterans' Rural Health Advisory Committee explores ways to help Veterans have easy access, greater choices, and clear information to make informed decisions, and ensure Veterans receive timely and integrated care and support that emphasizes their well-being and independence throughout their life journey. • Goal 3: VA builds and maintains trust with Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors—as well as our employees and partners—through proven stewardship, transparency and accountability. The committee provides advice that supports the Department of Veterans Affairs goal of ensuring rural Veterans trust VA to be consistently accountable, transparent, provide modernized systems and focus resources more efficiently to be competitive and to provide world class capabilities to Veterans and its employees. • Goal 4: VA strives toward excellence in all business operations—including governance, systems, data and management—to improve experiences, satisfaction rates, accountability and security for Veterans. The Committee also identifies potential barriers that rural Veterans encounter when accessing rural health care in service, provides recommendations to assist and mitigate these barriers to improve stake holder satisfaction.
How is membership balanced?*	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. Committee members range from patient care advocates to medical policy strategists. Additionally, we are working with ACMO, the Committee Chair, and ORH 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.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	The Committee meets at least two times annually. The 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 policies of VA's Office of Rural Health and on recommending ways to improve those programs and policies. While digital communications has advanced virtual meetings and events significantly. Feedback from Committee surveys face-to-face meetings are still critical to building strong cultural, developing rapport with members and invited guest and connecting people on a deeper level. In FY 24, the Committee held a face -to-face meeting in April and a virtual meeting in September.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	The Committee's advice is based upon the collective input of members who bring varied perspectives - patient care advocacy, intragovernmental, intergovernmental, academic - to the deliberations. Individuals with those varied perspectives have not been previously assembled in a formal committee setting for the purpose of examining VA health care delivery in rural and highly rural areas of the United States.
Why close or partially close meetings?	Meetings are open to the public unless determined otherwise pursuant to FACA and the Sunshine Act. Closed portions of Committee meetings are in order to protect patient privacy in instances where individual Veteran healthcare information is discussed or direct patient care is being administered. Closing portions of the meeting are in compliance with requirements of 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c)(6).
Recommendation Remarks	The Committee's has submitted a total of 44 recommendations from FY 2009 to FY 2024. The Committee plans to formulate and submit 3 recommendations from the September 16, 2024, fall meeting. The recommendation package will be submitted later this year. -- Joseph Parsetich's committee membership ended in FY24 as scheduled on 9/30/24. -- David Albright was erroneously omitted from the FY23 ACR. --Thomas Driskill was was erroneously omitted from the FY23 ACR. -- Marcus Pigman was was erroneously omitted from the FY23 ACR. -- Bryant Howren was was erroneously omitted from the FY23 ACR.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	Yes	Action Reorganize Priorities*	Yes
Outcome Trust In Government	Yes	Action Reallocate Resources	No
Outcome Major Policy Changes	Yes	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	No	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	No	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	No
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	Yes	Action Other	No
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	Yes	Action Comment	VA has engaged the VRHAC in the implementation of strategic planning for physician recruitment and retention strategies.
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	No	Grants Review*	No
Outcome Other	No	Number Of Grants Reviewed	0
Outcome Comment	N/A	Number Of Grants Recommended	0
Cost Savings*	Unable to Determine	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$0.00
Cost Savings Comment	The committee provides advice and counsel to the Secretary on implementation of policy and health care services. While there are indirect cost savings from their influence a direct link would be hard to quantify.	Grants Review Comment	N/A
Number Of Recommendations*	44	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	This is the total number of recommendations from FY 2009 to FY 2024. The Committee plans to submit recommendations formulated from the September 16, 2024, meeting later this year.	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	85.00%	Access Committee Website	No
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	This measure can't be validated currently. The Office of Rural Health is undertaking a comprehensive review and will update for the FY25 ACR.	Access GSA FACA Website	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	15.00%	Access Publications	No
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	This measure can't be validated currently. The Office of Rural Health is undertaking a comprehensive review and will update for the FY25 ACR.	Access Other	No
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment	N/A
Agency Feedback Comment*	Recommendations are tracked though Office of Rural Health and The VA Secretary response is briefed to the committee Interested parties should contact Mr. Paul Boucher, by email at paul.boucher@va.gov, or by mail at 810 Vermont Avenue NW (12RH), Washington, DC 20420.	Narrative Description*	The Veterans' Rural Health Advisory Committee advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on health care issues affecting Veterans residing in rural and highly rural areas. The Committee evaluates current VA rural health program activities and identify existing barriers to rural health services. It recommends strategies to improve those services for Veterans to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*		1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*
2. Payments to Federal Members*		2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*
3. Payments to Federal Staff*		3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*
4. Payments to Consultants*		4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*		5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*		6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*		7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*		8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*
10. Other Costs		10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*
11. Total Costs	$0.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified	2/19/2025 9:24 AM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*		Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks

Interest Areas

Category Area Computer Technology Information Technology Government Federal Government State Government Tribal Government Health Aging Health Care Hospitals Medical Education Medical Practitioners Treatment Medicine Diseases Health and Health Research Illnesses Medicine and Dentistry Rehabilitation Rehabilitation and Disability Veterans Veterans and Veterans' Medical Care

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