01-621. Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board, Notice of Meeting

The Department of Veterans Affairs gives notice under Public Law 92-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) as amended, by section 5(c) of Public Law 94-409 that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1001 14th Street, NW., Washington, DC, on January 31 through February 1, 2001.

The sessions on January 31 and February 1, 2001, are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to review rehabilitation research and development applications for scientific and technical merit and to make recommendations to the Director, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, regarding their funding.

The meeting will be open to the public for the January 31 session from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. for the discussion of administrative matters, the general status of the program, and the administrative details of the review process. On January 31, from 9:00 a.m. through February 1, 2001, the meeting is closed during which the Board will be reviewing research and development applications.

This review involves oral comments, discussion of site visits, staff and consultant critiques of proposed research protocols, and similar analytical documents that necessitate the consideration of the personal qualifications, performance and competence of individual research investigators. Disclosure of such information would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Disclosure would also reveal research proposals and research underway which could lead to the loss of these projects to third parties and thereby frustrate future agency research efforts.

Thus, the closing is in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6), and (c)(9)(B) and the determination of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs under Section 10(d) of Public Law 92-463 as amended by Section 5(c) of Public Law 94-409.

Those who plan to attend the open session should write to Ms. Victoria Mongiardo, Program Analyst, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (122P), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20420 (Phone: [phone]) at least five days before the meeting.

Dated: December 28, 2000.

By Direction of the Secretary.

Marvin R. Eason,

Committee Management Officer.