03-31622. Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY:

Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-21), this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before January 23, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF THE SUBMISSION CONTACT:

Denise McLamb, Records Management Service (005E3), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420, [phone], FAX [phone] or e-mail to: [e-mail]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0646.”

Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the information collection to VA's OMB Desk Officer, OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, [phone]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0646” in any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Medication Prescribed by Non-VA Physicians; VA Transitional Pharmacy Benefit, VA Form 10-0411.

OMB Control Number: 2900-0646.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: Under existing law and regulations, a veteran desiring medical care from VA must enroll in VA's health care system. When a veteran first enrolls in the VA system, and requests an appointment for care, VA schedules an appointment for a visit with a primary care physician. The primary care physician generally learns from the veteran what medication the veteran is taking, if any, assesses the need for the medication and writes prescriptions for any needed medication. Those prescriptions written by the VA physician are filled by a VA pharmacy. In recent years, there has been an increase in the enrollment of veterans into the health care system to obtain pharmacy benefits at no cost or at a reasonable cost. With the dramatically increased enrollment, VA has been unable to provide all enrolled veterans with health care services in a timely manner. Many of those veterans have prescriptions, written by non-VA physicians, that VA primary care physicians may subsequently confirm and renew when the veterans are able to have initial primary care visits. In an effort to ease financial burden on enrolled veterans currently waiting lengthy periods of time for their initial primary care visits, VA will provide these veterans with medication prior to their initial primary care visits at VA if these veterans present valid prescriptions from the non-VA physicians. VA will fill prescriptions written by non-VA physicians only for a period of time such veterans are awaiting a scheduled appointment with a VA health care provider. VA Form 10-0411, VA Transitional Pharmacy Benefit will be used to collect the data necessary to safely administer these medications.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on October 7, 2003, at pages 57955-57956.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 30,287 hours.

Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: 10 minutes.

Frequency of Response: One time.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 363,446.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 181,723.

Dated: December 11, 2003.

By direction of the Secretary.

Jacqueline Parks,

IT Specialist, Records Management Service.