“Advisory Committee on U.S. Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States” established by VA Secretary

On December 23, 2022, the P.L. 117-263 was Congressionally mandated for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the “Advisory Committee on U.S. Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States.” The Secretary of Veterans Affairs signed to establish the Committee on June 15, 2023.

The Committee provides advice to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on matters relating to “covered Veterans.” Covered Veteran is defined as a Veteran residing in American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, The Virgin Islands of the United States, The Federate States of Micronesia, The Republic of the Marshall Islands and The Republic of Palau.

In addition other responsibilities are as follows:

• Advise the Secretary on matters relating to covered Veterans, including how the Secretary may improve the programs and services of the Department to better serve such Veterans.
• Identify for the Secretary evolving issues of relevance to covered Veterans.
• Propose clarifications, recommendations and solutions to address issues raised by covered Veterans.
• Provide a forum for covered Veterans, Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) serving covered Veterans, and the Department to discuss issues and proposals for changes to regulations, policies and procedures of the Department.
• Identify priorities for and provide advice to the Secretary on appropriate strategies for consultation with VSOs serving covered Veterans.
• Encourage the Secretary to work with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies, and Congress, to ensure covered Veterans are provided the full benefits of their status as covered Veterans.
• Highlight contributions of covered Veterans in the Armed Forces.
• Conduct other duties as determined appropriate by the Secretary.

VA remains fervent about serving its Veterans, especially in these underserved areas. VA cannot do this work alone, which is why we are seeking dedicated individuals to be a part of our Advisory Committee on U.S. Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States. This Committee reports directly to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to advise VA on how to improve its programs and services to better serve Veterans living in the listed areas. We realize the needs of our nation’s Veterans are crucial, as many Veterans face challenges through every aspect of their lives.

VA is seeking nominees for the Board from diverse backgrounds and expertise who can provide unique viewpoints and state-of-the-art ideas from the covered Veterans residing in the listed areas.

Nominations for membership on the Board must be received no later than Monday, July 31, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. EST.

For more details, please visit the Notice of Solicitation page or www.va.gov/advisory. Any further questions, please contact the VA Advisory Committee Management Office at vaadvisorycmte@va.gov. In the subject line of the email, please add “Solicitation for FAS”.