Did You Know?

Find the updated Project Cover Sheet outline in the VAIRRS Toolkit for review. The new PCS will be deployed to the sandbox in the coming weeks. We suggest you take a moment to review the revised outline to ensure research office staff are aware of the upcoming changes. More detail regarding the updates can be found in the VAIRRS Library Updates section below.

As reported in the March 2022 VAIRRS Newsletter and April 2022 Program Update, the revised Project Cover Sheet (PCS) wizard will deploy on June 27th. The updated PCS is available in the sandbox now if you would like to preview the changes.

Updates include:

• New questions for EHR access
• COI response options updated
• Research Topic Areas
• Additional instructions and navigation tools

The auto-generated notifications can be customized for your site. Please contact IRBNet Support at [email protected] for more information.

Recusals can be noted on the Reviews and Minutes page. Under the Voting section, you can add or remove recused committee members, and the recused members will be recorded in the minutes.

The most recent CCB-approved changes to the VAIRRS Standard Library include:

1. PCS Wizard -New version released in June 2022 (available here)
2. 3.0 and 3.14 - Removed reference to animal studies
3. 7.2 Combined ICF and HIPAA - Updated instructions for template use (page 9)
4. 7.4 Reviewer Checklist for New Project Applications - Updated language on Summary page
5. New Pre-Review letter template for Research Administrative workspace

The first VSAC meeting was held on June 16th. We have invited 15 individuals to participate as voting members. The first order of business is a review of the FY22-24 VAIRRS Strategic Plan. We are excited to begin this effort and look forward to the guidance provided by the VSAC. Any questions or feedback should be sent to the [email protected] inbox.

The Research Compliance Officer (RCO) Module was deployed on June 6!

All RCOs have been granted access based on responses to the RCO data call and weekly training sessions are currently underway. If you are an RCO and have not been granted access, please contact [email protected].

Note: Please ensure all project team members are shared on projects. If all members do not appear on a project, the project records are incomplete, which leads to inaccurate data. Additionally, incomplete project records impact reporting, active project counts and other data points that are critical to the success of the program. Bottom line: An incomplete project record means incomplete data everywhere.

Central Research Privacy Board (CRPB) Closure: ORD will close the VA CRPB on May 31, 2022, in compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Section E, Termination Provisions. Formal closure letters will be sent by ORD to each of the nine sites in May 2022. The closure of the CRPB is not associated with the Central Privacy Review pilot program.

Questions about the R&D website? Email the Web Team.

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.