Policies and Guidance
The handbooks listed in this section are provided as general reference, but please note that the contact information and dates in the handbooks may be out-of-date. However the basic guidance and processes are largely unchanged. For current dates, forms, and contacts for the upcoming funding round, please refer to the Applications & Submissions section.
Publication Notification Requirements
VA investigators or their local research offices are asked to notify VHA Research Communications of all scientific publications or presentations, upon acceptance. Read about the notification process.
General ORD Policies
- R&D Policies Grouped by Topic
- R&D Policies Sorted by Number
- R&D Policies Grouped by Service
- Manual M-3 Archive
Guidance
- FAQs For Researchers and Research Offices (326 KB, PDF)
- Office of Research and Development Guidance: The RCOs Role on Research Review Committees (June 7, 2010; 63 KB, PDF)
- ORD and ORO Guidance on IRB Approval of Changes in Protocol Study Teams (June 7, 2010; 38 KB, PDF)
- Guidance on Informed Consent Form Modifications Addressing VA Record Retention Requirements (July 23, 2009)
- Case Report Guidance (20 KB, PDF; December 2009)
- Interim Guidance on Protecting the Rights and Welfare of Human Subjects in Research Involving "Usual Care" (October 10, 2008)
- Interim Guidance On Research Warranting Special Safeguards To Protect The Rights And Welfare Of Human Subjects (20 KB, PDF)
- Should Veterans with a Diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Be Considered a Vulnerable Population for the Purpose of Applying Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research? Report of a Work Group Convened by the National Center for Ethics in Health Care of the Veterans Health Administration on Behalf of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs - October 2008 (928 KB, PDF)
- ORD Guidance on Pregnancy in Human Subject Research- June 2009 (21 KB, PDF)
- Checklist for use in developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between a VA facility and an Affiliated IRB: Memo (177 KB, PDF) | MOU (153 KB, PDF)