VMLRP Shortage Nomination Review Process

This section provides insight into what happens after a shortage area is nominated by a submitting official, e.g. State Animal Health Official, for designation as a shortage situation.

Review Process

Upon receipt of the shortage nomination form, NIFA staff will review the form to ensure all form fields are complete and check for any obvious errors or elements requiring correction or clarification. Any form missing information, requiring clarification or correction will be sent back to the submitting official. Additionally, all nominations submitted from one year to the next as a carry-over are reviewed to ensure only contact and administrative information has been updated. Any carry-over nominations determined to have an updated narrative will be treated as a new nomination. All forms must be received by the nomination deadline to be considered for designation.

All new nominations received by the nomination deadline will be reviewed by a panel of state and federal animal health experts convened by NIFA. Each nomination may be reviewed by multiple experts. Nominations can receive a rating of either "Recommended" or "Not Recommended". Nominations that are not recommended are returned to the submitting official with feedback, including instructions for correcting any/all incomplete components of the nomination.

Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality

During the review process, extreme care will be taken to prevent any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that may impact review of evaluation of shortage nominations. For the purpose of determining conflicts of interest, the academic and administrative autonomy of an institution shall be determined by reference to the current Higher Education Directory, published by Higher Education Publications, Inc., 6400 Arlington Blvd., Suite 658, Falls Church, VA 22042. Phone: (703) 532-2300. Web site: www.hepinc.com.