[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 38, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 38CFR14.627]

[Page 583-584]
 
            TITLE 38--PENSIONS, BONUSES, AND VETERANS' RELIEF
 
                CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
 
PART 14_LEGAL SERVICES, GENERAL COUNSEL, AND MISCELLANEOUS
 
Sec.  14.627  Definitions.

    As used in regulations on representation of Department of Veterans 
Affairs claimants:
    (a) Accreditation means recognition by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs of representatives, attorneys, and agents to represent 
claimants.
    (b) Agent means a person who has met the standards and 
qualifications outlined in Sec.  14.629(b).

[[Page 584]]

    (c) Attorney means a member in good standing of a State bar.
    (d) Benefit means any payment, service, commodity, function, or 
status, entitlement to which is determined under laws administered by 
the Department of Veterans Affairs pertaining to veterans, dependents, 
and survivors.
    (e) Cancellation means termination of authority to represent 
claimants.
    (f) Claim means application made under title 38 U.S.C., and 
implementing directives, for entitlement to Department of Veterans 
Affairs benefits, reinstatement, continuation, or increase of benefits, 
or the defense of a proposed agency adverse action concerning benefits.
    (g) Claimant means a person who has filed or has expressed to a 
representative, agent, or attorney an intention to file a written 
application for determination of entitlement to benefits provided under 
title 38, United States Code, and implementing directives.
    (h) Complete claims service means representation of each claimant 
requesting assistance, from the initiation of a claim until the 
completion of any potential administrative appeal.
    (i) Cross-accreditation means an accreditation based on the status 
of a representative as an accredited and functioning representative of 
another organization.
    (j) Facilities means equipment and furnishings that promote the 
efficient operation of an office, and adjacent accommodations, which are 
needed to facilitate access to office space.
    (k) Recognition means certification by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs of organizations to represent claimants.
    (l) Representative means a person who has been recommended by a 
recognized organization and accredited by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs.
    (m) State includes any State, possession, territory, or Commonwealth 
of the United States, and the District of Columbia.
    (n) Suspension means temporary withholding of authority to represent 
claimants.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501(a), 5902, 5903, 5904)

[53 FR 52419, Dec. 28, 1988, as amended at 68 FR 8544, Feb. 24, 2003]