(a) The Secretary follows the procedures in § 40.10 if:

(1) A State office or official is designated to act as a single point of contact between a State process and all Federal agencies, and

(2) That office or official transmits a State process recommendation for a program selected under § 40.6.

(b)(1) The single point of contact is not obligated to transmit comments from State, areawide, regional or local officials and entities where there is no State process recommendation.

(2) If a State process recommendation is transmitted by a single point of contact, all comments from State, areawide, regional, and local officials and entities that differ from it must also be transmitted.

(c) If a State has not established a process, or is unable to submit a State process recommendation, State, areawide, regional and local officials and entities may submit comments either to the applicant or to VA.

(d) If a program or activity is not selected for a State process, State, areawide, regional and local officials and entities may submit comments either to the applicant or to VA. In addition, if a State process recommendation for a nonselected program or activity is transmitted to VA by the single point of contact, the Secretary follows the procedures of § 40.10 of this part.

(e) The Secretary considers comments which do not constitute a State process recommendation submitted under these regulations and for which the Secretary is not required to apply the procedures of § 40.10 of this part, when such comments are provided by a single point of contact, by the applicant, or directly to the VA by a commenting party.