[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 28 (Monday, February 11, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6263-6264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-3151]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30 DAY-17-02]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 639-7090. Send written 
comments to CDC, Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.
    Proposed Project: EEOICPA Dose Reconstruction Interviews and Form--
Extension--The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On October 
30, 2000, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation 
Program Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-398) was enacted. This Act 
established a federal compensation program for employees of the 
Department of Energy (DOE) or certain of its contractors, 
subcontractors and vendors, who have suffered cancers and other 
designated illnesses as a result of exposures sustained in the 
production and testing of nuclear weapons.
    Executive Order 13179 was issued on December 7, 2000; it delegated 
authorities assigned to the President under the Act to the Departments 
of Labor, Health and Human Services, Energy, and Justice. The 
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was delegated the 
responsibility of establishing methods for estimating radiation doses 
received by eligible claimants with cancer applying for compensation. 
NIOSH is to apply these methods to estimate the radiation doses of such 
individuals applying for compensation.
    In performance of its dose reconstruction responsibilities under 
the Act, NIOSH will interview claimants (or their survivors) 
individually and provide them with the opportunity, through a 
structured interview, to assist NIOSH in documenting the work history 
of the employee (characterizing the actual work tasks performed), 
identifying incidents that may have resulted in undocumented radiation 
exposures, characterizing radiologic protection and monitoring 
practices, and identifying co-workers and other witnesses as may be 
necessary to confirm undocumented information. In this process, NIOSH 
will use a computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) system, which 
will allow interviews to be conducted more efficiently and quickly than 
would be the case with a paper-based interview instrument.
    NIOSH will use the data collected in this process to complete an 
individual dose reconstruction that accounts as fully as possible for 
all possible radiation dose incurred by the employee in the line of 
duty for DOE nuclear weapons production programs. After dose 
reconstruction, NIOSH will also perform a brief final interview with 
the claimant, to explain the results and to allow the claimant to 
confirm or question the record NIOSH has compiled. This will also be 
the final opportunity for the claimant to supplement the dose 
reconstruction record.
    At the conclusion of the dose reconstruction process, the claimant 
will need to submit a form (OCAS-1) to confirm that all information 
available to the claimant has been provided. The form will notify the 
claimant that signing the form allows NIOSH to

[[Page 6264]]

forward a dose reconstruction report to DOL and to the claimant, and 
closes the record on data used for the dose reconstruction. The dose 
reconstruction results will be supplied to the claimant and to the DOL 
which will factor them into its determination whether the claimant is 
eligible for compensation under the Act.
    On October 31, 2001, the Office of Management and Budget approved 
DHHS' request for emergency Paperwork Reduction Act clearance, so that 
NIOSH could begin its dose reconstruction duties under the Act. That 
emergency clearance expires on April 30, 2002. This notice pertains to 
DHHS request for normal Paperwork Reduction Act clearance to permit 
NIOSH to continue conducting dose reconstruction activities after April 
30, 2002. The total annual burden for this data collection is 16,250 
hours.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Average
                                    Number of    Number of    burden per
           Respondents             respondents   responses     response
                                                               (in hrs)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial interview................       15,000            1        60/60
Conclusion form..................       15,000            1         5/60
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: February 1, 2002.
Julie Fishman,
Acting Deputy Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 02-3151 Filed 2-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P