[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 249 (Friday, December 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79102-79103]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32631]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collections; 
Comment Request

    The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary will periodically publish summaries of proposed information 
collections projects and solicit public comments in compliance with the 
requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995. To request more information on the project or to obtain a copy of 
the information collection plans and instruments, call the OS Reports 
Clearance Office at (202) 619-2118 or e-mail [email protected].
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Proposed Project 1. Office for Civil Rights Complaint Forms--New--
To enable the Office for Civil Rights to develop an automated option 
for complaint submittal, standardized complaint forms have been 
developed. The use of these forms will be voluntary; complaints may be 
submitted via other means such as letter or e-mail. The Office for 
Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for enforcing Title VI of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the 
Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and other statutes which prohibit 
discrimination by programs or entities that receive Federal financial 
assistance from HHS. Additionally, OCR has jurisdiction over Federally-
conducted programs in cases involving disability-based discrimination 
under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, over State and local 
public entities in cases involving disability-based discrimination 
under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and, effective 
April 14, 2003, over certain health plans, health clearinghouses and 
health care providers with respect to enforcement of the standards for 
privacy of individually identifiable health information rule issued 
pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 
(HIPAA).
    Under these authorities, individuals may file written complaints 
with OCR when they believe they have been discriminated against or if 
they believe that on or after April 14, 2003, their right to the 
privacy of protected health information has been violated. OCR has 
developed two complaint forms--one for civil rights discrimination 
complaints and one for complaints alleging violation of the privacy of 
protected health information.
    Burden Information: Respondents--individuals; Average Time per 
Response: 45 minutes We estimate that there will be, on average, 2,200 
civil rights complaints annually (1,650 burden hours annually), and 
approximately 21,710 complaints concerning medical privacy (16,283 
burden hours annually).
    Send comments via e-mail to [email protected] or mail to OS 
Reports Clearance Office, Room 503H, Humphrey Building, 200 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20201. Written comments should 
be received within 60 days of this notice.


[[Page 79103]]


    Dated: December 16, 2002.
Kerry Weems,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Budget.
[FR Doc. 02-32631 Filed 12-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4153-01-M