[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 174 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 55690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22999]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; The SSA-NIH 
Collaboration To Improve the Disability Determination Process: 
Validation of IRT-CAT Tools

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, for opportunity for public comment 
on proposed data collection projects, the Clinical Center, the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and approval.
    Proposed Collection: Title: The SSA-NIH Collaboration to Improve 
the Disability Determination Process: Validation of IRT-CAT tools. Type 
of Information Collection Request: NEW. Need and Use of Information 
Collection: The Epidemiology and Biostatistics section in RMD will be 
collecting information through a contractor (Boston University--Health 
and Disability Research Institute (BU-HDR)) and subcontractor for 
validation of the Computer Adaptive Tests which are being developed to 
assist in the SSA disability determination process. The utilization of 
CAT technology could potentially allow the SSA to collect more relevant 
and precise data about human functioning in a faster, more efficient 
fashion. To validate the CAT assessments that have been developed, the 
contractor will administer both the BU-HDR CAT and established legacy 
instruments in a small sample of adults who report their current 
employment status as ``permanently disabled''. Individuals will 
complete the CAT tools for the functional domains of Physical Demands 
and Interpersonal Interactions along with established legacy 
instruments. For the domain of physical function, individuals will 
complete the BU-HDR CAT; the PROMIS Item Bank v 1.0--Physical 
Functioning (copyright) PROMIS Health Organization and PROMIS 
Cooperative Group; and The Short Form (36) Health SurveyTM 
(SF-36). For the domain of interpersonal interactions, individuals will 
complete the BU-HDR CAT, the SF-36 and the BASIS-
24(copyright) (Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale). 
Data collected will be used to validate the BU-HDR CAT tools. Without 
this information, completion of the BU-HDR CAT tools will not be 
possible. Frequency of Response: Once. Affected Public: Individuals who 
have opted in to participate in web surveys through a survey research 
firm. Type of Respondents: Adults who indicate ``permanently disabled'' 
as a working status. There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs and/or 
Maintenance Costs to report. The annual reporting burden is as follows:

                                        A.12-1--Estimates of Hour Burden
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                                                     Number of     Frequency of    Average time     Annual hour
               Type of respondents                  respondents      response      per response       burden
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Patients........................................           1,000               1             0.5          500.00
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............          500.00
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    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies should address one or more of the 
following points: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) Enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, contact: Ms. Meghan Gleason, Rehabilitation Medicine 
Department, Clinical Research Center, NIH, Building 10, Room 1-2420, 
9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, or call non-toll-free number 
(301) 443-9085 or E-mail your request, including your address to: 
[email protected].

DATES: Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information 
collection are best assured of having their full effect if received 
within 60 days of the date of this publication.

    Dated: August 29, 2011.
Elizabeth K Rasch,
Chief, Epidemiology and Biostatistics Section, Rehabilitation Medicine 
Department, Clinical Research Center, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2011-22999 Filed 9-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P