[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 18 (Friday, January 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4375-4376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1758]


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PEACE CORPS


Submission for OMB Review; Request for Comments

AGENCY: Peace Corps.

ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Peace Corps will be submitting the following information 
collection requests to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
revision of a currently approved information collection. In compliance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the 
Peace Corps invites the general public to comment on the revision of a 
currently approved information collection OMB Control No. 0420-0510: 
Health History Form (PC-1789) and the Report of Medical Examination 
also referred to as the Report of Physical Examination (PC-1790S). The 
Peace Corps seeks to remove the Report of Physical Examination (PC-
1790S) from OMB 0420-0510 and request a new OMB Control Number for the 
Report of Physical Examination (PC-1790S).

DATES: Comments regarding this collection must be received on or before 
February 27, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name or OMB 
approval number and should be sent via email to: [email protected] or fax to: (202) 395-3086. Attention: Desk 
Officer for Peace Corps.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denora Miller, FOIA Officer, Peace 
Corps, 1111 20th Street NW., Washington, DC 20526, (202) 692-1236, or 
email at [email protected]. Copies of available documents submitted 
to OMB may be obtained from Denora Miller at address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Peace Corps Act states that ``[t]he 
President may enroll in the Peace Corps for service abroad qualified 
citizens and nationals of the United States (referred to in this Act as 
``volunteers''). The terms and conditions of the enrollment * * * of 
volunteers shall be exclusively those set forth in this Act and those 
consistent therewith which the President may prescribe * * *'' 22 
U.S.C. 2504(a). Eligibility requirements for the Peace Corps have been 
prescribed in 22 CFR part 305. Among those eligibility requirements is 
one relating to medical status. An Applicant ``must, with reasonable 
accommodation, have the physical and mental capacity required of a 
Volunteer to perform the essential functions of the Peace Corps 
Volunteer assignment for which he or she is otherwise eligible and be 
able to complete an agreed upon tour of service, ordinarily two years, 
without undue disruption due to health problems.'' 22 CFR 305.2(c). All 
applicants for service must undergo a physical examination and a dental 
evaluation prior to Volunteer service to determine if they meet this 
medical status eligibility requirement. In addition, under 22 U.S.C. 
2504(e), the Peace Corps provides medical care to Volunteers during 
their service and the information collected will also be used in 
connection with medical care and treatment during Peace Corps service 
for applicants who become Volunteers. Finally, the information 
collected may serve as a point of reference for any potential future 
Volunteer worker's compensation claims.
    Volunteers serve in 67 developing countries where western-style 
healthcare is often not available. Volunteers are placed in remote 
locations where they may suffer hardship because they have no access to 
running water and/or electricity. They also may be placed in locations 
with extreme environmental conditions related to cold, heat or high 
altitude and they may be exposed to diseases not generally found in the 
U.S. Volunteers may be placed many hours from the Peace Corps medical 
office and not have easy access to any health care provider. Therefore, 
a thorough examination of an Applicant's medical condition is an 
essential step to determine their suitability for service in Peace 
Corps.
    Old Title: Peace Corps Volunter Medical Application Health Status 
Review which now consists of two forms: The Health Status Review form 
(PC 1789) and the Report of Medical Examination also referred to as the 
Report of Physical Examination (PC 1790 S).
    New Title: Health History Form (PC 1789).
    OMB Control Number: 0420-0510.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Respondents' obligation to reply: Voluntary.
    Burden to the public:
    (a) Estimated number of applicants: 10,000/4,000.
    (b) Estimated frequency of response: One time.
    (c) Estimated average burden per response: 45 minutes.
    (d) Estimated total reporting burden: 7,500 hours.
    (e) Estimated annual cost to respondents: Indeterminate.

[[Page 4376]]

    General description of collection: The Health History Form is used 
to document the medical history of each individual Applicant. It is a 
self-report of pre-existing medical conditions and is used to help 
determine whether the Applicant will, with reasonable accommodation, be 
able to perform the essential functions of a Peace Corps Volunteer and 
complete a tour of service without undue disruption due to health 
problems.
    The current process requires all Applicants to complete in its 
entirety a Health Status Review form (OMB form 0420-0510: Peace Corps 
Form PC-1789). Under the new system, the Applicant will begin the 
medical part of the application process by completing the Health 
History Form. The Health History Form will replace OMB form 0420-0510 
and is expected to significantly reduce the need for medical office 
visits and tests. The Health History Form will be completed online in 
an interactive process in which only questions relevant to each 
Applicant's medical history (based on responses to previous questions) 
are presented. After completion of the Health History Form and after 
passing preliminary non-health-related assessments, the Applicant will 
be ``nominated'' to a program. This nomination does not guarantee an 
invitation to serve, but it does hold a place so the Applicant may 
proceed with the process. After a review by the Peace Corps pre-service 
medical staff of the self-reported information on the Health History 
Form, along with any supplemental forms that the Applicant may be 
required to submit following nomination, the Applicant may be medically 
pre-cleared. An Applicant who is medically pre-cleared and who accepts 
an invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer undergoes a final 
medical clearance. Final medical clearance is on the basis of a 
complete physical examination, as documented in a Report of Physical 
Examination.
    Old Title: Peace Corps Volunter Medical Application Health Status 
Review which consist of two forms: The Health Status Review form (PC 
1789) and the Report of Medical Examination also referred to as the 
Report of Physical Examination (PC 1790 S).
    New Title: Report of Physical Examination (PC 1790 S).
    OMB Control Number: 0420-pending.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Burden to the public:
    (a) Estimated number of applicants/physicians: 4,000/4,000.
    (b) Frequency of response: One time.
    (c) Estimated average burden per response: 90 minutes/45 minutes.
    (d) Estimated total reporting burden: 6,000 hours/3,000 hours.
    (e) Estimated annual cost to respondents:Indeterminate.
    General description of collection: The current process requires 
almost all Applicants to undergo a costly and time consuming full 
medical evaluation. Under the current process, it sometimes happens 
that after an Applicant has spent large amounts of time and money, the 
Peace Corps finds that the Applicant is not medically qualified to 
serve. In 2012, the Peace Corps will change the current process in 
order to reduce the time and expense of Applicants and to ensure that 
only those who accept an invitation to serve undergo a complete medical 
evaluation. However, Applicants who have certain particularly difficult 
to accommodate conditions will be evaluated early in the process. This 
will reduce the time and expense for those Applicants who would, even 
with reasonable accommodation, not be likely to be able to perform the 
essential functions of a Peace Corps Volunteer and complete a tour of 
service without undue disruption due to health problems.
    Under the new system, the Applicant will begin the medical part of 
the application process by completing a comprehensive health history 
form. After completion of the Health History Form and after passing 
preliminary non-health-related assessments, the Applicant will be 
``nominated'' to a program. This nomination does not guarantee an 
invitation to serve, but it does hold a place so the Applicant may 
proceed with the process. After a review by the Peace Corps pre-service 
medical staff of the Health History Form and any supplemental forms 
that the Applicant may be required to submit following nomination, the 
Applicant may be medically pre-cleared. An Applicant who is medically 
pre-cleared and who accepts an invitation to serve as a Peace Corps 
Volunteer undergoes a final medical clearance. Final medical clearance 
is on the basis of a complete physical examination, as documented in a 
Report of Physical Examination which is covered by this Supporting 
Statement.
    The information contained in the Report of Physical Examination 
will be used to make an individualized determination as to whether an 
Applicant for Volunteer service will, with reasonable accommodation, be 
able to perform the essential functions of a Peace Corps Volunteer and 
complete a tour of service without undue disruption due to health 
problems.
    Request For Comment: Peace Corps invites comments on whether the 
proposed collections of information are necessary for proper 
performance of the functions of the Peace Corps, including whether the 
information will have practical use; the accuracy of the agency's 
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, 
including the validity of the information to be collected; and, ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information 
technology.

    This notice is issued in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2012.
Garry W. Stanberry,
Acting Associate Director, Management.
[FR Doc. 2012-1758 Filed 1-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6051-01-P