[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25741-25743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10403]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-12-12JF]


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 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Send written comments 
to CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 
20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written comments should be received 
within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Returning our Veterans to Employment and Reintegration (ROVER): 
National Surveys of Assistance Dog Providers and Veterans, National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    NIOSH, under P.L. 91-596, Sections 20 and 22 (Section 20-22, 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) has the responsibility to 
conduct research relating to innovative methods, techniques, and 
approaches dealing with occupational safety and health problems.
    Reintegrating Post-9/11 Veterans into civilian life and employment 
is complicated by recent exposure to war zone stressors (e.g., combat, 
bombs, improvised explosive devices, injury and death of military 
personnel and civilians) and development of clinical disorders, such as 
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. PTSD, for example, 
is typified by such symptoms as re-experiencing war zone stressors 
(e.g., distracting intrusive

[[Page 25742]]

thoughts and images, disturbing nightmares); hyper-arousal (e.g., 
intense startle response, poor concentration and memory, constantly 
being on-guard, disturbed sleep, high irritability); and avoidance of 
people (family, friends, co-workers), places (such as enclosed areas, 
crowds), and things (e.g., loud noises, certain sights and smells) that 
remind one of war zone stressors. Such symptoms can have a significant 
impact on the ability of a Veteran to work in a setting with features 
such as other people, enclosed work areas, constant movement and noise, 
tasks that require concentration to details or safety issues, and 
stress related to requests and feedback of supervisors or task speed 
and accuracy.
    An approach for helping Veterans with PTSD and other psychiatric 
impairments is that of using service dogs for assistance and support. A 
quick Internet search will find dozens of Web sites by providers of 
service dogs for Veterans, with assistance in transition to daily life 
(not necessarily employment) being the primary goal. In support of this 
overall approach, Senators Al Franken and Johnny Isakson cosponsored 
the Service Dogs for Veterans Act, to create a pilot program within 
Veterans Affairs to pair service dogs with Veterans who have physical 
and mental injuries and disabilities, including PTSD. The bill was 
signed into law by President Obama in mid-2009, but it is an unfunded 
mandate whose focus is not on employment. Thus, although there is 
significant interest in service dogs for Veterans to aid in 
readjustment, the focus has not been on employment.
    The present research study will focus on the following questions 
with two surveys. Survey 1 of service dog providers will address the 
following questions:
    1. Among assistance dog providers sampled in the U.S., how many 
provide services to Veterans?
    2. Among assistance dog providers that provide services to 
Veterans, what are the specific strategies used or services offered to 
address issues related to Veterans and, specifically, return to work.
    3. From the perspective of assistance dog providers, have the 
services or the requests for services to assist Veterans return to work 
increased, decreased, or remained the same during the past 5 years.
    Survey 2 of Veterans will address the following questions:
    The purpose of the study is to increase available information about 
services provided to Veterans by assistance dog training organizations, 
and to increase available information on Veteran's attitudes and 
perceptions about physical, psychological, physiological, and 
functional barriers that prevent Veterans with PTSD and other physical 
or psychiatric disorders from returning to work, and to provide 
information about the potential benefits of animals and animal-assisted 
interventions. Thus, the approach used in this study is descriptive. 
The surveys will be administered in a web-based format.
    The information and the internet link to the web-based Survey 1 
will be sent by email to approximately 1,000 service dog providers. On 
the basis of similar surveys of small businesses or non-profit 
organizations, it is estimated that approximately 300 or 30% of the 
organizations contacted will complete the survey. The burden table also 
accounts for approximately 700 people who will read the initial email 
or take the follow up phone call only. It's estimated that these 
activities (reading the email, taking the follow up phone call, and 
forwarding the survey announcement to appropriate personnel in the 
organization) will take approximately 10 min for a total burden of 117 
hours.
    For survey 2, an estimated 100 persons in various veterans agencies 
across the U.S. will receive email announcements of the veterans survey 
and a follow up phone call. The activities associated with reading the 
email, taking the follow up phone call, and distributing the flyer or 
forwarding the survey announcement to additional individuals is 
estimated to take up to 10 min. Based on recent surveys of veterans, a 
10% response rate is expected from among the estimated 60,000 
interested veterans from across all 50 states for a total number of 
6,000 respondents. For each respondent, the expected time to complete 
the survey will be approximately 60 minutes.
    Results of this survey will lead to recommendations and guidance 
for assistance dog providers, healthcare professionals, researchers, 
and policymakers pertaining to animal-assisted interventions to help 
facilitate the reintegration and reemployment of Veterans. There are no 
costs to the respondents other than their time. The total estimated 
annual burden hours are 6,284.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                      Average
                                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per
          Type of respondent                    Form name           respondents    responses per   response  (in
                                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Assistance Dog Providers who read the   Assistance Dog Provider              700               1           10/60
 initial email or take the follow up     Recruitment Email.
 phone call only.
Assistance Dog Providers choosing to    Assistance Dog Provider              300               1           30/60
 complete survey.                        Survey.
Veterans Agency Contacts (persons in    Veterans Survey                      100               1           10/60
 veterans agencies who read the          Announcement Email.
 initial email or take the follow up
 phone call).
U.S. Veterans.........................  Veteran Survey..........           6,000               1               1
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[[Page 25743]]

Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate 
Director for Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-10403 Filed 5-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P