[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 132 (Thursday, July 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39399-39400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16121]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-14-0891]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of 
its continuing effort to reduce public burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the 
below proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information 
collection plan and instruments, call 404-639-7570 or send comments to 
Leroy Richardson, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send 
an email to [email protected].
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval. 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; (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; and (e) 
estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden 
means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information 
to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    World Trade Center Health Program Enrollment, Appeals & 
Reimbursement (OMB No. 0920-0891, expires 12/31/2014)--Revision--
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Title XXXIII of the PHS Act as amended establishes the WTC Health 
Program within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The 
Program provides medical monitoring and treatment benefits to 
responders to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York 
City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and to 
survivors of the terrorist attacks in New York City. Title XXXIII 
requires that various Program provisions be established by regulation, 
including eligibility criteria for responders and volunteers at the 
Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
    This submission will incorporate the World Trade Center Health 
Program Enrollment, Appeals & Reimbursement (0920-0891, expiration date 
12/31/2014), and the World Trade Center Enrollment & Appeals--Pentagon 
& Shanksville (0920-1001, expiration date 12/31/2016) into one complete 
package which will be called the World Trade Center Health Program 
Enrollment, Appeals & Reimbursement. Upon OMB approval, 0920-1001 will 
be discontinued. The provisions in the interim final rule that contain 
data collection requirements are:
    Sec.  88.5 Application process--status as a WTC responder. This 
section informs applicants who believe they meet the eligibility 
criteria for a WTC responder how to apply for enrollment in the WTC 
Health Program, and describes the types of documentation the WTC 
Program Administrator will accept as proof of eligibility. We expect 
that to receive approximately 4,500 applications per year. The burden 
table reflects the annualized total burden broken into the four 
separate applicant groups: We estimate that 45 Fire Department of New 
York (FDNY) responders (1% of applicants); 2,475 general responders 
(55%); 630 Pentagon/Shanksville responders (14%); and 1,350 survivors 
(30%) will submit applications. The burden estimates for these three 
different forms are: FDNY = 23 hours; general responders = 1,238 hours; 
Pentagon/Shanksville responders = 315 hours; survivors = 405 hours.
    Sec.  88.11 Appeals regarding eligibility determination--responders 
and survivors. This section establishes the process for appeals 
regarding eligibility determinations. Of the 4,500 applications we 
expect to receive per year, we expect that 10% will fail due to 
ineligibility. We further assume that 10% of those individuals, or 45 
respondents, will appeal the decision. The burden estimate is 23 hours.
    Sec.  88.15 Appeals regarding treatment. This section establishes 
the timeline and process to appeal the Administrator's determinations 
regarding treatment decisions. HHS estimates that Program participants 
will request certification for 20,000 health conditions each year. Of 
those 20,000, we expect that .01 percent (200) will be denied 
certification by the WTC Program Administrator. We further expect that 
such a denial will be appealed 30 percent of the time. Of the projected 
451,472 enrollees who will

[[Page 39400]]

receive medical care, it is estimated that .05% percent (26) will 
appeal decisions of unnecessary treatment. We estimate that the appeals 
letter will take no more than 30 minutes.
    Sec.  88.16 Reimbursement for travel expenses. This section 
established the process for members of the Nationwide Provider Network 
(NPN) who travel more than 250 miles to a nationwide network provider 
for medically necessary treatment may be provided necessary and 
reasonable transportation and other expenses. These individuals may 
submit a travel refund request form, which should take respondents 10 
minutes. HHS expects no more than 10 claims per year.
    The reporting and record keeping requirements contained in these 
regulations are used by NIOSH to carry out its responsibilities related 
to the implementation of the WTC Health Program as required by law. The 
burdens imposed have been reduced to the absolute minimum considered 
necessary to permit NIOSH to carry out the purpose of the legislation, 
i.e., to implement the WTC Health Program. This emergency data 
collection is warranted because it is essential that individuals who 
wish to be enrolled, apply to the WTC Health Program, appeal a 
determination made by the WTC Program Administrator, or submit a claim 
for reimbursement have the opportunity to do so as soon as the 
eligibility criteria are established with the publication of this 
interim final rule. There are no costs to respondents other than their 
time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondent            Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in       hours
                                                                    respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FDNY Responder................  World Trade                   45               1           30/60              23
                                 Center Health
                                 Program FDNY
                                 Responder
                                 Eligibility
                                 Application.
General Responder.............  World Trade                2,475               1           30/60           1,238
                                 Center Health
                                 Program
                                 Responder
                                 Eligibility
                                 Application
                                 (Other than
                                 FDNY).
Pentagon/Shanksville Responder  World Trade                  630               1           30/60             315
                                 Center Health
                                 Program
                                 Pentagon/
                                 Shanksville
                                 Responder.
WTC Survivor..................  World Trade                1,350               1           30/60             675
                                 Center Health
                                 Program
                                 Survivor
                                 Eligibility
                                 Application.
Responder (FDNY and General     Denial Letter                 45               1           30/60              23
 Responder)/Survivor.            and Appeal
                                 Notification--E
                                 ligibility.
Responder (FDNY and General     Denial Letter                 60               1           30/60              30
 Responder)/Survivor.            and Appeal
                                 Notification--H
                                 ealth
                                 Conditions.
Responder (FDNY and General     Denial Letter                 26               1           30/60              13
 Responder)/Survivor.            and Appeal
                                 Notification--T
                                 reatment.
Responder (FDNY and General     WTC Health                    10               1           10/60               2
 Responder)/Survivor.            Program Medical
                                 Travel Refund
                                 Request.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           2,319
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Leroy Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-16121 Filed 7-9-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P