[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 140 (Thursday, July 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47395-47396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17170]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-16-0215; Docket No. CDC-2016-0066]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, 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. This notice invites comment on the proposed 
revision of the National Death Index (NDI). The NDI is a national data 
base containing identifying death record information submitted annually 
to NCHS by all the state vital statistics offices, beginning with 
deaths in 1979. Searches against the NDI file provide the states and 
dates of death, and the death certificate numbers of deceased study 
subjects. Using the NDI Plus service, researchers have the option of 
also receiving cause of death information for deceased subjects.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 19, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2016-
0066 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact the Information Collection Review Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-
D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    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.

Proposed Project

    National Death Index (NDI), (OMB No. 0920-0215, Expiration 10/31/

[[Page 47396]]

2016)--Revision--National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Section 306 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C.), as 
amended, authorizes that the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(DHHS), acting through NCHS, shall collect statistics on the extent and 
nature of illness and disability of the population of the United 
States.
    The National Death Index (NDI) is a national data base containing 
identifying death record information submitted annually to NCHS by all 
the state vital statistics offices, beginning with deaths in 1979. 
Searches against the NDI file provide the states and dates of death, 
and the death certificate numbers of deceased study subjects.
    Using the NDI Plus service, researchers have the option of also 
receiving cause of death information for deceased subjects, thus 
reducing the need to request copies of death certificates from the 
states. The NDI Plus option currently provides the International 
Classification of Disease (ICD) codes for the underlying and multiple 
causes of death for the years 1979-2015. Health researchers must 
complete administrative forms in order to apply for NDI services, and 
submit records of study subjects for computer matching against the NDI 
file. A three-year Revision request is submitted to update the three 
data collection forms submitted by NDI users when applying for use of 
the NDI and when actually using the service. The form updates include 
editorial changes needed to capture current modes of data transfer and 
service payment options, direction clarifications, the inclusion of an 
item to capture any resulting publications, as well as, additional 
terms and condition associated with the confidentiality agreement. 
There is no cost to respondents except for their time. The total 
estimated annual burden hours are 507, an increase of 325 hours due to 
an anticipated increase of both the number of applicants and an overall 
average increased time to complete the application form.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)         hours
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Researchers...................  Application Form             100               1             4.5             450
Researchers...................  Repeat Request                70               1           18/60              21
                                 Form.
Researchers...................  Data Transmittal             120               1           18/60              36
                                 Form.
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    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             507
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Acting 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. 2016-17170 Filed 7-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P