[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 129 (Friday, July 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32180-32182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14304]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-19-0639; Docket No. CDC-19-0052]


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 effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled Energy Employees Occupational 
Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA) Special Exposure 
Cohort Petitions. This information collection project permits 
respondents to submit petitions to HHS requesting the addition of 
classes of employees to the Special Exposure Cohort under EEOICPA.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before September 3, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-
0052 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

[[Page 32181]]


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 Jeffrey M. Zirger, of 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 the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions 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 through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 
2000 (EEOICPA) Special Exposure Cohort Petitions. (OMB No. 0920-0639 
exp. 10/31/2019)--Extension--National Institute for Occupational Safety 
and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    On October 30, 2000, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness 
Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA), 42 U.S.C. 7384-7385 [1994, 
supp. 2001] was enacted. The Act established a compensation program to 
provide a lump sum payment of $150,000 and medical benefits as 
compensation to covered employees suffering from designated illnesses 
incurred as a result of their exposure to radiation, beryllium, or 
silica while in the performance of duty for the Department of Energy 
and certain of its vendors, contractors and subcontractors. This 
legislation also provided for payment of compensation for certain 
survivors of these covered employees. This program has been mandated to 
be in effect until Congress ends the funding.
    Among other duties, the Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS) was directed to establish and implement procedures for 
considering petitions by classes of nuclear weapons workers to be added 
to the ``Special Exposure Cohort'' (the ``Cohort''). In brief, EEOICPA 
authorizes HHS to designate such classes of employees for addition to 
the Cohort when NIOSH lacks sufficient information to estimate with 
sufficient accuracy the radiation doses of the employees, and if HHS 
also finds that the health of members of the class may have been 
endangered by the radiation dose the class potentially incurred. HHS 
must also obtain the advice of the Advisory Board on Radiation and 
Worker Health (the ``Board'') in establishing such findings. On May 28, 
2004, HHS issued a rule that established procedures for adding such 
classes to the Cohort (42 CFR part 83). The rule was amended on July 
10, 2007.
    The HHS rule authorizes a variety of respondents to submit 
petitions. Petitioners are required to provide the information 
specified in the rule to qualify their petitions for a complete 
evaluation by HHS and the Board. HHS has developed two forms to assist 
the petitioners in providing this required information efficiently and 
completely. Form A is a one-page form to be used by EEOICPA claimants 
for whom NIOSH has attempted to conduct dose reconstructions and has 
determined that available information is not sufficient to complete the 
dose reconstruction. Form B, accompanied by separate instructions, is 
intended for all other petitioners. Forms A and B can be submitted 
electronically as well as in hard copy. Respondent/petitioners should 
be aware that HHS is not requiring respondents to use the forms. 
Respondents can choose to submit petitions as letters or in other 
formats, but petitions must meet the informational requirements stated 
in the rule. NIOSH expects, however, that all petitioners for whom Form 
A would be appropriate will actually use the form, since NIOSH will 
provide it to them upon determining that their dose reconstruction 
cannot be completed and encourage them to submit the petition. NIOSH 
expects the large majority of petitioners for whom Form B would be 
appropriate will also use the form, since it provides a simple, 
organized format for addressing the informational requirements of a 
petition.
    NIOSH will use the information obtained through the petition for 
the following purposes: (a) Identify the petitioner(s), obtain their 
contact information, and establish that the petitioner(s) is qualified 
and intends to petition HHS; (b) establish an initial definition of the 
class of employees being proposed to be considered for addition to the 
Cohort; (c) determine whether there is justification to require HHS to 
evaluate whether or not to designate the proposed class as an addition 
to the Cohort (such an evaluation involves potentially extensive data 
collection, analysis, and related deliberations by NIOSH, the Board, 
and HHS); and, (d) target an evaluation by HHS to examine relevant 
potential limitations of radiation monitoring and/or dosimetry-relevant 
records and to examine the potential for related radiation exposures 
that might have endangered the health of members of the class.
    Finally, under the rule, petitioners may contest the proposed 
decision of the Secretary to add or deny adding classes of employees to 
the cohort by submitting evidence that the proposed decision relies on 
a record of either factual or procedural errors in the implementation 
of these procedures. NIOSH estimates that the average time to prepare 
and submit such a challenge is five hours. Because of the uniqueness of 
this submission, NIOSH is not providing a form. The submission will 
typically be in the form of a letter to the Secretary.
    There are no costs to respondents unless a respondent/petitioner 
chooses to purchase the services of an expert in dose reconstruction, 
an option provided for under the rule.

[[Page 32182]]



                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondents           Form name       respondents    responses per   response (in      (in hrs.)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Petitioners...................  Form A, 42 CFR                 2               1            3/60            6/60
                                 83.9.
                                Form B, 42 CFR                 5               1               5              25
                                 83.9.
Petitioners using a submission  42 CFR 83.9.....               1               1               6               6
 format other than Form B (as
 permitted by rule).
Petitioners Appealing final     42 CFR 83.18....               2               1               5              10
 HHS decision (no specific
 form is required).
Claimant authorizing a party    Authorization                  3               1            3/60            9/60
 to submit petition on his/her   Form, 42 CFR
 behalf.                         83.7.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............              41
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2019-14304 Filed 7-3-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P