[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.
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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