[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35930-35931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15785]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0800]


Agency Information Collection Activity under OMB Review: Airborne 
Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR) Web-Accessible Self-
Assessment/Questionnaire

AGENCY: Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration, 
Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the collection of 
information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature 
of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and it 
includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 26, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information 
through www.Regulations.gov, or to Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attn: VA Desk Officer; 725 
17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20503 or sent through electronic mail to 
[email protected]. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-
0800'' in any correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danny S. Green, Office of Quality, 
Performance and Risk (OQPR), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 
Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 421-1354 or email 
[email protected] Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0800'' in 
any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-21.
    Title: Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR) Web-
accessible Self-Assessment/Questionnaire, VA Form 10-10066.
    OMB Control Number: 2900-0800.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement with change of a previously approved 
collection.
    Abstract: Public Law 112-260 Section 201, enacted by President 
Obama on 10 January 2013, required Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
to establish and maintain an ``Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit 
Registry (AHOBPR)'' no later than one year from enactment. VA launched 
the AHOBPR in June 2014. There is no sunset date identified in the law. 
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may ``include any information in such 
registry that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines necessary to 
ascertain and monitor the health effects of the exposure of members of 
the Armed Forces to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open 
burn pits.'' Currently, VA plans to operate the AHOBPR indefinitely, 
and we request approval to continue administering the questionnaire. 
The Qarmat Ali (QA) program is a new request for a follow-up 
information collection for a subset of Veterans impacted by a specific 
airborne hazard. In the Spring and Summer of 2003,

[[Page 35931]]

approximately 700 U.S. Servicemembers may have been impacted by a 
specific airborne hazard while serving at a water injection plant in 
Qarmat Ali, Iraq. The Department of Defense (DoD) was unable to 
determine specific exposure levels near the water treatment facility. 
In 2010, in response to DoD's notification, the VA offered no-cost 
medical evaluations and encouraged the cohort to enroll in a new Qarmat 
Ali medical surveillance program within the Gulf War Registry. The QA 
cohort is also eligible to participate in the AHOBPR program due to 
their deployment to Iraq. As part of the planned 5-year periodic 
medical follow-up and surveillance program, self-reported information 
will be collected through the AHOBPR as outlined above. Information 
collected is voluntary and is used to provide outreach and quality 
health services to AHOBPR participants. Collected data contributes to 
VA's ability to understand the potential health effects of the exposure 
to burn pit emissions and other airborne hazards during deployment, 
such as particulate matter.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of 
information was published at 84 FR 19829 on May 6, 2019, pages 19829 
and 19830.

Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR) Self-Assessment/
Questionnaire

    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 33,333 hours.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: 40 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: Once.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 50,000.

Subset of AHOBPR, Qarmat Ali Questionnaire

    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 114 hours.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: 10 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: Once.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 686.

    By direction of the Secretary.
Danny S. Green,
Interim VA Clearance Officer, Office of Quality, Performance and Risk 
(OQPR), Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-15785 Filed 7-24-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P