[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 130 (Monday, July 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36552-36554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14753]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60 Day-21-0530; Docket No. CDC-2021-0064]


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 (EEOICPA) Dose Reconstruction 
Interviews and Forms. This data collection permits claimants under

[[Page 36553]]

EEOICPA to provide information potentially useful in reconstructing 
radiation doses, and to confirm that they have no further information 
to submit.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before September 10, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2021-
0064 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.

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, 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;
    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; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act 
(EEOICPA) Dose Reconstruction Interviews and Forms (OMB Control No. 
0920-0530, Exp. 1/31/2022)--Revision--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 (42 U.S.C. 7384-7385) was enacted. 
This Act established a federal compensation program for employees of 
the Department of Energy (DOE) and certain of its contractors, 
subcontractors and vendors, who have suffered cancers and other 
designated illnesses as a result of exposures sustained in the 
production and testing of nuclear weapons.
    Executive Order 13179, issued on December 7, 2000, delegated 
authorities assigned to ``the President'' under the Act to the 
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Energy and Justice. 
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was delegated the 
responsibility of establishing methods for estimating radiation doses 
received by eligible claimants with cancer applying for compensation. 
NIOSH is applying the following methods to estimate the radiation doses 
of individuals applying for compensation.
    In performance of its dose reconstruction responsibilities, under 
the Act, NIOSH is providing voluntary interview opportunities to 
claimants (or their survivors) individually, and providing them with 
the opportunity to assist NIOSH in documenting the work history of the 
employee by characterizing the actual work tasks performed. In 
addition, NIOSH and the claimant may identify incidents that may have 
resulted in undocumented radiation exposures, characterize radiological 
protection and monitoring practices, and identify co-workers and other 
witnesses, as may be necessary, to confirm undocumented information. In 
this process, NIOSH uses a computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) 
system, which allows interviews to be conducted more efficiently and 
quickly as opposed to a paper-based interview instrument. Both 
interviews are voluntary, and failure to participate in either or both 
interviews will not have a negative effect on the claim, although 
voluntary participation may assist the claimant by adding important 
information that may not be otherwise available.
    NIOSH uses the data collected in this process to complete an 
individual dose reconstruction that accounts, as fully as possible, for 
the radiation dose incurred by the employee in the line of duty for DOE 
nuclear weapons production programs. After dose reconstruction, NIOSH 
also performs a brief, voluntary final interview with the claimant to 
explain the results and to allow the claimant to confirm or question 
the records NIOSH has compiled. This will also be the final opportunity 
for the claimant to supplement the dose reconstruction record.
    At the conclusion of the dose reconstruction process, the claimant 
submits a form to confirm that the claimant has no further information 
to provide to NIOSH about the claim at this time. The form notifies the 
claimant that signing the form allows NIOSH to forward a dose 
reconstruction report to DOL and to the claimant, and closes the record 
on data used for the dose reconstruction. Signing this form does not 
indicate that the claimant agrees with the outcome of the dose 
reconstruction. The dose reconstruction results will be supplied to the 
claimant and to the DOL, the agency that will utilize them as one part 
of its determination of whether the claimant is eligible for 
compensation under the Act.
    CDC requests approval for an estimated 3,900 burden hours annually. 
There is no cost to respondents other than their time.

[[Page 36554]]



                                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                             Number of    Average burden
              Type of respondents                               Form name                    Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                                                            respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
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Claimant.......................................  Initial Interview......................           3,600               1               1           3,600
Claimant.......................................  Conclusion Form OCAS-1.................           3,600               1            5/60             300
                                                                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................  .......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           3,900
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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. 2021-14753 Filed 7-9-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P