[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8366-8367]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3702]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
[60 Day-10-0639]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Proposed Data
Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations
In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-5960 or
send comments to Maryam Daneshvar, CDC Acting Reports Clearance
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail
to [email protected].
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; and (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. Written comments must be received
within 60 days of this notice.
Project Proposal
EEOICPA Special Exposure Cohort Petitions (OMB No. 0920-0639 exp.
7/31/2010)--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. It 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, 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, 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
referenced above. 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 time to prepare and
submit such a challenge is 45 minutes. 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 petitioners unless a petitioner chooses to
purchase the services of an expert in dose reconstruction, an option
provided for under the rule.
[[Page 8367]]
Estimate of Annualized Burden Hours
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No. of Average burden
Form name Type of respondent No. of responses per per respondent Total response
respondents respondent (in hours) burden hours
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Form A 83.9............... Petitioner using 30 1 3/60 2
Form A.
Form B 83.9............... Petitioner using 40 1 5 200
Form B.
Form B 83.9............... Petitioner 5 1 6 30
submission format
other than Form B
(as permitted by
rule).
83.18..................... Petitioner Appealing 5 1 45/60 4
final HHS decision
(no specific form
is required).
Claimant authorizing 20 1 3/60 1
a party to submit
petition on his/her
behalf.
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Total................. .................... 100 .............. .............. 237
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Dated: February 18, 2010.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-3702 Filed 2-23-10; 8:45 am]
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