FINALRESEP - Supporting Statement

Health Resources and Services Administration

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program

A. Justification

1. Circumstances of Information Collection

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is requesting OMB approval to collect information on grantee activities and on new performance measures electronically through the HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB). The EHB is a web-based portal that grantees use to submit information to HRSA. The Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program Performance Measures form is a tool that allows FORHP to measure the impact of the grant funding. This is a new request.

It should be noted that in its authorizing language (SEC. 711. [42 U.S.C. 912]), Congress charged FORHP with “administering grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to provide technical assistance and other activities as necessary to support activities related to improving health care in rural areas.” FORHP’s mission is to sustain and improve access to quality health care services for rural communities.

This activity will collect information for the FY16 Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP). RESEP is funded under Section 417C of the Public Health Service Act (42 USC 285a–9) to make grants available to eligible entities in order to “(1) screen individuals described under section 4(a)(1)(A)(i) or 5(a)(1)(A) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. 2210 note) for cancer as a preventative health measure; (2) provide appropriate referrals for medical treatment of individuals screened under paragraph (1) and to ensure, to the extent practicable, the provision of appropriate follow-up services; (3) develop and disseminate public information and education programs for the detection, prevention, and treatment of radiogenic cancers and diseases; and (4) facilitate putative applicants in the documentation of claims as described in section 5(a) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) (42 U.S.C. 2210 note).”

2. Purpose and Use of the Information

FORHP will collect data for RESEP annually. The purpose of this data collection is to provide HRSA with information on how well each grantee provides RESEP services to eligible individuals affected by radiation exposure through nuclear fallout or through employment in the uranium mining industry during U.S. Cold War nuclear testing activities and arsenal build-up. These measures cover the principal topic areas of interest to the FORHP including: a) demographics for the RESEP medical user patient population; (b) medical screening activities for cancers and other radiogenic diseases; (c) exposure and presentation types for RECA eligible radiogenic malignant and non-malignant diseases; (d) referrals for appropriate medical treatment; (e) eligibility counseling and referral assistance for the RECA and Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act programs; and (f) program outreach and education activities on radiation exposure. All measures will speak to FORHP's progress toward meeting the goals set.

This assessment will provide useful information on RESEP and will enable HRSA to assess the success of the grant funding. It will also ensure that funded organizations have demonstrated adequate delivery of RESEP services and implementation of related outreach and education to eligible populations in proposed services areas within the designated 12 “high-impact” states cited in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, to include Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming, and that federal funds are being effectively used to support and sustain RESEP services.

The type of information requested for RESEP enables FORHP to assess the following characteristics:

• The number of eligible individuals receiving RESEP screening services.

• Type and frequency of outreach and education activities conducted targeting eligible populations, raising awareness about radiation exposure and the importance of early detection and preventive screening.

• Number of compensable disease and exposure types identified among patient population receiving RESEP screening services.

• The number of eligible individuals who receive compensation counseling and assistance for filing claims.

The HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB) is capable of identifying and responding to the needs of the grantees that receive the RESEP funding. The EHB:

• Provides uniformly defined data for major FORHP grant programs.

• Facilitates the electronic transmission of data by the grantees, through use of standard formats and definitions.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology

This activity is fully electronic. Data will be collected through and maintained in a database in the HRSA EHB. The EHB is a website that RESEP grantees will use to submit their data for this funding. Grantees can email or call EHB staff for help with the website. As this database is fully electronic, burden is reduced for the grantee.

4. Efforts to Avoid Duplication

There is no other data source available that tracks the characteristics of rural entities who are conducting RESEP services and activities.

5. Involvement of Small Entities

The data collection activities will not have a significant impact on small entities.

6. Consequences if Information Collected Less Frequently

Respondents will respond to this data collection annually during their three-year budget period. This information is needed by the program, FORHP, and HRSA in order to measure effective use of grant dollars to report on progress toward strategic goals and objectives.

7. Consistency With the Guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2)

This project is consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).

8. Consultation Outside the Agency

Section 8A:

A 60-day Federal Register Notice was published in 80 Fed. Reg. 9268 (February 20, 2015). No public comments were received.

Section 8B:

In order to create a final set of performance measures that are useful for the RESEP grantees, a set of measures were vetted to nine or less participating grantee organizations in January 2015. The following grantees were consulted:

Rebecca Barlow, FNP- BC, APRN

Dixie Regional Medical Center, Program Manager

Phone: 435-251-2875

Email: rebecca.barlow@imail.org

Freley Hosannah

Grant and Project Manager

University of Nevada, School of Medicine

Department of Family and Community Medicine

Phone: 702-979-6901 ext. 202

E-mail: fhosannah@unr.edu

Wendy Vonhof

Miners Clinic Coordinator

Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

National Jewish Health

Phone: 303-270-2641 Fax: 303-398-1452

Email: vonhofw@njhealth.org

Shannon Williams

RESEP Program Coordinator

North Country HealthCare

Phone: 928-522-9425

Email: swilliams@nchcaz.org

9. Remuneration of Respondents

Respondents will not receive any payments or gifts.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

The data system does not involve the reporting of information about identifiable individuals; therefore, the Privacy Act is not applicable to this activity. The proposed performance measures will be used only in aggregate data form for program activities.

11. Questions of a Sensitive Nature

Race and ethnicity is the only sensitive information collected for the RESEP measures. The data system collects race and ethnicity only on a voluntary basis from self-reports as indicated on standard patient intake forms, therefore causing no additional burden in collecting this information on any grantee organization. Information for this section is collected in a way in which patient identity remains anonymous.

The collection of this information aids in informing the programmatic population demographics in order to appropriately identify and maintain culturally sensitive and competent approaches to services and activities are conducted through RESEP implementation.

12. Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Form Name	No. of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Total Responses	Average Burden per Response (in hours)	Total Burden Hours
Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program Performance Measures	42	1	42	24	1,008
Total	42	1	42	24	1,008

These estimates were determined by consultations with four current grantees (listed above) from the program. These grantees were sent a draft of the questions that pertain to their program. They were asked to estimate how much time it would take to answer the questions.

12B.

Estimated Annualized Burden Costs

Type of Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Hourly Wage Rate	Total Respondent Costs
Project Director	1,008	$52.11	$52,526.88
Total	1,008	$52.11	$52,526.88

Source of hourly wage rate: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm

13. Estimates of Annualized Cost Burden to Respondents

Other than their time, there is no cost to respondents.

14. Estimates of Annualized Cost to the Government

Annual data collection for this program is expected to be carried out at a cost to the Federal Government of $2,635.52. Staff at FORHP monitor the contracts and provide guidance to grantee project staff at a cost of $2,635.52 per year (72 hours per year at $36.60 per hour at a GS-12, Step 1 salary level). The total annualized cost to the government for this project is $2,635.52.

15. Change in Burden

Not Applicable. This is a new information collection.

16. Plans for Analysis and Timetable of Key Activities

There are no plans to publish the data. The data may be used on an aggregate program level to document the impact and success of program. This information might be used in the FORHP Annual Report produced internally for the agency.

17. Exemption for Display of Expiration Date

No exemption is being requested. The expiration date will be displayed.

18. Certifications

There are no exceptions to the certification.

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