The EEI Generic ICR is specifically
designed to support CDC mission-critical functions by allowing CDC
to deploy to the field to conduct Emergency Epidemic Investigations
(EEIs) at the request of, and under the public health authority of,
external partners seeking support for a rapid response to urgent
public health problems. Recent investigation that have benefited
from this EEI Generic ICR included the early response to the COVID
19 Pandemic, Monkeypox outbreak, and E-cigarette or Vaping
Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI), among other high profile acute
public health events. In these situations, insufficient information
is available to allow for development of data collection
instruments before the response team travels to the field. Data
collection instruments and methods must be rapidly created and
implemented, usually while investigators are in the field, to
direct appropriate public health action. Often specific questions
will change or new questions will evolve during the course of the
investigation as new information is revealed. While most EEIs
involve 2 to 3 weeks of data collection, data collections might
take longer. Data collection for investigations conducted under
this generic will not exceed 90 days. If data collection is
required for a longer period of time, a new request will be
submitted to OMB explaining the circumstances for the extended data
collection and providing the forms that will be used for that
collection (by this point, the content and scope of the inquiry
should be clearer).
Even though the Federal
Register Notice published as an extension, this is a revision
request for a currently approved submission for a burden change.
Projecting annualized burden is difficult because the occurrence of
Emergency Epidemic Investigations is unpredictable. The annualized
burden for the EEI Generic ICR since it was first approved in March
2014 ranged from 19,326 respondents during Year 1 (April 2014 to
March 2015) to 0 respondents during Year 4 (April 2017 to March
2018); 6,274 burden hours during Year 1 to 0 burden hours during
Year 4; and an average burden per respondent of 20/60 minutes
during Year 1 to about 30/60 minutes during Year 2 (April 2015 to
March 2016). While the actual burden for EEIs approved under the
EEI Generic ICR was slightly higher than was originally projected
for Year 1, it was much lower than projected for subsequent years.
The higher burden in Year 1 is due in large part to Ebola response
data collections, which were unprecedented in CDC history. During
2020 the initial COVID-19 investigations required a burden of 3,200
respondents and 1,600 hours. Events of this scale could occur
again, though this cannot be predicted in advance. Adjustments to
cost burdens are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (Year 2021)
and OMB (2021) wage and salary adjustments.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.