Emergency Request Memo-22AUG2024

[DATE]

Dominic Mancini

Deputy Director

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Office of Management and Budget

Washington, DC

Subject: Request for Emergency Review and Clearance

Dear Mr. Mancini:

Pursuant to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures established at 5 CFR Part 1320, Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public, the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program requests that the proposed information collection project, adjustment in the World Trade Center Health Program Pentagon/Shanksville Application for Enrollment be processed in accordance with section 1320.13, Emergency Processing.

I have determined that this information must be collected prior to the expiration of time periods established under Part 1320, and that this information is essential to the WTC Health Program’s function as a limited benefit health care program providing medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible responders and survivors. In accordance with the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, individuals newly seeking enrollment in the WTC Health Program as responders or survivors may apply to the Program. The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA) expands Program enrollment eligibility for Pentagon and Shanksville responders.

Under the Zadroga Act, the types of responders eligible for enrollment in the WTC Health Program based on their response activities at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, were limited. The NDAA amends the Zadroga Act to expand eligibility for Pentagon and Shanksville responders to include certain active duty, retired, or reserve members of the military, civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOD), or certain DOD contractors who responded to the Pentagon or Shanksville sites. Emergency review and clearance to amend the language within the enrollment applications is necessary to accurately reflect the expanded eligibility criteria mandated by the NDAA.

CDC cannot reasonably comply with the normal clearance given the fact that the implementation of the NDAA's expanded eligibility criteria may directly impact the enrollment process of the WTC Health Program. Delay in updating the enrollment applications to reflect the new eligibility standards may lead to confusion among potential applicants, resulting in missed opportunities for eligible individuals to apply and qualify to receive access to critical monitoring and treatment of 9/11 related health conditions.

Please provide an approval/disapproval determination of this request to collect information under an emergency clearance by close of business [Provide Date].

Respectfully,

________________________________________

John Howard, MD

Administrator, World Trade Center Health Program

National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)