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.

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 Aggregate Reports for Tuberculosis Program Evaluation. The goal of the study is to allow CDC to collect and monitor indicators for key program activities, such as finding tuberculosis infections in recent contacts of cases and in other high-risk persons likely to be infected and providing therapy for latent tuberculosis infection in an effort to eliminate Tuberculosis in the United States. CDC is requesting approval for 268 burden hours. This is an increase of 42 hour from the previously approved 226 hours.

DATES:

CDC must receive written comments on or before June 24, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-0032 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Ph.D., 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: omb@cdc.gov.

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; and

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.

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Aggregate Reports for Tuberculosis Program Evaluation (OMB No. 0920-0457, Expiration date 2/29/2020)—Revision—National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

CDC requests approval of this revision of the Aggregate Reports for Tuberculosis Program Evaluation, previously approved under OMB No. 0920-0457, for three years. There are minor revisions to the report forms, data definitions, and reporting instructions.

CDC is requesting approval for 268 burden hours. This is an increase of 42 hours from the previously approved 226 hours. The minor revisions that contributed to an increase in data collection burden address the change in the national strategies for TB control and prevention, emphasizing treatment of individuals with latent TB infection (LTBI), and at high risk of progression to TB disease. The revisions, which are optional data collection elements, will help programs assess high-risk populations served, and evaluate the adaptation and effectiveness of new diagnostic tests and drug regimens in treating LTBI.

To ensure the elimination of tuberculosis in the United States, CDC monitors indicators for key program activities, such as finding tuberculosis infections in recent contacts of cases and in other persons likely to be infected and providing therapy for latent tuberculosis infection. In 2000, CDC implemented two program evaluation reports for annual submission: Aggregate report of follow-up and treatment for contacts of tuberculosis cases, and Aggregate report of targeted testing and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (OMB No. 0920-0457). The respondents for these reports are the 67 state and local tuberculosis control programs receiving federal cooperative agreement funding through the CDC Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE). These reports emphasize treatment outcomes, high-priority target populations vulnerable to tuberculosis, and electronic report entry and submission to CDC through the National Tuberculosis Indicators Project (NTIP), a secure web-based system for program evaluation data. No other federal agency collects this type of national tuberculosis data, and the aggregate report of follow-up and treatment for contacts of tuberculosis cases, and aggregate report of targeted testing and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection are the only data source about latent tuberculosis infection for monitoring national progress toward tuberculosis elimination with these activities. CDC provides ongoing assistance in the preparation and utilization of these reports at the local and state levels of public health jurisdiction. CDC also provides respondents with technical support for the NTIP software. The estimated annualized burden hours are 268. There is no cost to respondents other than their time.