by Meghan Maury
Data Regulation of the Week:
Collection and Use of Biometrics by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Among other things, this proposed rule would require submission of biometrics by any individual - regardless of age - filing or associated with an immigration benefit request; expand biometrics collection authority; codify and expand DNA testing, use, and storage; modify how VAWA self-petitioners and T nonimmigrant status applicants demonstrate good moral character; and clarify biometrics collection purposes. DNA use changes include testing for "biological sex" and for genetic relationship between family members.
Comments due January 2.
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Note: The Take Action tab of DataIndex.us provides information about even more surveys, forms, evaluations, and records notices than are listed in your weekly newsletter.
Data Sharing
SSA Records Notices. SSA is revising 19 of its records systems, including the Master Beneficiary File and Medicare Database File, to permit disclosure of data to the Department of Treasury to review SSA's payment and award eligibility through the Do Not Pay Working System for the purpose of identifying, preventing, or recouping fraud and improper payments.
Comments due December 26.DOD Records Systems. DOD is revising 18 of its records systems to permit disclosure of records to the Department of the Treasury for the purpose of identifying, preventing, or recouping improper payments, consistent with applicable law.
Comments due December 26.CFTC Records Systems. CFTC is modifying four Privacy Act systems of records by adding a new routine use to permit the disclosure of records to the Department of the Treasury.
Comments due December 29.RRB and SSA Matching Program. Under this new matching program, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will disclose RRB annuity payment data to SSA. SSA will use the information to verify Supplemental Security Income and Special Veterans Benefits eligibility and benefit payment amounts. SSA will also record the railroad annuity amounts RRB paid to SSI and SVB recipients in the Supplemental Security Income Record.
Comments due December 22.SSA and IRS Data Sharing Agreement. This notice announces a data sharing program between IRS and SSA, under which the IRS will disclose IRS return information to SSA for use in verifying eligibility for, and the correct amount of, benefits to qualified aged, blind, and disabled individuals. Note that the listing indicates that this is the renewal of an existing data sharing program rather than a new program.
Comments due December 26.Also of note: CMS extended the public comment period for Determining Eligibility for Enrollment in Applicable State Health Subsidy Programs. Under this matching program, CMS will share data with state administering entities to determine applicants' eligibility for enrollment in applicable state health subsidy programs, including exemption from the requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage or from the individual responsibility payment. In the updated notice, CMS clarified what categories of records would be shared, including identifying records; Federal Tax Information; citizenship status records; birth and death information; disability coverage and income information; and imprisonment status records.
Comments now due December 29.
Healthcare
Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). This survey provides a holistic view of Medicare beneficiaries' social and medical risk factors and rich information on the relationship between these risk factors, healthcare utilization, and health outcomes, at a point in time and over time. CMS is revising the survey to change the question on sexual orientation, remove the question on gender identity, and remove the question on perceived discrimination, which was used to measure perceived discrimination from health care providers due to certain personal attributes, including race or ethnicity, language or accent, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, culture or religion, disability, or medical history. According to the listing, "this proposed revision... will remove questionnaire items that are no longer relevant for administration."
Comments due December 22.
Disaster Response
Data Resource Toolkit Protocol for the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program. The forms in this toolkit are used to collect data on the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP), which provides supplemental funding to states, territories, and tribes for individual and community crisis intervention services after a presidentially declared major disaster. SAMHSA is making changes to most of the forms in the toolkit, including updating race and ethnicity questions to align with SPD15, removing transgender response options to revised sex questions, and removing questions about recent immigration.
Comments due December 24.
Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Facility Census Program (JFCP). The JFCP will combine two prior collections: the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement and the Juvenile Residential Facility Census. Collectively, this new program will collect data on individual youth housed in facilities (including demographic details, placement characteristics, and length of stay), and information on resident services, facility features, and operations. According to the listing, the two data collections are being consolidated the attain cost savings and reduce respondent burden.
Comments due December 29.
Immigration
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). These forms collect information on SEVP-certified schools and information on the F and M nonimmigrant students that the SEVP-certified schools admit into their programs of study. The forms are being revised to collect additional information from schools, including information on legal guardians of minor F and M students, the date of students' graduation/degree awarded, and clarifying details on the source and type of the financial support for F and M students, as well as information to indicate whether a student is engaging in online education or on-campus employment.
Comments due December 26.
This newsletter is made possible by a very generous donation from the Leadership Conference Education Fund.