by Meghan Maury
Survey of the Week: American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey. The ACS and PRCS collect detailed social, economic, housing, and demographic data on over 40 topics. In 2027, Census plans to add an internet self-response option to the PRCS and to update the race and ethnicity questions in both surveys to align with OMB's SPD-15 standards.
Comments due February 17.
Every time the government makes a change to a survey or a form — or introduces a new survey or form — you have the right to weigh in on that decision. The Take Action! newsletter highlights surveys or forms the government is changing, renewing, or introducing. Click the links to tell the government what you think about the changes they are making.
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
CFPB Data Sharing Agreements. CFPB entered into three data sharing agreements with the Treasury Department, all intended to “prevent improper payment of funds.” Under these agreements, CFPB would share data from its Civil Penalty Fund and Bureau-Administered Redress Program, Transit Subsidy Program, and Employee Administrative Records System.
Comments on all three agreements are due January 21.ED and Treasury Data Sharing Agreement. This notice announces the reestablishment of a data sharing agreement between ED and Treasury for the purpose of determining eligibility for, or the amount of repayments of obligations under, Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans, the Direct Loan Program, and determining eligibility for and the amount of Federal student financial aid under the Pell Grant Program, Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program, and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program.
Comments due January 22.SEC and Treasury Data Sharing Agreement. SEC is modifying its Financial and Acquisition Management System to allow for sharing data with the Department of Treasury to prevent fraud and improper payments.
Comments due January 22.Selective Service System Records. Through this notice, SSS is revising records systems to expand routine uses for its Registration, Compliance and Verification (RCV) system, which provides a central repository for all data related to active registrants and potential violators; its Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system, which manages the document workflow and processing automation of the Data Management Center (DMC); and its Information Management Information System (IMIS), which manages the daily operational needs for the agency, i.e., requests for reimbursements, financial records, and personnel data are processed by batch and transaction processing.
Comments due February 1.
Immigration
Arrival and Departure Record (Form I-94) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). These forms are used to collect information from non-citizens who are entering and leaving the United States. In addition to changes to the method of collection, CBP is proposing to collect additional biometric and geolocation data, to use geolocation services to confirm that the traveler reporting their departure is outside the United States, to run “liveness detection” software to determine that selfie photos are live (as opposed to previously uploaded) photos, and to collect DNA. Comments due February 9.
Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit. These forms record the medical information necessary to determine whether a person has a medical or other condition affecting his or her eligibility for a visa or immigration benefit. In response to a public comment asking that State update the forms to reflect that HIV is no longer a ground of inadmissibility and cannot be used as a basis for denial, delay, or stigma; State chose not to make any changes to the form, instead deferring to the CDC's request that the HIV fields remain on the forms. In response to a public comment regarding medical data privacy, storage, and secondary use, State chose not to make any changes to the collection, arguing that the "decision to apply for the privilege of entry to the United States is voluntary, and furnishing medical information as part of that application process is also voluntary."
Comments due January 22.
Health + Healthcare
Health Resources and Services Administration Uniform Data System. HRSA uses this system for annual reporting of program-specific data by Health Center Program awardees. HRSA is making significant changes to the reporting system, including removing some patient characteristics reporting, removing various clinical measures (including reporting on COVID and women's health), and adding clinical measures (including on intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism screening).
Comments due February 9.FEHB Service Use and Cost Data. OPM is announcing a new collection of service use and cost data from FEHB and PSHB Carriers, including medical claims, pharmacy claims, encounter data, and provider data. According to the listing, OPM will use this data for oversight purposes and to ensure the provision of competitive, quality, and affordable plans. OPM indicates that HIPAA permits covered entities, including carriers, to disclose protected health information (PHI), including service use and cost data, to OPM for oversight activities.
Comments due February 10.Health Center Program Forms. These forms provide provide HRSA staff and merit review panels with the information essential for application evaluation, funding recommendation and approval, designation, and monitoring for HCPs. HRSA is making dozens of changes to the forms, including revising questions, removing detail about characteristics of boards, removing language about medically underserved populations, and changing program objectives.
Comments due February 13.National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Respiratory Data. CDC uses these forms to collect COVID-19 and respiratory virus data from healthcare facilities. In the current listing, CDC is making several minor changes to the forms, including removing COVID-19 from the name and aligning vaccination questions with the current recommended protocols. Earlier in the year, CDC changed these forms to remove gender identity-related questions and response options; it did not publish a Federal Register notice about those changes, so this will be the public's first opportunity to address those changes.
Comments due Jan. 21.
This newsletter is made possible by a very generous donation from the Leadership Conference Education Fund.