by Meghan Maury
Form of the Week: Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors. This new form will collect information necessary for compliance with EO 14398, Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors, which prohibits contractors from engaging in any racially discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities. While supplementary information is not yet available (but has been requested), the underlying regulation requires contractors to "Furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records, and accounts, as required by the contracting officer, for purposes of ascertaining compliance with the clause."
Comments due July 6.
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.
Health
Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. The MCBS collects data on the outcomes for and experiences of Medicare beneficiaries in the healthcare system. Despite public comments urging the agency to reconsider, CMS is moving forward with its revisions to the MCBS, which include removing questions on gender identity, perceived discrimination, and several other topics.
Comments due June 29.National Survey of Health Information Exchange Organizations (HIO). This survey helps HHS build a current and comprehensive picture of HIOs' role in facilitating exchange and ensuring rapid access to important health care data and information when it matters most, including vital data to address public health emergencies. HHS is revising the survey "to ensure alignment with current priorities such as improving public health interoperability and Make Health Tech Great Again." While details of the revisions are not available in supplemental materials, this survey has historically included many questions on health equity, including questions about sexual orientation and gender identity, that have been removed from similar collections.
Comments due June 22.Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey. This survey collects data on Medicare beneficiaries' experiences of care with eligible clinicians participating in MIPS and is designed to gather data that CMS needs for assessing physician quality performance, and related public reporting on physician performance, and should complement other data collection efforts. The listing indicates that several changes are being made to the survey, but supporting documentation describing the changes is not yet available.
Comments due June 26.
Gender Identity
Selecting Biological Sex on ATF Forms. This proposed rule would add new language to ATF regulations indicating that “sex” as required by any ATF form (1) means an individual's immutable biological classification as either male or female, and (2) is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of gender identity. ATF is also proposing to add language that "Each form shall be executed under penalties of perjury, if the form or the regulation so provide.”
Comments due August 5.
Labor and Employment
Current Population Survey. The CPS is the principal source of the official Government statistics on employment and unemployment, and collects information on sex, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, family composition, educational level, veteran status, certification and licensing status, disability status, and other characteristics. BLS does not appear to be making any changes to the CPS at this time.
Comments due June 29.
Families
National Survey of Family Growth. The NSFG is designed to provide nationally representative, scientifically credible data on factors related to birth and pregnancy rates, family formation and dissolution patterns, and reproductive health. Through this listing, CDC is formalizing earlier changes to questions on sexual orientation and gender identity and is deleting additional questions and conducting a set of methodological studies.
Comments due June 22.
Economy
Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey. BLS collects data from retail establishments and governments to measure the average change in prices over time paid by urban consumers for a market basket of goods and services. The CPI is used most widely as a measure of inflation and serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of government economic policy. BLS doesn't appear to be making any changes to the survey at this time.
Comments due June 29.
Public Benefits
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's Quality Control Review Schedule. These forms are used by FNS to collect both Quality Control (QC) data and case characteristics for SNAP and to serve as the comprehensive data entry form for SNAP QC reviews. Historically, these forms have collected information on race, sex, education level, employment status, and other characteristics of SNAP recipient households. The listing indicates that changes are being made to the forms, but there is no supplementary information available to help us understand what changes are being made.
Comments due June 29.
Education
Income Driven Repayment Plan Request. This form is used by students to enroll in, recertify, or change their Income Driven Repayment (IDR) program. Under this listing, ED is implementing or formalizing several changes required by the OBBBA. One especially notable change to the form changes the default for students who no longer qualify for the IDR program in which they're currently enrolled — instead of placing such students into general forbearance while the student submits a new IDR application or changes to a different program they are eligible for, ED will place them into a standard repayment plan (which generally requires significantly higher monthly payments).
Comments due June 22.