[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25741-25743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10403]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30Day-12-12JF]
Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Send written comments
to CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC
20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written comments should be received
within 30 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
Returning our Veterans to Employment and Reintegration (ROVER):
National Surveys of Assistance Dog Providers and Veterans, National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
NIOSH, under P.L. 91-596, Sections 20 and 22 (Section 20-22,
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) has the responsibility to
conduct research relating to innovative methods, techniques, and
approaches dealing with occupational safety and health problems.
Reintegrating Post-9/11 Veterans into civilian life and employment
is complicated by recent exposure to war zone stressors (e.g., combat,
bombs, improvised explosive devices, injury and death of military
personnel and civilians) and development of clinical disorders, such as
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. PTSD, for example,
is typified by such symptoms as re-experiencing war zone stressors
(e.g., distracting intrusive
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thoughts and images, disturbing nightmares); hyper-arousal (e.g.,
intense startle response, poor concentration and memory, constantly
being on-guard, disturbed sleep, high irritability); and avoidance of
people (family, friends, co-workers), places (such as enclosed areas,
crowds), and things (e.g., loud noises, certain sights and smells) that
remind one of war zone stressors. Such symptoms can have a significant
impact on the ability of a Veteran to work in a setting with features
such as other people, enclosed work areas, constant movement and noise,
tasks that require concentration to details or safety issues, and
stress related to requests and feedback of supervisors or task speed
and accuracy.
An approach for helping Veterans with PTSD and other psychiatric
impairments is that of using service dogs for assistance and support. A
quick Internet search will find dozens of Web sites by providers of
service dogs for Veterans, with assistance in transition to daily life
(not necessarily employment) being the primary goal. In support of this
overall approach, Senators Al Franken and Johnny Isakson cosponsored
the Service Dogs for Veterans Act, to create a pilot program within
Veterans Affairs to pair service dogs with Veterans who have physical
and mental injuries and disabilities, including PTSD. The bill was
signed into law by President Obama in mid-2009, but it is an unfunded
mandate whose focus is not on employment. Thus, although there is
significant interest in service dogs for Veterans to aid in
readjustment, the focus has not been on employment.
The present research study will focus on the following questions
with two surveys. Survey 1 of service dog providers will address the
following questions:
1. Among assistance dog providers sampled in the U.S., how many
provide services to Veterans?
2. Among assistance dog providers that provide services to
Veterans, what are the specific strategies used or services offered to
address issues related to Veterans and, specifically, return to work.
3. From the perspective of assistance dog providers, have the
services or the requests for services to assist Veterans return to work
increased, decreased, or remained the same during the past 5 years.
Survey 2 of Veterans will address the following questions:
The purpose of the study is to increase available information about
services provided to Veterans by assistance dog training organizations,
and to increase available information on Veteran's attitudes and
perceptions about physical, psychological, physiological, and
functional barriers that prevent Veterans with PTSD and other physical
or psychiatric disorders from returning to work, and to provide
information about the potential benefits of animals and animal-assisted
interventions. Thus, the approach used in this study is descriptive.
The surveys will be administered in a web-based format.
The information and the internet link to the web-based Survey 1
will be sent by email to approximately 1,000 service dog providers. On
the basis of similar surveys of small businesses or non-profit
organizations, it is estimated that approximately 300 or 30% of the
organizations contacted will complete the survey. The burden table also
accounts for approximately 700 people who will read the initial email
or take the follow up phone call only. It's estimated that these
activities (reading the email, taking the follow up phone call, and
forwarding the survey announcement to appropriate personnel in the
organization) will take approximately 10 min for a total burden of 117
hours.
For survey 2, an estimated 100 persons in various veterans agencies
across the U.S. will receive email announcements of the veterans survey
and a follow up phone call. The activities associated with reading the
email, taking the follow up phone call, and distributing the flyer or
forwarding the survey announcement to additional individuals is
estimated to take up to 10 min. Based on recent surveys of veterans, a
10% response rate is expected from among the estimated 60,000
interested veterans from across all 50 states for a total number of
6,000 respondents. For each respondent, the expected time to complete
the survey will be approximately 60 minutes.
Results of this survey will lead to recommendations and guidance
for assistance dog providers, healthcare professionals, researchers,
and policymakers pertaining to animal-assisted interventions to help
facilitate the reintegration and reemployment of Veterans. There are no
costs to the respondents other than their time. The total estimated
annual burden hours are 6,284.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Average
Number of Number of burden per
Type of respondent Form name respondents responses per response (in
respondent hours)
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Assistance Dog Providers who read the Assistance Dog Provider 700 1 10/60
initial email or take the follow up Recruitment Email.
phone call only.
Assistance Dog Providers choosing to Assistance Dog Provider 300 1 30/60
complete survey. Survey.
Veterans Agency Contacts (persons in Veterans Survey 100 1 10/60
veterans agencies who read the Announcement Email.
initial email or take the follow up
phone call).
U.S. Veterans......................... Veteran Survey.......... 6,000 1 1
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Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate
Director for Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-10403 Filed 5-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P