Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0260]

Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995

(44 U.S.C., 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Veterans

Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has

submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA

submission describes the nature of the information collection and its

expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection

instrument.

DATE: Comments must be submitted on or before May 11, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF THE SUBMISSION CONTACT: Ron

Taylor, Information Management Service (045A4), Department of Veterans

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273-8015

or FAX (202) 273-5981. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0260.''

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Title and Form Number: Request for and Consent to Release of

Medical Records Protected by Section 7332, VA Form 10-5345(R).

[[Page 17488]]

OMB Control Number: 2900-0260.

Type of Review: Reinstatement, without change, of a previously

approved collection for which approval has expired.

Abstract: Section 7332, Title 38, United States Code requires the

VA to obtain prior written consent from a patient before information

concerning treatment for alcoholism or alcohol abuse, drug abuse,

sickle cell anemia, or infection with the human immunodeficiency virus

(HIV) can be disclosed from a patient medical record. This special

consent must indicate the name of the facility permitted to make the

disclosure, the name of the individual or organization to whom the

information is being released, specify the particular records or

information to be released, be under the signature of the veteran and

dated. It must reflect the purpose for which the information is to be

used, and include a statement that the consent is subject to revocation

and the date, event or condition upon which the consent will expire if

not revoked before. The Privacy Act of 1974 and VA confidentiality

statute, Section 5701, Title 38, United States Code also requires a

written patient consent.

The information is collected from the patient. VA personnel

complete 50% of the total number of forms used and the patient must

simply sign and date the form. Patients complete the remaining 50% of

the total number of forms. The information is usually handwritten. If

the VA did not collect this information, medical records protected

Title 38, U.S.C., Section 7332, could not be released from a patient's

records. This would have a negative impact on patients who need and

want information released to private insurance companies, physicians

and other third parties.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required

to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a

currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a

60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of

information was published on September 11, 1997 at page 47871.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Estimated Annual Burden: 10,779 hours.

Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: 2 minutes.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 323,378.

Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the

information collection to VA's OMB Desk Officer, Allison Eydt, OMB

Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room

10235, Washington, DC 20503 (202) 395-4650. Please refer to ``OMB

Control No. 2900-0260'' in any correspondence.

Dated: March 16, 1998.

By direction of the Secretary.

Donald L. Neilson,

Director, Information Management Service.

[FR Doc. 98-9322 Filed 4-8-98; 8:45 am]

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