Supporting Statement-PART A

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Automated Repatriation Reporting System

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Need for Information Collection

Section 502 of Executive Order 12656 (Assignment of Emergency

Preparedness Responsibilities) assigns DoD supporting responsibilities “to advise and

assist the Secretary of State and heads of other Federal departments and agencies, as

appropriate, in the planning for the protection, evacuation and repatriation of U.S.

citizens in threatened areas overseas.” Sec 801 of the Order assigns Department of

Health and Human Services (HHS) responsibility “to develop plans and procedures to

assist the State and local governments in the provision of emergency human services,

including lodging, feeding, clothing, registration and inquiry, social services, family

reunification and mortuary services and interment” (Atch 1). This information collection

is needed to collect the required evacuee information necessary to document the

movement of an evacuee from a foreign country to an announced safe haven and to assist

the evacuee in meeting their needs. In addition, this information collection is needed to

ensure that Federal and State agencies receive proper reimbursement for costs incurred in

these very expensive operations.

2. Use of Information

The respondents are evacuees who may be Federal civilian employees,

and/or their family members, DoD Service personnel and/or their family members,

private American citizens and foreign nationals. The primary purpose of this

information collection is personnel accountability of evacuees who have been repatriated

through designated processing sites. By identifying what services have been provided to

respective evacuees during initial processing and where they have gone, Federal agencies

may ensure that their personnel receive safe haven entitlements and notification of

change in status.

The Department of Defense uses the DD Form 2585, Repatriation

Processing Center Processing Sheet (Atch 2), as the tool to obtain the necessary

information to assist and track evacuees while in safe haven status. The information

shown on this form provides the Repatriation Processing Center staff all they need to

know regarding services that need to be provided to the evacuee. It also provides

emergency points of contact so that there is a way to get to the evacuee if contact is lost.

Finally, it provides financial accounting information regarding loans paid out and/or how

much the repatriation operation cost DoD.

Data also ensure HHS, American Red Cross, State and local

governments and other emergency aid organizations may recover any financial loans

made to destitute evacuees. The information collected also allows federal agencies and

state and local governments to track respective services, manpower and dollars provided

during repatriation operations.

Although over the past three years there has not been an evacuation, this information in the past has been used by the Department and HHS in planning for the protection, evacuation and repatriation of U.S. Citizens in threatened areas overseas. The data collected from the DD Form 2585 has been used for personnel accountability of all evacuees who process through Repatriation Centers and to account for the costs incurred by the various agencies for this program.

3. Improved Information Technology

The Department of Defense has determined that the DD Form 2585 is

appropriate for electronic generation. While the form is already accessible worldwide

through the DoD Forms website, the form typically is filled out by hand and the data are entered at the Repatriation Processing Center. Furthermore, because this information collection activity involves Service members/DoD civilian employees/family members during evacuations from OCONUS where the form may not be readily available, it is not feasible to implement the requirements for the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) to collect information via automation. Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) has built and maintains and updates a Repatriation website for the Automated Repatriation Reporting System (ARRS) which is now being used by headquarters, operations and family support staff. This technology has reduced the time required to retrieve and provide information available to all involved agencies and also has reduced the number of personnel that would be required to manually account for and track evacuees.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Investigation resulted in finding no duplication of reporting evacuee data

or generation of evacuation reports. DoD is responsible for providing data when involved in repatriation operations.

5. Methods Used to Minimize Burden on Small Entities

The information collection will not have a significant economic impact on

a substantial number of small entities. Repatriation operations are short term in duration and representatives from Federal agencies, State and local governments will be on hand to process respective evacuees. Every effort is made to ensure evacuees receive any required assistance while processing and upon arrival at their safe haven location.

6. Consequences of Not Collecting the Information

If data were not collected, Federal agencies, State and local governments

would be unable to comply with the Executive Order.

7. Special Circumstances

There are no special circumstances. The data collection will be conducted

in a manner consistent with guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5 (d) (2).

8. Agency 60-Day Federal Register Notice and Consultations Outside the Agency.

The 60-Day Federal Register Notice announcing this information

Collection (as required by 5 CFR 1320.5 (d)) was published on April 10, 2007, Volume 72, Number 68, pages 17879-17880. No comments were received in response to this collection. Copy of the Notice is attached (Atch 3).

This information collection has been reviewed and concurred upon by the

following individuals within OSD, the Military Services, DMDC and other Federal agencies:

NAME ORGANIZATION PHONE

LTC Steven A. Carter HQDA, ODCS, G-1, PCC 703/697-4873

CDR Lesa Kirsch Office, Under Secretary of Defense 703/697-4959

Ms Katherine Greenlaw Office, Secretary of Defense 703/571-9289

Ms. Patricia Johnson U.S. Navy 202/433-4541

MAJ Michael Porter U.S. Marine Corps 703/784-9633

MAJ Timothy McIsasac U.S. Air Force 703/693-0735

Ms Elizabeth Russell* Dept Health & Human Svcs 202/205-3589

Mr Jeff Moon Department of State 202/647-7640

Mr. Jim Balesteri Defense Manpower Data 831/583-2400 Center – West

Ms Karen Finnegan* WHS/ESD 703/696-3081

Ms Monica Gaw* Department of State

* Ms. Karen Finnegan, WHS/ESD/Privacy Office, coordinated the use of the Social Security Number with DHHS and DOS.

Department of Health and Human Services recommended under Section 28, "Services Provided by HHS," of the DD Form 2585, a line be added for "Cash Assistance," and under Section V, "Closing Questions – To be Completed by Repatriation Processing Center Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Staff," a line be added to ensure the evacuee was provided a HHS welcome brochure. Army requested cell phone numbers for evacuee be added for better communication with the respondent.

9. Payments to Respondents

No payments, gifts or guarantees are made to respondents to provide this

information.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

This information collection does not ask the respondent to submit proprietary, trade secrets, or confidential information.

The information on each evacuation is stored in the database at DMDC and is destroyed every three years. Attached is the System of Records DLA S322.05, Noncombatant Evacuation and Repatriation Data Base (Atch 4). The Privacy Act Statement on the form assures the evacuee that the data are safeguarded and only released to agencies with an absolute need to know. Authorized users are provided a password and a user (ID) number. The DoD Executive Agent controls these for Repatriation Plans and Operations. All data are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 and are protected according to regulation therein and by related DoD Instructions and Directives. As for the actual hard copy processing sheets for each evacuee, these are safeguarded by the Repatriation Processing Center personnel until verification of data entry is received from DMDC and the forms are destroyed via burning or shredding.

11. Sensitive Questions

There is a need to know the gender of evacuees. Based on all of the past evacuations, especially those where third country nationals have been evacuated, we generally cannot tell by the individual’s name if they are male or female. This is important for all concerned agencies to know whom they are working with when making personal contact. We must also know, for the identification of unaccompanied minor children, what gender we are looking for if they get separated from their parents.

The DD Form 2585 collects the social security number of three categories of individuals - the evacuee, the sponsor, and the accompanying evacuees. Based on the Office of Management (OMB) guidelines to eliminate the unnecessary collection and use of social security number, coordination of this requirement was obtained with both DOS and HHS. The Department of State advised that 22 USC § 2671(d)(1) and 26 USC § 6039E require the collection of SSNs in cases related to repatriation (Atch 5). HHS advised that collection of the SSN on repatriation loans is required to properly identify the proper individual(s) for repayment of the loan.

12. Estimates of Annual Response Burden and Labor Cost for Hour Burden to the Respondent for Collection of Information.

a. Response Burden:

DD Form 2585

Total annual respondents: 5,000

Frequency of response: 1

Total annual responses: 5,000

Burden per response: 20 minutes

Total burden hours: 1,667 hours

b. Explanation of How Burden was Estimated:

Burden estimate for completion of the DD Form 2585 is based on the observation of evacuees completing the form over a sixteen year period of time. Total annual number of respondents is an estimate. Evacuations are a very unique operation. They are based on crisis (political, military, or natural disaster) arising in a country that would require the National Command authority to direct an authorized or ordered departure.

c. Labor Cost to Respondent:

The estimated total labor cost to respondents is $38,009.53

calculated as follows:

3,000 respondents x $6.44 hourly rate x .3333 hr = $6,439.36

1,500 respondents x $41.00 hourly rate x .3333 hr = $20,497.95

500 respondents x $66.44 hourly rate x.3333hr = $11,072.23

13. Estimates of Other Cost Burden for the Respondent for Collection of Information.

a. Total Capital and Start-up Cost.

There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this information collection. The respondent will utilize the Form currently in place to provide the required information.

b. Operation and Maintenance Costs.

There are no operational or maintenance costs to respondent.

14. Estimates of Cost to the Federal Government.

Workload Requirements:

a. 1 GS-12/13/Major ADP Site Manager for 2 weeks $ 6,600

b. 10 GS-07s/SPC 5s for Repatriation Q/C for 2 weeks $34,100

c. 10 GS-05s/SPC 4s for Repatriation data entry for 2 wks $27,500

d. Printing ($.20 x 5,500) $ 1,100

e. 10 PC workstations (10 x $2,500.00*) $ 0

f. 1 main PC with printer and modem ($3,500*) $ 0

*Cost identified is original start-up cost for program. No current

annual cost associated with this collection as program is using

existing hardware purchased by the government exclusively for

Automated Repatriation Reporting System used to collect

evacuee/repatriate information.

Total Federal Government Cost: $69,300

15. Changes in Burden

There is no change in burden.

16. Publication Plans/Time Schedule

Results of this information collection will not be published.

17. Approval Not to Display Expiration Date.

Approval not to display expiration date is not being sought.

18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement.

No exemptions/exceptions to the Certification Statement are being sought.

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION USING STATISTICAL METHODS.

Statistical methods are not employed for this collection of information.

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