Supporting Statement for 0704-0334_DD 2585_Final

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

for

OMB 0704-0334, Automated Repatriation Reporting System (DD Form 2585)

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.” 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, 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.

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 have 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. The information collected is not available in any centralized location.

5. Methods Used to Minimize Burden on Small Entities

The collection does not involve small entities. Repatriation operations are short-term in duration and representatives from Federal agencies and State and local governments will be on hand to process respective evacuees. Every effort 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 the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).

8. Agency 60-day Federal Register Notice and Consultations

The 60-Day Federal Register Notice announcing this information collection (as required by 5 CFR 1320.5 (d)) was published on Friday, November 15, 2013, Volume 78, Number 221, pages 68824. No comments were received in response to this collection.

The 30-Day Federal Register Notice was published on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, Volume 79, Number 145, page 44013.

9. Payments to Respondents

No payments, gifts, or guarantees will be made to respondents to provide this information.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

All data is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 and is protected according to the regulations therein and by related DoD directives and instructions.

11. Personal Identifying Information, Sensitive Questions and Protection of the
Information

Personal Identifying Information (PII): The paper copies of DD Forms 2585 are secured to protect PII in accordance with DoD regulations. The Privacy Act Statement on the DD Form 2585 assures the evacuee that the data are safeguarded, protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, and only released to agencies with an absolute need to know.

Protection of the Information: All personal information provided by the subject falls under the Privacy Act of 1974.

Social Security Number (SSN): 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 previously obtained with both Department of State (DOS) and Health and Human Services (HHS). DOS advised that 22 USC § 2671(d)(1) and 26 USC § 6039E require the collection of SSNs in cases related to repatriation. HHS advised that collection of the SSN on repatriation loans is required to properly identify the proper individual(s) for repayment of the loan.

Sensitive Questions (i.e. gender, race and ethnicity): 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 with whom they are working 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.

Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA): Emergency Evacuation Tracking and Repatriation (DMDC)

System of Records Notice (SORNs): The information is covered under DMDC 04, Emergency Evacuation Tracking and Repatriation, http://dpclo.defense.gov/Privacy/SORNsIndex/DODwideSORNArticleView/tabid/6797/Article/6846/dmdc-04.aspx. The DoD Blanket Routine Uses, assessed at http://dpclo.defense.gov/Privacy/SORNsIndex/BlanketRoutineUses.aspx, applies to this collection.

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

a. Response Burden for DD Form 2585:

Total Annual Respondents: 100

Frequency of Response: 1

Total Annual Responses: 100

Burden per Response: 20 minutes

Total Burden Hours: 2,000/60 = 33 hours

b. Explanation of How Burden Was Estimated: The estimated total annual number of respondents is based on database records from the members of the public during the period 2009-2014, rounded up to the next hundred. Evacuations are very unique operations, 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. Therefore, the number of respondents can vary markedly from one year to the next. Burden estimate for completion of the DD Form 2585 is based on the observation of evacuees completing the form over a twenty year period of time.

c. Labor Cost to Respondents:

The estimated total labor cost to respondents is $763.27 calculated as follows:

60 respondents x $6.44 hourly rate x .3333 hr = $128.80

30 respondents x $41.00 hourly rate x .3333 hr = $410.00

10 respondents x $66.44 hourly rate x.3333hr = $221.47

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

Information:

a. Total Capital and Start-up Cost: None

b. Total average annual Operations and Maintenance Costs: None

14. Estimates of Cost to the Federal Government:

Estimated hourly pay for processing and data entry $23.17

Average time per form: 10 minutes

100 x $23.17 x 0.1667hr = $386.17

15. Changes in Burden. The estimated number of respondents has decreased by 4,900 since the last revision in 2009. As noted above, the current estimated total annual number of respondents is based on database records from the members of the public during the period 2009-2014, rounded up to the next hundred. Evacuations are very unique operations, 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. Therefore, the number of respondents can vary markedly from one year to the next depending on the number of crises, the number of evacuations declared, and the number of evacuees. Changes in the total annual respondent hours and costs reflect the lower estimate for the number of respondents.

16. Publication Plans/Time Schedule.

There are no plans to publish any of the information collected.

17. Approval Not to Display Expiration Date.

DoD is not seeking an exception to displaying the expiration date of this information collection.

18. Exceptional to the Certification Statement.

No exceptions to the certification statement are being requested.

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