Group Quarters

Draft 5 (5-15-2017)

OMB No. xxxx-xxxx: Approval Expires xx/xx/xxxx

DC

DH-18 (GQ)
(5-2017)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

January xx, 2018
To: Facility Manager

T

In preparation for the 2020 Census, your facility has been selected by the U.S. Census Bureau to participate in the
2018 Census Test. The Census Bureau is researching modern and cost-efficient methods for everyone in the
nation to be counted in the 2020 Census. Participating in the 2018 Census Test will help prepare for a more accurate
count of all populations in the 2020 Census.
Staff in the area census office will contact you between February 5, 2018 and March 9, 2018 to conduct a telephone
interview and will:

R
AF

• Verify the Group Quarters’ (GQ) name, address information, contact name, phone number, and business email
address.
• Collect an expected Census Day population count.
• Allow facility managers to choose a method of enumeration from those available to their group quarters,
such as: in-person interview, drop off/pick up of questionnaire, paper response data collection, and electronic
response (eResponse) data transfer.
• Schedule an enumeration appointment starting March 28, 2018 through June 8, 2018.
Many federal laws require the use of census data to distribute funding and monitor important programs that provide
services to the community. States, cities, counties, and American Indian reservations use census data to plan future
programs, services, and community development projects such as those for the older population, hospitals, librairies,
and schools.

D

The Census Bureau collects data in compliance with the privacy rules and regulations such as the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly
release your responses in a way that could identify you or your institution. We are conducting this survey under the
authority of Title 13, U.S. Code, Sections 141, 193, 221, and 223. Federal law protects your privacy and keeps your
answers confidential (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). By law, the Census Bureau can only use your responses to
produce statistics. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from
cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. For more information about how we
protect your information, please visit our website at census.gov, and at the bottom of the home page, click on “Data
Protection and Privacy Policy.”
For more informaton about the 2018 Census Test, please visit our website at census.gov/2018censustest.
Sincerely,

John H. Thompson
Director

census.gov

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