Take Action! Public Housing and More
by Meghan Maury
Spotlight
Public housing: Allocation of Operating Funds under the Operating Fund Formula: Data Collection. This series of forms is used by Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to submit project level budget data annually to HUD field offices. In this notice, HUD is updating the certifications PHAs are required to make as a part of this process to include certifications that the PHAs will not use funds to "promote 'gender ideology' as defined in EO 14168," to violate civil rights protections, or to "fund or promote elective abortions, as required by EO 14182," and that it will follow "immigration restrictions and requirements, including eligibility and verification requirements" and many not use and funds in any way that would "facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration... [or] shield illegal aliens from deportation."
Comments due Sept. 22.
Every time the government makes a change to a survey or a form — or introduces a new survey or form — you have the right to weigh in on that decision. The Take Action! newsletter highlights surveys or forms the government is changing, renewing, or introducing. Click the links to tell the government what you think about the changes they are making.
Note: The Take Action tab of DataIndex.us provides information about even more surveys, forms, evaluations, and records notices than are listed in your weekly newsletter.
Race + Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation + Gender Identity Changes
Immigration: Application for a Travel Document. This form is used by lawful permanent residents, conditional permanent residents, refugees, asylees, applicants for adjustment of status, noncitizens with pending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applications and granted TPS, and other types of immigrants to allow them to travel to the United States and lawfully enter or reenter the United States. DHS is amending the form to remove the option to identify as "another gender identity."
Comments due Sept. 22.Healthcare: Medicare Quality of Care Complaint Form. This form, which is used by beneficiaries to submit a written complaint about the quality of care they received, is being revised to update demographic questions to align with the new standards in SPD-15.
Comments due Sept. 29.
Surveys
Reproductive Health: Understanding Service Member Experiences with Family Planning. This survey will help DOD understand how service members experience family planning both within the Military Health System and via community providers. These focus groups will also gather information on service members' experiences with any new policies related to reproductive health.
Comments due Sept. 29.Workforce: CPS Displaced Worker, Job Tenure, and Occupational Mobility supplement. This supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS) is used to assess the size and nature of the population affected by job displacements and the needs and scope of programs serving adult displaced workers. It is also used to assess employment stability by determining the length of time workers have been with their current employer and estimating the incidence of occupational change over the course of a year. No changes are being made to the supplement at this time.
Comments due Sept. 23.Military: Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS). This survey is used to assess the unit or organization climate as measured by 19 unique protective and risk factors associated with the six strategic target outcomes (STOs): sexual assault, sexual harassment, racial/ethnic discrimination, suicide, readiness, and retention. These data provide the DoD’s only official estimates of racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination. It's unclear from the listing what in the survey is being changed.
Comments due Sept. 29.Public Health: National Disease Surveillance Program. Generally, the NDSP monitors the prevalence of communicable diseases. This portion of the NDSP covers surveillance activities associated with four, rare diseases: Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD); Reye Syndrome; Kawasaki Syndrome; and Acute Flaccid Myelitis. Changes are being requested only to the Acute Flaccid Myelitis form's race and ethnicity responses, though it's unclear from the listing exactly what changes are being made.
Comments due Sept. 26.
Data Sharing
Business Surveys: Direct Digital Data Feeds. The Census Bureau is planning a new program which will allow businesses, state and local government and education agencies, and other entities normally reporting in private- and public-sector business surveys to provide us with Direct Digital Data Feeds. A data feed is an automated transmission of data from an organization's existing digital systems such as databases, accounting software, or administrative records directly to the Census Bureau, without requiring manual data entry or separate survey responses. Initially, the Census Bureau will focus on inviting large businesses, which are typically included in multiple surveys, to participate in the program.
Comments due Sept. 30.
Evaluation
Food Access: Understanding Participant Experiences in SNAP E&T. This evaluation will help FNS develop a comprehensive understanding of how SNAP participants experience the SNAP Employment and Training program and to identify actionable recommendations to help programs improve their customer service and efficiently connect participants with training and services that meet their needs.
Comments due Sept. 29.
Also of Note
Healthcare: National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) Data Changes. Providers use the NPPES to apply for a National Provider Identifier (NPI), as required under HIPPA. HHS is revising the application form to change the word "gender" to "sex" and to remove all response options for that question other than male and female. According to the listing, provider gender code selections made after March 4, 2024, that are no longer available in the system will now appear as blank (that is, will have no value selected) in public facing files.
HHS is not accepting comments on this change.
This newsletter is made possible by a very generous donation from the Leadership Conference Education Fund.