80 FR 51788 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 165 (August 26, 2015)

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 165 (Wednesday, August 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51788-51789]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21129]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID: DoD-2015-OS-0088]


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness announces a proposed public information collection and seeks 
public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) 
Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
information collection on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by October 
26, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Chief 
Management Officer, Directorate of Oversight and Compliance, Regulatory 
and Audit Matters Office, 9010 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-
9010.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency 
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The 
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the 
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without 
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.
    Any associated form(s) for this collection may be located within 
this same electronic docket and downloaded for review/testing. Follow 
the instructions at http://www.regulations.gov for submitting comments. 
Please submit comments on any given form identified by docket number, 
form number, and title.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and 
associated collection instruments, please write to the Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy, ATTN: 
Casualty Affairs, 4000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-4000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Questionnaire of Local 
Inhabitants, DD Form 1074; Disposition of Civilian Remains, DD Form 
3004; OMB Control Number 0704-XXXX.
    Needs and Uses: The information collection requirement is necessary 
to obtain and document information from local inhabitants on the 
location and circumstances surrounding the death of U.S. personnel for 
whom the Department has responsibility to recover

[[Page 51789]]

and provide mortuary services and to obtain and document the election 
of the person authorized to effect disposition of civilian remains for 
whom the Department provides mortuary services. If the person 
authorized to effect disposition does not sign this form, then the 
Department cannot provide mortuary and transportation services in 
accordance with their elections or instructions to the extent allowed 
by statute or DoD policy. This collection is authorized by 10 U.S. Code 
sections 1481 through 1488. In addition, the Secretary of Defense 
directed the addition of these forms to ensure transparency and 
standardization of the mortuary procedures as defined in the Final 
Report of the Dover Port Mortuary Independent Review Subcommittee 
Implementation Plan and 180-day study. Currently there is a lack of 
standardization across the Military Services, as each Service currently 
utilizes different forms for this election and they do not all capture 
the same information even on similar forms. Standardizing the 
information collected is essential in maintaining the transparency and 
integrity of the mortuary affairs process.
    Affected Public: Business or other for profit; Person Authorized to 
Effect Disposition (PAED); family members of the deceased; local 
inhabitants.
    Annual Burden Hours: 60.
    Number of Respondents: 120.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 30 minutes.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    The respondents are the person authorized to effect disposition of 
the civilian decedent for whom mortuary services as described on DD 
Form 3004 is recommended or required, and the DoD witness to that 
election. The person authorized to effect disposition documents their 
election on DD Form 3004, and signs the form. The election and 
signature are witnessed by a military service member or DoD civilian to 
formalize this process and document the election. This form becomes a 
part of the Official Individual Deceased Personnel File. If the person 
authorized to effect disposition does not sign this form, then the 
Department cannot provide the authorized mortuary and transportation 
services.
    The respondents for DD Form 1074 are the Military Service Member 
and the local inhabitant being interviewed. The Service Member is the 
individual completing the form, however in the process information is 
collected on the person interviewed. This form becomes a part of the 
Official Individual Deceased Personnel File. This form documents the 
location and circumstances surrounding a deceased individual as 
applicable.
    Currently there is a lack of standardization across the Military 
Services, as each Service currently utilizes different forms for these 
elections and documentation and they do not all capture the same 
information even on similar forms. Standardizing the information 
collected is essential in maintaining the transparency and integrity of 
the mortuary affairs process.

    Dated: August 21, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015-21129 Filed 8-25-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-06-P