Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 208 / Tuesday, October 28, 1997 / Notices 55815

Section AFJ.10, Office of

Investigations—Organization

The Office of Investigations comprises

the following components:

A. Immediate Office.

B. Criminal Investigations.

C. Investigations Policy and

Oversight.

Section AFJ.20, Office of Investigations

—Functions

A. Immediate Office of the Deputy

Inspector General for Investigations

This office is directed by the Deputy

Inspector General for Investigations who

is responsible for the functions

designated in the law for the position,

Assistant Inspector General for

Investigations. The Deputy Inspector

General for Investigations supervises the

Assistant Inspector General and

Division Director who head the OI

offices described below.

The Deputy Inspector General for

Investigations is responsible to the

Inspector General for carrying out the

investigative mission of the OIG and for

leading and providing general

supervision to the OIG investigative

component. The Immediate Office

coordinates quality assurance studies to

ensure that applicable laws, regulations,

policies, procedures, standards and

other requirements are followed in all

investigative activities performed by, or

on behalf of, the Department.

B. Criminal Investigations

This office is directed by the Assistant

Inspector General for Criminal

Investigations who supervises a

headquarters policy and review staff

and the Regional Inspectors General for

Investigations who carry out

investigative activities in their assigned

geographic areas.

1. The headquarters staff assists the

Deputy Inspector General for

Investigations to establish investigative

priorities, to evaluate the progress of

investigations, and to report to the

Inspector General on the effectiveness of

investigative efforts. It develops and

implements investigative techniques,

programs, guidelines and policies. It

provides programmatic expertise and

issues information on new programs,

procedures, regulations and statutes. It

directs and coordinates the investigative

field offices.

2. The headquarters staff reviews

completed reports of investigations to

ensure accuracy and compliance with

guidelines. It issues the reports to

pertinent agencies, management

officials and the Secretary and

recommends appropriate debarment

actions, administrative sanctions, CMPs

and other civil actions, or prosecution

under criminal law. It identifies

systemic and programmatic

vulnerabilities in the Department’s

operations and makes recommendations

for change to the appropriate managers.

3. The staff provides for the personal

protection of the Secretary.

4. The field offices conduct

investigations of allegations of fraud,

waste, abuse, mismanagement and

violations of standards of conduct and

other investigative matters within the

jurisdiction of the OIG. They coordinate

investigations and confer with HHS

operating divisions, staff divisions, OIG

counterparts and other investigative and

law enforcement agencies. They prepare

investigative and management

improvement reports.

5. The office develops all health care

mandatory and permissive program

exclusions, and ensures enforcement of

exclusions imposed through liaison

with HCFA, DOJ and other

governmental and private sector

entities. It is responsible for developing,

improving and maintaining a

comprehensive and coordinated OIG

data base on all OIG exclusion actions,

and promptly and accurately reports all

exclusion actions within its authority to

the data base. It informs appropriate

regulatory agencies, health care

providers and the general public of all

OIG exclusion actions, and is

responsible for improving public access

to information on these exclusion

actions to ensure that excluded

individuals and entities are effectively

barred from program participation.

C. Investigations Policy and Oversight

This office is directed by the Division

Director for Investigations Policy and

Oversight who leads outreach activities

to State and local investigative agencies,

and the general management functions

of the Office of Investigations.

1. The office oversees State Medicaid

fraud control units and is responsible

for certifying and recertifying these

units and for auditing their Federal

funding. The office provides pertinent

information from HHS records to assist

Federal, State and local investigative

agencies to detect, investigate and

prosecute fraud.

2. The office maintains an automated

data and management information

system used by all OI managers and

investigators. It provides technical

expertise on computer applications for

investigations and coordinates and

approves investigative computer

matches with other agencies.

3. The office develops general

management policy for the OI. It

develops and issues instructional media

on detecting wrongdoing and on

investigating and processing cases. The

office reviews proposed legislation,

regulations, policies and procedures to

identify vulnerabilities and

recommends modification where

appropriate. It reviews investigative

files in response to Privacy and

Freedom of Information Act requests,

and serves as OIG liaison to the Office

of the Secretary for Freedom of

Information and Privacy Act requests. It

plans, develops, implements and

evaluates all levels of employee training

for investigations, management, support

skills and other functions. It coordinates

general management processes, e.g.,

compiles reports on the budget, on

awards and on other personnel matters

for OI as a whole; implements policies

and procedures published in the OIG

Administrative Manual; and processes

procurement requests and other service

related actions. It oversees a law

enforcement techniques and equipment

program.

Dated: October 6, 1997.

June Gibbs Brown,

Inspector General.

[FR Doc. 97–28541 Filed 10–27–97; 8:45 am]

ILLING CODE 4150–04–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry

Notice of Meeting

The Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry announces the

following meeting.

Name: Expert Workshop ι3 Regarding

Medical Monitoring in Bunker Hill, Idaho.

Times and Dates: 8 a.m.–5 p.m., November

5, 1997; 8 a.m.–5 p.m., November 6, 1997.

Place: Elk’s Temple #1841, 2021⁄2

McKinley Avenue, Kellogg, Idaho 83837,

telephone 208/786–3901.

Status: Open to the public, limited only by

the space available. The meeting room

accommodates approximately 100 people.

Purpose: The Agency for Toxic Substances

and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is considering

the appropriateness of medical monitoring

for populations who lived around the Bunker

Hill former lead smelting facility (the Bunker

Hill Superfund Site) in the Silver Valley of

Idaho at a time of excess exposures of public

health significance. As part of this

consideration process, ATSDR is convening a

series of workshops to examine the

appropriateness and feasibility of a medical

monitoring program.

The purpose of the medical monitoring

program is to provide a public health service

to communities affected by exposures to

hazardous substances by screening target

populations at significant risk of a specific
55816 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 208 / Tuesday, October 28, 1997 / Notices

health effect or outcome, identifying

individuals in need of further diagnosis or

treatment, and arranging for appropriate

referrals.

Section 104(i)(9) of the Comprehensive

Environmental Response, Compensation, and

Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended (42

U.S.C. 9604(i)(9)), provides for the

Administrator, ATSDR to initiate a health

surveillance program for populations at

significantly increased risk of adverse health

effects as a result of exposure to hazardous

substances released from a facility. A

program included under health surveillance

is referred to as ‘‘medical monitoring or

screening’’ by ATSDR and is defined in the

legislation as ‘‘the periodic medical testing to

screen people at significant increased risk for

disease.’’

ATSDR has established criteria to

determine when medical monitoring is an

appropriate health activity and the

requirements for establishing a medical

monitoring program at a site. The legislation

also states that a mechanism to refer people

for treatment should be included in the

program. This statutory provision does not

authorize ATSDR to provide medical

treatment. Medical monitoring is a

community service, not a health study.

ATSDR is convening three expert

workshops to assist in the evaluation of a

medical monitoring program at the Bunker

Hill site. If a program is deemed appropriate,

the agency will develop a medical

monitoring plan for the target population(s).

The first workshop, considering the first four

ATSDR medical monitoring criteria, took

place on August 19–20, 1997. The second

workshop, which took place on September

23–24, 1997, examined more closely the

health outcomes recommended by the first

workshop and considered screening tests and

protocols appropriate to a medical

monitoring program. This document gives

notice of the third workshop.

Matters to be Considered: The third

workshop will reconvene the first

workshop’s participants and other experts as

needed to:

• Consider the application of the final

three medical monitoring criteria as

developed by ATSDR, and review ATSDR’s

application of these criteria, to the Bunker

Hill site

• Provide individual recommendations

and guidance on issues of science and public

health practice related to program

implementation

• Provide individual expertise and

guidance in conducting a medical outcome

and decision analysis to evaluate the public

health benefits and risks of a medical

monitoring program related to the Bunker

Hill site.

The experts will use information from the

first and second workshops and other

relevant data to make individual

recommendations and answer questions

related to key issues including the logistics,

program infrastructure, benefit analysis, and

other aspects of the medical monitoring

system criteria for each candidate health

outcome.

Agenda items are subject to change as

priorities dictate.

Contact Person for More Information:

Vivian Rush, M.D., Medical Officer, ATSDR,

Division of Health Education and Promotion,

1600 Clifton Road, NE, M/S E–33, Atlanta,

Georgia 30333, telephone 404/639–5080, or

Gregory Thomas, Senior Regional

Representative, ATSDR Region X, telephone

206/553–2113.

Dated: October 22, 1997.

Julia M. Fuller,

Acting Director, Management Analysis and

Services Office Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC).

[FR Doc. 97–28483 Filed 10–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163–70–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry

[ATSDR–128]

Availability of Draft Toxicological

Profiles

AGENCY: Agency for Toxic Substances

and Disease Registry (ATSDR),

Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: The Comprehensive

Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980

(CERCLA), as amended by the

Superfund Amendments and

Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) (42

U.S.C. 9604(i)(3)) directs the

Administrator of ATSDR to prepare

toxicological profiles of priority

hazardous substances and to revise and

publish each updated toxicological

profile as necessary. This notice

announces the availability of ten

updated drafts and three new draft

toxicological profiles, comprising the

11th set, prepared by ATSDR for review

and comment.

DATES: To ensure consideration,

comments on these draft toxicological

profiles must be received on or before

February 17, 1998. Comments received

after the close of the public comment

period will be considered at the

discretion of ATSDR based upon what

is deemed to be in the best interest of

the general public.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the

draft toxicological profiles or comments

regarding the draft toxicological profiles

should be sent to the attention of Ms.

Loretta Norman, Division of Toxicology,

Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry, Mailstop E–29, 1600

Clifton Road, NE., Atlanta, Georgia

30333.

Requests for the draft toxicological

profiles must be in writing, and must

specifically identify the hazardous

substance(s) profile(s) that you wish to

receive. ATSDR reserves the right to

provide only one copy of each profile

requested, free of charge. In case of

extended distribution delays, requestors

will be notified.

Written comments and other data

submitted in response to this notice and

the draft toxicological profiles should

bear the docket control number ATSDR–

128. Send one copy of all comments and

three copies of all supporting

documents to the Division of Toxicology

at the above address by the end of the

comment period. Because all public

comments regarding ATSDR

toxicological profiles are available for

public inspection after the profile is

published in final, no confidential

business information should be

submitted in response to this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Loretta Norman, Division of Toxicology,

Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry, Mailstop E–29, 1600

Clifton Road, NE., Atlanta, Georgia

30333, telephone (404) 639–6322.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Superfund Amendments and

Reauthorization Act (SARA) (Pub. L.

99–499) amends the Comprehensive

Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act

(CERCLA or Superfund) (42 U.S.C. 9601

et seq.) by establishing certain

responsibilities for the ATSDR and the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

with regard to hazardous substances

which are most commonly found at

facilities on the CERCLA National

Priorities List (NPL). Among these

statutory provisions is that the

Administrator of ATSDR prepare

toxicological profiles for substances

included on the priority lists of

hazardous substances. These lists

identified 275 hazardous substances

that ATSDR and EPA determined pose

the most significant potential threat to

human health. The availability of the

revised priority list of 275 hazardous

substances was announced in the

Federal Register on April 29, 1996 (61

FR 18744 ). For prior versions of the list

of substances see Federal Register

notices dated April 17, 1987 (52 FR

12866); October 20, 1988 (53 FR 41280);

October 26, 1989 (54 FR 43619); October

17, 1990 (55 FR 42067); October 17,

1991 (56 FR 52166); October 28, 1992

(57 FR 48801); and February 28, 1994

(59 FR 9486). CERCLA also requires

ATSDR to assure the initiation of a

research program to fill data needs

associated with the substances.

Section 104(i)(3) of CERCLA (42

U.S.C. 9604(i)(3)) outlines the content of