77496 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 184 / Monday, September 23, 2024 / Notices 

Dated: September 17, 2024. 

Aaron T. Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21630 Filed 9–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6001–FR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket ID: DoD–2024–OS–0078] 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of 

Defense for Personnel and Readiness 

(OUSD (P&R)), Department of Defense 

(DoD). 

ACTION: 30-Day information collection 

notice. 

SUMMARY: The DoD has submitted to the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for clearance the following 

proposal for collection of information 

under the provisions of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. 

DATES: Consideration will be given to all 

comments received by October 23, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Reginald Lucas, (571) 372–7574, 

whs.mc-alex.esd.mbx.dd-dodinformation-collections@mail.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoD 

Civilian Employee Workplace and 

Gender Relations Survey (WGRC) will 

assess the attitudes and opinions of DoD 

civilian employees on gender issues 

including their experiences of and the 

climate surrounding sexual harassment, 

gender discrimination, and unwanted 

sexual contact in the DoD civilian 

workplace. These indicators provide 

primary data on estimated prevalence 

rates of unwanted gender-related 

experiences and historically provide the 

ability to evaluate the impact of policies 

and programs with regard to DoD 

civilian employees. The surveys are 

benchmarks by which senior DoD 

officials can track trends over time. 

All Workplace and Gender Relations 

surveys are Congressionally-mandated 

to estimate rates of gender-based 

assaults, assess the effectiveness of 

policies and programming to prevent 

sexual harassment and sexual assault, 

and assess the overall gender relations 

climate within the Department in 

accordance with 10 U.S.C. 481. 

Historically, these surveys have been 

conducted with military members only, 

with the first congressionally mandated 

Workplace and Gender Relations survey 

conducted in 2002 for active-duty 

service members and 2004 for Reserve 

component members. Section 1073 of 

the FY 2015 NDAA extended this 

requirement to DoD Civilian employees 

as well, including an amendment that 

inserted Section 481a into 10 U.S.C. 481 

outlining the survey requirement. The 

first administration of the WGRC was in 

FY 2016 per these statutory 

requirements and was administered to 

appropriated fund (APF) civilian 

employees only. The second 

administration of the WGRC was in 

2018 and expanded the target 

population to include nonappropriated 

fund (NAF) civilian employees. 

Title; Associated Form; and OMB 

Number: Department of Defense Civilian 

Employee Workplace and Gender 

Relations Survey; OMB Control Number 

0704–0614. 

Type of Request: Revision. 

Number of Respondents: 91,286. 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Annual Responses: 91,286. 

Average Burden per Response: 30 

minutes. 

Annual Burden Hours: 45,643. 

Needs and Uses: The WGRC fulfills 

the Congressional mandate outlined in 

10 U.S.C. 481a for a biennial survey 

assessment of gender relations in the 

DoD civilian workplace. The mandate 

requires that the survey (1) provides 

indicators of positive and negative 

trends for professional and personal 

relationships between male and female 

employees; (2) estimates the prevalence 

of unwanted gender-related behaviors 

for DoD civilian employees within the 

preceding fiscal year; (3) examines the 

effectiveness of policies designed to 

improve professional relationships 

between male and female employees; 

and (4) examines the effectiveness of 

current processes for complaints and 

investigations concerning unwanted 

gender-related behaviors, including 

sexual assault, sexual harassment, and 

gender discrimination. The legal 

requirements for the WGRC can be 

found in the following: 

• FY15 NDAA, Section 1073. 

• 10 U.S.C. 481a. 

• 10 U.S.C. 136. 

• 10 U.S.C. 2358. 

• Public Law (Pub. L.) 111–383, 

Sections 1602 and 1631; 113–291, 

Section 1073. 

These legal requirements mandate 

that the WGRC solicit information on 

gender issues, including issues relating 

to sexual assault, sexual harassment, 

and gender discrimination, as well as 

the climate in the Department for 

forming professional relationships 

between male and female employees. 

They also give the Department authority 

to conduct such surveys under the 

guidance of the USD(P&R). 

Overall, the results of the survey will 

assess progress, identify shortfalls, and 

revise policies and programs as needed 

related to issues directly affecting DoD 

civilian employees. Data from this 

survey will be presented to the 

OUSD(P&R), and DoD policy and 

program offices to assess and improve 

policies, programs, practices, and 

training related to gender relations in 

the DoD informed by current and 

statistically reliable information. 

Analysis will include OPA’s standard 

products: a results and trends report (a 

set of relative frequency distributions of 

each question, and cross-tabulations of 

survey questions by key stratifying 

variables), briefing slides, reports 

highlighting key findings, and a 

statistical methodology report. Ad hoc 

analyses requested by the policy office 

sponsors and other approved 

organizations may be conducted as 

needed and based on available staff. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Frequency: Biennially. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

OMB Desk Officer: Ms. Jasmeet 

Seehra. 

You may also submit comments and 

recommendations, identified by Docket 

ID number and title, by the following 

method: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name, Docket 

ID 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. 

DOD Clearance Officer: Mr. Reginald 

Lucas. 

Requests for copies of the information 

collection proposal should be sent to 

Mr. Lucas at dodhra.mc-alex.dhrahq.mbx.information-collections@

mail.mil. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 184 / Monday, September 23, 2024 / Notices 77497 

Dated: September 17, 2024. 

Aaron T. Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21629 Filed 9–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6001–FR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Docket ID: DoD–2024–OS–0101] 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: Defense Human Resources 

Activity (DHRA), Department of Defense 

(DoD). 

ACTION: Notice of a modified system of 

records. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Privacy Act of 1974, the Office of the 

Secretary of Defense (OSD) is modifying 

a current system of records titled, 

Defense Civilian Human Resource 

Management System (DCHRMS), DHRA 

23 DoD. The records within this system 

are used to provide human resource 

information and system support for the 

DoD civilian workforce worldwide that 

manages the HR processing and 

reporting, including position, 

compensation and benefits, and 

performance management, as well as 

create efficiencies in Human Capital 

Management. This system of records 

notice (SORN) is being updated to cover 

compensation records and 

administrative appeals relating to claims 

filed under the Helping American 

Victims Afflicted by Neurological 

Attacks Act (HAVANA). This SORN 

modification expands the Category of 

Individuals section to cover current and 

former DoD employees, and dependents 

of current or former employees who on 

or after January 1, 2016, experienced a 

qualifying brain injury. Additionally, 

the DoD is modifying the Routine Use 

section to allow additional sharing 

outside of DoD. Lastly, the DoD is also 

modifying various other sections within 

the SORN to improve clarity or update 

information that has changed. 

DATES: This system of records is 

effective upon publication; however, 

comments on the Routine Uses will be 

accepted on or before October 23, 2024. 

The Routine Uses are effective at the 

close of the comment period. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by docket number and title, 

by either of the following methods: 

* Federal Rulemaking Portal: https:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

* Mail: Department of Defense, Office 

of the Assistant to the Secretary of 

Defense for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and 

Transparency, Regulatory Directorate, 

4800 Mark Center Drive, Attn: Mailbox 

24, Suite 05F16, Alexandria, VA 22350– 

1700. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

docket number 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 https://

www.regulations.gov as they are 

received without change, including any 

personal identifiers or contact 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Samuel Peterson, DHRA Component 

Privacy Officer, 400 Gigling Rd., 

Seaside, CA 93955, dodhra.mcalex.dhra-hq.mbx.privacy@mail.mil or 

831–220–7330. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

DoD is modifying the Defense Civilian 

Human Resource Management System, 

DHRA 23 DoD to support amendment of 

the Helping American Victims Afflicted 

by Neurological Attacks Act 

(HAVANA). In 2016, Department of 

State employees stationed in Havana, 

Cuba, began reporting a sudden onset of 

symptoms, including headaches, pain, 

nausea, disequilibrium, and hearing 

loss, in conjunction with sensory 

events. Federal agencies have called 

such incidents Anomalous Health 

Incidents (‘‘AHIs’’). Since 2016, Federal 

employees in numerous countries 

reported suspected AHIs. 

Beginning on December 20, 2019, the 

Department of State was authorized by 

statute to pay benefits to employees and 

their dependents for injuries suffered in 

the Republic of Cuba, the People’s 

Republic of China, or other foreign 

countries designated by the Secretary of 

State incurred after January 1, 2016, in 

connection with certain hostile or other 

incidents designated by the Secretary of 

State (Pub. L. 116–94, Division J, Title 

IX, section 901) (codified in 22 U.S.C. 

2680b). These benefits were limited to 

Department of State employees only 

(i.e., not other U.S. Government 

employees under Chief of Mission 

(COM) authority). On January 1, 2021, 

this law was amended, authorizing 

other Federal Government agencies 

(such as the DoD) to provide benefits to 

their own employees under COM 

authority who suffered similar injuries. 

(Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XI, section 

1110). 

On October 8, 2021, the President 

signed the HAVANA Act of 2021 (Pub. 

L. 117–46). The HAVANA Act amended 

section 901 to authorize Federal 

Government agencies to compensate 

affected employees, former employees, 

and their dependents for qualifying 

injuries to the brain. The HAVANA Act 

amendments did not require that the 

qualifying injury occur in the Republic 

of Cuba, the People’s Republic of China, 

or another foreign country designated by 

the Secretary of State. Section 9216 of 

the James M. Inhofe National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 

provided agencies with authority to 

designate incidents affecting employees 

or dependents who are not under the 

security responsibility of the Secretary 

of State. 

The records within DHRA 23 DoD are 

used to provide human resource 

information and system support for the 

DoD civilian workforce worldwide that 

manages the HR processing and 

reporting, including position, 

compensation and benefits, and 

performance management, as well as 

create efficiencies in Human Capital 

Management. The SORN is being 

updated to cover compensation records 

and administrative appeals relating to 

claims filed under the HAVANA Act. 

This SORN modification expands the 

Category of Individuals section to cover 

current and former DoD employees, and 

dependents of current or former 

employees who on or after January 1, 

2016, experienced a qualifying brain 

injury. 

Subject to public comment, the DoD 

is adding standard routine use ‘‘I’’ 

authorizing sharing in the context of 

Inspector General activities, routine use 

‘‘J’’ to allow for disclosures mandated by 

Federal statute or treaty, and routine use 

‘‘N’’ to allow for sharing with the 

Department of State for the purpose of 

evaluating whether an incident is an 

‘‘other incident’’ for purposes of 

establishing a qualifying injury. The 

following sections of this SORN are also 

being modified: (1) to the System 

Location section to reflect the various 

locations in which records may reside; 

(2) to the Authority for Maintenance of 

the System section to update citations(s) 

and add additional authorities; (3) to the 

Purpose section to provide clarity on 

how information will be used; (4) to the 

Categories of Records section to clarify 

how the records relate to the Category 

of Individuals; (5) to the Records Source 

Categories section to update source 

information; (6) to the Record Access 

Procedures section to reflect the need 

for individuals to identify the 

appropriate DoD office or component to 

which their request should be directed; 


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