Uncle Sam Now Collects Data on Torture Survivor Aid Programs
Published Date: 2/24/2026
Notice
Summary
The Office of Refugee Resettlement wants to keep collecting important info from groups helping survivors of torture. They’re updating their forms to better track who’s helped, what services work, and how programs are doing. These changes affect grant recipients and will keep going after February 2026, with public comments open until March 26, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
SOT Grant Recipients Must Keep Reporting
ORR will continue to require Services for Survivors of Torture (SOT) grant recipients to report demographic, programmatic, and outcome data using the PDP Form and the Program Performance Progress Report (PPR). Grant recipients must provide aggregated annual data on new and continuing clients (including demographics, torture-related characteristics, services received, length of service, and wellbeing across six outcome domains) and submit program narrative and program metric information semi-annually in the PPR.
Estimated Reporting Burden Reduced 30%
ORR reduced the estimated average time per response from 6 hours to 4 hours, which ORR says reduces overall estimated reporting burden by 30 percent; total annual burden is estimated at 441 hours across 35 respondents. The PDP shows 35 respondents and the PPR (Parts A and B) shows two responses per respondent in the annual burden table.
PDP Reporting Must Use ORR RADS
Grant recipients will continue to report their Survivors of Torture Program Data Points (PDP) through the ORR Refugee Arrivals Data System (RADS), an information technology platform used for enhanced data collection and record keeping.
Program Indicators: Subcategory & Frequency Changes
ORR removed twelve subcategories for two program indicators, added one subcategory to one program indicator, and reduced the frequency of reporting percentage-based outcomes in program metrics. ORR states these changes contribute to the reduced reporting burden.
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