Refugee Kids' Health Forms Get Bureaucratic Makeover
Published Date: 8/5/2026
Notice
Summary
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is requesting to move the Serious Medical Procedure Request (SMR) Form (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #: 0970-0561, expiration date December 31, 2026) under the Medical Assessment Form and Dental Assessment Form (OMB #: 0970-0466, expiration October 31, 2026) information collection and update the title of OMB # 0970-0466 to Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Child Health Forms. Revisions are proposed to the forms. The proposed restructuring and revisions will improve transparency, lessen burden, improve data quality, and ensure alignment with ORR requirements. In addition, to ensure continuity of care, the request has been revised to include the sharing of health information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in specific circumstances.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Large paperwork cut for health providers
ORR says the annual burden of responses fell by 91.5% and recordkeeping fell by 88% because there are fewer children in care and forms were shortened. ORR estimates total annual response burden hours of 5,202 and total annual recordkeeping burden hours of 12,015.4 under the revised collection (OMB #0970-0466 / SMR consolidated).
Child health data shared with DHS for repatriation
ORR will share relevant health information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) when DHS identifies a child in ORR custody for repatriation. Shared items listed include the child's identifying information (name, alien number, date of birth), active diagnoses or concerns requiring management, allergies, current medications and dosages, isolation/quarantine requirements, health-related accommodations (including durable medical equipment needs), and health-related travel restrictions.
Forms reworked to remove duplication
ORR will consolidate the Serious Medical Procedure (SMR) Form into the Medical Assessment Form (MAF) and Dental Assessment Form (DAF) and update the collection title to "Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Child Health Forms" (moving OMB #0970-0561 into OMB #0970-0466). Revisions include removing the SMR first page completed by care staff, allowing optional two-page summaries on the MAF except for initial exams, requiring history on the DAF only for initial dental exams, adding a field for ordered/completed labs and imaging, strengthening disability/accommodations fields, replacing fixed diagnosis choices with free-text fields, and adding a healthcare-provider acknowledgement and signature section authorizing record sharing with ORR.
SMR form can be waived in emergencies
ORR will waive the requirement to complete the Serious Medical Procedure (SMR) Form if completing it is not in the child's best interest, for example during a hospitalization, emergency department visit, or other medical emergency.
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