HHS Streamlines Health Forms for Unaccompanied Migrant Kids
Published Date: 10/5/2026
Notice
Summary
The Office of Refugee Resettlement is updating and combining two health forms into one easier-to-use Onsite Health Intervention Form to help care for unaccompanied children better. This change will reduce paperwork, improve data quality, and allow sharing health info with the Department of Homeland Security when needed. Public comments are open until November 4, 2026, and the new form will be used for the next three years.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Two health forms merged to cut paperwork
The Office of Refugee Resettlement will combine two Public Health Investigation forms into a single Onsite Health Intervention (OHI) Form to reduce paperwork and improve data quality. ORR estimates annual respondent burden decreased by 46.1% and recordkeeping burden decreased by 55.1%, with estimated total annual response burden of 4,660.1 hours and recordkeeping burden of 3,933.6 hours.
Health data may be shared with DHS for repatriation
ORR will share relevant health information with the Department of Homeland Security when DHS identifies a child in ORR custody for repatriation. Shared items include the child's name and alien number, date of birth, active diagnoses/concerns, allergies, current medications and dosages, isolation/quarantine requirements, health-related accommodations (including durable medical equipment), and health-related travel restrictions.
Mental Health form revised to improve care tracking
The Mental Health Assessment Form (MHAF) will be revised to remove the History section for follow-up visits, strengthen the disabilities and accommodations field, add a field for ordered or completed labs and imaging, standardize mental-status exam options, expand substance-use options, add a healthcare provider acknowledgement/signature for record sharing, and replace fixed diagnosis choices with free-text fields.
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