Report to OMB Regarding the Use of CIPSEA
and the Designation of Agents
Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, DHHS

September 24, 2007

NSDUH:

OAS did not use the CIPSEA pledge and related agent-designation process in NSDUH until 2004. So far, the only agents that NSDUH has designated have been contract staff working on data collection and analysis. These agents work for two different contractors. Field staff work for Headway, a subcontractor for RTI who is the prime contractor.

The following is the total number of field and other staff that were designated as agents. The CIPSEA pledge was used in each of the years between 2004 and 2006 in NSDUH and each staff member of the project had signed a written agreement.

No restricted-use NSDUH data was shared between 2002 and 2006 with outside data users, and thus no agents were designated for this purpose.

DAWN:

DAWN has used the agent-designation process since 2003. DAWN agents include contractor staff working on the collection and analysis of the data. Between January 2003 and December 2006, a total of 622 agents were designated under CIPSEA. These contractors worked on both analytic and survey components of DAWN and included staff from OAS contractors, Westat and RTI and their sub-contractors. Specifically, from January 2003 to December 2006, there were 552 agents at Westat, the contractor for DAWN operations.  These agents were involved in data collection, processing, electronic dissemination, facility recruitment and management. In addition, during the years 2003 and 2004, there were 12 agents at Westat who worked on the sample design, analysis of the data, and publications and during the years 2005 and 2006 there were 58 agents at RTI who worked on the sample design, analysis of the data, and publications.

At the moment we do not have annual agent counts, but starting from 2007 they will be available.

Status of Implementation:

The Office of Applied Studies in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was not designated as a statistical unit until November, 2006, and did not have access to draft versions of the CIPSEA guidance until October 2006 unlike other existing statistical agencies.  OAS started using the CIPSEA pledge and procedures, with OMB approval, in 2003. In the next few months, OAS will put into place a system of annual training and recertification for all contractors and staff, making it completely compliant with all OMB CIPSEA requirements.

All CIPSEA reports from SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies

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