medium impactSAMHSA Fundingrefugee_mental_health_assessmentFederal

Proposed Information Collection Activity; Mental Health Assessment Form and Onsite Health Intervention Form

July 27, 2026Source: Federal RegisterBill: OMB # 0970-0509Status: proposed_ruleEffective: September 30, 2026
45
Relevance score
Tangential

Impact on your practice

Therapists and agencies providing mental health services to refugees should be aware of these form changes, which will streamline assessment processes but also introduce new data-sharing protocols with DHS. The consolidated form may reduce documentation burden while improving care coordination.

Key facts

1

ACF Office of Refugee Resettlement requesting 3-year extension of Mental Health Assessment Form and Onsite Health Intervention Form

2

Consolidating two forms into single OHI form to reduce burden and improve data quality

3

Revisions include data sharing with Department of Homeland Security in specific circumstances

4

Aims to improve transparency and ensure continuity of care for refugee populations

Therapy Companion analysis

If your practice serves refugees through ACF Office of Refugee Resettlement funding, you will face significant documentation changes beginning in 2026. The federal government is consolidating two separate mental health forms (the Mental Health Assessment Form and Onsite Health Intervention Form) into a single Onsite Health Intervention form, which will reduce your current paperwork burden but introduce mandatory data-sharing protocols with the Department of Homeland Security. This consolidation affects your clinical workflow: instead of completing parallel assessments, you'll use one unified form that captures both initial mental health screening and ongoing intervention data. The timeline is critical—this is a 3-year extension request with a comment period closing September 25, 2026, meaning implementation could begin as early as late 2026 or early 2027. Your agency will need to update your EMR systems, staff training protocols, and consent procedures to accommodate DHS data-sharing in specific circumstances, which may require explicit client notification about information disclosure beyond your organization. The burden reduction (fewer forms to complete per client) is offset by the compliance requirement to document which circumstances trigger DHS sharing and ensure your consent language reflects this new data flow.

Background

The ACF Office of Refugee Resettlement has been operating under a previous information collection approval that is expiring. Rather than simply renew the existing dual-form system, federal administrators determined that consolidating into a single form would improve data quality and reduce administrative burden on providers like you while simultaneously enhancing interagency coordination for refugee case management. This reflects a broader federal trend toward integrated data systems across HHS and DHS, driven by the need for better continuity of care tracking and security screening for refugee populations. The specific inclusion of DHS data-sharing language signals that mental health assessments of refugees are now explicitly part of homeland security protocols, which represents a policy shift from treating mental health documentation as purely clinical to treating it as part of a coordinated federal intake and monitoring system.

What you should do

1

Obtain and review the full proposed form consolidation document (OMB #0970-0509) from the Federal Register or ACF website before September 25, 2026, and submit written comments if your practice has concerns about DHS data-sharing protocols or clinical confidentiality implications.

2

Audit your current consent forms and privacy notices to determine whether they adequately disclose data-sharing with DHS; plan to revise these documents before the new form takes effect to ensure informed consent compliance.

3

Schedule staff training on the new consolidated form structure and the specific circumstances that trigger DHS data-sharing; document this training in your compliance files to demonstrate good-faith implementation.

4

Contact your EMR vendor now to confirm they will support the new consolidated form format and can track which assessments include DHS-shared data; plan for system updates 60-90 days before the effective date.

5

If your practice receives ACF refugee resettlement funding, designate a compliance lead to monitor the Federal Register for the final rule (expected after the September 25 comment period) and establish an implementation timeline for your agency.

Notable excerpts

"Consolidating two forms into single OHI form to reduce burden and improve data quality; Revisions include data sharing with Department of Homeland Security in specific circumstances."

"Aims to improve transparency and ensure continuity of care for refugee populations" while establishing new interagency information protocols.

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Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: - the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document - the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to - the agency docket number / agency internal file number - the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. ## Department of Health and Human Services ## Administration for Children and Families - [Office of Management and Budget #: 0970-0509] ## AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ## ACTION: Request for public comments. ## SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is requesting a 3-year extension with changes of the Mental Health Assessment Form and Onsite Health Intervention Form (formerly Public Health Investigation Form: Non-TB Illness, and Public Health Investigation Form: Active TB, OMB # 0970-0509, expiration 9/30/2026). Proposed revisions include merging two forms (Public Health Investigation Forms, Active TB and Non-TB Illness) into the single Onsite Health Intervention (OHI) Form. 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. ## DATES: Comments due September 25, 2026. ## ADDRESSES: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above. You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of information and submit comments by emailing infocollection@acf.hhs.gov. Identify all requests by the title of the information collection. ## SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Description: Unaccompanied alien children in ORR custody are placed in care provider programs until unification with a qualified sponsor. Care providers ensure children receive a range of services including routine and emergency medical, dental, and mental health care. Care provider staff are expected to implement all recommended treatment plans ( e.g., referrals to specialists, medication administration, accommodation for physical or mental impairments that impact daily living activities) as directed by the evaluating healthcare provider. Care provider staff are also expected to respond to reported or observed non-emergency healthcare concerns (including exposures to specific reportable communicable illnesses) through triage with a licensed healthcare professional or administration of over-the-counter medications as indicated by the child's primary healthcare provider's standing orders. If a child wi [Truncated]
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