Data dictionaries

Good Afternoon:

Thank you for you public records request dated April 7, 2021. Due to the extensiveness of your request and the current workload needs of our staff arising out of the public health crisis, the agency will be unable to provide a cost or time estimate until April 20, 2021. If the time and cost estimate is available sooner, our office will respond accordingly.

Should you wish to modify or prioritize items within your request, please contact our office.

Thank you,

Erik Fern | Attorney III
LEGAL SERVICES
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
301 CENTENNIAL MALL S, P.O. BOX 95026
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA 68509
OFFICE: 402-471-8298
DHHS.ne.gov<http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/default.aspx> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/NEDHHS/> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/NEDHHS> | LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/company/nebraska-department-of-health-and-human-services>

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Good Afternoon:

Thank you for your public records request dated April 7, 2021 seeking “A list, database, and/or spreadsheet detailing all data dictionaries held or used by the Department of Health and Human Services.” Below is the cost estimate prepared in relation to your request. The first four hours of non-attorney-privilege-review staff time would be at no charge. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (hereinafter “the agency”) has five divisions: Behavioral Health, Public Health, Developmental Disabilities, Children & Family Services, and Medicaid and Long-Term Care (MLTC). Each of the divisions may have responsive records and there is no central repository with all data dictionaries. For example, Public Health has in excess of 100 data dictionaries. To respond to you request will require significant time.

The following data dictionaries are available online:

- https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/EHS-Data-Systems.aspx,

- https://dhhs.ne.gov/OEHS%20Program%20Documents/Trauma%20Registry%20Data%20Dictionary.pdf,

Nebraska Public Records Law provides that the agency is not required to supply copies of any public record that is available on the custodian’s website, unless the requester does not have reasonable access to the Internet due to lack of a computer, lack of Internet availability, or inability to use a computer or the internet; rather, the agency is required to provide the location of a public record online to the requester. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712(3)(a).

Please know that you have ten business days to review the estimated cost, and request the agency fulfill the request, negotiate with the agency to narrow or simplify your request, or withdraw your request. If you do not respond within ten business days, the agency shall not proceed to fulfill your request.

The agency requires payment of a 10% deposit of the expected cost prior to moving forward with responding to the request. Please, only send the amount of the deposit requested as time estimates are just estimates. We will send you the final time and billing amount once it is completed. With the State billing system it is difficult to refund if there is an overpayment because the time ends up being less.

Staff Time
Employee Job Title
Hours
Description of Work Unit
Total Cost
Public Health - Program Manager
100
Collection and compiling of data dictionaries
$24.44 per hour (First 4 hours no charge) - $2,346.24
Public Health - Epidemiologist
100
Collection and compiling of data dictionaries
$28.25 per hour - $2,825.00
IT Business Systems Analyst
4
Collection and compiling of data dictionaries
$30.63 per hour – 122.52
IT Project Manager
8
Collection and compiling of data dictionaries
$83.00 per hour - $664.00
IT Supervisor
2
Collection and compiling of data dictionaries
$44.48 per hour - $88.96
IT Supervisor
2
Collection and compiling of data dictionaries
$42.84 per hour - $85.68
IT Supervisor
4
Collection and compiling of data dictionaries
$43.48 per hour - $173.92
Attorney III
1
Responsiveness review of records (non-privilege review); organize records for final response
$33.824 per hour – $33.82
Administrative Assistant II
1
Responsiveness review of records/organize (non-privilege review); organize records for final response
$18.32 per hour - $18.32

COPY CHARGES
0 copies 25 cents per page
$0.00

Total Cost:
$6,358.46*

* Please be advised that this cost is an estimate. The final cost may be more, or less, depending on the actual time and cost expended by the agency in responding to your public records request.

If you intend to proceed with the foregoing, please send a check in the amount of $635.84 payable to “Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.”

All payments must be sent to Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Attn: Erik Fern, Legal Services – 3rd Floor, Nebraska State Office Building, P.O. Box 95026, Lincoln, NE 68509.

Given the volume of your request and the current workloads of our staff, the agency expects to be able to fulfill or provide an answer to your request by August 2, 2021. If the information is available prior to the estimated date, it will be promptly sent to you upon payment of the full balance of the costs. To the extent the agency can provide responsive records on a rolling basis, the agency will provide said responsive records.

Should you desire to modify or prioritize your request, please contact our office.

Thank you,

Erik Fern | Attorney III
LEGAL SERVICES
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
301 CENTENNIAL MALL S, P.O. BOX 95026
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA 68509
OFFICE: 402-471-8298
DHHS.ne.gov<http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/default.aspx> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/NEDHHS/> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/NEDHHS> | LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/company/nebraska-department-of-health-and-human-services>

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Good Morning:

On April 20, 2021, a time and cost estimate was sent to you as outlined below. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712, the requestor has ten business days upon receipt of the time and cost estimate "to review the estimated costs, including any special service charge, and request the custodian to fulfill the original request, negotiate with the custodian to narrow or simplify the request, or withdraw the request." If the agency receives no response, the agency "shall not proceed to fulfill the request." Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712(4).

No response was received from the agency's time and cost estimate, and greater than ten business days has elapsed. As such, your public records request is hereby closed.

Thank-you,
Brianna Cowell | Legal - Administrative Assistant II
UNMC MPH - Policy and Adminsitration Student - 2023
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
OFFICE: 402-471-4382
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