Enhancing Timely Data Reporting, Quality, and Use in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Surveillance | CDC RFA DD 25 0157

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA DD 25 0157

The CDC (National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, NCBDDD) is offering a cooperative agreement funding opportunity titled "Enhancing Timely Data Reporting, Quality, and Use in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Surveillance" (Funding Opportunity Number: CDC RFA DD 25 0157; CFDA 93.314). The overall goal is to strengthen how state, territorial, and local EHDI programs collect, manage, link, and use surveillance data so more infants who are born Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH) receive timely hearing screening, timely diagnostic evaluation, and timely connection to early intervention services within the first six months of life. A key theme throughout the opportunity is improving the timeliness and completeness of reporting so programs can spot breakdowns in the care pathway and take targeted action to close gaps.

At its core, the NOFO is focused on improving EHDI data quality and translating better data into better program performance. It emphasizes the critical 1-3-6 EHDI benchmarks (screening by 1 month, diagnostic confirmation by 3 months, and enrollment in early intervention by 6 months) by pushing jurisdictions to examine where data are missing, late, invalid, or siloed across different systems. The CDC is looking for jurisdictions to build more efficient data systems, upgrade staff technical capacity, and strengthen analytic approaches so EHDI programs can identify disparities and implement practical interventions that improve timely screening, diagnosis, and early intervention enrollment.

The funding opportunity has four major aims. First, it seeks to boost state and local EHDI infrastructure and staff capability, including technical expertise to develop efficient systems, analyze data, and create or improve linkages to other EHDI-related data systems. This is meant to reduce losses to follow-up or losses to documentation by improving the way programs track infants from birth through screening, diagnosis, and early intervention. Second, it targets measurable improvements in 1-, 3-, and 6-month data quality and the underlying systems that produce those data, encouraging jurisdiction-specific solutions, policies, and workflow changes that improve data completeness, validity, and the ability to link or integrate data across sources. Third, it prioritizes the active use of surveillance data, not just data collection, to identify gaps and disparities and drive program actions that improve timely services. Fourth, it begins expanding EHDI surveillance beyond the early benchmarks by encouraging monitoring of developmental status indicator outcomes and piloting the addition of language and communication developmental outcomes data.

Eligible applicants include state governments and other local government entities (county, city/township) as well as other eligible entities, but the NOFO strongly centers on state and territorial public health agencies or their bona fide agents. These agencies typically have the legal authority or mandate to conduct Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) and to monitor the disposition of every birth in the jurisdiction. The NOFO highlights that this authority enables collaboration with many reporting sources that are essential to complete surveillance, such as vital records, birthing facilities, diagnostic centers and audiologists, early intervention providers, congenital anomaly registries, immunization registries, and other newborn screening programs. The intent is to ensure EHDI programs can track all births statewide and reconcile data across systems so children do not fall through cracks.

The opportunity is organized into two components. Component A is the foundational piece and focuses on improving data quality in the EHDI Information System (EHDI-IS), using data to inform interventions, and building collaborations that make data linkage and integration possible. This includes strengthening relationships and technical connections with the entities that generate key data, improving data flows, and making surveillance information more actionable for program improvement. Component B is available to a subset of jurisdictions and focuses on incorporating language and communication outcomes data into the EHDI-IS, particularly by improving collaboration with Part C early intervention programs and other partners that collect language or communication outcomes. The purpose of Component B is to help jurisdictions track not only whether children are identified and served early, but also how early identification and intervention relate to developmental outcomes by around age 3.

Eligibility requirements differ by component. To apply for Component A, jurisdictions must document that at least 5,000 babies are born in the jurisdiction each year, and they must document the ability to collect and report (twice per year) all required Tier 1 patient-level data elements and demonstrate completeness for those Tier 1 variables (the specific Tier 1 data item list is referenced in the NOFO). Component B is only available if the applicant also applies for Component A, and applicants must additionally document their program's six-month early intervention benchmark performance for calendar year 2022. In practice, this structure signals that CDC expects applicants to have a baseline surveillance and reporting capacity for the core EHDI measures before taking on the added work of integrating language and communication outcomes.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary CDC cooperative agreement, meaning awardees should expect substantial CDC involvement through technical assistance, collaboration, and shared implementation priorities rather than a hands-off grant. The NOFO lists an award ceiling of $290,000 and anticipates up to 39 awards. The original application closing date is 2025-03-06, and the opportunity was created on 2024-12-05. Overall, the program is designed to help jurisdictions modernize and better use EHDI surveillance systems so they can improve real-world performance on early screening, diagnosis, and intervention timelines, while also beginning to measure longer-term language and communication outcomes for children identified as D/HH.

• The Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enhancing Timely Data Reporting, Quality, and Use in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Surveillance" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.314.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $290,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 39 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Others.

Apply for CDC RFA DD 25 0157

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