NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 7120.11A Effective Date: September 08, 2020 Expiration Date: September 08, 2025

Subject: NASA Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA) Implementation

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer

Chapter 2. Health and Medical Technical Authority Responsibilities

2.1 Chief Health and Medical Officer (CHMO)

2.1.1 The CHMO, as the HMTA:

a. Establishes and maintains NASA health, medical, and human performance policies and standards for NASA’s space flight and atmospheric flight programs and projects.

b. Concurs on the establishment of new program or project requirements.

c. Certifies program and project compliance with NASA health, medical, and human performance requirements through established Agency processes at life-cycle milestones.

d. Provides final decisional authority for any HMTA position or requests for relief associated with HMTA standards, or program or project requirements that represent change in overall risk posture for NASA; NASA programs, partners, and personnel; and the public.

e. Delegates decisional authority to the Deputy CHMO, as necessary.

f. Designates Lead HMTA Integration Centers (LHIC).

g. Concurs on Center Director appointments of NASA civil service physicians as CMOs.

h. Concurs on Center HMTA Implementation Plans.

i. Concurs on CMO appointments of CHPO as program delegates.

j. Provides training requirements for CMOs and CHPOs.

k. Engages the NASA Formal Dissent process, where necessary, and provides employees an avenue for elevating issues within the HMTA or through other single or multiple authorities (e.g., Programmatic Authority, Technical Authority) escalation paths.

2.2 Deputy CHMO

The Deputy CHMO serves as the Agency HMTA, as delegated, in the CHMO’s absence.

2.3 Center Directors

The Center Directors:

a. Appoint, with CHMO concurrence, their respective Center CMO.

b. Approve, with CHMO concurrence, their respective Center’s HMTA Implementation Plan.

c. Ensure necessary assets and capabilities (resources, staffing, procedures, and training) are provided to effectively implement HMTA at their Centers.

d. Ensure programs and projects residing at their Centers are in compliance with established occupational health, medical, and human performance policy, requirements, and standards through the processes specified in this directive and their Center’s HMTA Implementation Plan.

2.4 Chief Medical Officers (CMO)

2.4.1 The CMO at their designated Center:

a. Develops and publishes, with approval from the Center Director and concurrence from the CHMO, their Center’s HMTA Implementation Plan.

b. Exercises HMTA as described in this directive and their Center’s HMTA Implementation Plan.

c. Serves, when appropriate, as a member of program or project control change, and organizational review boards.

d. Establishes appropriate HMTA interfaces with assigned programs or projects at their Centers, as described in this directive and their Centers HMTA Implementation Plan.

e. Maintains and communicates, to the CHMO or their designee, a risk status of activities at their respective Centers.

f. Maintains and communicates, to the CHMO or their designee, a forward-looking awareness of significant milestones and decisions at their respective Centers.

g. Provides the CHMO or their designee, with regular status of program issues, risks, and major milestones.

h. Maintains working communication with CMOs from other Centers to provide appropriate mutual support through local expertise, decision-making infrastructure, and medical opinion, where appropriate.

i. Exercises HMTA decisional authority at their Center, including development of HMTA program and project positions or requests for relief from HMTA standards, or program or project level requirements that are determined to be risk-neutral or have a reduction in risk.

j. Ensures all potential HMTA aeronautics and human space flight health, medical, and human performance issues identified at their Center are coordinated with their respective Center Director and the CHMO.

k. Elevates issues and requests for relief from HMTA standards or program or project level requirements that represent an increase in risk posture to NASA; NASA programs, projects, and personnel; and the public for disposition by the CHMO.

l. Engages the NASA Formal Dissent process, where necessary, and provides employees an avenue for elevating issues within the HMTA or through other single, or multiple authorities (e.g., Programmatic Authority, Technical Authority) escalation paths.

2.4.2 If the Center is designated as a LHIC, the CMO:

a. Exercises HMTA Level 2 (L2) decisional authority for the formulation of HMTA program and project positions, issue resolutions, and requests for relief from HMTA standards or program or project level requirements associated with the LHIC.

b. Appoints, with concurrence from the CHMO, program and project CHPOs as program or project delegates.

c. Informs the program or project managers of the appointment of the program or project CHPO.

2.5 Chief Health and Performance Officers (CHPO)

2.5.1 The CHPO:

a. Serves, as delegated by the LHIC CMO, as the direct HMTA program delegate and working interface to NASA’s programs and projects.

b. Exercises HMTA, within the assigned program, as described in this directive and their Center HMTA Implementation Plan.

c. Maintains and communicates a forward-looking awareness of significant milestones and decisions, as well as a comprehensive health, medical, and human performance risk posture within their respective programs, and locally coordinates an effective and timely HMTA engagement.

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