Serious Medical Procedure (SMR) Request Form

The ACF Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) places unaccompanied children in their custody in care provider programs until unification with a qualified sponsor. Care provider programs are required to ensure children receive appropriate medical, mental health and dental services. Children identified as having complex medical/dental conditions may require a procedure while in ORR custody to maintain and promote their health and wellbeing. Procedures requiring general anesthesia, surgeries, and invasive diagnostic procedures (e.g., cardiac catheterization, invasive biopsy, amniocentesis) require advance ORR approval. Before ORR can approve, the following data must be collected and submitted to ORR by the care provider program and the lead surgeon - diagnoses, procedure name(s), current procedural terminology (CPT) code(s), clinical indications, potential risks/complications of procedure, timing for procedure/proposed date, potential adverse outcomes if the procedure is not performed, timeframe for recovery, potential follow-up procedures, follow-up care, and points of contact. In certain circumstances, ORR will waive the completion of the SMR form if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the child’s safety and well-being (e.g., during a hospitalization or emergency department visit, medical emergencies).

The latest form for Serious Medical Procedure (SMR) Request Form expires 2026-12-31 and can be found here.

Serious Medical Procedure (SMR) Form - Pediatric surgeons

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Community and Social Services - Social Services

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