Dissertation Student Research

Students may request to use Research Identifiable files (RIF), Limited Data Sets (LDS), or Public Use Files (PUF)/Non-Identifiable data for their studies. Determining which type of data to use may depend on the amount of time you have to request and use the data, the detail required and the funds available to purchase the data. The article “Differences between RIF, LDS, and PUF Data Files” describes the differences in more detail.

Data Use Agreements (DUAs) are required when using RIF data for research and are study specific. Therefore, students interested in using RIF data need to determine whether a separate DUA is needed to cover the dissertation research. 

• Even if the student is working with researchers on a study covered by an existing DUA and the aims/objectives of the dissertation are within the scope of that study, the student may complete the dissertation work under the existing DUA and does not need to apply for a separate DUA.
• If the dissertation aims/objectives are not within the scope of an existing DUA, the student will need to apply for a separate DUA to cover the dissertation research

If the student determines that a separate DUA is necessary for their project, the student should review “What you need to know before you submit a request” page to prepare the request. The process to request RIF data takes multiple months, so RIF data is not appropriate for short-term projects. The CMS Research Identifiable Request Process & Timeline provides an overview of the steps.

Students are required to complete the same paperwork as other requesters. The “Request Forms Generator” will guide you to the documents you need to submit a request to CMS. Students are considered “Academic” researchers. Students are not able to sign as the “Requester” (legal authority) on the DUA. The legal authority at the organization would sign the DUA as Requester. The supervising faculty member (e.g. dissertation chair) and the student should be listed as "Additional contacts" on the Key Personnel Supplement form.

Students are required to pay for new data. The “CMS Fee Information for CMS Research Identifiable Data” includes the “CMS Fee List for Research Files”. 

If, however, the student’s organization already holds the data needed for the dissertation research, the student can request to reuse the data. The reuse fee is $2,000, but CMS waives the reuse fee for student dissertation research. The student can request the DUA Viewer role in CMS' DUA tracking system EPPE to view all DUAs for his/her organization to find out if anyone holds a particular dataset. To request and use the role, refer to the DUA Viewer role training on CMS' website.