Q1: Are all member schools obligated to report concussion information?

A1: Yes. Section IX.C. of the Arrington Settlement Agreement obligates the NCAA to “create a reporting process through which member schools will report instances of diagnosed concussions in NCAA student-athletes and their resolution.” In January 2020, all three NCAA divisions passed legislation requiring an active member institution “to report all instances of diagnosed sport-related concussions in student-athletes and their resolution to the NCAA on an annual basis pursuant to policies and procedures maintained by the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.”

The legislation requires all schools to collect and report on concussions diagnosed on or after May 18, 2020, the date that is six months after the effective date of the Arrington Settlement Agreement.

Q2: What is the reporting deadline?

A2: Consistent with the legislation referenced above and with the intention of providing flexibility to the schools, the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) has established an annual reporting window from July 1 to June 30, which parallels the calendar footprint of a typical academic year. Schools may report at any time during the reporting window, or may report several times during a window, but it is anticipated that most schools will elect to report late in the window to ensure that they have an accurate accounting of the concussions that occurred during the preceding academic year. The NCAA Sport Science Institute will provide an annual reminder to schools of the reporting requirements ahead of the June 30 deadline.

Special Note – Initial Report: NCAA legislation requires that schools report concussions that are diagnosed from May 18, 2020, forward. In subsequent years, schools will report those concussions occurring since the date of their last reporting.

Q3: Where can we find the reporting portal?

A3: The concussion reporting portal can be found at  www.annualconcussionreporting.com.  

Q4: Who should report concussions on behalf of the school?

A4: Neither NCAA legislation nor the CSMAS-approved reporting process prescribes which school personnel must complete the report on behalf of the school. As such, member schools have flexibility to designate reporting responsibilities as they and their Athletics Health Care Administrators deem appropriate. However, it must be an individual with a school email address, as their contact information and a description of their role at the school will be requested at the time of reporting. 

Q5: Can my school contract with a third party to report on behalf of the school?

A5: Neither the Arrington Settlement Agreement nor NCAA legislation prohibit a third-party service provider from completing the required reporting activities on behalf of a member school. However, the reporter’s school email address will be requested as part of the reporting process. Therefore, the school will need to assign the third party a school email address or identify an alternative method of properly satisfying that step in the reporting process.

Q6: What information must be submitted as part of the report?

A6: Pursuant to the legislation described in response to Question #1 above, the CSMAS-approved reporting process establishes that, in addition to basic demographic and contact information (e.g., name, institutional affiliation), the individual reporting on behalf of the member school will be required to report two data points: (1) Aggregate number of student-athlete concussions diagnosed within the defined reporting period as the result of practice or competition activities related to all NCAA sports at the school; and (2) Of the aggregate number of diagnosed concussions reported, the number that resolved within the defined reporting period. No case, sport or patient-specific information will be required as part of the reporting process.  

Q7: How is concussion “resolution” defined?

A7: Pursuant to the legislation referenced in question #1 above, CSMAS has determined that a concussion should be considered resolved if the student-athlete has returned to baseline by the time of reporting.

Q8: What if the student-athlete transfers or graduates and the school isn’t certain about return to baseline?

A8: If, for any reason, the school does not have evidence of return to baseline at the time of reporting, it should not report the concussion as resolved.

Q9: Do we have to report all concussions that have been diagnosed in all student-athletes during the defined reporting period?

A9: Legislation requiring reporting and referenced in question #1 above intends that schools will report all instances of diagnosed concussions sustained by NCAA student-athletes as the result of practice or competition activities related to an NCAA sport.

Q10: If our school participates in the CARE study or the NCAA Injury Surveillance System, will that satisfy its concussion reporting obligation?

A10: No. Data related to CARE research, the NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS) and the annual concussion reporting requirement will be separately reported and maintained in separate database systems, such that a school’s participation in CARE research or the ISS will not impact or satisfy the legislative requirement to also report concussion information. Regardless of whether a school is participating in CARE or ISS, it is still separately obligated to complete the annual concussion reporting. 

Q11: How will student-athlete privacy/confidentiality be safeguarded?

A11: As explained in question #5 above, required data are to be reported on a deidentified, aggregated basis; and, therefore, reporting will not involve the submission or maintenance of any protected personal or health information.

Q12: How will I know if the system was working properly and that my report was successfully submitted?

A12: The NCAA has developed step-by-step instructions to guide reporters’ use of the reporting website. They are communicated in a separate document, which is available here. As those instructions indicate, the designated reporter will receive a confirmation email after completing the online submission. This email will include a confirmation number as well as the number of concussions and resolved concussions so that reporters can verify the accuracy of their submission. Member schools are encouraged to retain a copy of the confirmation email on file.

Q13: What should the person reporting do if they don’t receive an email confirming submission of concussion information?

A13: Members with technical issues about the concussion reporting website or process may contact the site administrator directly by phone at 855-832-4222 or email at  info@datalyscenter.org.

 Q14: What should I do if I have substantive, non-technical questions about the concussion reporting requirements or related legislation and/or process?

A14: Substantive questions about the NCAA concussion reporting requirements should be directed to the NCAA Sport Science Institute at: ssi@ncaa.org