[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 21, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43251-43252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21278]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health


Proposed Data Collections Available for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
requires that Federal Agencies provide a 60-day notice in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information. The 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is publishing this notice to 
solicit public comment on a proposed data collection for the Loan 
Repayment Program for Research Generally. In order to request copies of 
the data collection plans and instruments, please contact Marc S. 
Horowitz, J.D. via E-mail at <[email protected]> or by calling (301) 402-
5666 (not a toll-free number). Comments are invited on: (a) whether the 
proposed collection is necessary, including whether the information has 
practical use; (b) ways to enhance the clarity, quality, and use of the 
collection; and (d) ways to minimize the collection burden of the 
respondents. Written comments are requested within 60 days of the 
publication of this notice. Send comments to: Marc S. Horowitz, J.D., 
Director, Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship, National Institutes 
of Health, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, Room 604, Bethesda, MD 20892-9121.

Proposed Project

    The NIH intends to make available financial assistance, in the form 
of educational loan repayment, to M.D., Ph.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., 
and D.V.M. degree holders, or the equivalent, who perform biomedical or 
bio-behavioral research in NIH intramural laboratories for a minimum of 
three (3) years in research areas supporting the mission and priorities 
of the NIH. The Loan Repayment Program for Research Generally is 
authorized by section 487C of the Public Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C. 
288-3). The Program may repay a maximum of $20,000.00 per year toward a 
participants' extant eligible educational loans, directly to lenders. 
Payments to lenders are in addition to NIH salary and benefits, and 
represents taxable income to the participants. To partially offset 
Federal tax liability, tax reimbursement payments, equal to 39% of the 
loan repayments made each year, will be made directly to the Internal 
Revenue Service for credit toward participants' tax accounts. 
Reimbursements for increased state and/or local tax liabilities may 
also be available. Participants must have qualifying educational debt 
in excess of 20 percent of their annual NIH base salary on the expected 
date of program eligibility.
    The Loan Repayment Program for Research Generally is designed to 
recruit and retain biomedical professionals to the research 
laboratories of the NIH in exchange for repayment of qualifying 
educational loan debt. The information proposed for collection will be 
used by the Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship to determine an 
applicant's eligibility for participation in the Program. The 
application consists of three parts: Part I (Information about the 
Applicant) is completed by the applicant; Part II (Loan Data 
Verification) is completed by the financial institution; and Part III 
(Recommendation) is completed by the recommenders.
    The annual burden estimates are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Number      Average  
                                      Number     responses    burden per
                                   respondents      per        response 
                                                 respondent    (hours)  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicant........................           40            1         3.00
Financial Institution............          200            1         0.25
Recommenders.....................          120            1         0.50
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 43252]]


    Comments Due Dates: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received on or before 
October 21, 1996.

    Dated: August 13, 1996.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 96-21278 Filed 8-20-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M