[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 9, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 52951-52952] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-25913] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on [[Page 52952]] proposed data collection projects, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects being developed for submission to OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans, call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1129. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Proposed Project The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Application Process (OMB No. 0915-0146)--Revision and Extension--The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program was established to help alleviate the geographical and specialty maldistribution of physicians and other health practitioners in the United States. Under this program, health professions students are offered scholarships in return for service in a federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). In an effort to improve the procedures for selecting NHSC scholars, a revised application and a semi-structured interview were pilot tested in the spring of 1996. The revised selection process is designed to broaden the scope of the information available on applicants in order to improve the Agency's ability to identify those applicants with the greatest potential to fulfill the objectives of the Scholarship Program. The application form is being expanded, and the unstructured interview is being replaced by a semistructured interview conducted by a team of two interviewers who use a structured scoring procedure. Approval will be requested to implement the new process in two phases; the new interview will be used in 1997 along with the current application, with the intent to implement the full process for the 1998 awards. Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Responses Total Form name Number of per Hours per burden respondents respondent response hours ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Application................................................. 3000 1 1.0 3000 Interview................................................... 900 1 1.67 1500 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Estimated Total Annual Burden: 4500 hours. The interview burden includes 1 hour for travel time to the interview site. Send comments to Patricia Royston, HRSA Reports Clearance Officer, Room 14-36, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice. Dated: October 3, 1996. J. Henry Montes, Associate Administrator for Policy Coordination. [FR Doc. 96-25913 Filed 10-8-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160-15-P