[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 122 (Wednesday, June 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34301-34302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16561]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources And Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Comment Request

    In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
Title 44, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), 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) Loan 
Repayment Program (LRP) Application and Regulations, and NHSC State 
Loan Repayment Program Regulations (OMB No. 0915-0127)--

    Revision and Extension--The NHSC LRP was established to assure an 
adequate supply of trained primary care health professionals to the 
neediest communities in the Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) 
of the United States. Under this program, the Department of Health and 
Human Services agrees to repay the educational loans of the primary 
care health professionals. In return, the health professionals agree to 
serve for a specified period of time in a federally-designated HPSA 
approved by the Secretary for LRP participants. The State Loan 
Repayment Program (SLRP) is a similar program administered by the 
States, with matching funds provided by the Federal Government.
    This request for extension of OMB approval will include the NHSC 
LRP application and loan verification form, as well as two minor 
regulatory requirements, one for the NHSC LRP and the other for the 
SLRP (described in footnotes to the burden table).
    In an effort to improve the procedure for recruiting NHSC LRP 
applicants and to alleviate some of the burden and delay in the 
application process, three minor changes are being proposed:
    (1) Instead of submitting a copy of the signed employment contract 
with the application, the applicant will submit a ``Site Information 
Form,'' which requires information from the applicant about the 
proposed employment site, and requires only a signature and date from 
the Site Administrator/Executive Officer. This change will allow HRSA 
to begin consideration of the application at an earlier stage, since a 
signed employment contract generally takes more time to negotiate.
    (2) A new one-page form, ``The Request for Method of Advanced Loan 
Repayment'' form, will be included with the application. It provides a 
description of three methods of payment (quarterly, annually and 
biennially), and asks applicants to select the method they prefer.
    (3) Applicants now obtain a self-report from the National 
Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) which they submit with the application 
form. To obtain that report, the applicant must submit a written 
request to the NPDB. To expedite that process, HRSA proposes to send 
the NPDB request form with the LRP application.
    Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden: The changes to the application 
process are not expected to have a significant impact on applicant 
burden. Burden estimates are as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           Responses                    Total   
                Form/regulatory requirement                   Number of       per        Hours per      burden  
                                                             respondents   respondent    response       hours   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHSC LRP Application.......................................          800            1          1.5         1,200
Loan Verification Form.....................................         *400            1           .25          100
Regulatory Requirements**..................................            1            1          1               1
                                                            ----------------------------------------------------
      Total................................................        1,201            1          1.08       1,301 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The remainder of the loans are verified through credit reports.                                               

[[Page 34302]]

                                                                                                                
**42 CFR 62.26(b)(2) requires that LRP participants who continue graduate training after acceptance into the    
  program must submit documentation annually of their training status. This provision has not been used for some
  time because all recent participants have completed graduate training prior to entry into the program.        

    42 CFR 62.54 requires States to submit annual applications to 
participate in the SLRP. The application burden is included in a 
separate clearance package because the program uses a standard grant 
application form.
    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: June 19, 1997.
James J. Corrigan,
Acting Associate Administrator for Management and Program Support.
[FR Doc. 97-16561 Filed 6-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P