[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 218 (Thursday, November 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63326-63327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30221]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

    Periodically, the Health Resources and Services Administration 
(HRSA) publishes abstracts of information collection requests under 
review by the Office of Management and Budget, in compliance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a 
copy of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, call the 
HRSA Reports Clearance Office on (301)-443-1129.
    The following request has been submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.
    Proposed Project: The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan 
Repayment Program (OMB No. 0915-0127)--Extension and Revision. The NHSC 
Loan Repayment Program (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.
    This request for extension of OMB approval will include the NHSC 
LRP application and loan verification form, as well as two new forms: a 
Site Information Form and Request for Method of Advanced Loan Repayment 
Form. In an effort to improve the procedure for recruiting NHSC 
applicants and to alleviate some of the burden and delay in the 
application process, the following changes are proposed:
    (1) The applicant will submit a ``Site Information Form'' rather 
than a copy of the signed employment contact. This form provides 
information about the proposed employment site, requiring 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 must be submitted with the 
application form. To obtain that form, applicants must submit a written 
request to the NPDB. To expedite that process, HRSA proposes to send 
the NPDB request form with the LRP application.
    The estimate of burden is as follows:

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                                          Number of     Responses per                               Total hour
              Respondent                 respondents     respondent        Hours per response         burden
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Applicants...........................             800               1  1.5......................            1200
Lenders..............................              45               1  15 minutes...............              11
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    Total............................             845                    .......................            1211
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    Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of this notice to: 
Wendy A. Taylor, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of

[[Page 63327]]

Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: November 4, 1998.
Jane Harrison,
Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. 98-30221 Filed 11-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P