[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 55 (Thursday, March 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13183-13184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6785]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration on Aging


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; National Outcome Measures Surveys of Older 
Americans Act (OAA) Clients

AGENCY: Administration on Aging, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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[[Page 13184]]

SUMMARY: The Administration on Aging (AoA) is announcing that the 
proposed collection of information listed below has been submitted to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Submit written comments on the collection of information by 
April 22, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information to 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, New Executive 
Office Bldg., 725 17th St. NW., rm. 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attn: 
Allison Herron Eydt, Desk Officer for AoA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Bunoski, Office of Evaluation, 
Administration on Aging, Room 344G, Hubert Humphrey Building, 200 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20201, (202) 260-0669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with 44 U.S.C. 3507, AoA has 
submitted the following proposed collection of information to OMB for 
review and clearance.
    Title of Information Collection: National Outcome Measures Surveys 
of Older Americans Act (OAA) Clients.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Use: Consumer assessment data will be collected in this initial set 
of surveys to initiate national program outcome assessment consistent 
with the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act and 
the Older Americans Act.
    Frequency: One-time.
    Respondents: Elderly individuals who have received selected 
services under Title 3 of the Older Americans Act.
    The Administration on Aging is submitting to the Office of 
Management and Budget for approval the National Outcome Measures 
Surveys of Older Americans Act (OAA) Clients, pursuant to requirements 
set forth by congressional statute. Through a contract with WESTAT, 
Inc., AoA will draw samples of individuals served through Area Agencies 
on Aging across the country for the purpose of obtaining OAA program 
service assessments from these individuals. The surveys will utilize 
information collection instruments and methods developed and tested by 
experts in the field of gerontology and by State and local entities 
that administer OAA programs. The surveys will include assessments from 
among the following service categories: nutrition, transportation, 
caregiver support, home-care, and information and assistance.
    AoA estimates the burden of this collection of information as 
follows:
    Estimated Number of Responses: 3,500.
    Total Estimated Burden Hours: 2,000.
    In the Federal Register of December 3, 2001, Volume 66, Number 
3232, Page 60214, the agency requested comments on the proposed 
collection of information. Two comments from one commenter were 
received.
    In a letter dated January 22, 2002, Patricia P. Pine, Ph.D., 
Director of the New York State Office for the Aging, made the following 
recommendations:
    Comment: ``We strongly recommend that the Performance Outcomes 
Measures project demonstrations funded by the AoA be extended for at 
least one more year. This would allow the participating state and area 
agencies on aging to collect more information and to address validity 
and reliability issues that have emerged or could emerge during the 
current demonstrations.''
    Response: The Administration on Aging has not yet made a decision 
regarding additional funding for the current fiscal year, but is 
reviewing options that will include such funding.
    Comment: ``The proposed national survey instruments should retain 
only those measures that are relevant to each service category. This 
would minimize the burden on frail elderly clients. For example, the 
social functioning measure should be applied to clients who are in the 
relevant service populations, although this measure does not appear to 
be relevant to home-care clients.''
    Response: As part of the normal review of performance measures each 
year, the nutrition workgroup has begun to address the issue of the 
pertinence of particular measures of social functioning to the 
population being surveyed. For example, we are revising the social 
functioning questionnaire for use with clients who receive home-
delivered meals. While we will still ask several questions about 
individuals' frequency of social contacts, we will no longer ask other 
questions of home-bound individuals concerning their activities outside 
the house. When this task is completed, a modified social functioning 
questionnaire, appropriate for home-care clients, will be available.

    Dated: March 13, 2002.
Josefina G. Carbonell,
Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 02-6785 Filed 3-20-02; 8:45 am]
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