[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71110-71111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31428]


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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 the 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 (Public Law 104-13), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) publishes periodic summaries of proposed projects 
being developed for submission to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more 
information on the proposed grant information collection activity or to 
obtain a copy of the data collection plan and draft instruments, call 
the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer at (301) 443-1129.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for proper performance of grantee functions 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the burden estimate 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 
information collection burden on respondents, including the use of 
automated collection methods or other types of information technology.

Proposed Project: Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency 
(CARE) Act Title II Grant Application Supplements: In Use Without 
Approval

    The CARE Act (codified under Title XXVI of the Public Health 
Service Act) was first enacted by Congress in 1990, and reauthorized in 
1996 and 2000. It addresses the unmet health needs of persons living 
with HIV disease by funding primary health care and support services 
that enhance access to and retention in care. The CARE Act funded 
services reach over 500,000 individuals; after Medicaid and Medicare, 
it is the largest single source of Federal funding for HIV/AIDS care 
for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured Americans. The Title II 
Care Grant Program (CGP) provides formula grants to all 50 States; the 
District of Columbia; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; the Territories 
of the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa; the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated 
States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Funding 
is disbursed to these grantees by HRSA based on a Congressionally 
mandated formula.
    The purpose of the Title II CGP is to assist States and Territories 
in developing and/or enhancing access to a comprehensive continuum of 
high quality, community based care for low-income individuals and 
families living with HIV. Grantees may allocate funds to five 
legislatively authorized program components: (1) HIV Care Consortia, to 
provide comprehensive outpatient health and support services, such as 
early intervention services, outpatient medical care, case management, 
substance abuse treatment, mental health services, transportation; (2)

[[Page 71111]]

Home- and Community-Based Care; (3) Health-Insurance Continuation, 
including risk pools; (4) Provision of Treatments for HIV disease or to 
prevent the serious deterioration of health arising from HIV disease; 
and (5) State Direct Services, which are HIV/AIDS outpatient health or 
support service provided through State delivery mechanisms determined 
by the grantee to be more effective than providing the service(s) 
through consortia.
    The Title II Grant Application Supplements have been designed to 
collect information from States and Territories in a consistent, 
standard way when they apply for a grant. This information is needed to 
determine that funds are being used as intended by the Congress and in 
compliance with CARE Act mandates. This includes requirements that 
grantees: (a) Obligate Title II funds quickly, closely monitor their 
use, and ensure that they are used as the payer of last resort 
(Supplement 1); (b) satisfy the Maintenance of Effort requirement and 
ensure that Title II funds are used to supplement, and not supplant, 
existing State expenditures for HIV-related care and treatment services 
(Supplement 2); (c) include a determination of the size and 
demographics of the population of people living with HIV in the State/
Territory (Supplement 3); and (d) have prepared a comprehensive plan 
describing the organization and delivery of HIV health care and support 
services to be funded under Title II that is based on the size and 
demographics of the population of individuals with HIV and their needs, 
the availability of other non-governmental and governmental resources 
(including Medicaid and SCHIP), any capacity development needs 
resulting from disparities in the availability of HIV-related services 
in historically underserved communities and rural communities, and the 
efficiency of the administrative mechanism of the State for rapidly 
allocating funds to areas of greatest need within the State/Territory).
    In addition, HRSA uses the collected information as a benchmark for 
monitoring grantee performance during the fiscal year; to identify 
individual and cross cutting grantee technical assistance needs; and to 
detect emerging HIV/AIDS care services issues that may require changes 
in existing program policies or procedures.
    The Title II Application Supplements will be transmitted by mail 
and electronically to all States and Territories and made available 
through the HRSA web site. Applicants will submit the Supplements 
electronically along with Form PHS-5161-1 (Revised 7/00), SF-424 and 
the program narrative portion of their application, using the Grants 
Management electronic transmission mechanisms established by HRSA. The 
Supplements will include check box responses; fields for reporting 
numeric fiscal and epidemiological data; and text boxes for describing 
other required information. The Supplements will automatically generate 
totals when appropriate, and have other automated fields to minimize 
the time required to insert identifying information.
    The Supplements will require Title II applicants/grantees to report 
local epidemiological information and some fiscal and programmatic data 
collected from Title II funded contractors (sub-grantees), which 
grantees have been collecting and reporting since FY 1995 or earlier. 
The approximate response burden for applicants/grantees is estimated 
as:

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                                          Estimated
     Estimated number of grantee        responses  per    Total number of       Hours per       Estimated total
             respondents                   grantee           responses           response         hour burden
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59..................................                 1                 59                  8                472
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    Send comments to Susan G. Queen, PhD, HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer, Room 14-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this 
notice.

    Dated: December 16, 2003.
Tina M. Cheatham,
Acting Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. 03-31428 Filed 12-19-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P