[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 93 (Monday, May 16, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25835-25836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-9677]


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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 (Pub. L. 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.

[[Page 25836]]

Proposed Project: Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency 
(CARE) Act Title I Grant Application Information Supplements: NEW

    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 571,000 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. Title I under 
the CARE Act provides emergency assistance to eligible metropolitan 
areas (EMAs) that have been most severely affected by the HIV epidemic, 
for the purpose of developing or enhancing a continuum of high quality, 
community-based care for low-income individuals and families. HRSA 
disburses approximately one-half of the Title I funds among 51 EMAs 
based on a congressionally-mandated formula. The remaining funds are 
available on a competitive basis to those same EMAs that demonstrate 
severe need for supplemental assistance to combat the HIV epidemic, and 
an ability to disburse and use supplemental resources in a manner that 
is immediately responsive to the local epidemic and cost effective.
    The CARE Act requires local planning councils to establish Title I 
priorities and allocate funds, taking into account critical factors. 
These include the: size and demographics of the local HIV epidemic; 
demonstrated (or probable) cost effectiveness and outcome effectiveness 
of proposed strategies and interventions; priorities of the communities 
with HIV disease for whom the services are intended; coordination of 
HIV care services delivery with HIV prevention programs and programs 
for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse; availability of 
other governmental and nongovernmental resources; and capacity 
development needs resulting from disparities in the availability of 
treatment and services in underserved communities. Other planning 
council duties include developing a comprehensive plan for the delivery 
of services and evaluating the effectiveness of administrative 
mechanisms used by the grantee to disburse (contract) the funds 
locally.
    The Title I Grant Application Information Supplements have been 
designed to collect information from EMAs in a consistent, standard way 
when they apply for new or competing continuation grant funds in a 
combined formula and supplemental grant application. This information 
is needed to determine that funds are being used as intended by the 
Congress and in compliance with CARE Act mandates, and that 
supplemental funds are awarded to grantees on the basis of objective 
criteria consistent with CARE Act requirements. This includes 
requirements that grantees demonstrate: (a) Severity of need for 
emergency assistance to combat the HIV epidemic, including the unmet 
needs of persons who know their HIV status but are not yet in care, 
(Information Supplements 1, 4 and 5); (b) a functioning planning 
council that is in conformance with statutory membership requirements 
and carrying out mandated duties and responsibilities, (Information 
Supplement 2); (c) an ability to use Title I grant resources in a 
manner that is immediately responsive to the local epidemic and cost 
effective, and in compliance with payer of last resort, maintenance of 
effort and related requirements, (Information Supplements 3 and 6); and 
(d) a comprehensive plan for the delivery of HIV/AIDS care services 
that is responsive to the local epidemic and unmet needs, (Information 
Supplements 7 and 8).
    In addition, HRSA will use 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 I Application Information Supplements will be transmitted 
by mail and electronically to all Title I EMAs and made available 
through the HRSA Web site. Applicants will submit the Information 
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 Information Supplements will include check box responses; 
fields for reporting numeric fiscal and epidemiological data; and text 
boxes for describing other required information. The Information 
Supplements will automatically generate totals when appropriate, and 
have other automated fields to minimize the time required to insert 
identifying information.
    The Information Supplements will require Title I applicants/
grantees to report local epidemiological information and some fiscal 
and programmatic data collected from Title I 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 respondents     responses per   Total number of     Hours per     Estimated total
                                                  grantee         responses         response       hour burden
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51..........................................               1               51               16              816
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    Send comments to Susan G. Queen, PhD, HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer, Room 10-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 day of this 
notice.

    Dated: May 10, 2005.
Tina M. Cheatham,
Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.
[FR Doc. 05-9677 Filed 5-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P