[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 17 (Thursday, January 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4367-4369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-964]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration (SAMHSA) will publish periodic summaries of 
proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects 
or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the 
SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of 
information are 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

[[Page 4368]]

of automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

Proposed Project: National Evaluation of the Protection and Advocacy 
for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program--NEW

    In recognition that systematic evaluation of this and other 
government programs are an expected practice under both the Government 
Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and the Office of Management and 
Budget's Program Assessment and Rating Tool (PART), the Substance Abuse 
and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health 
Services (CMHS) will conduct an independent evaluation of the PAIMI 
Program. CMHS will employ information that is routinely collected under 
existing program requirements and is also expected to collect new, 
additional data that are also necessary for the conduct of the 
evaluation. [On January 1, each eligible State protection and advocacy 
(P&A) system is required to transmit to the Secretary and head of the 
State Mental Health Agency, in which the system is located, a report 
describing its activities, accomplishments, and expenditures during the 
most recently completed fiscal year. None of the data collection 
activities described above will be redundant with these existing 
reporting requirements.] The evaluation plan includes gathering 
information about the PAIMI program from persons with different 
perspectives. Accordingly, CMHS proposes to proceed with the following 
new data collection activities:
    (1) Survey interviews with the Executive Directors of each of the 
Protection and Advocacy Grantees, as well as other staff whom they may 
ask to join them in these interviews to include:
    a. Characteristics and shared functions between the P&A Governing 
Board and the PAIMI Advisory Council
    b. Processes to establish PAIMI goals and priorities
    c. Federal support of the PAIMI program
    d. Federal oversight of the PAIMI program
    e. Organization and staffing of PAIMI responsibilities within the 
P&A
    f. Procedures for quality management
    g. Background of respondent
    (2) Surveys of and focus groups with persons who receive services 
from PAIMI programs to include:
    a. Access to PAIMI services
    b. Quality of services provided to clients
    c. Satisfaction with services
    d. Background of respondent
    (3) Surveys of the Chairs of the Advisory Councils of each PAIMI 
Grantee to include:
    a. Characteristics and shared functions between the P&A Governing 
Board and the PAIMI Advisory Council
    b. Processes to establish PAIMI goals and priorities and assessment 
of those priorities
    c. Organization and staffing of PAIMI responsibilities within the 
P&A
    d. Quality of services provided to clients
    e. Background of respondent
    (4) Surveys of the Program Directors of State Mental Health 
Authorities to include:
    a. Types of communication between the State Mental Health Authority 
and the PAIMI program
    b. Processes to establish PAIMI goals and priorities and assessment 
of those priorities
    c. Relationship between the State Mental Health Authority and the 
PAIMI program
    d. Role of the PAIMI program in the mental health advocacy 
community
    e. Background of respondent
    (5) Survey of directors of other organizations who are likely to be 
familiar with or collaborate in PAIMI activities in each State; 
including family and consumer groups and other mental health advocacy 
organizations to include:
    a. Types of interaction between the State Mental Health Authority 
and the PAIMI program.
    b. Processes to establish PAIMI goals and priorities and assessment 
of those priorities
    c. Relationship between the organization and the PAIMI program
    d. Access to and quality of services provided to PAIMI recipients
    e. Role of the PAIMI program in the mental health advocacy 
community
    f. Background of respondent
    The PAIMI program has never undergone an independent evaluation. 
The approach being used is to conduct survey interviews with a cross-
section of five primary Stakeholder groups connected to the PAIMI 
program, including Program Directors/staff, Clients/Recipients of 
services, PAIMI Advisory Council Chairs, Directors of State Mental 
Health Authorities, and Directors of Other Mental Health Advocacy 
Organizations in an effort to obtain a representative sample of 
viewpoints about the PAIMI program. The surveys have been developed to 
include questions relevant to each of the respective Stakeholder groups 
named above and range from 22 questions to as many as 88 questions. 
Depending on the Stakeholder group, respondent surveys are expected to 
take from thirty minutes up to two hours to complete.
    The burden estimate for conducting the surveys under the evaluation 
plan for the PAIMI Program is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   Burden per
                    Surveys                        Number of     Responses per      response       Total burden
                                                  respondents     respondent         (hrs.)           (hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P&A Executive Director Survey.................              57               1              2              114
PAIMI Client Survey...........................             100               1              1.5            150
PAIMI Advisory Council Chair Survey...........              57               1              1               57
State Mental Health Program Directors Survey..              57               1               .5             28.5
Directors of Other Mental Health Advocacy                  171               1               .5             85.5
 Organizations Survey.........................
    Totals....................................             442  ..............  ...............            425
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[[Page 4369]]

    Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 71-1044, One Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857. Written 
comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: January 20, 2006.
Anna Marsh,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
 [FR Doc. E6-964 Filed 1-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P