[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4270-4271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1437]


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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 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 project or to obtain a copy of the data 
collection plans and draft instruments, call the HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer on (301) 443-1129.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is 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

[[Page 4271]]

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: The Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program: 
Physician's Certification of Borrower's Total and Permanent Disability 
Form (OMB No. 0915-0204): Extension

    The Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) program provided 
federally-insured loans to students of allopathic medicine, osteopathic 
medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatric 
medicine, pharmacy, public health, allied health, or chiropractic, and 
graduate students in health administration or clinical psychology 
through September 30, 1998. Eligible lenders, such as banks, savings 
and loan associations, credit unions, pension funds, State agencies, 
HEAL schools, and insurance companies, make new refinanced HEAL loans 
which are insured by the Federal Government against loss due to 
borrower's death, disability, bankruptcy, and default. The basic 
purpose of the program was to assure the availability of funds for 
loans to eligible students who needed to borrow money to pay for their 
educational loans. Currently, the program monitors the federal 
liability, and assists in default prevention activities.
    The HEAL borrower, the borrower's physician, and the holder of the 
loan complete the Physician's Certification form to certify that the 
HEAL borrower meets the total and permanent disability provisions. The 
Department uses this form to obtain detailed information about 
disability claims which includes the following: (1) The borrower's 
consent to release medical records to the Department of Health and 
Human Services and to the holder of the borrower's HEAL loans; (2) 
pertinent information supplied by the certifying physician; (3) the 
physician's certification that the borrower is unable to engage in any 
substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable 
impairment that is expected to continue for a long and indefinite 
period of time or to result in death; and, (4) information from the 
lender on the unpaid balance. Failure to submit the required 
documentation will result in disapproval of a disability claim. No 
changes have been made to the current form.
    The estimate of burden for the Physician's Certification form is as 
follows:

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                                                                                     Hours per
           Respondent                Number of     Responses per       Total         response      Total burden
                                    respondents     respondent       responses       (minutes)         hours
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Borrower........................              80               1              80               5               7
Physician.......................              80               1              80              30              40
Loan Holder.....................              17               5              85              10              14
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    Total.......................             177  ..............             425  ..............              61
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    Send comments to Susan G. Queen, Ph.D., HRSA Reports Clearance 
Officer, Room 10-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, 
MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this 
notice.

    Dated: January 24, 2007.
Caroline Lewis,
Acting Associate Administrator for Administration and Financial 
Management.
 [FR Doc. E7-1437 Filed 1-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P