[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32375-32377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13892]
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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; The Partnership Fund for Program Integrity Innovation
Pilot Idea Template
AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget.
ACTION: Notice and request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM) within OMB
is proposing for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) the following template for pilot idea summaries
submitted to the Partnership Fund for Program Integrity Innovation
(Partnership Fund). This notice announces that OFFM intends to submit
this collection to OMB for approval and solicits comments on specific
aspects for the proposed collection.
The Partnership Fund seeks to identify pilot projects to improve
the service delivery, payment accuracy, and administrative efficiency
of state-administered Federal assistance programs, while also reducing
access barriers for eligible beneficiaries.
The proposed pilot idea summary template is intended for use by
those wishing to submit pilot ideas for consideration. It outlines the
specific information required by the Partnership Fund to make informed
decisions in the pilot selection process. Pilot ideas to advance the
Partnership Fund's goals are being solicited from all stakeholders,
including the general public. The template is currently in use by
Federal agencies based on OMB guidance. If approved under the Paperwork
Reduction Act, it will be used to solicit ideas from stakeholders
outside the Federal government both as a general template and as an
online form for idea solicitations through the Partnership Fund Web
site, http://www.partner4solutions.gov. Currently, general ideas may be
submitted via e-mail to [email protected], or through
http://www.partner4solutions.gov. The Partnership Fund is funded
through FY 2012 and will continue to accept pilot idea proposals on a
rolling basis until funding is exhausted. The Partnership Fund must
comply with a statutory requirement that all pilot projects, when taken
together, be cost neutral.
DATES: All comments on the pilot idea summary template must be in
writing and received by August 5, 2011. Following review and
disposition of public comments on this 60-day notice, OFFM will submit
comments to OMB for review and issue its own 30-day notice to solicit
additional public comments.
ADDRESSES: Due to potential delays in OMB's receipt and processing of
mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service, we encourage respondents to
submit comments electronically to ensure timely receipt. We cannot
guarantee that comments mailed will be received before the comment
closing date.
Comments may be e-mailed to: [email protected]. Please include
the full body of your comments in the text of the electronic message,
as well as in an attachment. Please include your name, title,
organization, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address in
the text of the message. Comments may also be submitted via facsimile
to (202) 395-3242.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please visit our Web site at http://www.partner4solutions.gov or contact Meg Massey at (202) 395-7552 or
[email protected].
[[Page 32376]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Partnership Fund for Program Integrity Innovation (Partnership
Fund) was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010
(Pub. L. 111-117). An appropriation of $32.5 million \1\ provides money
to pilot and evaluate promising innovations that confront these
challenges in Federal, State and/or local administration. The purpose
of the Partnership Fund is to identify and evaluate innovations in
programs jointly administered by Federal and State agencies and in
other program areas where Federal-state cooperation would be
beneficial. OMB coordinates and manages the Partnership Fund for the
purpose of conducting pilot projects that test these innovations. The
pilots will emphasize the Partnership Fund's four goals: service
delivery, program integrity, administrative efficiency, and program
access.
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\1\ The initial FY 2010 appropriation for the Partnership Fund
was for $37.5 million. This appropriation has been reduced to $32.5
million due to a $5 million rescission in Public Law 112-10.
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Ideas submitted by the public are shared with the Collaborative
Forum, a self-directed stakeholder group (http://www.collaborativeforumonline.com) established to fulfill the statutory
requirement that the OMB Director consult with an ``interagency council
of stakeholders'' in determining which pilots will receive Partnership
Fund funding. The Collaborative Forum identifies pilot ideas that show
the greatest potential for meeting the Partnership Fund's four goals
and convenes work groups to further develop these ideas into feasible,
measurable pilot concepts. Collaborative Forum work groups include
state and other stakeholders with relevant expertise. Work groups
produce pilot concept papers describing the goals, methods, resource
requirements, and anticipated outcomes of proposed pilots. Ideas sent
to the Collaborative Forum may be developed into pilot concept papers
to send to OMB for funding consideration.
Federal agencies may also develop ideas into pilot concept papers
that are shared with the Collaborative Forum for consultation. Pilot
concepts are then submitted for funding approval by OMB, which takes
into account the consultation provided by the Collaborative Forum and
by the Partnership Fund's Federal Steering Committee, which consists of
senior policy officials from Federal agencies that administer the major
benefits programs.
Funds for each approved pilot concept are transferred to a lead
Federal agency, which in turn selects specific states, localities, and/
or other relevant entities to participate in the pilot by implementing
specific pilot projects using pilot funds. The lead agency also
conducts a cost-effective evaluation of the pilot projects. Based on
evaluation findings, successful pilots will serve as models for other
states and local agencies. Evaluation results may also be used to
inform future administrative or legislative changes to the affected
programs, including broader implementation of the innovations tested.
Examples of Programs and Pilots: Examples of Federally funded,
state-administered assistance programs relevant to the goals of the
Partnership Fund are listed below. Other programs will also be included
in concept idea submissions.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants
and Children (WIC).
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP--formerly
Food Stamps).
Medicaid.
Unemployment Insurance (UI).
Child Welfare.
Child Care.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Examples of the types of pilots that could be supported include:
Pilots that simplify or streamline processes for
application, eligibility determination, and confirmation of continued
eligibility
Pilots that promote or utilize data matching and
information sharing across programs
Pilots that test integrated applications, screening, and
verification for multiple benefit programs
Components of an ideal pilot are listed below. Not every pilot
concept considered for funding will meet all of these criteria, and the
size and scope of the pilot projects funded may vary widely:
Yield reliable data that can be captured in the pilot
evaluation to suggest replication or expansion and demonstrate how
successfully the pilot meets the Partnership Fund's four goals
Have the potential to be replicated and sustained on a
larger scale
Address multiple elements of the Partnership Fund's four
goals
Address multiple programs and/or otherwise bridge
organizational silos
Yield measurable results in nine to 18 months
Support the statutory requirement that Partnership Fund
pilot projects be cost neutral when looked at as a whole
Current Actions: New collection of information.
Type of Review: New Collection.
Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and
Organizations, State, Local, or Tribal Government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 300.
Frequency of Response: We expect that most respondents will use the
form to submit one idea, while some respondents may submit more than
one idea.
Average minutes per response: 2 hours.
Burden Hours: 600.
Needs and Uses: The template is currently being used by Federal
agencies, per OMB guidance, to submit pilot ideas to the Partnership
Fund for Program Integrity Innovation, and as a useful reference for
other organizations or individuals wishing to submit pilot ideas. If
approved, the template will be made available for use by all agencies,
individuals, and organizations wishing to submit pilot concept
proposals for consideration.
Obligation to respond: Voluntary. However, if Federal agencies wish
to pursue a pilot through the Partnership Fund, they should use this
template.
Nature and extent of confidentiality: All pilot ideas submitted to
the Partnership Fund may be posted on the Collaborative Forum Web site,
http://www.collaborativeforumonline.com, for comment and feedback.
Individuals and organizations that submit ideas, regardless of whether
they elect to use the template, may submit contact information if they
wish to be contacted by the Collaborative Forum about their idea.
Contact information, if submitted, will not be shared or used for any
other purpose.
Privacy Impact Assessment: All ideas submitted to the Partnership
Fund may be posted on the Collaborative Forum Web site for comment and
feedback. The template makes clear that the ideas submitted will be
shared.
Requests for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this
notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB
approval. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the 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
collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity
[[Page 32377]]
of the information to be collected; (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; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of
operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide
information. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose
or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the
time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and
utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting,
validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining
information, and disclosing and providing information; to train
personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information, to
search data sources, to complete and review the collection of
information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
All written comments will be available for public inspection on
Regulations.gov.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.
Debra J. Bond,
Deputy Controller.
PARTNERSHIP FUND FOR PROGRAM INTEGRITY INNOVATION TEMPLATE INSTRUCTIONS
FOR PILOT IDEA SUMMARY
The first step in the Partnership Fund pilot selection process is
the submission of a pilot idea summary. Pilot idea summaries may be
submitted by anyone through the partner4solutions.gov Web site,
www.partner4solutions.gov, or the [email protected] email
address. Pilot ideas may be sent to an independent Collaborative Forum
for further development into more detailed concept papers. OMB consults
with the Federal Steering Committee in selecting pilot concepts and
making funding decisions.
Below are instructions for completing a pilot idea summary.
Completed pilot idea summaries should not be more than two pages in
length.
PARTNERSHIP FUND FOR PROGRAM INTEGRITY INNOVATION PILOT IDEA: Name of
Pilot Idea
1. Pilot Idea: Summarize the idea in 2-3 sentences.
2. Programs Affected:
Which programs are affected, either directly or
indirectly? Ideally, an idea would address multiple programs and bridge
multiple programmatic silos.
Are these federal, state, and/or local programs? An ideal
submission would involved multiple states and/or communities in the
development or eventual implementation of a pilot.
3. Measurable Impacts: How does the pilot impact each of the four
goals of the Partnership Fund? A pilot should address as many of these
goals as possible across multiple programs or test a solution that
could later be applied to multiple programs.
a) Improving payment accuracy
b) Improving administrative efficiency
c) Improving service delivery
d) Reducing access barriers for eligible beneficiaries
4. Expected Outcomes and Measurement Methodologies:
What are the expectations and measures of success in
relation to the four goals?
What are the possible quantitative and qualitative
measures?
Could these outcomes be extrapolated to a larger
environment?
5. Potential Partners or Sponsors:
Which stakeholders and/or key organizations are involved?
Does the proposed pilot have sufficient stakeholder buy-
in? Stakeholders could include federal, state, and local governments,
and non-governmental organizations.
6. Estimated Operating Cost of Pilot:
How much would the pilot cost to implement?
Are there resources of matching or leveraged funds that
could be used to support this pilot?
Is the Partnership Fund the most appropriate funding
source for the pilot? All pilot ideas will be considered, but the
Partnership Fund is targeting ideas that attempt to cut across multiple
programs with multiple objectives, but have struggled to gain footing
in existing program silos.
7. Estimated Impact on Program Costs:
What are the anticipated costs and/or savings for the
various programs involved in the pilot?
If the pilot were to be scaled up, what are the
anticipated costs/savings? Pilot ideas that increase program costs will
be considered, but the Partnership Fund must comply with our statutory
requirement to maintain overall cost neutrality.
8. Pilot Implementation Issues:
Is this pilot idea ready for immediate implementation, or
does it require further refinement?
What is the timeframe in which the pilot would be
conducted? The target time period for conducting the first round of
pilots is 9-18 months.
What are possible implementation barriers (e.g., privacy
issues)?
Is this pilot scalable? Successful ideas will demonstrate
strong external validity and scalability.
Could this pilot be implemented under existing legislative
authorities or mechanisms?
Are any administrative waivers required?
PARTNERSHIP FUND FOR PROGRAM INTEGRITY INNOVATION
PILOT IDEA SUMMARY: Name of Pilot Idea
1. Pilot Idea:
2. Programs Affected:
3. Measurable Impacts:
a) Improving payment accuracy
b) Improving administrative efficiency
c) Improving service delivery
d) Reducing access barriers for beneficiaries
4. Expected Outcomes and Measurement Methodologies:
5. Potential Partners or Sponsors:
6. Estimated Operating Cost of Pilot:
7. Estimated Impact on Program Costs:
8. Pilot Implementation Issues:
[FR Doc. 2011-13892 Filed 6-3-11; 8:45 am]
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