[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 60 (Thursday, March 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18988-18989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07190]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources

[[Page 18989]]

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, email 
[email protected] or call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer at (301) 
443-1984.
    HRSA especially requests comments on: (1) The necessity and utility 
of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of 
the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden, (3) 
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected, and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology to minimize the information 
collection burden.
    Information Collection Request Title: The Health Education 
Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program: Physician's Certification of Borrower's 
Total and Permanent Disability Form (OMB No. 0915-0204)-Extension
    Abstract: The Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) program 
provided federally-insured loans to students in schools 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, made 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.
    Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide the 
information requested. 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. The total annual burden hours estimated for 
this Information Collection Request are summarized in the table below.
    The annual estimate of burden is as follows:

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                                                                                  Number of                           Average burden
                    Type of respondent                         Number of        responses per     Total responses    per response (in     Total burden
                                                              respondents         respondent                              hours)             hours
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Borrower.................................................                 75                  1                 75                .08                  6
Physician................................................                 75                  1                 75                 .5                 38
Holder of Loan...........................................                 13                  6                 78                .17                 13
    Total................................................                163  .................                228  .................                 57
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ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Reports Clearance Officer, Room 10-29, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.
    Deadline: Comments on this Information Collection Request must be 
received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: March 20, 2013.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-07190 Filed 3-27-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P