[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69697-69698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27836]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

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 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) announces plans to submit an Information 
Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks 
comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any 
other aspect of the ICR.

DATES: Comments on this Information Collection Request must be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 10-29, Parklawn 
Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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 
Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the information request collection title 
for reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: Nurse Faculty Loan Program, 
Annual Performance Report Financial Data Form
    OMB No. 0915-0314--REVISION
    Abstract: This clearance request is for approval of the revised 
Nurse Faculty Loan Program, Annual Performance Report (NFLP-APR) 
Financial Data Form. The form is currently approved under OMB Approval 
No: 0915-0314, with an expiration date of March 31, 2014. The form was 
previously titled as the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, Annual Operating 
Report (NFLP-AOR).
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The online NFLP-APR 
Financial Data Form is an online form that exists in the HRSA 
Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) Performance Report module as part of the 
NFLP, Bureau of Health Professions performance report under OMB 
Approval No: 0915-0061, with an expiration date of June 30, 2016. The 
revised NFLP-APR financial data will collect less data from applicants 
and will no longer include nursing student demographic data that was 
previously included. The nursing student demographic data are currently 
collected under OMB approval number 0915-0061. The revised NFLP-APR 
form will only collect financial data to capture the NFLP loan fund 
account activity related to financial receivables, disbursements, and 
borrower account data for employment status, loan cancellation, loan 
repayment, and collections. Participating schools will provide the 
federal government with current and cumulative information on: (1) NFLP 
loan funds received, (2) number and amount of NFLP loans made, (3) 
number and amount of loans collected, (4) number and amount of loans in 
repayment, (5) loan default rate percent, (6) number of NFLP graduates 
employed as nurse faculty, and (7) other related loan fund costs and 
activities.
    Under Title VIII, section 846A of the Public Health Service Act, as 
amended by Public Law 111-148, the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS) enters into an agreement with a school 
of nursing and makes an award to the school. The award is used to 
establish a distinct account for the NFLP loan fund at the school. The 
school of nursing makes loans from the NFLP loan fund account to 
students enrolled full-time or, at the discretion of the Secretary, 
part-time in a master's or doctoral nursing education program that will 
prepare them to become qualified nursing faculty. Following graduation 
from the NFLP lending school, loan recipients may receive up to 85 
percent NFLP loan cancellation over a consecutive 4 year period in 
exchange for service as full-time faculty at a school of nursing. The 
NFLP lending school collects any portion of the loan that is not 
cancelled and any loans that go into repayment and deposits these 
monies into the NFLP loan fund to make additional NFLP loans.
    The school of nursing must keep records of all NFLP loan fund 
transactions. The NFLP-APR financial data form is used to monitor 
grantee performance by collection of information relating to the NFLP 
loan

[[Page 69698]]

fund operations and financial activities for a specified reporting 
period (July 1 through June 30 of the academic year). Participating 
schools are required to complete and submit the NFLP-APR financial data 
form semi-annually.
    The data provided in the form are essential for HRSA to effectively 
monitor the school's use of NFLP funds in accordance with program 
guidelines. Approval of the revised NFLP-APR financial data form will 
facilitate HRSA's current effort to determine future awards to the 
school. The electronic data collection capability will streamline the 
report submission process, enable an efficient annual performance 
review process, and serve as a data repository to facilitate reporting 
on the use of funds and analysis of program outcomes.
    Likely Respondents: Participating NFLP schools are required to 
adhere to reporting requirements.
    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.

                                     Total Estimated Annualized burden hours
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                                                     Number of                    Average burden
            Form name                Number of      respondents        Total       per response    Total burden
                                    respondents   per respondent     responses      (in hours)         hours
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Nurse Faculty Loan Program--                 150               1             150               6             900
 Annual Performance Report
 Financial Data Form............
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    Total burden................             150               1             150               6             900
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    HRSA specifically 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.

    Dated: November 12, 2013.
Bahar Niakan,
Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2013-27836 Filed 11-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P