[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40311-40312]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14612]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Request for New Information Collection for a Program 
Instruction on Guidance for the Development and Submission of State 
Plans on Aging, State Plan Amendments and the Intrastate Funding 
Formula

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, U.S. Administration on 
Aging, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL)/U.S. 
Administration on Aging (AoA) is announcing an opportunity for public 
comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the 
agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal 
agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each 
proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to 
allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice 
solicits comments on the template that will be used to prepare the 
information collection requirements contained in the Program 
Instruction on Guidance for the Development and Submission of State 
Plans on Aging, State Plan Amendments and the Intrastate Funding 
Formula.

DATES: Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of 
information by August 22, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information 
to: [email protected]. Submit written comments on the collection of 
information to Greg Link, Administration for Community Living, 
Washington, DC 20201, or by fax to (202) 205-0405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Link at (202) 795-7386 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal 
agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. 
``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 
1320.3(c) and includes agency request or requirements that members of 
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a 
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) 
requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including 
each proposed extension, or update, of an existing collection of 
information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, ACL is publishing notice of the proposed 
collection of information set forth in this document. With respect to 
the following collection of information, ACL invites comments on: (1) 
Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of ACL's functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of ACL's 
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) 
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on

[[Page 40312]]

respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.
    To be eligible to receive a formula grant under Section 307 (a) of 
the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965, as amended, each State Unit on 
Aging (SUA) is required to develop a State Plan on Aging that conforms 
to requirements and priorities outlined by the Assistant Secretary for 
Aging. Such plans are required, by statute, to be completed by each 
state and territory every two, three or four years. States with current 
two- or three-year plans may request an extension, or may amend their 
current plans if needed; however, at the end of a four-year plan, 
states must develop a new plan. There is no statutory authority to 
extend a plan beyond a four-year period.
    State plans must address key objectives and focus areas as 
articulated by the Assistant Secretary for Aging. Objectives and focus 
areas may change periodically in accordance with the evolution of 
policies and practices pertaining to the provision of home and 
community-based supportive services to older adults and their family 
caregivers. Additionally, state plans must include specific assurances 
that the state will carry out certain activities in accordance with the 
OAA. Finally, states are required to develop (or revise) and submit an 
Intrastate Funding Formula (IFF), detailing how Federal funds made 
available under the OAA will be disbursed throughout the state. The 
information submitted to ACL/AoA via the state plan is used for Federal 
oversight of Title III and VII programs, ensuring that OAA funds are 
serving as a base for a broader system of long-term services and 
supports for older adults in the state and that funds are being 
targeted in accordance with the requirements of the Act.
    With respect to targeting, LGBT advocates are urging ACL to require 
states, in their state plans, to provide assurances that they will 
assess all groups that may be eligible for designation as a ``greatest 
social need'' population and expressly include LGBT older adults as one 
of those groups whose needs must be assessed by the State Unit on 
Aging. Additionally, the recently reauthorized OAA directs the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging to issue guidance for conducting outreach 
to, and serving, Holocaust survivors. In this regard, ACL wants to know 
whether the targeting guidance as articulated on pages 5-6 of the 
template is feasible and likely to ensure maximum inclusion of all 
populations of seniors, including older American Indians, LGBT seniors, 
Holocaust survivors living in the U.S., and other isolated groups of 
older adults. To that end, comments are specifically requested on the 
extent to which the direction provided is sufficient for states to 
fully assess the existence of, and develop plans for serving, these 
individuals and their families. If commenters believe the proposed 
direction is insufficient, this solicitation requests comments 
containing the specific guidance desired as well as the practical means 
and data available to implement said guidance, direction and 
requirements for states.
    When completed annually by ACL/AoA staff, the template presented 
here for comment will yield a Program Instruction containing the 
necessary information states need to develop and submit their state 
plans on aging. ACL/AoA estimates the burden of this data collection as 
follows: approximately one third (\1/3\) of the 56 State Units on Aging 
(or approximately 18 states per year) submit a new state plan in a 
given year. Estimates as to the amount of time it takes to prepare and 
submit a state plan vary greatly. Recent feedback from states indicates 
that, on average, it takes a state approximately 750 hours to prepare 
and submit a state plan on aging. The proposed Program Instruction 
template may be found on the ACL Web site for review at: http://www.aoa.acl.gov/AoA_Programs/OAA/Aging_Network/pi/PI-Template.aspx.

    Dated: June 14, 2016.
Kathy Greenlee,
Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2016-14612 Filed 6-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4154-01-P