[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 131 (Friday, July 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44642-44643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16227]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; 30-Day Comment Request National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Programs; Office of the 
Director (OD)

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the Division of Loan Repayment (DLR), the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the 
information collection listed below. This proposed information 
collection was previously published in the Federal Register on February 
19, 2016, and page numbers 8514-8516, and allowed 60 days for public 
comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this notice 
is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The NIH may not 
conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, 
an information collection that has been extended, revised, or 
implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-6974, 
Attention: NIH Desk Officer.
    Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days 
of the date of this publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain a copy of the data 
collection plans and instruments or request more information on the 
proposed project contact: Steve Boehlert, Director of Operations, 
Division of Loan Repayment, National Institutes of Health, 6011 
Executive Blvd., Room 206 (MSC 7650), Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7650. 
Mr. Boehlert may be contacted via email at [email protected] or by 
calling 301-451-4465. Formal requests for additional plans and 
instruments must be requested in writing.
    Proposed Collection: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan 
Repayment Programs (LRP). Type of Information Collection Request: 
Revision of a currently approved collection (OMB No. 0925-0361, 
expiration date 06/30/17). Form Numbers: NIH 2674-1, NIH 2674-2, NIH 
2674-3, NIH 2674-4, NIH 2674-5, NIH 2674-6, NIH 2674-7, NIH 2674-8, NIH 
2674-9, NIH 2674-10, NIH 2674-11, NIH 2674-12, NIH 2674-13, NIH 2674-
14, NIH 2674-15, NIH 2674-16, NIH 2674-17, NIH 2674-18, NIH 2674-19, 
and NIH 2674-20 (new).
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The NIH makes available 
financial assistance, in the form of educational loan repayment, to 
M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D., Psy.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., D.C., 
N.D., O.D., D.V.M., or equivalent degree holders who perform biomedical 
or behavioral research in NIH intramural laboratories or as extramural 
grantees or scientists funded by domestic non-profit organizations for 
a minimum of two years (three years for the General Research LRP) in 
research areas supporting the mission and priorities of the NIH.
    The AIDS Research Loan Repayment Program (AIDS-LRP) is authorized 
by section 487A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288-1); the 
Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from 
Disadvantaged Backgrounds (CR-LRP) is authorized by section 487E (42 
U.S.C. 288-5); the General Research Loan Repayment Program (GR-LRP) is 
authorized by section 487C of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
288-3); the Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program (LRP-CR) is 
authorized by section 487F (42 U.S.C. 288-5a); the Pediatric Research 
Loan Repayment Program (PR-LRP) is authorized by

[[Page 44643]]

section 487F (42 U.S.C. 288-6); the Extramural Clinical Research LRP 
for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (ECR-LRP) is authorized 
by an amendment to section 487E (42 U.S.C. 288-5); the Contraception 
and Infertility Research LRP (CIR-LRP) is authorized by section 487B 
(42 U.S.C. 288-2); and the Health Disparities Research Loan Repayment 
Program (HD-LRP) is authorized by section 485G (42 U.S.C. 287c-33).
    The Loan Repayment Programs can repay up to $35,000 per year toward 
a participant's extant eligible educational loans, directly to 
financial institutions. The information proposed for collection will be 
used by the Division of Loan Repayment to determine an applicant's 
eligibility for participation in the program.
    Frequency of Response: Initial application and one- or two-year 
renewal application.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Nonprofits; and 
Businesses or other for-profit.
    Type of Respondents: Physicians, other scientific or medical 
personnel, and institutional representatives.
    Questions, required information, and requested documents remain 
largely unchanged. Improvements were made to the structure and 
appearance of online forms to provide applicants with a better user 
experience. Recommenders will no longer be asked to complete a 
recommendation form, but to write a reference letter that comments on 
the research skills and the abilities of the applicant. A general 
eligibility checklist (NIH 2674-20) was added at the start of the 
application to reduce the likelihood of ineligible individuals working 
through the application only to learn of their disqualification after 
submitting the application. Redundant questions or statements were 
eliminated. OMB approval is requested for 3 years. There are no costs 
to respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized 
burden hours are 33,242.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of       number of        Average      Annual burden
               Type of respondent                   respondents    responses per   burden  hours       hours
                                                                    respondent     per  response     requested
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intramural LRPs
Initial Applicants..............................              40               1              10             400
Advisors/Supervisors............................              40               1               1              40
Recommenders....................................             120               1           30/60              60
Financial Institutions..........................               8               1           15/60               2
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal....................................             208  ..............  ..............             502
Extramural LRPs
Initial Applicants..............................           1,650               1              11          18,150
Advisors/Supervisors............................           1,480               1               1           1,480
Recommenders....................................           4,950               1           30/60           2,475
Financial Institutions..........................             100               1           15/60              25
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal....................................           8,180  ..............  ..............          22,130
Intramural LRPs
Renewal Applicants..............................              40               1               7             280
Advisors/Supervisors............................              40               1               2              80
    Subtotal....................................              80  ..............  ..............             360
Extramural LRPS
Renewal Applicants..............................           1,000               1               8           8,000
Advisors/Supervisors............................             750               1               1             750
Recommenders....................................           3,000               1           30/60           1,500
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal....................................           4,750  ..............  ..............          10,250
        Total...................................          13,218  ..............  ..............          33,242
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    Dated: July 1, 2016.
Lawrence A. Tabak,
Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2016-16227 Filed 7-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P