[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 128 (Thursday, July 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31333-31334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14211]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

 [Document Identifier 0990-0421-30D]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Public Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services, 
has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. 
The ICR is for revision of the approved information collection assigned 
OMB control number 0990-0421, scheduled to expire on July 31, 2017. 
Comments submitted during the first public review of this ICR will be 
provided to OMB. OMB will accept further comments from the public on 
this ICR during the review and approval period.

DATES: Comments on the ICR must be received on or before August 7, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or via 
facsimile to (202) 395-5806.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sherrette Funn, [email protected] 
or (202) 795-7714.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the document identifier 0990-0421-30D for 
reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: ASPE Generic Clearance for 
the

[[Page 31334]]

Collection of Qualitative Research and Assessment.
    OMB No.: 0990-0421.
    Abstract: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Evaluation (ASPE) is requesting an extension for their generic 
clearance for purposes of conducting qualitative research. ASPE 
conducts qualitative research to gain a better understanding of 
emerging health and human services policy issues, develop future 
intramural and extramural research projects, and to ensure HHS 
leadership, agencies and offices have recent data and information to 
inform program and policy decision-making. ASPE is requesting approval 
for at least four types of qualitative research which include, but are 
not limited to: (a) Interviews, (b) focus groups, (c) questionnaires, 
and (d) other qualitative methods.
    ASPE's mission is to advise the Secretary of the Department of 
Health and Human Services on policy development in health, disability, 
human services, data, and science, and provides advice and analysis on 
economic policy. ASPE leads special initiatives, coordinates the 
Department's evaluation, research and demonstration activities, and 
manages cross-Department planning activities such as strategic 
planning, legislative planning, and review of regulations. Integral to 
this role, ASPE will use this mechanism to conduct qualitative 
research, evaluation, or assessment, conduct analyses, and understand 
needs, barriers, or facilitators for HHS-related programs.
    ASPE is requesting comment on the burden for qualitative research 
aimed at understanding emerging health and human services policy 
issues. The goal of developing these activities is to identify emerging 
issues and research gaps to ensure the successful implementation of HHS 
programs. The participants may include health and human services 
experts; national, state, and local health or human services 
representatives; public health, human services, or healthcare 
providers; and representatives of other health or human services 
organizations. The increase in burden from 747 in 2014 to 1,500 
respondents in 2017 reflects an increase in the number of research 
projects conducted over the estimate in 2014.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The information collected 
for qualitative policy research and assessment will be used by ASPE to 
develop future intramural and extramural research projects and to shape 
emerging health and human services policy issues for HHS leadership, 
agencies, and offices. The end purpose is to obtain broad and diverse 
perspectives on public health, human service, and health care issues to 
understand emerging issues, promising practices by innovative programs 
or organizations funded by HHS, or examining health or human service 
policy issues that have as yet gone unanswered or need further 
examination. Additionally, ASPE will collect, analyze, and interpret 
information gathered through this generic clearance to identify 
strengths and weaknesses of current programs, policies, and services.
    Likely Respondents: Respondents have typically been stakeholders 
from the health and human services fields such as state health 
officers, human service professionals, groups that represent health or 
human services interests or populations, individual experts in the 
fields of health, human services, science, data, or other relevant 
professions, and other individuals and groups relevant to the work 
conducted by ASPE and HHS.
    The total annual burden hours estimated for this ICR are summarized 
in the table below.

                                    Total Estimated Annualized Burden--Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                    Form name                        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)         hours
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Health or Human Services Stakeholder............           2,000               1               1           2,000
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................           2,000               1               1           2,000
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Terry S. Clark,
Asst. Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-14211 Filed 7-5-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-05-P