[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44800-44802]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20460]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities; Public Comment Request; 
Redesign of Existing Data Collection; National Survey of Older 
Americans Act Participants

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing an 
opportunity for the public to 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 a 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 a proposed 
revision to an existing data collection related to the National Survey 
of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP)(ICR Rev).

DATES: Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of 
information by November 27, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information 
to: [email protected].
    Submit written comments on the collection of information to: U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community 
Living, Washington, DC 20201, Attention: Heather Menne.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Menne by telephone: (202) 795-
7733 or by email: [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 requests 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 the above requirement, ACL is publishing a notice of 
the proposed revision of a currently approved 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 respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques when 
appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Purpose

    The purpose of this data collection is to fulfill requirements of 
the Older Americans Act and the Government Performance and Results 
Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) and related program performance 
activities. Section 202(a)(16) of the OAA requires the collection of 
statistical data regarding the programs and activities carried out with 
funds provided under the OAA and Section 207(a) directs the Assistant 
Secretary for Aging to prepare and submit a report to the President and 
Congress based on those data. Section 202(f) directs the Assistant 
Secretary to develop a set of performance measures for planning, 
managing, and evaluating activities performed and services provided 
under the OAA. Requirements pertaining to the measurement and 
evaluation of the impact of all programs authorized by the OAA are 
described in section 206(a). The National Survey of Older Americans Act 
Participants (NSOAAP) is one source of data used to develop and report 
performance outcome measures and measure program effectiveness in 
achieving the stated goals of the OAA.
    The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP) 
information collection will include consumer assessment surveys for the 
Congregate and Home-delivered meal nutrition programs; Case Management, 
Homemaker, and Transportation Services; and the National Family 
Caregiver Support Program. This survey builds on earlier national pilot 
studies and surveys, as well as performance measurement tools developed 
by ACL grantees in the Performance Outcomes Measures Project (POMP). 
This information will be used by ACL to track performance outcome 
measures; support budget requests; comply with the GPRA Modernization 
Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) reporting requirements; provide national benchmark 
information; and inform program development and management initiatives.

Revisions

    With the exception of changes to selected questions (e.g., addition 
of questions about oral health in 2014), the NSOAAP has been collected 
in its current form since 2008. This proposed collection is a revision 
that will replace the currently approved version (OMB Control Number: 
0985-0023) by transitioning from a cross-sectional survey to a 
longitudinal survey. The current National Survey of Older Americans Act 
Participants (NSOAAP), an exclusively cross-sectional survey, can 
transition to a longitudinal information collection component by 
establishing a baseline cohort and conducting follow-up interviews with 
that cohort at specified time intervals. A baseline cohort can be 
selected in the same manner as in prior cycles of the cross-sectional 
NSOAAP. Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) would be selected with a 
probability proportional to their size, with some large AAAs sampled 
with certainty. Random samples of clients within each selected AAA will 
be sampled from the agencies' client lists. However, in a change from 
current procedures, the target sample size would be increased from 
current standards (n=6000) to account for attrition of individuals over 
time. For the duration of the longitudinal cohort analysis, the same 
sample of AAAs and clients should be maintained to preserve the 
longitudinal nature of the study. Three strategies are key for 
transforming the current survey into a longitudinal study, while 
preserving the ability to produce nationally representative cross-
sectional estimates of client characteristics at each wave. The three 
strategies include: (1) A higher initial sample size (n=6600), (2) an 
intensive

[[Page 44801]]

operational campaign to keep track of respondents over time, and (3) 
limiting the number of waves for each cohort study (e.g., three waves 
are proposed).
    The factors that influenced the proposed revision of the NSOAAP, 
include:
    (1) The need to minimize reporting burden on the AAAs by only 
having AAAs provide client lists for the initial data collection (as 
there would be no need to re-contact the AAAs until such time as a new 
longitudinal cohort would be established);
    (2) the opportunity to incorporate selected new questions and 
topics of interest based on public comment and the input from an expert 
workgroup comprised of gerontologists, survey methodologists, and OAA 
program experts;
    (3) the ability to provide more precise estimates of changes over 
time in measured quantities than repeated cross-sectional studies with 
the same sample size;
    (4) the ability to track certain types of attrition as outcomes 
(e.g., client transitions from independent living to group quarters; a 
client dies, a client no longer uses a service because of moving in 
with a family member);
    (5) the ability to examine changes in the natural history of 
physical functioning and health and how these outcomes relate to 
patterns of service utilization over the three annual data collections 
(e.g., to what extent do clients increase or decrease the use of 
services over time and what indicators are associated with the change 
in services?); and
    (6) the opportunity to add a rotating topical module in waves 2 and 
3 to collect information on emerging issues (e.g., nutrition; health 
care access; or client experiences with discrimination based on age, 
sexual orientation, race, or other characteristics) and provide a 
broader picture of the types of individuals receiving OAA services.

Burden Estimate

    The proposed NSOAAP revision reduces the estimated average hour 
burden per respondent by 11% compared to the current NSOAAP due to the 
proposed change of a longitudinal data collection in which Area 
Agencies on Aging need only provide client lists in the first of three 
years of data collection (compared to annually in the current cross-
sectional data collection). Limited expansions in data elements are 
found in the Family Caregiver Survey. The proposal includes the 
addition of new questions about caregiving and the well-being of the 
caregiver. Across the OAA services, greater detail regarding falls, 
life changes, and social integration are proposed; for clients of Case 
Management Services, Congregate Nutrition, Home-delivered Nutrition, 
Homemaker Services, and Transportation Services, greater detail about 
food security is proposed. The ACL also seeks the opportunity to: (1) 
Introduce unique topical modules in waves 2 and 3 to collect 
information on emerging issues such as nutrition, health care access, 
or client experiences with discrimination based on age, sexual 
orientation, race, or other characteristics, and (2) conduct brief 
informant follow-up interviews in waves 2 and 3 when baseline 
respondents are unreachable.
    Taken as a whole, the proposed reductions exceed the proposed 
increases in data burden. The proposed information collection 
instruments may be found on the ACL Web site under Proposed Revisions 
for National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP), 
available at: https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input.
    The estimated average hour burden per respondent for the Redesigned 
NSOAAP will change from the 0.80 hour estimate in 2017 to 0.71 hours, a 
decrease due to the proposed change of a longitudinal data collection 
in which Area Agencies on Aging need only provide client lists in the 
first of three years of data collection (compared to annually in the 
current cross-sectional data collection). ACL estimates the burden of 
this revised collection of information as follows:

                                    Table--Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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  Respondent/data collection      Number of       Responses per                                    Annual burden
           activity              respondents        respondent       Average hours per  response       hours
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                                                    Baseline
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Area Agency on Aging:                     250  1..................  4.0.........................           1,000
 Respondent selection process.
Service Recipients (i.e.,               4,400  1..................  .6667.......................           2,933
 Case Management; Congregate
 Nutrition; Home-delivered
 Nutrition; Homemaker;
 Transportation).
National Family Caregiver               2,200  1..................  .6667.......................           1,467
 Support Program Clients.
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                                                     Year 2
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Area Agency on Aging:                       0  0..................  0...........................               0
 Respondent selection process.
Service Recipients (i.e.,               4,200  1..................  .6667.......................           2,800
 Case Management; Congregate
 Nutrition; Home-delivered
 Nutrition; Homemaker;
 Transportation).
National Family Caregiver               2,100  1..................  .6667.......................           1,400
 Support Program Clients.
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                                                     Year 3
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Area Agency on Aging:                       0  0..................  0...........................               0
 Respondent selection process.
Service Recipients (i.e.,               4,000  1..................  .6667.......................           2,667
 Case Management; Congregate
 Nutrition; Home-delivered
 Nutrition; Homemaker;
 Transportation).
National Family Caregiver               2,000  1..................  .6667.......................           1,333
 Support Program Clients.
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    Total....................          19,150  Varies.............  .710 (weighted mean)........          13,600
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[[Page 44802]]

    Dated: September 19, 2017.
Lance Robertson,
Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2017-20460 Filed 9-25-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4154-01-P