[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56040-56042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25507]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: NURSE 
Corps Loan Repayment Program OMB No. 0915-0140--Revision

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, 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 ICR should be received no later than January 
26, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N39, 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 Lisa Wright-
Solomon, the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 
443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the ICR title for reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: NURSE Corps Loan Repayment 
Program OMB No. 0915-0140-Revision.
    Abstract: The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program (NURSE Corps LRP) 
assists in the recruitment and retention of professional Registered 
Nurses (RNs) by decreasing the financial barriers associated with 
pursuing a nursing education. RNs in this instance include advanced 
practice RNs (e.g., nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse 
anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, and clinical nurse

[[Page 56041]]

specialists) dedicated to working at eligible health care facilities 
with a critical shortage of nurses (i.e., a Critical Shortage Facility) 
or working as nurse faculty in eligible, accredited schools of nursing. 
The NURSE Corps LRP provides loan repayment assistance to these nurses 
to repay a portion of their qualifying educational loans in exchange 
for full-time service at a public or private nonprofit Critical 
Shortage Facility (CSF) or in an eligible, accredited school of 
nursing.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and purpose of 
this information collection is to obtain information regarding NURSE 
Corps LRP applicants and participants to be used to consider an 
applicant for a NURSE Corps LRP contract award and to monitor a 
participant's compliance with the program's service requirements. 
Individuals must submit an application in order to participate in the 
program. The application asks for personal, professional, educational, 
and financial information required to determine the applicant's 
eligibility to participate in the NURSE Corps LRP. The Semi-Annual 
Employment Verification Form asks for personal and employment 
information about the participant to determine if a participant is in 
compliance with the program's service requirements. The Authorization 
to Release Employment Information Form is now a self-certification 
within the NURSE Corps LRP application process, with applicants 
clicking a box.
    This revision to the clearance package will incorporate two new 
forms for participants: (1) The CSF Verification Form, which is used to 
verify transfers to critical shortage facilities not already recorded 
in the online portal; and (2) the NURSE Corps Nurse Faculty Employment 
Verification Form, which asks for personal and employment information 
to specifically determine if nurse faculty participants are eligible to 
transfer to another approved accredited school of nursing.
    Likely Respondents: Professional RNs or advanced practice RNs who 
are interested in participating in the NURSE Corps LRP, and official 
representatives at their service sites.
    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 ICR are summarized in the table below. The change in the 
Authorization to Release Employment Information Form has reduced the 
time necessary for applicants to complete the form from an estimated 
six minutes to around one minute for online applicants. This decreases 
the overall time burden by eliminating a form and not increasing the 
``average'' time required to complete the NURSE Corps LRP application. 
Most applicants fill this form out online by checking a box, bypassing 
the need for the physical form.
    Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours:
    The estimates of reporting burden for Applicants are as follows:

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                                     Number of      Responses/         Total         Hours per     Total burden
           Instrument               respondents     respondents      responses       response          hours
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NURSE Corps LRP Application *...           5,500               1           5,500             2.0          11,000
Authorization to Release                   5,500               1           5,500             .10             550
 Employment Information Form **.
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    Total for Applicants........           5,500               1          11,000            2.10          11,550
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* The burden hours associated with this instrument account for both new and continuation applications.
  Additional (uploaded) supporting documentation is included as part of this instrument and reflected in the
  burden hours.
** The same respondents are completing these instruments.

    The estimates of reporting for Participants are as follows:

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                                     Number of      Responses/         Total         Hours per     Total burden
           Instrument               respondents     respondents      responses       response          hours
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Participant Semi-Annual                    2,300               2           4,600              .5           2,300
 Employment Verification Form...
NURSE Corps CSF.................             550               1             550             .10              55
Verification Form...............
NURSE Corps Nurse Faculty                    250               1             250             .20              50
 Employment Verification Form...
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    Total for Participants......           3,100               4           5,400              .8           2,405
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        Total for Applicants and           8,600  ..............          16,400  ..............         *13,955
         Participants...........
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* The 13,955 figure is a combination of burden hours for applicants and participants. This revision adds two
  forms (the CSF Verification Form and NURSE Corps Nurse Faculty Employment Verification Form). Participants,
  not applicants, only use these forms. The 13,955 total burden hours represents the net decrease in applicant
  burden, and the net increase in participant burden.


[[Page 56042]]

    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.

Amy McNulty,
Acting Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2017-25507 Filed 11-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P