[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6601-6602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03019]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 30 Day Notice for Extension of the 
Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program (LRP)

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments. Request for extension of 
approval.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Indian Health Service (IHS) is submitting to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) a request for an extension of a previously 
approved collection of information titled, ``IHS Loan Repayment Program 
(LRP)'' (OMB Control Number 0917-0014), which expires July 31, 2018. 
This proposed information collection project was recently published in 
the Federal Register (82 FR 55107) on November 20, 2017, and allowed 60 
days for public comment, as required by the PRA. The IHS received 20 
anonymous comments regarding this collection but they did not pertain 
to the LRP notice. The purpose of this notice is to allow 30 days for 
public comment to be submitted directly to OMB.
    A copy of the supporting statement is available at 
www.regulations.gov (see Docket ID IHS_FRDOC_0001).

DATES: March 16, 2018. Your comments regarding this information 
collection are best assured of having full effect if received within 30 
days of the date of this publication.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions regarding the proposed 
information collection contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time to: Office of 
Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, New Executive 
Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk 
Officer for IHS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information, 
please contact Evonne Bennett-Barnes by one of the following methods:
     Mail: Evonne Bennett-Barnes, Management Analyst/
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Indian Health Service, 5600 
Fisher Lane, Mail stop: 09E21B, Rockville, MD 20857.
     Phone: 301-443-4750.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 301-594-0899.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The IHS is submitting the proposed 
information collection to OMB for review, as required by section 
3507(a)(1)(D) of the PRA of 1995. This notice is soliciting comments 
from members of the public and affected agencies as required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A) concerning the proposed collection of information 
to: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) 
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond; 
including through the use of appropriate automated collection 
techniques of other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    Proposed Collection: Title: 0917-0014, ``Indian Health Service Loan 
Repayment Program.''
    Type of Information Collection Request: Three year extension of 
this information collection.

[[Page 6602]]

    Form(s): The LRP application is available in an electronically 
fillable and fileable format.
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The IHS LRP identifies 
health professionals with pre-existing financial obligations for 
education expenses that meet program criteria who are qualified and 
willing to serve at, often remote, IHS health care facilities. Under 
the program, eligible health professionals sign a contract through 
which the IHS agrees to repay part or all of their indebtedness in 
exchange for an initial two-year service commitment to practice full-
time at an eligible Indian health program. The LRP is necessary to 
augment the critically low health professional staff at IHS health care 
facilities.
    Any health professional wishing to have their health education 
loans repaid may apply to the IHS LRP. A two-year contract obligation 
is signed by both parties, and the individual agrees to work at an 
eligible Indian health program location and provide health services to 
American Indian and Alaska Native individuals.
    The information collected via the on-line application from 
individuals is analyzed and a score is given to each applicant. This 
score will determine which applicants will be awarded each fiscal year. 
The administrative scoring system assigns a score to the geographic 
location according to vacancy rates for that fiscal year and also 
considers whether the location is in an isolated area. When an 
applicant accepts employment at a location, the applicant in turn 
``picks-up'' the score of that location.
    Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Renewal of a current 
collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Type of Respondents: Individuals.
    The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments, 
Estimated number of respondents, Number of responses per respondent, 
Annual number of responses, Average burden hour per response, and Total 
annual burden hour(s).

                                             Estimated Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Number of      Average burden    Total annual
        Data collection instrument(s)            Number of      responses per     per response    responses  (in
                                                respondents       respondent       (in hours)         hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LRP Application (3 forms in total)..........           1,726                1              1.5            2,589
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs, and/or Maintenance 
Costs to report.

    Dated: February 5, 2018.
Michael D. Weahkee,
 RADM, Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service, Acting 
Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-03019 Filed 2-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-16-P