[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 198 (Friday, October 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51690-51692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22266]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration on Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activity; Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; One Protection and Advocacy Annual Program 
Performance Report

AGENCY: Office of Program Support, Administration on Intellectual and 
Developmental Disabilities, Administration on Disabilities, 
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 new data 
collection (ICR New) listed above. 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 seeks to collect comments on the proposed new data 
collection (ICR New), which will replace four existing Protection and 
Advocacy Program Performance Reports and other revisions. The four 
annual reports include the following: (1) Developmental Disabilities 
Protection and Advocacy Systems Program Performance Report (0985-0027), 
(2) Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT) Program 
Performance Report (0985-0046); (3) Protection and Advocacy Voting 
Access Annual Report (Help America Vote Act) (HAVA) (0985-0028); and 
(4) Protection and Advocacy for Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI) Program 
Performance Report (0985-0058).
    State Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems in each State and 
Territory provide individual legal advocacy, systemic advocacy, 
monitoring and investigations to protect and advance the rights of 
people with developmental disabilities, using funding administered by 
the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 
(AIDD), Administration on Disabilities, Administration for Community 
Living, HHS. To meet statutory reporting requirements, P&As have used 
four separate forms for submitting annual reports. It is proposed that 
the four forms be combined by creating the One Protection and Advocacy 
Annual Program Performance Report form. Once the four program 
performance reports are combined, the current OMB approval numbers for 
each report will be retired, and a new approval number will be created 
for the One Protection and Advocacy Program Performance Report.

DATES: Comments on the proposed collection of information must be 
submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on December 11, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information 
by email to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clare Huerta, Administration for 
Community Living, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental 
Disabilities, Office of Program Support, 330 C Street SW, Washington, 
DC

[[Page 51691]]

20201, (202) 795-7301 or [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 of an existing collection of information, 
before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with 
this requirement, ACL is publishing a notice of the proposed collection 
of information set forth in this document.
    With respect to the proposed collection of information, ACL invites 
comments on our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection 
of information, including:
    (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 to determine burden estimates;
    (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.
    Each P&A system currently submits four separate reports to AIDD--
one report for each of the funding sources listed below. It is proposed 
that the four forms be combined by creating the One Protection and 
Advocacy Annual Program Performance Report form. By combining the 
forms, P&As will have a reduced burden because they will be submitting 
only one report annually. Duplicative background and other data that 
appear in multiple reports will only need to be entered once. This also 
will promote accuracy and consistency because this data will not need 
to be entered multiple times. The authority for each report is as 
follows:
     The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of 
Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 15044: Federal statute and regulation require 
each P&A to annually prepare a report that describes the activities and 
accomplishments of the system during the preceding fiscal year and a 
Statement of Goals and Priorities for each coming fiscal year. P&As are 
required to annually report on ``the activities, accomplishments, and 
expenditures of the system during the preceding fiscal year, including 
a description of the system's goals, the extent to which the goals were 
achieved, barriers to their achievement, the process used to obtain 
public input, the nature of such input, and how such input was used.''
     The Children's Health Act of 2000, 42 U.S.C. Section 300d-
53(h), requires the P&A System in each State to annually prepare and 
submit to the Secretary a report that includes documentation of the 
progress they have made in serving individuals with traumatic brain 
injury.
     The Assistive Technology Act of 1998, Section 5, as 
amended, Public Law 108-36, (AT Act), requires the P&A System in each 
State to annually prepare and submit to the Secretary a report that 
includes documentation of the progress they have made in--
    1. conducting consumer-responsive activities, including activities 
that will lead to increased access for individuals with disabilities to 
funding for assistive technology devices and assistive technology 
services;
    2. engaging in informal advocacy to assist in securing assistive 
technology and assistive technology services for individuals with 
disabilities;
    3. engaging in formal representation for individuals with 
disabilities to secure systems change, and in advocacy activities to 
secure assistive technology and assistive technology services for 
individuals with disabilities;
    4. developing and implementing strategies to enhance the long-term 
abilities of individuals with disabilities and their family members, 
guardians, advocates, and authorized representatives to advocate the 
provision of assistive technology devices and assistive technology 
services to which the individuals with disabilities are entitled under 
law other than this Act; and
    5. coordinating activities with protection and advocacy services 
funded through sources other than this title, and coordinating 
activities with the capacity building and advocacy activities carried 
out by the lead agency.
     The Help America Vote Act, Public Law 107-252, Title II, 
Subtitle D, Section 291, (42 U.S.C. 15461), requires each grantee to 
annually submit a narrative report describing the work performed with 
the funds authorized under 42 U.S.C. 15461 of the Help America Vote Act 
of 2002.
    To meet the statutory reporting requirements, P&As have used four 
separate forms for submitting the Developmental Disabilities Protection 
and Advocacy (PADD) Program Performance Report; the Protection and 
Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT) Program Performance Report; 
the Protection and Advocacy Voting Access Annual Report (Help America 
Vote Act) (HAVA); and the Protection and Advocacy for Traumatic Brain 
Injury (PATBI) Program Performance Report. The combined form will also 
allow federal reviewers to analyze patterns more readily between goals, 
priority setting, and program performance.
    The annual program performance report (PPR) is reviewed by federal 
staff for compliance and outcomes. Information in the PPRs is analyzed 
to create a national profile of programmatic compliance, outcomes, and 
goals and priorities for P&A Systems for tracking accomplishments 
against these goals and priorities and to determine areas needing 
technical assistance, including compliance with Federal requirements. 
Information collected in the unified report will inform AIDD of trends 
in P&A advocacy, collaboration with other federally-funded entities, 
and identify best practices for efficient use of federal funds.
    The Department specifically requests comments on: (a) Whether the 
proposed Collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the function of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden information to be 
collected; and (e) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection technique comments and or other forms of information 
technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions 
submitted within 60 days of this publication.
    The annual burden on this form is predicted to be 128 hours which 
is ten percent less than the total of the four previous PPRs. The 
reduction in hours comes from the elimination of the requirement to 
enter duplicative information in each PPR.

[[Page 51692]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Annual hours estimate
                      PPR                        (based on  previous OMB
                                                    burden  estimates
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PADD..........................................                       90
PAAT..........................................                       16
PATBI.........................................                       16
HAVA..........................................                       20
PREVIOUS TOTAL................................                      142
ONE PPR.......................................                      128
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    In compliance with the requirements of Section 506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration on Community Living 
is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information 
collection described above. The form is available at https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input.
    Respondents: 57 Protection and Advocacy Systems.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                  Number of     Average  burden
                 Instrument                      Number of      responses per      hours per       Total burden
                                                respondents       respondent        response          hours
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One Protection and Advocacy Annual Program                57                1              128            7,296
 Performance Report.........................
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 7,296.

    Dated: October 4, 2018.
Mary Lazare,
Principal Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018-22266 Filed 10-11-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P