[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 247 (Thursday, December 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66715-66717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-28018]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; National and Tribal 
Evaluation of the 2nd Generation of the Health Profession Opportunity 
Grants (OMB #0970-0462)

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; Administration 
for Children and Families; HHS.

ACTION: Request for Public Comment.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing data 
collection activities as part of the Health Profession Opportunity 
Grants (HPOG) to Serve TANF Recipients and Other Low Income 
Individuals. ACF has developed a multi-pronged research and evaluation 
approach for the HPOG Program to better understand and assess the 
activities conducted and their results. Two rounds of HPOG grants have 
been awarded--the first in 2010 (HPOG 1.0) and the second in 2015 (HPOG 
2.0). There are federal evaluations associated with each round of 
grants. HPOG grants provide funding to government agencies, community-
based organizations, post-secondary educational institutions, and 
tribal-affiliated organizations to provide education and training 
services to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients 
and other low-income individuals, including tribal members. Under HPOG 
2.0, ACF provided grants to five tribal-affiliated organizations and 27 
non-tribal entities. OMB previously approved data collection under OMB 
Control Number 0970-0462 for the HPOG 2.0 National and Tribal 
Evaluation. The first submission, approved in August 2015, included 
baseline data collection instruments and the grant performance 
management system. A second submission, approved in June 2017, included 
additional data collection for the National Evaluation impact study, 
the National Evaluation descriptive study, and the Tribal Evaluation. A 
third submission for National Evaluation impact study data collection 
was approved in June 2018. The proposed data collection activities 
described in this Federal Register Notice will provide data for the 
impact, descriptive, and cost benefit studies of the 27 non-tribal 
grantees participating in the National Evaluation of HPOG 2.0.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and Families is soliciting 
public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection 
described above.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed collection of information can be 
obtained and comments may be forwarded by writing to the Administration 
for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and 
Evaluation, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: OPRE Reports 
Clearance Officer. Email address: [email protected]. All 
requests should be identified by the title of the information 
collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Description: The National Evaluation 
pertains only to the 27 non-tribal grantees that received HPOG 2.0 
funding. The design for the National Evaluation features an impact 
study, a descriptive study, and a cost benefit study. The National 
Evaluation is using an experimental design to measure and analyze key 
participant outcomes including completion of education and training, 
receipt of certificates and/or degrees, earnings, and employment in a 
healthcare career. The impact evaluation will assess the outcomes for 
study participants that were offered HPOG 2.0 training, financial 
assistance, and support services, compared to outcomes for a control 
group that were not offered HPOG 2.0 services.
    ACF and the study team estimates that the non-tribal grantees will 
randomize about 40,000 applicants. As detailed in the burden estimates 
below, the study team will only survey a subset of those randomized.
    The goal of the descriptive study is to describe and assess the 
implementation, systems change, outcomes, and other important 
information about the operations of the 27 non-tribal HPOG grantees, 
which are operating 38 distinct programs. To achieve these goals, it is

[[Page 66716]]

necessary to collect data about the non-tribal HPOG programs' design 
and implementation, HPOG partner and program networks, the composition 
and intensity of HPOG services received by participants, participant 
characteristics and HPOG experiences, and participant outputs and 
outcomes.
    The cost benefit study will estimate the costs of providing the 
HPOG 2.0 programs and compare the costs with gains in participant 
employment and earnings measured in the impact analysis. To achieve 
this goal, it is necessary to collect information from the 38 HPOG 2.0 
programs on the cost of providing education and training and associated 
services.
    This Notice provides the opportunity to comment on proposed new 
information collection activities for the HPOG 2.0 National 
Evaluation's impact, descriptive, and cost-benefit studies.
    The information collection activities to be submitted in the 
request package include:
    1. Screening Interview to identify respondents for the HPOG 2.0 
National Evaluation descriptive study second-round telephone 
interviews.
    2. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study second-round 
telephone interview guide for program management, staff, partners, and 
stakeholders. These interviews will confirm or update information 
collected in a first round of calls, approved in June 2017. The second 
round interviews will update or confirm any new information about the 
HPOG program context and about program administration, activities and 
services, partner and stakeholder roles and networks, and respondent 
perceptions of the program's strengths.
    3. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study program operator 
interview guide will collect information for the systems study from 
HPOG 2.0 programs operators. These interviews will collect information 
on how local service delivery systems (i.e., the economic and service 
delivery environment in which specific HPOG 2.0 programs operate) may 
have influenced HPOG program design and implementation and how HPOG 2.0 
implementation may have influenced these local systems.
    4. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study partner interview 
guide will collect information for the systems study from HPOG 2.0 
partner organizations.
    5. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study participant in-
depth interview guide will collect qualitative information about the 
experiences of treatment group members participating in HPOG 2.0 
program services.
    6. Intermediate Follow-up Survey for the HPOG 2.0 National 
Evaluation impact study will collect information from both treatment 
and control group members at the 27 non-tribal grantees, approximately 
36 months after baseline data collection and random assignment.
    7. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation impact study instrument for a Pilot 
Study of Phone-Based Skills Assessment will collect information from 
HPOG 2.0 study participants in a subset of non-tribal grantee programs. 
The phone-based questionnaire will pilot an assessment of respondents' 
literacy and numeracy skills to inform the selection of survey 
questions for inclusion in the intermediate follow-up survey.
    8. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation Program Cost Survey will collect 
information from program staff at the 27 non-tribal grantees to support 
the cost-benefit study.
    At this time, the Department does not foresee the need for any 
subsequent requests for clearance for the HPOG 2.0 National and Tribal 
Evaluations.
    Respondents: HPOG impact study participants from the 27 non-tribal 
HPOG 2.0 grantees (treatment and control group); HPOG program managers; 
HPOG program staff; and representatives of partner agencies and 
stakeholders, including support service providers, educational and 
vocational training partners, Workforce Investment Boards, and TANF 
agencies.
    This information collection request is for 3 years.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
           Instrument              Total number    Annual number   responses per     hours per     Annual burden
                                  of respondents  of respondents    respondent       response          hours
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Screening interview to identify               38              13               1              .5               7
 respondents for the HPOG 2.0
 National Evaluation descriptive
 study second-round telephone
 interviews.....................
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation                 190              63               1            1.25              79
 descriptive study second round
 telephone interview protocol...
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation                  16               5               1            1.25               6
 descriptive study program
 operator interview guide.......
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation                 112              37               1               1              37
 descriptive study partner
 interview guide................
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation                 140              47               1            1.33              63
 descriptive study participant
 in-depth interview guide.......
Intermediate follow-up survey              4,000           1,333               1               1           1,333
 for the HPOG 2.0 National
 Evaluation impact study........
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation                 300             100               1             .75              75
 impact study instrument for a
 Pilot Study of Phone-Based
 Skills Assessment..............
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation                  38              13               1               6              78
 program cost survey............
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,678.
    Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a) 
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions 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; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.


[[Page 66717]]


    Authority: Section 2008 of the Social Security Act as enacted by 
Section 5507 of the Affordable Care Act.

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-28018 Filed 12-26-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-72-P