[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
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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.
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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