[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 8, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53738-53739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21906]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Public Comment Request; Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) State Partnership 
Program, OMB approval number 0985-NEW

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing an 
opportunity for the public to review substantive changes to the 
proposed collection of information listed above. Under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (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.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information must be submitted 
electronically by 11:59 p.m. (EST) or postmarked by October 22, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the information collection 
request to: Dana Fink at [email protected]. Submit written comments 
on the collection of information to Administration for Community 
Living, Washington, DC 20201, Attention: Dana Fink.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dana Fink, Administration for 
Community Living, Washington, DC 20201, (202) 795-7604, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA, Federal agencies must obtain 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor and includes agency 
requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, 
keep records, or provide information to a third party. The PRA requires 
Federal agencies to provide notice in the Federal Register concerning 
each proposed collection of information, including each proposed new 
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 following Information Collection (IC), ACL 
published a 60-day Federal Register Notice from 11/13/2017-01/12/2018 
(Vol. 82, No.217 pp. 52305-52306). ACL received a large volume of 
substantive stakeholder comments, causing revisions to the IC based on 
those public comments. The period in publication between the 60-day FRN 
and 30-day FRN, allowed ACL to thoughtfully review and apply the 
significant number of substantive public comments to the proposed new 
TBI IC.
    In order to remain compliant with PRA 5 CFR 1320.8(d), ACL has 
published this Federal Register Notice for an abbreviated public 
comment period prior to publishing a 30-day FRN and submittal to OMB. 
ACL solicits comments during this abbreviated public comment period 
regarding: (1) The accuracy of ACL's revised estimate of the burden for 
the proposed collection of information performance reporting data 
elements and (2) whether the proposed revisions to the collection of 
information enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
    The goal of the federal Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) State 
Partnership Program is to help state and local agencies develop 
resources so all individuals with TBI and their families will have 
accessible, available, and appropriate services and supports. The TBI 
State Partnership Program funds the development and implementation of 
statewide systems that ensure access to TBI related services, including 
transitional services, rehabilitation, education and employment, and 
long-term community support. To best monitor, guide, and support TBI 
State Partnership Program grantees, ACL needs regular information about 
the grantees' activities and outcomes. The simplest, least burdensome 
and most useful way to accomplish this goal is to require grantees to 
submit information as part of their required semiannual reports via the 
proposed electronic data submission instrument.
    In 1996, the Public Health Service Act was amended ``to provide for 
the conduct of expanded studies and the establishment of innovative 
programs with respect to traumatic brain injury, and for other 
purposes'' (Pub. L. 104-166).
    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), was 
authorized to ``make grants to States for the purpose of carrying out 
demonstration projects to improve access to health and other services 
regarding traumatic brain injury.'' The Children's Health Act of 2000 
(Pub. L. 106-310) authorized HRSA to ``develop, change, or enhance 
community-based service delivery

[[Page 53739]]

systems that include timely access to comprehensive appropriate 
services and supports.'' The Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008 (Pub. 
L. 110-206) provided for the expansion and improvement of traumatic 
brain injury programs, including funding for HRSA's State Grants for 
Demonstration Projects Regarding Traumatic Brain Injury. These state 
grants were reauthorized by the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization 
Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-196) and again by the Traumatic Brain Injury 
Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-377).
    While conducting a review of all previous statewide TBI needs and 
resources assessments, the HRSA determined that four common barriers to 
accessing care continued to emerge across states and territories. These 
barriers include: (1) A lack of information of services and supports 
with little or no assistance in accessing them (information and 
referral services); (2) a shortage of health professionals who may 
encounter individuals with TBI but lack relevant training to identify 
or treat the resulting symptoms, including physicians, nurses, school 
staff, coaches, athletic trainers, social workers, psychologists, 
childcare providers, domestic violence/homeless/emergency shelter 
staff, law enforcement, and assisted living facility personnel 
(professional training); (3) the absence of a TBI diagnosis, or the 
assignment of an incorrect diagnosis (screening); and (4) critical TBI 
services are spread across numerous agencies resulting in services 
being difficult for families to identify and navigate (resource 
facilitation).
    The proposed performance measures assess progress toward 
surmounting the aforementioned barriers, while accounting for the 
varied approaches used across state grantees and are consistent with 
the TBI State Partnership Program's purpose and ACL's mission.
    The proposed data collection tools may be found on the ACL website 
for review at https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input.

Comments in Response to the 60-Day Federal Register Notice

    Federal Register November 13, 2017 vol. 82, Number 217; pp. 52305-
52306. For the complete extensive summary of comments and responses, 
please visit the ACL website for review. https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input.

Summary of Comment Count

    (1) Twenty-three (23) individuals provided written comments in 
response to the proposed new TBI Performance Measures instrument.
    (2) Commenters provided feedback on specific reporting instrument 
questions as well as general suggestions and recommendations for ACL 
about what grantees should report.
    (3) 268 separate comments were made about one or more specific 
survey questions.
    (4) 102 separate comments asked for a definition, further guidance 
or clarification with regard to terminology used.
    (5) 81 comments made a general recommendation, not specific to a 
particular question.

Estimated Program Burden

    These revisions based on public comments caused a change in the 
annual reporting burden estimates; there is a program change decrease 
of -1,008 annual burden hours from the 60-day FRN. In addition, the 60-
day FRN respondent estimate was based on the highest number of possible 
awards anticipated; there is an adjustment decrease of -18 respondents.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Number of responses (per    Average burden hours
  Adjusted number of respondents           respondent)             (per response)          Total burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27................................                        2                         8                       432
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Number of responses (per    Average burden hours
 60-day FRN number of respondents          respondent)             (per response)          Total burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
45................................                        2                        16                     1,440
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: September 23, 2019.
Mary Lazare,
Principal Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019-21906 Filed 10-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P