[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 249 (Monday, December 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71956-71957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28101]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; SHIP-SMP Survey of One-on-One Assistance, Formerly the 
``National Beneficiary Survey of State Health Insurance Assistance 
Program (SHIP)'', OMB #0985-0057

AGENCY: 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 collection of 
information 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 solicits comments on the Proposed Revision and solicits 
comments on the information collection requirements related to the 
``SHIP-SMP Survey of One-on-One Assistance''.

DATES:  Comments on the collection of information must be submitted 
electronically by 11:59 p.m. (EST) or postmarked by February 28, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information 
to: Sara Vogler. Submit written comments on the collection of 
information to Administration for Community Living, Washington, DC 
20201, Attention: Sara Vogler.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara Vogler, Administration for 
Community Living, Washington, DC 20201, 202-795-7461, 
[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. ``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. 
The PRA 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 following 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.
    The SHIP-SMP Survey of One-on-One Assistance is a survey of 
individuals who meet with team members from the State Health Insurance 
Assistance Program (SHIP) or the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). These 
services help Medicare beneficiaries understand their Medicare benefits 
and options. These services also increase the ability of beneficiaries 
to identify and report fraud, waste, and abuse within health care 
programs generally, and Medicare/Medicaid specifically.
    The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) was created 
under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. This section of 
the law authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to 
make grants to states to establish and maintain health insurance 
advisory service programs for Medicare beneficiaries. Grant funds were 
made available to support information, counseling, and assistance 
activities related to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurance 
options. SHIP grantees provide free, in-depth, unbiased, one-on-one 
health insurance counseling and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries, 
their families, and caregivers.
    The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program was authorized in 1997 
under Titles II and IV of the Older Americans Act, the Omnibus 
Consolidated Appropriation Act of 1997 and the Health Insurance 
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The SMP mission is to 
empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and 
caregivers, to prevent, detect, and report suspected healthcare fraud, 
errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education.
    SMP grantees support ACL's goals of promoting increased choice and 
greater independence among older adults and individuals with 
disabilities. SMP activities also serve to enhance the financial, 
emotional, physical, and mental well-being of older adults, thereby 
increasing their capacity to

[[Page 71957]]

maintain security in retirement and make better financial and 
healthcare choices. SMP team members provide one-on-one assistance, and 
when needed, serve as consumer advocates to resolve billing disputes/
issues.
    The SHIP-SMP Survey of One-on-One Assistance will gauge 
individuals' satisfaction with the services provided by SHIP and SMP 
team members. This survey is a renewal of the existing ``National 
Beneficiary Survey of State Health Insurance Assistance Program 
(SHIP)'', which received clearance on August 28, 2017, with ICR 
Reference Number 201702-0985-002 and OMB Control Number 0985-0057. That 
survey was conducted over a three-year period beginning on October 1, 
2017, and will conclude on March 30, 2020. To date, this survey has 
generated over 2500 responses, all of which were submitted voluntarily.
    ACL requests renewal of the survey to continue the collection 
performed in Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020. Reports developed for 
FY18 and FY19 participants have provided an overall measure of 
satisfaction with SHIP's one-on-one assistance services and have 
provided insight into the relationship between inputs (information 
provided, time between initial contact and services received) and 
overall satisfaction. The renewed collection will survey recipients of 
both SHIP and SMP one-on-one assistance but will not increase the 
number of surveys collected. The renewed survey will provide an annual 
collection at the national level, with an estimated collection of 800 
responses per year. To generate a sample with a 95% confidence level at 
the national level 400 responses will be required from each program (n 
= 2,000,000 SHIP one-on-one assistance sessions in 2018; n = 275,000 
SMP one-on-one assistance sessions in 2018).
    ACL will draw a representative sample of customers who received 
assistance from each program by focusing only on non-redundant 
individuals (i.e., a random sample without replacement of individuals 
who receive SHIP and/or SMP one-on-one assistance).
    The proposed data collection tools may be found on the ACL website 
for review at https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input.

Estimated Program Burden

    ACL estimates the burden associated with this collection of 
information as follows:

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                                                     Number of     Responses per     Hours per     Annual burden
       Respondent/data collection activity          respondents     respondent       response          hours
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Survey, Stratified Random Sample................             800               1            6/60              80
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    Total.......................................             800               1            6/60              80
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    Dated: December 19, 2019.
Mary Lazare,
Principal Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019-28101 Filed 12-27-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P