[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 108 (Thursday, June 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34454-34456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12040]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Substance 
Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program, OMB No. 
0906--xxxx--New

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection 
Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks comments from the 
public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the 
ICR.

DATES: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than August 3, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N136B, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
draft instruments, email [email protected] or call Lisa Wright-
Solomon, the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at (301) 
443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the ICR title for reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: Substance Use Disorder 
Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program, OMB No. 0906--xxxx--New.
    Abstract: The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 
included no less than $12,000,000 for HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce 
to establish the Loan Repayment Program for Substance Use Disorder 
(SUD) Treatment Workforce. This funding will allow HRSA to provide the 
repayment of education loans for individuals working in either a full-
time SUD treatment job that involves direct patient care in a Health 
Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designated for Mental Health or a 
county where the

[[Page 34455]]

average drug overdose death rate exceeds the national average.
    The program expands the types of disciplines eligible to include 
but not limited to behavioral health paraprofessionals, occupational 
therapists and bachelor trained counselors. The program also expands 
the treatment facilities, to include but not limited to inpatient 
psychiatric facilities, recovery centers, detox facilities, emergency 
department and local community jails and detention centers. HHS agrees 
to repay the qualifying educational loans up to $250,000.00 in return 
for 6 years of service obligation. The forms utilized by the Substance 
Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program (LRP) 
include the following: The STAR LRP Application, the Authorization for 
Disclosure of Loan Information form, and the Privacy Act Release 
Authorization form, if applicable. The aforementioned forms collect 
information that is needed for selecting participants and repaying 
qualifying educational loans.
    Eligible facilities for the STAR LRP are facilities that provide 
in-patient and outpatient, ambulatory, primary and mental/behavioral 
health care services to populations residing in mental health HPSA or a 
county where the average drug overdose death rate exceeds the national 
average. The facilities that may provide related in-patient services 
may include, but are not limited to CMS-approved Critical Access 
Hospitals, Indian Health Service facilities, inpatient rehabilitation 
centers and psychiatric facilities. HRSA will recruit facilities for 
approval. New facilities must submit an application for review and 
approval. The application requests will contain supporting information 
on the clinical service site, recruitment contact and services 
provided. Assistance in completing this application may be obtained 
through the appropriate HRSA personnel. HRSA will use the information 
collected on the applications to determine eligibility of the facility 
for the assignment of health professionals and to verify the need for 
clinicians. The STAR LRP service site approval will undergo a 
recertification after no more than 5 years to ensure SUD services are 
being rendered and the desired population is receiving care.
    Despite the similarity in the titles, the STAR LRP is not the 
existing NHSC SUD LRP (OMB #0915-0127), which is authorized under Title 
III of the Public Health Service Act. The STAR LRP is a newly 
authorized Title VII program that has different service requirements, 
loan repayment protocols, and authorized employment facilities.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and purpose of 
this information collection is to obtain information that is used to 
assess an STAR LRP applicant's eligibility and qualifications for the 
program, and to obtain information for eligible site applicants. 
Clinicians interested in participating in the STAR LRP must submit an 
application to the program in order to participate, and health care 
facilities located in any HPSAs with high overdose rate and MHPSs must 
submit a Site Application to determine the eligibility of sites to 
participate in the STAR LRP. The STAR LRP application asks for 
personal, professional and financial information needed to determine 
the applicant's eligibility to participate in the STAR LRP. In 
addition, applicants must provide information regarding the loans for 
which repayment is being requested.
    Likely Respondents: Licensed primary care medical, mental and 
behavioral health providers, and other paraprofessionals who are 
employed or seeking employment, and are interested in serving 
underserved populations; health care facilities interested in 
participating in the STAR LRP, and becoming an approved service site; 
STAR LRP sites providing behavioral health care services directly, or 
through a formal affiliation with a comprehensive community-based 
primary behavioral health setting, facility providing comprehensive 
behavioral health services, or various substance abuse treatment 
facility sub-types.
    Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the 
information requested. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for 
this ICR are summarized in the table below.

                                     Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                     Number of                    Average burden
            Form name                Number of     responses per       Total       per response    Total burden
                                    respondents     respondent       responses      (in hours)         hours
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STAR LRP Application............             300               1             300             .50             150
Authorization for Disclosure of              300               1             300             .50             150
 Loan Information Form..........
Privacy Act Release                          300               1             300             .50             150
 Authorization Form.............
Site Application................             400               1             400               1             400
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    Total.......................           1,600  ..............           1,600  ..............            1000
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[[Page 34456]]

    HRSA specifically requests comments on (1) the necessity and 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden, (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected, and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2020-12040 Filed 6-3-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P