[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 149 (Friday, August 6, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43257-43258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16837]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 60 Day Notice for Extension of the 
Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program (LRP)

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments. Request for extension of 
approval.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Indian Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to take this 
opportunity to comment on the information collection Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 0917-0014, titled, ``IHS 
Loan Repayment Program (LRP).''

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by October 
5, 2021.

ADDRESSES: For Comments: Submit comments to Jackie Santiago by one of 
the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be made 
available to the public by publishing them in the 30 day Federal 
Register notice for this information collection. For this reason, 
please do not include information of a confidential nature, such as 
sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If comments 
are submitted via email, the email address will be automatically 
captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the 
public docket and made available on the internet. Please note that 
responses to this public comment request containing any routine notice 
about the confidentiality of the communication will be treated as 
public comments that may be made available to the public 
notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine notice.
    A copy of the draft supporting statement is available at 
www.regulations.gov (see Docket ID (IHS_FRDOC_0001)).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information, 
please contact Evonne Bennett, Information Collection Clearance Officer 
at: [email protected] or 301-443-4750.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This previously approved information 
collection project was last published in the Federal Register (83 FR 
6601) on February 14, 2018, and allowed 30 days for public comment. No 
public comment was received in response to the notice. This notice 
announces our intent to submit this collection, which expires November 
30, 2021, to OMB for approval of an extension and solicit comments on 
specific aspects for the proposed information collection.
    The IHS is submitting the proposed information collection to OMB 
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as 
amended, and its implementing regulations. This notice is soliciting 
comments from members of the public and affected agencies as required 
by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d) concerning the proposed 
collection of information to: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's 
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) 
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information 
on those who are to respond; including

[[Page 43258]]

through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques of other 
forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission 
of responses.
    Title: 0917-0014, ``Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program.''
    Type of Information Collection Request: Three year extension 
approval of this information collection.
    OMB Control Number: 0917-0014.
    Forms: Educational and Professional Background, Financial 
Information, and General Applicant Information (i.e., all forms are 
part of the LRP application). The LRP application is available in an 
electronically fillable and fileable format.
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The IHS LRP identifies 
health professionals with pre-existing financial obligations for 
education expenses that meet program criteria and who are qualified and 
willing to serve at, often remote, IHS health care facilities. Under 
the program, eligible health professionals sign a contract through 
which the IHS agrees to repay part or all of their indebtedness in 
exchange for an initial two-year service commitment to practice 
fulltime at an eligible Indian health program. This program is 
necessary to augment the critically low health professional staff at 
IHS health care facilities.
    Eligible health professionals wishing to have their health 
education loans repaid may apply to the IHS LRP. A two-year contract 
obligation is signed by both parties, and the individual agrees to work 
at an eligible Indian health program location and provide health 
services to American Indian and Alaska Native individuals.
    The information collected via the on-line application from 
individuals is analyzed and a score is given to each applicant. This 
score will determine which applicants will be awarded each fiscal year. 
The administrative scoring system assigns a score to the geographic 
location according to vacancy rates for that fiscal year and also 
considers whether the location is in an isolated area. When an 
applicant accepts employment at a location, the applicant in turn 
``picks-up'' the score of that location.
    Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Renewal of a current 
collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Type of Respondents: Individuals.
    The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments, 
estimated number of respondents, Number of responses per respondent, 
annual number of responses, Average burden hour per response, and Total 
annual burden hour(s).

                                             Estimated Burden Hours
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                                                                  Number of      Average burden    Total annual
        Data collection instrument(s)            Number of      responses per     per response    responses (in
                                                respondents       respondent       (in hours)         hours)
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LRP Application.............................           1,999                1              1.5          2,998.5
LRP Application (3 forms in total)
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    There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs, and/or Maintenance 
Costs to report.

Elizabeth A. Fowler,
Acting Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-16837 Filed 8-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-16-P