[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60055-60056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23629]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment: 30-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 (PRA), 
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).'' The IHS is requesting OMB to approve an

[[Page 60056]]

extension for this collection, which expires on November 30, 2021. 
Notice regarding the information collection was last published in the 
Federal Register (86 FR 43257) on August 6, 2021, and allowed 60 days 
for public comment. The purpose of this notice is to announce the IHS' 
intent to submit this collection to OMB and to allow 30 days for public 
comment to be submitted directly to OMB.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by November 
29, 2021.
    Direct Your Comments To OMB: Send your comments and suggestions 
regarding the proposed information collection contained in this notice, 
especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated 
response time to: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: Desk Officer for IHS.

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 (86 FR 
43257) on August 6, 2021, and allowed 60 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 to allow 30 days for 
public comment to be submitted directly to OMB.
    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. 3507 and 5 CFR 1320.10 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 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 full-
time 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 describes: Data collection instruments, estimated number 
of respondents, number of responses per respondent, average burden per 
response, and total annual burden hour(s).

 
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                                             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.............................            1999                1              1.5           2998.5
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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. 2021-23629 Filed 10-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-16-P