[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69657-69658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26565]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; COVID-19 Provider Relief 
Programs Application and Attestation Portal, and Claims Reimbursement 
Submission Activities, 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 Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA 
has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Comments submitted 
during the first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB 
will accept further comments from the public during the review and 
approval period. OMB may act on HRSA's ICR only after the 30 day 
comment period for this notice has closed.

DATES: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than January 7, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the clearance 
requests submitted to OMB for review, email Samantha Miller, the acting 
HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at [email protected] or 
call (301) 443-9094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Information Collection Request Title: COVID-19 Provider Relief 
Programs Application and Attestation Portal, and Claims Reimbursement 
Submission Activities, OMB No. 0906-XXXX--NEW.
    Abstract: HRSA administers the Provider Relief Programs (which 
includes the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), the American Rescue Plan Act 
Rural (ARP-R) payments, the COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF), 
and the COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and 
Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the 
Uninsured (Uninsured Program or UIP)). The Provider Relief Programs 
disbursed, and are continuing to disburse funds to eligible healthcare 
providers through two pathways: (1) Direct provider payments via the 
PRF and ARP-R payments, and (2) claims reimbursement via the CAF and 
the UIP. This information collection includes four components: (1) The 
PRF and ARP-R application portal; (2) the PRF and ARP-R attestation 
portal; (3) the CAF application portal; and (4) the UIP application 
portal. To date, information for these programs has been collected 
under a Paperwork Reduction Act waiver executed pursuant to public 
health emergency authorities. HRSA is seeking comments regarding the 
CAF and the UIP for the first time. These information collections 
support administration of the Provider Relief Programs including the 
PRF, the Uninsured Program, and the CAF (funds for these three programs 
were appropriated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 
Security Act (Pub. L. 116-136), Paycheck Protection Program and Health 
Care Enhancement Act (Pub. L. 116-139), Coronavirus Response and Relief 
Supplemental Appropriations Act (Division M of Pub. L. 116-260)), and 
the ARP-R payments (funds were appropriated under the American Rescue 
Plan Act of 2021, Pub. L. 117-2, as well as funds for the Uninsured 
Program).
    A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register, 86 FR 47119 
(August 23, 2021). There were no public comments.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: Providers who apply for 
Provider Relief Programs (i.e., PRF, ARP-R, CAF, and UIP payments) must 
apply for direct provider payments or claims reimbursement and attest 
to a set of Terms and Conditions to enable HRSA's appropriate 
disbursement and oversight of recipients' use of funds. Information 
collected will allow for (1) assessing if recipients have met statutory 
and programmatic requirements; (2) conducting audits; (3) gathering 
data required to calculate, disburse, and report on PRF, ARP-R, CAF, 
and UIP payments; and (4) program evaluation. HRSA staff may also use 
information collected to identify and report on trends in the effect of 
the COVID-19 pandemic on health care providers and uninsured or 
underinsured patients throughout the United States. HHS makes publicly 
available the names of payment recipients and the aggregate amounts 
received, for all providers who attest to receipt of a payment and 
acceptance of the Terms and Conditions or who retain payments for more 
than 90 days and are deemed to have accepted the Terms and Conditions. 
By accepting funds, the recipient consents to HHS publicly disclosing 
the payments that recipient has received.
    Likely Respondents: Health care providers that apply to receive, or 
have applied to receive, PRF, ARP-R, CAF, or UIP payments, and attested 
to the associated Terms and Conditions.
    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.

[[Page 69658]]



                                    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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Attestation Portal..............         380,000               1         380,000            0.25          95,000
Application Portal..............         140,000               1         140,000            1.00         140,000
CAF Application.................          15,000               1          15,000            1.00          15,000
UIP Application.................         280,000               1         280,000            1.00         280,000
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    Total.......................         815,000  ..............         815,000  ..............         530,000
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    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. 2021-26565 Filed 12-7-21; 8:45 am]
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