[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1759-1760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00399]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Public Comment Request; of the No Wrong Door (NWD) System Management 
Tool OMB Control 0985-0062

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and 
Human Services.

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 
(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 IC 
Extension solicits comments on the information collection requirements 
relating to the Aging and Disability Resource Center/No Wrong Door 
System (ADRC/NWD). The statutory authority for ADRC/NWD is contained in 
Title IV of the Older Americans Act (OAA), as amended by the Older 
Americans Act Amendments of 2006.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information must be submitted 
electronically by 11:59 p.m. (EST) or postmarked by March 14, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information 
to: [email protected]. Submit written comments on the collection 
of information to Administration for Community Living, 330 C Street SW, 
Washington, DC 20201, Attention: Kristie Kulinski.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristie Kulinski, (202) 795-7379 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), 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.
    ACL, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the 
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have partnered to support states' 
efforts in developing coordinated systems of access, or No Wrong Door 
(NWD) Systems, to make it easier for people to learn about and access 
long-term services and supports (LTSS). When seeking services and 
supports, individuals and caregivers often face multiple, fragmented 
processes that are complex and confusing. States' access systems have 
been built over time as programs and funding streams have been added, 
creating duplicative eligibility and intake processes that are 
difficult for individuals and their caregivers to use. To address these 
issues, the NWD System model supports state efforts to streamline 
access to LTSS options for all populations and provides the 
infrastructure to promote the collaboration of local service 
organizations, making service delivery more efficient and person-
centered. Examples of coordinated efforts include processes where 
individuals are assessed once via a common or standardized data 
collection method

[[Page 1760]]

that captures a core set of individual level data relevant for 
determining the range of necessary LTSS.
    The Federal vision for the NWD System gives states flexibility in 
determining how best to organize, structure and operate the various 
functions of their NWD System. States continue to integrate, in some 
cases restructure, and over time strengthen their existing programs in 
order to realize the joint ACL/CMS/VHA vision for a fully coordinated 
and integrated system of access. These efforts are supported by a 
variety of initiatives, including the VHA's Veteran Directed Care (VDC) 
program, an evidence-based self-directed program where person-centered 
counselors from aging and disability network agencies within a state's 
NWD System provide facilitated assessment and care planning, arrange 
fiscal management services, and provide ongoing counseling and support 
to Veterans, their families, and caregivers.
    The NWD System Management Tool (NWD MT) provides a platform for 
data collection necessary to evaluate the four primary functions of a 
NWD System: State Governance and Administration, Public Outreach and 
Coordination with Key Referral Sources, Person Centered Counseling, and 
Streamlined Access to Public LTSS Programs. In addition, this tool will 
include data collection for the VDC program to collect qualitative and 
quantitative data elements necessary to evaluate the impact of the VDC 
program. The VDC Tool will track key performance measures and identify 
best practices and technical assistance needs.
    The NWD MT and the VDC Tool will enable ACL and its partners to 
collect and analyze data elements necessary to assess the progress of 
the NWD System model, track performance measures, and identify gaps and 
best practices. These tools have been designed in close collaboration 
with states and are intended to simplify grant reporting requirements 
to reduce burden on local and state entities and will provide a 
consistent, streamlined and coordinated statewide approach to help 
states govern their NWD System and manage their programs efficiently.
    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 of this 
collection of information as follows:
    Fifty-six lead NWD System state and territorial agencies will 
respond to the NWD MT bi-annually and it will take approximately half 
an hour to collect the data and an additional half hour to input the 
data into a web-based system. Additionally, an estimated 900 local 
agencies will take approximately two hours to collect and submit the 
data to their lead NWD System state agency. There may be several lead 
NWD System state and territorial agencies who will be submitting on 
behalf of their local agencies. Therefore, the approximate burden for 
the local level agencies may be thirty minutes less than anticipated. 
If all state and local agencies respond bi-annually, the national 
burden estimate for the NWD MT would be a total of 3,712 hours 
annually. This burden estimate is calculated based upon a sample of 
ADRC/NWD grantees. Each state entity submitting data will receive 
local-level data from designated NWD System entities. The estimated 
response burden includes time to review the instructions, gather 
existing information, and complete and review the data entries in a 
web-based system.
    An estimated 275 VDC program entities will respond to the VDC Tool 
on a monthly-basis, all of which are also NWD local-level entities, for 
an annual burden of 1,650 hours. This burden estimate is calculated 
based upon information provided by current VDC program providers 
testing an abbreviated version of the VDC Tool. The NWD MT and the VDC 
Tool have been developed to increase ease and uniformity of reporting 
and improve the ability of ACL to manage and analyze data.

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                                                     Number of     Responses per     Hours per     Annual burden
       Respondent/data collection activity          respondents     respondent       response          hours
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NWD Management Tool data collection and entry--               56               2             1.0             112
 State Level....................................
NWD Management Tool data collection and entry--              900               2             2.0           3,600
 Local Level....................................
Veteran Directed Care Tool......................             275              12             0.5           1,650
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................           1,231  ..............  ..............           5,362
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    Dated: January 6, 2022.
Alison Barkoff,
Principal Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2022-00399 Filed 1-11-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P