[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 53 (Friday, March 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15415-15416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05740]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2022-SCC-0039]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Public 
Service Loan Forgiveness Reconsideration Request

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct an 
emergency review of a new information collection.

DATES: The Department is requesting emergency processing and OMB 
approval for this information collection by March 31, 2022; and 
therefore, the Department is requesting public comments by March 29, 
2022. A regular clearance process is also hereby being initiated to 
provide the public with the opportunity to comment under the full 
comment period. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or 
before May 17, 2022.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2022-SCC-0039. 
Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov 
site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily 
accept comments at [email protected]. Please include the docket ID 
number and the title of the information collection request when 
requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period 
will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments 
submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the PRA 
Coordinator of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, 
LBJ, Room 6W208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Ian Foss, 202-602-9669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with 
an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The 
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to 
the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be 
processed and used in a timely manner;

[[Page 15416]]

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this 
collection on the respondents, including through the use of information 
technology. Please note that written comments received in response to 
this notice will be considered public records.
    Title of Collection: Public Service Loan Forgiveness 
Reconsideration Request.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 36,000.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 9,000.
    Abstract: The Department of Education (Department) is requesting an 
emergency clearance for a new information collection at the same time 
requesting a 60-day public comment period. This collection will be used 
to obtain information from federal student loan borrowers to determine 
eligibility for reconsideration of their Public Service Loan 
Forgiveness (PSLF) or Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan 
Forgiveness (TEPSLF) denial notification on the basis of payment counts 
or employer eligibility determinations pursuant to a settlement 
agreement between the Department and the American Federation of 
Teachers (ATF) which was signed on October 12, 2021. The settlement 
between the Department and the AFT requires that ``as soon as 
practicable but no later than April 30, 2022, the Department will 
establish an interim reconsideration process that will be available to 
any borrower whose application for PSLF or TEPSLF has been or is 
denied''. In order to meet the requirements of this settlement, the 
Department must gather the information needed from the borrowers to 
reconsider their denial. This collection will allow for the collection 
and review of such reconsideration requests.
    Additional Information: Due to the limited time from the approval 
of the agreement and to be able to meet the court-ordered timeline, we 
request that OMB allow the Department to clear the collection 
associated with the implementation of the reconsideration process using 
the emergency clearance procedures of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, outlined in 42 U.S.C. 3507(j) as soon as possible.

    Dated: March 15, 2022.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2022-05740 Filed 3-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P