[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 199 (Monday, October 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62834-62835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22495]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2022-SCC-0126]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Application and Verification Forms 
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, the 
Department requested the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to 
conduct an emergency review of a new information collection and is now 
requesting an extension.

DATES: The Department requested emergency processing and OMB approval 
for this information collection by October 7, 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 December 16, 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-0126. 
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, the Department 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 Director of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Team, 
Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W203, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, 202-377-4018.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department, 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. The Department is soliciting comments on the 
proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 
The Department 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; (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: Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Application 
and Verification Forms Request.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0167.
    Type of Review: An extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 38,237,500.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8,236,075.
    Abstract: The Department requested emergency processing and OMB 
approval for this information collection by October 7, 2022, for a new 
information collection. The Department is now requesting a 60-day 
public comment period for the regular

[[Page 62835]]

information collection. This collection will be used to obtain 
information from federal student loan borrowers to determine 
eligibility for loan discharge announced by the Secretary of Education 
on August 24, 2022 under the authority of title IV of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.); 20 
U.S.C. 1018(f) and 1087e(h); the Higher Education Relief Opportunities 
for Students Act of 2003 (20 U.S.C. 1098 bb) (including any waivers or 
modifications that the Secretary of Education deems necessary to make 
to any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the federal 
student financial assistance programs under title IV of the HEA to 
achieve specific purposes listed in the section in connection with a 
war, other military operation, or a national emergency); and, 31 U.S.C. 
7701 and Executive Order 9397, as amended by Executive Order 13478 
(November 18, 2008). To implement the Secretary's directive, the 
Department must, as soon as practicable, establish a process available 
to all federal student loan borrowers to request a discharge, attest to 
their income eligibility for loan discharge, and verify that income, if 
requested by the Department. Federal Student Aid has developed 
application forms (borrower and parent), an income verification form, 
and a parent income waiver request in compliance with this directive. 
As designed, each student loan borrower would complete an online or 
paper student loan debt relief application form to request 
consideration for loan discharge within 12 months of the end of the 
payment pause (December 31, 2022) and must verify their income, if 
required, by March 31, 2024.

    Dated: October 12, 2022.
Kun 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. 2022-22495 Filed 10-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P