[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 32 (Thursday, February 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10115-10116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03264]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; SHIP-SMP Survey of Group Outreach and Education 
Events, Formerly the ``Senior Medicare Program National Beneficiary 
Survey'', OMB# 0985-0056

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS.

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 
(the 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 notice solicits comments on the Proposed Revision and 
solicits comments on the information collection requirements related to 
the ``National SHIP-SMP Beneficiary Survey of Group Outreach and 
Education Events.''

DATES: Comments on the collection of information must be submitted 
electronically by 11:59 p.m. (EST) or postmarked by April 17, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information 
to: Shefy Simon. Submit written comments on the collection of 
information to Administration for Community Living, Washington, DC 
20201, Attention: Shefy Simon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shefy Simon, Administration for 
Community Living, Washington, DC 20201, 202-795-7572, 
[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 as and includes agency 
requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, 
keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 
3506(c)(2)(A) of 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.
    The SHIP-SMP Survey of Group Outreach and Education Events is a 
survey of individuals who attend outreach and education events provided 
by the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) or Senior 
Medicare Patrol (SMP). These events help Medicare beneficiaries 
understand their Medicare benefits and options. These events also 
increase the ability of beneficiaries to identify fraud, waste, and 
abuse within health care programs generally, and Medicare/Medicaid 
specifically. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) was 
created under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. This 
section of the law authorized the Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) to make grants to states to establish and maintain 
health insurance advisory service programs for Medicare beneficiaries.
    Grant funds were made available to support information, counseling, 
and assistance activities related to Medicare, Medicaid, and other 
health insurance options.
    The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program was authorized in 1997 
under Titles II and IV of the Older Americans Act, the Omnibus 
Consolidated Appropriation Act of 1997 and the Health Insurance 
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The SMP mission is to 
empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and 
caregivers, to prevent, detect, and report suspected healthcare fraud, 
errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education.
    SMP grantees support ACL's goals of promoting increased choice and 
greater independence among older adults and individuals with 
disabilities. SMP activities enhance the financial,

[[Page 10116]]

emotional, physical, and mental well-being of older adults, thereby 
increasing their capacity to maintain security in retirement and make 
better financial and healthcare choices.
    SHIP-SMP grantees provide group outreach and education through 
presentation events, and this collection will survey the attendees of 
those events.
    The SHIP-SMP Survey of Group Outreach and Education Events will 
focus on group outreach and education events and the individuals who 
attend them, to determine if the target audience is satisfied with the 
information they are receiving. This is a renewal of the existing 
Senior Medicare Program National Beneficiary Survey, which received 
clearance on July 31, 2020, with ICR Reference Number 201702-0985-003 
and OMB Control Number 0985-0056. That survey was conducted over a 
three-year period beginning on October 1, 2020 and will conclude on 
July 31, 2023. To date, the Senior Medicare Program National 
Beneficiary Survey has generated over 11,000 responses, all of which 
were submitted anonymously and voluntarily.
    ACL requests renewal of the survey to continue the collection 
performed in Fiscal Years 2024, 2025, and 2026.
    Reports developed for FY 2020 and FY 2021 participants have 
provided an overall measure of presentation attendee satisfaction and 
have provided insight into the relationship between presentation inputs 
(information provided, access to presentations) and overall 
satisfaction. The renewed survey will include both SHIP and SMP 
presentations and will survey every participating state and territory 
at least once each year.
    To generate a sample with a 95% confidence level at the national 
level 400 responses will be required, which is based on over 20,000 
group outreach and education event attendees in 2020. ACL will draw a 
representative sample of event attendees by surveying each of the 54 
participating states and territories at least once. An average event 
surveyed in FY 2020 or FY 2021 generated 11 completed surveys, 
resulting in an estimated minimal collection of 600 responses.
    In the first three years of the existing survey states and 
territories had the opportunity to exceed the minimum requirements, in 
order to collect a larger overall dataset for their state or territory. 
This opportunity will continue with the renewed survey. Assuming that 
an average state or territory collects 100 surveys per year, the 
maximum burden estimate is 5,400 responses per year.
    Burden tables for both the minimum and maximum response totals are 
available below.
    OMB approval is requested for three (3) years. There are no costs 
to respondents other than their time.
    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 associated with 
this collection of information as follows:

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                                                     Number of
       Respondent/data collection activity          respondents    Responses per     Hours per    Annual  burden
                                                     (minimum)      respondent       response          hours
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Survey, Stratified Random Sample................             600               1            5/60              50
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    Total.......................................             600               1            5/60              50
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                                                     Number of
       Respondent/data collection activity          respondents    Responses per     Hours per    Annual  burden
                                                     (maximum)      respondent       response          hours
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Survey, Stratified Random Sample................            5400               1            5/60             450
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................            5400               1            5/60             450
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    Dated: February 11, 2023.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2023-03264 Filed 2-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P