[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 130 (Monday, July 10, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43556-43557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14504]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0120]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Direct 
Loan, FFEL, Perkins and TEACH Grant Total and Permanent Disability 
Discharge Application and Related Forms

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid, 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 revision of a currently approved information 
collection.

DATES: The Department requested emergency processing from OMB for this 
information collection request on June 28th, 2023. As a result, the 
Department is providing the public with the opportunity to comment 
under the full comment period. Interested persons are invited to submit 
comments on or before September 8, 2023.

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-2023-SCC-0120. 
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 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 Manager of the Strategic 
Collections and Clearance 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: Direct Loan, FFEL, Perkins and TEACH Grant 
Total and Permanent Disability Discharge Application and Related Forms.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0065.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 61,629.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 30,814.
    Abstract: The Department of Education (Department) requested 
emergency processing for this revision of the information collection, 
1845-0065, Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge Application 
and Related Forms; and therefore, is requesting the 60-day public 
comment period for the full ICR. The regulations governing TPD 
discharges of Federal

[[Page 43557]]

student loans and TEACH Grant service obligations are contained in 34 
CFR 685.213 for the Direct Loan Program, 34 CFR 682.402(c) for the FFEL 
Program, 34 CFR 674.61(b) for the Perkins Loan Program, and 34 CFR 
686.42(b) for the TEACH Grant Program. A final rule published on 
November 1, 2022 (87 FR 65904) made changes to the TPD discharge 
regulations, including an expansion of the types of SSA disability 
determinations that qualify a borrower or TEACH Grant recipient for TPD 
discharge; elimination of the requirement for borrowers who receive TPD 
discharges based on SSA determinations or a physician's certification 
to provide documentation of their annual earnings from employment 
during the 3-year post-discharge monitoring period; and expansion of 
the categories of medical professionals who may certify an individual's 
TPD discharge application which necessitate the revision of this 
information collection.
    The Department received emergency clearance on June 28, 2023 since 
normal processing would not enable the Department to implement the 
required regulatory changes by July 1, 2023, resulting in several 
months of delays in providing eligible borrowers with the benefits of 
the amended TPD discharge regulations and not meeting the requirements 
of the Master Calendar. Any delay in discharging loans for eligible 
borrowers would increase the potential for public harm through delayed 
financial relief to borrowers who would qualify for discharge of their 
loans under the terms of the amended regulations. As a result, in order 
to meet the July 1, 2023, implementation date as required by the Master 
Calendar, the Department requested that OMB approve the collection 
associated with the implementation of the TPD discharge forms using the 
emergency clearance procedures. This notice allows the public to 
comment on the full ICR under the 60-day comment period.

    Dated: July 5, 2023.
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. 2023-14504 Filed 7-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P