[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 130 (Monday, July 10, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43557-43558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14506]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0119]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Loan 
Discharge Applications (DL/FFEL/Perkins)

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 revision of a

[[Page 43558]]

currently approved information collection.

DATES: The Department requested emergency processing from OMB for this 
information collection request on June 28, 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-0119. 
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: Loan Discharge Applications (DL/FFEL/Perkins).
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0058.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and households; State, 
local, and Tribal governments; private sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 32,761.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 21,376.
    Abstract: The Department of Education (Department) requested 
emergency processing for this revised information collection, 1845-
0058; and therefore, is requesting the 60-day public comment period for 
the full ICR. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 
established the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the 
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, and the 
Federal Perkins (Perkins) Loan programs under title IV, parts B, D, and 
E, respectively. Section 437(c)(1) of the HEA authorizes the discharge 
of a FFEL or Direct Loan program loan borrower's obligation to repay 
their loan(s) based on school closure or false certification of student 
eligibility. Section 464(g)(1) of the HEA authorizes the discharge of a 
Perkins Loan Program loan based on school closure. The Department 
published a final rule on November 1, 2022 (87 FR 65904) that made 
significant changes to the regulations governing loan discharge based 
on school closure and false certification.
    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 loan 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 closed school and false 
certification loan discharge forms using the emergency clearance 
procedures. Although the Final Rule did not amend the unpaid refund 
discharge regulations, the unpaid refund discharge application is 
included with the other forms approved under OMB No. 1845-0058 and 
therefore is also covered by this request. 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. 2023-14506 Filed 7-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P