[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59929-59930]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18699]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Request for Public Comment; 60-Day Information Collection: 
Application for Participation in the IHS Scholarship Program

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments; request for extension of 
approval.

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SUMMARY: In compliance the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Indian 
Health Service (IHS) invites the general public to comment on the 
information collection titled, ``Application for Participation in the 
IHS Scholarship Program,'' Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
Control No. 0917-0006. The IHS is requesting OMB to approve an 
extension for this collection, which expires on October 31, 2023.

DATES: Comment Due Date: October 30, 2023. Your comments regarding this 
information collection are best assured of having full effect if 
received within 60 days of the date of this publication.

ADDRESSES: Send your written comments, requests for more information on 
the collection, or requests to obtain a copy of the data collection 
instrument and instructions by one of the following methods:
     Mail: CAPT Michael Bartholomew, Branch Chief, Scholarship 
Programs, Division of Health Professions Support, Indian Health 
Service, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop: OHR 11E53A, Rockville, MD 20857.
     Phone: (301) 443-2349.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 301-443-6048.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This previously approved information 
collection project was last published in the Federal Register (85 FR 
16636), on March 24, 2020 and allowed 30 days for public comment. No 
public comment was received in response to the notice. The purpose of 
this notice is to allow 60 days for public comment. A copy of the 
supporting statement is available at www.regulations.gov (see Docket ID 
IHS-2020-01).
    Information Collection: Title: ``Application for Participation in 
the IHS Scholarship Program,'' OMB Control No. 0917-0006. Type of 
Information Collection Request: Extension of the currently approved 
information collection ``Application for Participation in the IHS 
Scholarship Program,'' OMB Control No. 0917-0006. Form Number(s): IHS-
856-07 through 856-12; 856-14 through 856-16, IHS-856-21 through 856-
23, IHS-817, and IHS-818 are retained for use by the IHS Scholarship 
Program (IHSSP) as part of this current Information Collection Request. 
Reporting forms are found on the IHS website at www.ihs.gov/scholarship. Forms IHS-856-03, IHS-856-05, and IHS-856-06 have been 
moved to the online application process and can be found at 
www.ihs.gov/scholarship/applynow/. Need and Use of Information 
Collection: The IHS Scholarship Branch needs this information for 
program administration and uses the information to: solicit, process, 
and award IHS Pre-graduate, Preparatory, and/or Health Professions 
Scholarship recipients; monitor the academic performance of recipients; 
and to place recipients at payback sites. The IHSSP application is 
electronically available on the internet at the IHS website at: http://www.ihs.gov/scholarship/applynow/. Affected Public: Individuals, not-
for-profit institutions and State, local or Tribal governments. Type of 
Respondents: Students pursuing health care professions.
    The table below provides: Types of data collection instruments, 
Estimated Number of Respondents, Number of Responses Per Respondent, 
Annual Number of Responses, Average Burden Hour Per Response, and Total 
Annual Burden Hours.

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                                                             Number of     Responses per    Total annual                                   Annual burden
          Forms            Data collection instrument(s)    respondents      respondent       response      Burden hour  per response *        hours
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                           Scholarship Online                        850                1             850  1.00 (60 min)................             850
                            Application.
1........................  Verification of Acceptance or             300                1             300  0.13 ( 8 min)................              40
                            Decline of Award (IHS-856-7).

[[Page 59930]]

 
2........................  Scholarship Program Agreement              60                1              60  0.16 (10 min)................              10
                            (IHS-817).
3........................  Health Professions Contract               225                1             225  0.16 (10min).................              38
                            (IHS-818).
4........................  Recipient's Initial Program               800                1             800  0.13 ( 8 min)................             107
                            Progress Report (IHS-856-8).
5........................  Notification of Academic                   20                1              20  0.13 ( 8 min)................               3
                            Problem (IHS-856-9).
6........................  Change of Status (IHS-856-10)              50                1              50  .045 (25 min)................              21
7........................  Request for Approval of                    60                1              60  0.13 ( 8 min)................               8
                            Deferment (IHS-856-11).
8........................  Preferred Placement (IHS-856-             150                1             150  0.50 (30 min)................              75
                            12).
9........................  Notification of Deferment                  60                1              60  0.13 (8 min).................               8
                            Program (IHS-856-14).
10.......................  Placement Update (IHS-856-15)             170                1             170  0.18 (11 min)................              31
11.......................  Annual Status Report (IHS-856-            200                1             200  0.25 (15 min)................              50
                            16).
12.......................  Summer School Request (IHS-               100                1             100  0.10 ( 6 min)................              10
                            856-21).
13.......................  Change of Name or Address                  20                1              20  0.13 (8 min).................               3
                            (IHS-856-22).
14.......................  Request for Credit Validation              30                1              30  0.10 (6 min).................               3
                            (IHS-856-23).
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Total.....................  ..............  ...............           3,095  3.28.........................           1,257
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* For ease of understanding, burden hours per response are also provided in minutes.

    There are no direct costs to respondents other than their time to 
voluntarily complete the forms and submit them for consideration. The 
estimated cost for the Federal Government is $145,223.00 (contractor) 
to work on the program with IHS program staff.
    There are no capital costs, operating costs and/or maintenance 
costs to respondents.
    Requests for Comments: Your written comments and/or suggestions are 
invited on one or more of the following points:
    (a) Whether the information collection activity is necessary to 
carry out an agency function;
    (b) Whether the agency processes the information collected in a 
useful and timely fashion;
    (c) The accuracy of the public burden estimate (the estimated 
amount of time needed for individual respondents to provide the 
requested information);
    (d) Whether the methodology and assumptions used to determine the 
estimates are logical;
    (e) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information being collected; and
    (f) Ways to minimize the public burden through the use of 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

P. Benjamin Smith,
Deputy Director, Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-18699 Filed 8-29-23; 8:45 am]
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