[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25272-25273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07590]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; The National Health 
Service Corps Loan Repayment Programs

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA 
submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Comments submitted 
during the first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB 
will accept further comments from the public during the review and 
approval period. OMB may act on HRSA's ICR only after the 30-day 
comment period for this notice has closed.

DATES: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than May 10, 
2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the clearance 
requests submitted to OMB for review, email Joella Roland, the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, at [email protected] or call 
(301) 443-3983.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Information Collection Request Title: The National Health Service 
Corps Loan Repayment Programs, OMB No. 0915-0127--Revision
    Abstract: The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment 
Program (LRP) was established to assure an adequate supply of trained 
primary care health professionals to provide services in Health 
Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) of the United States with the 
greatest need. The NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP and the 
NHSC Rural Community LRP were established to recruit and retain a 
health professional workforce with specific training and credentials to 
provide evidence-based substance use disorder treatment in HPSAs. Under 
these programs, HHS agrees to repay the qualifying educational loans of 
selected primary care health professionals. In return, the health 
professionals agree to serve for a specified period of time in an NHSC-
approved site located in a federally-designated HPSA approved by the 
Secretary of HHS for LRP participants.
    The forms used by each LRP include the following: (1) the NHSC LRP 
Application; (2) the Authorization for Disclosure of Loan Information 
Form; (3) the Privacy Act Release Authorization Form, and, if 
applicable; (4) the Verification of Disadvantaged Background Form; (5) 
the Private Practice Option Form; (6) the NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral 
Health Services Checklist; (7) the NHSC Spanish Language Assessment 
Proficiency Test Form; and (8) the NHSC Site Application. The first 
four of these NHSC LRP forms collect information that is needed for 
selecting participants and repaying qualifying educational loans. The 
Private Practice Option and Spanish Language Assessment forms are 
needed to collect

[[Page 25273]]

information from applicants who wish to be considered for those 
options. The NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral Health Services Checklist 
collects information to ascertain whether behavioral health providers 
are practicing in a community-based setting that provides access to 
comprehensive behavioral health services. The NHSC Site Application 
collects information used for determining the eligibility of sites for 
the assignment of NHSC health professionals and to verify the need for 
NHSC clinicians.
    A 60-day notice published in the Federal Register on January 23, 
2024, vol. 88, No. 249; pp. 90191-92. There were no public comments.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and proposed use 
of this information collection is to assess an LRP applicant's 
eligibility and qualifications for the LRP, and to determine LRP 
applicants' Spanish language proficiency if relevant to their 
application, and to obtain information for NHSC site applicants. The 
NHSC LRP application asks for personal, professional, and financial/
loan information.
    Likely Respondents: Likely respondents include licensed primary 
care medical, dental, and behavioral health providers who are employed 
or seeking employment and are interested in serving underserved 
populations.
    Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the 
information requested. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for 
this ICR are summarized in the table below.

                                     Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                    Number of                     Average burden
           Form name                Number of     responses per       Total        per response    Total burden
                                   respondents     respondent       responses       (in hours)         hours
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NHSC LRP Application...........           9,020               1           9,020             1.00           9,020
Authorization for Disclosure of           7,150               1           7,150             0.10             715
 Loan Information Form.........
Privacy Act Release                         303               1             303             0.10              30
 Authorization Form............
Verification of Disadvantaged               660               1             660             0.50             330
 Background Form...............
Private Practice Option Form...             330               1             330             0.10              33
NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral             4,400               1           4,400             0.13             572
 Health Services Checklist.....
NHSC Spanish Language                     3,006               1           3,006             0.50           1,503
 Assessment Proficiency Test
 Form..........................
NHSC Site Application                     4,070               1           4,070             0.50           2,035
 (including recertification)...
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    Total......................          28,939  ..............          28,939  ...............          14,238
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Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2024-07590 Filed 4-9-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P