[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 28, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46123-46125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11602]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Public Comment Request; of the ACL Generic Information 
Collection for the Administration on Aging Formula Grant Programs OMB 
Control Number 0985-New

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing 
that the proposed collection of information listed above has been 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
clearance as required under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This 
30-day notice collects comments on the information collection 
requirements related to a new information collection for the ACL 
Generic Information Collection (Gen IC) for the Administration on Aging 
Formula Grant Programs.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information must be submitted 
electronically by 11:59 p.m. (ET) or postmarked by June 27, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find the information collection by 
selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' 
or by using the search function. By mail to the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, New Executive Office Bldg., 725 17th St. 
NW, rm. 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for ACL.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Mosey (202) 795-7631 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with 44 U.S.C. 3507, the 
Administration for Community Living (ACL) has submitted the following 
proposed collection of information to OMB for review and clearance. As 
a unit of the Administration for Community Living, the Administration 
on Aging (AoA) provides expertise on program development, advocacy, and 
initiatives for older Americans and their caregivers and families. 
Working with State agencies, local agencies, grantees, and community 
providers, AoA directs programs authorized by the Older Americans Act 
(OAA), Elder Justice Act (EJA), and other legislation that supports 
older adults. Through these programs multi-year State Plans and 
assurances, and other financial forms are needed to provide approval 
and oversight of grant recipients. ACL is seeking OMB approval to add a 
new Gen IC to ACL's Paperwork inventory. This Gen IC will cover ACL/AoA 
formula grant programs for State Plans on Aging and assurances, State 
Plans on Adult Protective Services and assurances, and other financial 
forms associated with aging and APS formula grant management. Adding a 
Gen IC will allow for the collection of data across programmatic and 
financial management of the aging and APS formula grants.

Statutory Background

    In 1965, Congress originally passed the Older Americans Act (OAA) 
in response to concerns by policymakers

[[Page 46124]]

about a lack of community social services for older adults.
    The original legislation established authority for grants to states 
for community planning and social services, research and development 
projects, and personnel training in the field of aging. Changes to the 
OAA were made through the Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020.
    This legislation reauthorized the OAA and its programs from Federal 
fiscal year (FFY) 2020 through 2024. The OAA provides the foundation 
for the national aging network, which includes the Administration on 
Aging (AoA), State Units on Aging (SUA), area agencies on aging (AAA), 
Tribal organizations, service providers, and volunteers. SUAs are an 
integral part of the network responsible for developing and 
administering a multi-year state plan that advocates for and aids older 
residents, their families, their caregivers, and, in many States, for 
adults with disabilities.
    The Elder Justice Act, passed in 2010, is the first comprehensive 
legislation to address the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older 
adults at the Federal level. The law authorized a variety of programs 
and initiatives to better coordinate Federal responses to elder abuse, 
promote elder justice research and innovation, support Adult Protective 
Services systems, and provide additional protections for residents of 
long-term care facilities. The importance of these services at the 
State-level and local-level is demonstrated by the fact that states 
significantly leverage Older Americans Act (OAA) funds to obtain other 
funding for these activities.
    The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act 
of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act provided two years of Federal 
funding ($188 million in each year) to support, for the first time, the 
nationwide APS formula grant program authorized by the Elder Justice 
Act of 2010. That funding was used by States to expand or develop a 
variety of capabilities that were necessary to meet increased needs due 
to the public health pandemic, and ongoing funding is necessary to 
maintain the improved reach and effectiveness of APS systems beyond the 
pandemic.
    The FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill provided, for the first 
time, an annual appropriation of $15 million to continue providing 
Federal formula grants to State APS programs. This will be the first 
time State entities are required to develop and submit State plans 
under Section 2042 of the Elder Justice Act, 42 U.S.C. 1397m-1(b). 
However, States have developed spending plans for the formula funding 
received to date, consistent with 45 CFR 75.206(d), and to update those 
every three to five years.
    This new Gen IC is for programmatic and financial management of the 
Aging and APS formula grants. The purpose of the State Plans is to 
document and provide the opportunity for public comment on achievements 
and planned activities for the multi-year plan period.
    A wide range of constituents use or will use the State Plans to 
coordinate, monitor, evaluate, and improve Aging Network and APS 
support services by using the State Plans as a blueprint for service 
planning and delivery. Additionally, ACL leverages State Plans to 
understand the numerous services older adults use, and to utilize the 
information for advocating for the needs of older adults and those who 
use APS and for requesting additional funding. The purpose of the other 
financial forms that are a part of this Gen IC is to facilitate OAA 
formula grant management.
    Financial forms provide statutorily required information regarding 
each State's contribution to programs to ensure compliance with 
legislative requirements, pertinent Federal regulations, and other 
applicable instructions and guidelines issued by ACL. This information 
will be used for Federal oversight of the Aging Programs.
    Based on ACL's extensive experience working with APS systems and 
OAA grantees on their State plans, ACL does not anticipate a 
significantly greater level of detail for the development of State 
plans for APS.
    OAA and APS grantees are required to comply with all terms and 
conditions contained in Notices of Award (NoA) issued by ACL. When it 
is determined that a grantee is not in compliance with one or more of 
these requirements, ACL may require a grantee to submit to ACL a plan 
to come into compliance under a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), and any 
such CAP may require ACL's prior written approval, as determined by 
ACL. The CAP process is intended to be collaborative. Under a CAP, a 
grantee and ACL will jointly identify progress milestones and a 
feasible timeline for the grantee to come into compliance with the 
applicable requirement. Grantees must make a good faith effort at 
achieving full compliance to continue to have permission from ACL to 
operate under a CAP.

Comments in Response to the 60-Day Federal Register Notice

    A 60-day notice published in the Federal Register on October 18, 
2023, at 88 FR 71869-71871. ACL received one public comment.

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             Organization                      Section                  Comment                  Response
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Commonwealth of Virginia, Department   Estimated Annualized     Noted that the burden    ACL appreciates the
 for Aging and Rehabilitative           Burden Table.            estimates for State      comment but declines
 Services.                                                       Plans on Aging, and      to make changes at
                                                                 State Plans on APS are   this time.
                                                                 too low. Recommended
                                                                 identification of ways
                                                                 to reduce reporting
                                                                 requirements, as well
                                                                 as revising burden
                                                                 estimates. Recommended
                                                                 survey of states to
                                                                 inform future burden
                                                                 estimates..
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    Estimated Program Burden: ACL estimates the burden of this 
collection of information as follows:

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
  Respondent/data collection          Form           Number of     responses per     hours per     Total burden
           activity                                 respondents     respondent       response          hours
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State Unit on Aging (SUA).....  State Plan on               14.7               1              80           1,176
                                 Aging.
State Unit on Aging (SUA).....  Financial Forms.              56               5               1             280

[[Page 46125]]

 
OAA or APS Grantee............  Corrective                    75               1               8             600
                                 Action Plan
                                 (CAP).
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Estimated Burden....  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           2,056
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    Dated: May 21, 2024.
Alison Barkoff,
Principal Deputy Administrator for the Administration for Community 
Living, performing the delegable duties of the Administrator and the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2024-11602 Filed 5-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P