[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 126 (Monday, July 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54446-54447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14387]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2024-SCC-0085]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Federal Student Loan Program Deferment Request Forms

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved 
information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 30, 2024.

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-2024-SCC-0085. 
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) 570-
8414.

[[Page 54447]]


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: Federal Student Loan Program Deferment Request 
Forms.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0011.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 704,903.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 112,819.
    Abstract: These forms serve as the means by which borrowers in the 
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan), Federal Family 
Education Loan (FFEL) and the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) 
Programs may request deferment of repayment on their loans if they meet 
certain statutory and regulatory criteria. The U.S. Department of 
Education and other loan holders uses the information collected on 
these forms to determine whether a borrower meets the eligibility 
requirements for the specific deferment type being submitted. For 
greater simplicity and to make it easier to maintain consistency among 
the various forbearance forms, the Department is consolidating all the 
current forbearance forms into a single collection under OMB No. 1845-
0011. This collection is merging the six currently approved deferment 
forms in 1845-0011 with the military deferment form currently approved 
under 1845-0080 and the cancer treatment deferment form currently 
approved under 1845-0154.
    The Department is requesting a revision of the currently approved 
deferment forms. The proposed changes include the following:
    Streamlining the forms by eliminating duplicative and obsolete 
information; reordering items to present information in a more logical 
order that is consistent between forms; using ``plain language'' to 
present information more clearly and consistently; revising language as 
necessary to reflect regulatory changes made by the Final Rule 
published on November 1, 2022 (87 FR 65904) that that eliminated the 
capitalization of unpaid interest following periods of forbearance 
effective July 1, 2023.

    Dated: June 25, 2024.
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. 2024-14387 Filed 6-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P