2017-00998. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

DATES:

Comments on this ICR should be received no later than March 20, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments to [e-mail] or mail the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 14N-39, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and draft instruments, email [e-mail] or call the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

When submitting comments or requesting information, please include the information request collection title for reference.

Information Collection Request Title: NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program OMB No. 0915-0140—Revision

Abstract: The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program (NURSE Corps LRP), formerly known as the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program, assists in the recruitment and retention of professional Registered Nurses (RNs), including advanced practice RNs (e.g., nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, clinical nurse specialists), dedicated to working at eligible health care facilities with a critical shortage of nurses (i.e., a Critical Shortage Facility) or working as nurse faculty in eligible, accredited schools of nursing, by decreasing the financial barriers associated with pursuing a nursing education. The NURSE Corps LRP provides loan repayment assistance to these nurses to repay a portion of their qualifying educational loans in exchange for full-time service at a public or private nonprofit Critical Shortage Facility or in an eligible, accredited school of nursing.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and purpose of this information collection is to obtain information for NURSE Corps LRP applicants and participants. The information is used to consider an applicant for a NURSE Corps LRP contract award and to monitor a participant's compliance with the service requirements. Individuals must submit an application to participate in the program. The application asks for personal, professional, educational, and financial information required to determine the applicant's eligibility to participate in the NURSE Corps LRP. The semi-annual employment verification form asks for personal and employment information to determine if a participant is in compliance with the service requirements. The Authorization to Release Employment Information form is now a self-certification within the NURSE Corps LRP application process with applicants clicking a box. This decreases the overall time burden by eliminating a form and not increasing the “average” time required to complete the NURSE Corps LRP application.

Likely Respondents: Professional RNs or advanced practice RNs who are interested in participating in the NURSE Corps LRP, and official representatives at their service sites.

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 Information Collection Request are summarized in the tables below.

Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours:

The estimates of reporting burden for applicants are as follows:

Instrument	Number of respondents	Responses/ respondents	Total responses	Hours per response	Total burden hours
NURSE Corps LRP Application *	5,500	1	5,500	2.0	11,000
Authorization to Release Information Form	5,500	1	5,500	.10	550
Total	5,500		11,000		11,550
* Please note that the burden hours associated with this instrument account for both new and continuation applications. Additional (uploaded) supporting documentation is included as part of this instrument and reflected in the burden hours.

The estimates of reporting burden for participants are as follows:

Instrument	Number of respondents	Responses/ respondents	Total responses	Hours per response	Total burden hours
Participant Semi-Annual Employment Verification Form	2,300	2	4,600	.5	2,300
Total	2,300		4,600		2,300
Total for Applicants and Participants	7,800		15,600		13,850

HRSA specifically requests comments on (1) the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden, (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

Jason E. Bennett,

Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat.