2020-01664. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Public Comment Request; Development Disabilities State Plan Information Collection [OMB# 0985-0029]

AGENCY:

Administration for Community Living, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

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 the proposed collection of information; Development Disabilities State Plan Information Collection.

DATES:

Submit written comments on the collection of information by March 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

Submit electronic comments on the collection of information by:

(a) Email to: [e-mail], Attn: OMB Desk Officer for ACL;

(b) fax to 202.395.5806, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for ACL; or

(c) 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:

Sara Newell-Perez, Administration for Community Living, Washington, DC 20201, 202-795-7413 [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, ACL has submitted the following proposed extension information collection to OMB for review and clearance.

The State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (Councils) are authorized in Subtitle B, of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act), as amended, [42 U.S.C. 15001 et seq.] (The DD Act). They are required to submit a five-year State plan. Section 124(a) [42 U.S.C. 15024(a)], states any State desiring to receive assistance under this subtitle shall submit to the Secretary, and obtain approval of, a 5-year strategic State plan under this section. The requirement for a State plan is also further emphasized in the regulations in 45 CFR part 1326.30: (a) In order to receive Federal financial assistance under this subpart, each State Developmental Disabilities Council must prepare and submit to the Secretary, and have in effect, a State Plan which meets the requirements of sections 122 and 124 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 6022 and 6024) and these regulations.

Additionally, data is collected in the State Plan and submitted to Office on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (OIDD) for compliance with the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA). In the State Plans, the Councils provide to OIDD future year targets for outcome performance measures. These targets are reported to Congress under GPRAMA.

As required by the statute, the Council is responsible for the development and submission of the State plan, and is then responsible for implementation of the activities described in the plan. Further, the Council updates the Plan annually during the five years. The State plan provides information on individuals with developmental disabilities in the State, and a description of the services available to them and their families. The plan further sets forth the goals and specific objectives to be achieved by the State in pursuing systems change and capacity building in order to more effectively meet the service needs of this population. It describes State priorities, strategies, and actions, and the allocation of funds to meet these goals and objectives.

The State Plan is used in three ways. First, it is used by the individual Council as a planning document to guide its planning and execution processes. Secondly, it provides a mechanism in the State whereby individual citizens, as well as the State government, are made aware of the goals and objectives of the Council and have an opportunity to provide comments on them during its development. Finally, the State plan provides to the Department a stewardship tool; the staff of the Department provides some technical assistance to Councils and monitor compliance with Subtitle B of the DD Act, as an adjunct to on-site monitoring. The stewardship role of the State plan is useful both for providing technical assistance during the planning process, during the execution process, and also during program site visits.

Comments in Response to the 60-Day Federal Register Notice

ACL received 18 comments in response to the 60-day Federal Register Notice. Comments received were not germane to the State Plan template.

The proposed data collection tools may be found on the ACL website for review at https://www.acl.gov/​about-acl/​public-input.

Estimated Program Burden

ACL estimates the burden associated with this collection of information as follows:

Number of states	Number of responses per state	Average burden hours per state	Total hours
56	1	367	20,522

Dated: January 21, 2020.

Mary Lazare,

Principal Deputy Administrator.