2018-28018. Proposed Information Collection Activity; National and Tribal Evaluation of the 2nd Generation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (OMB #0970-0462)

AGENCY:

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; Administration for Children and Families; HHS.

ACTION:

Request for Public Comment.

SUMMARY:

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing data collection activities as part of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) to Serve TANF Recipients and Other Low Income Individuals. ACF has developed a multi-pronged research and evaluation approach for the HPOG Program to better understand and assess the activities conducted and their results. Two rounds of HPOG grants have been awarded—the first in 2010 (HPOG 1.0) and the second in 2015 (HPOG 2.0). There are federal evaluations associated with each round of grants. HPOG grants provide funding to government agencies, community-based organizations, post-secondary educational institutions, and tribal-affiliated organizations to provide education and training services to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals, including tribal members. Under HPOG 2.0, ACF provided grants to five tribal-affiliated organizations and 27 non-tribal entities. OMB previously approved data collection under OMB Control Number 0970-0462 for the HPOG 2.0 National and Tribal Evaluation. The first submission, approved in August 2015, included baseline data collection instruments and the grant performance management system. A second submission, approved in June 2017, included additional data collection for the National Evaluation impact study, the National Evaluation descriptive study, and the Tribal Evaluation. A third submission for National Evaluation impact study data collection was approved in June 2018. The proposed data collection activities described in this Federal Register Notice will provide data for the impact, descriptive, and cost benefit studies of the 27 non-tribal grantees participating in the National Evaluation of HPOG 2.0.

DATES:

Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above.

ADDRESSES:

Copies of the proposed collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. Email address: [e-mail]. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description: The National Evaluation pertains only to the 27 non-tribal grantees that received HPOG 2.0 funding. The design for the National Evaluation features an impact study, a descriptive study, and a cost benefit study. The National Evaluation is using an experimental design to measure and analyze key participant outcomes including completion of education and training, receipt of certificates and/or degrees, earnings, and employment in a healthcare career. The impact evaluation will assess the outcomes for study participants that were offered HPOG 2.0 training, financial assistance, and support services, compared to outcomes for a control group that were not offered HPOG 2.0 services.

ACF and the study team estimates that the non-tribal grantees will randomize about 40,000 applicants. As detailed in the burden estimates below, the study team will only survey a subset of those randomized.

The goal of the descriptive study is to describe and assess the implementation, systems change, outcomes, and other important information about the operations of the 27 non-tribal HPOG grantees, which are operating 38 distinct programs. To achieve these goals, it is necessary to collect data about the non-tribal HPOG programs' design and implementation, HPOG partner and program networks, the composition and intensity of HPOG services received by participants, participant characteristics and HPOG experiences, and participant outputs and outcomes.

The cost benefit study will estimate the costs of providing the HPOG 2.0 programs and compare the costs with gains in participant employment and earnings measured in the impact analysis. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to collect information from the 38 HPOG 2.0 programs on the cost of providing education and training and associated services.

This Notice provides the opportunity to comment on proposed new information collection activities for the HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation's impact, descriptive, and cost-benefit studies.

The information collection activities to be submitted in the request package include:

1. Screening Interview to identify respondents for the HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study second-round telephone interviews.

2. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study second-round telephone interview guide for program management, staff, partners, and stakeholders. These interviews will confirm or update information collected in a first round of calls, approved in June 2017. The second round interviews will update or confirm any new information about the HPOG program context and about program administration, activities and services, partner and stakeholder roles and networks, and respondent perceptions of the program's strengths.

3. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study program operator interview guide will collect information for the systems study from HPOG 2.0 programs operators. These interviews will collect information on how local service delivery systems (i.e., the economic and service delivery environment in which specific HPOG 2.0 programs operate) may have influenced HPOG program design and implementation and how HPOG 2.0 implementation may have influenced these local systems.

4. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study partner interview guide will collect information for the systems study from HPOG 2.0 partner organizations.

5. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study participant in-depth interview guide will collect qualitative information about the experiences of treatment group members participating in HPOG 2.0 program services.

6. Intermediate Follow-up Survey for the HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation impact study will collect information from both treatment and control group members at the 27 non-tribal grantees, approximately 36 months after baseline data collection and random assignment.

7. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation impact study instrument for a Pilot Study of Phone-Based Skills Assessment will collect information from HPOG 2.0 study participants in a subset of non-tribal grantee programs. The phone-based questionnaire will pilot an assessment of respondents' literacy and numeracy skills to inform the selection of survey questions for inclusion in the intermediate follow-up survey.

8. HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation Program Cost Survey will collect information from program staff at the 27 non-tribal grantees to support the cost-benefit study.

At this time, the Department does not foresee the need for any subsequent requests for clearance for the HPOG 2.0 National and Tribal Evaluations.

Respondents: HPOG impact study participants from the 27 non-tribal HPOG 2.0 grantees (treatment and control group); HPOG program managers; HPOG program staff; and representatives of partner agencies and stakeholders, including support service providers, educational and vocational training partners, Workforce Investment Boards, and TANF agencies.

This information collection request is for 3 years.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Total number of respondents	Annual number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Annual burden hours
Screening interview to identify respondents for the HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study second-round telephone interviews	38	13	1	.5	7
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study second round telephone interview protocol	190	63	1	1.25	79
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study program operator interview guide	16	5	1	1.25	6
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study partner interview guide	112	37	1	1	37
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation descriptive study participant in-depth interview guide	140	47	1	1.33	63
Intermediate follow-up survey for the HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation impact study	4,000	1,333	1	1	1,333
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation impact study instrument for a Pilot Study of Phone-Based Skills Assessment	300	100	1	.75	75
HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation program cost survey	38	13	1	6	78

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,678.

Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted within 60 days of this publication.

Authority: Section 2008 of the Social Security Act as enacted by Section 5507 of the Affordable Care Act.

Mary B. Jones,

ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.