2021-26565. Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; COVID-19 Provider Relief Programs Application and Attestation Portal, and Claims Reimbursement Submission Activities, OMB No. ...

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA has submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Comments submitted during the first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB will accept further comments from the public during the review and approval period. OMB may act on HRSA's ICR only after the 30 day comment period for this notice has closed.

DATES:

Comments on this ICR should be received no later than January 7, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request a copy of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, email Samantha Miller, the acting HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at [e-mail] or call [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Information Collection Request Title: COVID-19 Provider Relief Programs Application and Attestation Portal, and Claims Reimbursement Submission Activities, OMB No. 0906-XXXX—NEW.

Abstract: HRSA administers the Provider Relief Programs (which includes the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), the American Rescue Plan Act Rural (ARP-R) payments, the COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF), and the COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured (Uninsured Program or UIP)). The Provider Relief Programs disbursed, and are continuing to disburse funds to eligible healthcare providers through two pathways: (1) Direct provider payments via the PRF and ARP-R payments, and (2) claims reimbursement via the CAF and the UIP. This information collection includes four components: (1) The PRF and ARP-R application portal; (2) the PRF and ARP-R attestation portal; (3) the CAF application portal; and (4) the UIP application portal. To date, information for these programs has been collected under a Paperwork Reduction Act waiver executed pursuant to public health emergency authorities. HRSA is seeking comments regarding the CAF and the UIP for the first time. These information collections support administration of the Provider Relief Programs including the PRF, the Uninsured Program, and the CAF (funds for these three programs were appropriated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Pub. L. 116-136), Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (Pub. L. 116-139), Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (Division M of Pub. L. 116-260)), and the ARP-R payments (funds were appropriated under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Pub. L. 117-2, as well as funds for the Uninsured Program).

A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register , 86 FR 47119 (August 23, 2021). There were no public comments.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: Providers who apply for Provider Relief Programs ( i.e., PRF, ARP-R, CAF, and UIP payments) must apply for direct provider payments or claims reimbursement and attest to a set of Terms and Conditions to enable HRSA's appropriate disbursement and oversight of recipients' use of funds. Information collected will allow for (1) assessing if recipients have met statutory and programmatic requirements; (2) conducting audits; (3) gathering data required to calculate, disburse, and report on PRF, ARP-R, CAF, and UIP payments; and (4) program evaluation. HRSA staff may also use information collected to identify and report on trends in the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care providers and uninsured or underinsured patients throughout the United States. HHS makes publicly available the names of payment recipients and the aggregate amounts received, for all providers who attest to receipt of a payment and acceptance of the Terms and Conditions or who retain payments for more than 90 days and are deemed to have accepted the Terms and Conditions. By accepting funds, the recipient consents to HHS publicly disclosing the payments that recipient has received.

Likely Respondents: Health care providers that apply to receive, or have applied to receive, PRF, ARP-R, CAF, or UIP payments, and attested to the associated Terms and Conditions.

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 ICR are summarized in the table below.

Total Estimated Annualized Burden—Hours

Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Total responses	Average burden per response (in hours)	Total burden hours
Attestation Portal	380,000	1	380,000	0.25	95,000
Application Portal	140,000	1	140,000	1.00	140,000
CAF Application	15,000	1	15,000	1.00	15,000
UIP Application	280,000	1	280,000	1.00	280,000
Total	815,000		815,000		530,000

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.

Maria G. Button,

Director, Executive Secretariat.