2015-02299. Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services, announces plans to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The ICR is for extending the use of the approved information collection assigned OMB control number 0990-0391 which expires on March 31, 2015. Prior to submitting that ICR to OMB, OS seeks comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the ICR.

DATES:

Comments on the ICR must be received on or before April 6, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments to [e-mail] or by calling [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Information Collection Clearance staff, [e-mail] or [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

When submitting comments or requesting information, please include the document identifier HHS-OS-0990-0391-60D for reference.

Information Collection Request Title: The Hospital Preparedness Program

Abstract: The Science Healthcare Preparedness Evaluation and Research (SHARPER), part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Division of National Healthcare Preparedness Programs (NHPP), in conjunction with the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) is seeking an extension on a currently approved clearance by the Office of Management of Budget (OMB) for a Generic Data Collection Form to serve as the cornerstone of its effort to assess awardee program under the HPP Cooperative Agreement (CA) Program. Program data are gathered from awardees as part of their Ad-hoc and End-of-Year Progress Reports and other similar information collections (ICs) which have the same general purpose, account for awardee spending and program on all activities conducted in pursuit of achieving the HPP Grant goals. This data collection effort is crucial to HPP's decision-making process regarding the continued existence, design and funding levels of this program. Results from these data analyses enable HPP to monitor healthcare emergency preparedness and progress towards national preparedness goals. HPP supports priorities outlined by the National Preparedness Goal (the Goal) established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2005. The Goal guides entities at all levels of government in the development and maintenance of capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from major events. Additionally, the Goal will assist entities at all levels of government in the development and maintenance of the capabilities to identify, prioritize and protect critical infrastructure.

Likely Respondents: Hospital Preparedness Program Awardees

Total Estimated Annualized Burden—Hours

Data collection activity	Number of respondents	Number of responses	Response time (hours)	Total annual burden hours (for all awardees)	3-year total (for all awardees)
Generic and Future Program Data Information Collection(s)	62	1	58	3,596
Total				3,596	10,788

OS 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.

Darius Taylor,

Information Collection Clearance Officer.