2018-17430. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Temporary Expansion of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TE-PSLF)

AGENCY:

Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before September 13, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2018-ICCD-0060. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 550 12th Street SW, PCP, Room 9086, Washington, DC 20202-0023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, 202-377-4018.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Temporary Expansion of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TE-PSLF).

OMB Control Number: 1845-0151.

Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 10,899.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 4,380.

Abstract: This is the request for the 30 public comment period for OMB Information Collection 1845-0151. This collection is used to enable FSA to ensure that the required operation changes can be implemented to allow for the benefits to be available to federal student loan borrowers as well as to remain in compliance with the statutory requirements.

Section 315 of Title III, Division H in the Consolidation Appropriations Act, 2018, (Pub. L. 115-141) included a provision for ED to implement “. . . a simple method for borrowers to apply for loan cancellation . . .” under a temporary expansion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The Consolidation Appropriations Act, 2018, required ED to implement an application process within 60 days of enactment. ED is requesting public comment on this collection to use information obtained from federal student loan borrowers to make a determination of their eligibility for participation in the loan forgiveness program mandated by the new appropriations law. This loan forgiveness is only available to Direct Loan borrowers who otherwise qualify for the PSLF program and meet other new requirements.

Dated: August 9, 2018.

Kate Mullan,

Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.