E9-20714. Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY:

Department of Education

SUMMARY:

The Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before October 26, 2009.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. OMB may amend or waive the requirement for public consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, publishes that notice containing proposed information collection requests prior to submission of these requests to OMB. Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g. new, revision, extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) Reporting and/or recordkeeping burden. OMB invites public comment.

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.

Dated: August 24, 2009.

Angela Arrington,

Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management.

Federal Student Aid

Type of Review: New.

Title: Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program Income Based Repayment (IBR) Plan Request and Alternative Documentation of Income.

Frequency: On occasion.

Affected Public: Individuals or households; not for profit institutions; private sector.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

Responses: 1,692,869.

Burden Hours: 558,647.

Abstract: The IBR Plan Request form serves as the means by which a borrower with FFEL Program loans requests to repay those loans under the IBR Plan and provides certain information that is needed by the borrower's loan holder to determine whether the borrower is eligible to repay under the IBR Plan and to calculate the borrower's monthly payment amount under the IBR Plan. The IBR Plan Alternative Documentation of Income form serves as the means by which a borrower who is repaying FFEL Program loans under the IBR provides the borrower's loan holder with alternative documentation of the borrower's income if the borrower's adjusted gross income (AGI) is not available from the IRS, or if the loan holder believes that the borrower's most recently reported AGI does not accurately reflect the borrower's current income. Under the FFEL Program regulations, a borrower's AGI is used to calculate the monthly loan payment amount under the IBR Plan.

Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov,, by selecting the “Browse Pending Collections” link and by clicking on link number 4115. When you access the information collection, click on “Download Attachments” to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-4537. Requests may also be electronically mailed to [e-mail] or faxed to 202-401-0920. Please specify the complete title of the information collection when making your request.

Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be electronically mailed to [e-mail]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.