2023-05122. Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Federal Work Study (FWS) Wages for Student Aid Index

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 15, 2023.

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-2023-SCC-0046. 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. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, the Department will temporarily accept comments at [e-mail]. Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments 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 Manager of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W203, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department, 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. The Department is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department 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: Federal Work Study (FWS) Wages for Student Aid Index.

OMB Control Number: 1845-NEW.

Type of Review: A new ICR.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, local, and Tribal governments; private sector.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 3,043.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 12,172.

Abstract: This new collection will be used to gather information available to participating institutions of higher education (IHE) which is required to fully calculate eligibility for title IV student financial aid for applicants under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).

The FAFSA Simplification Act (Pub. L. 116-260) introduced a change to the manner in which the Department of Education (ED) may obtain the amount of income an applicant has earned from work under the Federal Work Study (FWS) Program, for the purposes of calculating the applicant's student aid index (SAI) and determine their eligibility for certain Title IV aid. Pursuant to section 483(a)(2)(F) of the FAFSA Simplification Act, ED is required to collect an applicant's income earned under the FWS program from the IHE participating in the FWS program and can no longer add additional questions to the FAFSA to obtain this information from the FAFSA applicant.

Dated: March 8, 2023.

Kun Mullan,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.