Agency Information Collection Activities: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Health Professions Student Loan Program, Loans for Disadvantaged Students, Primary Care Loan Program, and Nursing Student Loan Program Administrative Requirements. OMB No. 0915-0047-Revision

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 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 March 15, 2021.

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 Lisa Wright-Solomon, the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at paperwork@hrsa.gov or call (301) 443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Information Collection Request Title: Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) Program, Loans for Disadvantaged Students, Primary Care Loan Program (PCL), and Nursing Student Loan Program Administrative Requirements.

OMB No. 0915-0047—Revision

Abstract: This clearance request is for approval of the Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) Program, Loans for Disadvantaged Students (LDS), Primary Care Loan Program (PCL), and Nursing Student Loan (NSL) Program Administrative Requirements. The form was previously titled as the HPSL Program and NSL Program Administrative Requirements (Regulations and Policy). This request seeks to add LDS and PCL as the forms discussed in this notice are also used for these programs.

The HPSL Program, as authorized by Public Health Service (PHS) Act sections 721-722 and 725-735, provides long-term, low-interest loans to students attending schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatric medicine, and pharmacy. The LDS Program, as authorized by PHS Act sections 721-722 and 724-735, provides long-term, low interest loans to students attending schools of allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. The PCL Program, as authorized by PHS Act sections 721-723 and 725-735, provides long-term, low interest loans to students attending schools of allopathic medicine and osteopathic medicine to practice primary health care. The NSL Program, as authorized by PHS Act sections 835-842, provides long-term, low-interest loans to students who attend eligible schools of nursing in programs leading to a diploma degree, an associate degree, a baccalaureate degree, or a graduate degree in nursing. These programs also have a number of recordkeeping and reporting requirements for academic institutions and loan applicants. The applicable requirements for these programs are outlined in 42 CFR 57.201-218 and 57.301-318. HRSA proposes revisions to the Annual Operating Report (AOR)-HRSA Form 501 completed by institutions participating in the HPSL, LDS, PCL, and NSL programs to obtain additional information about those institutions and their student borrowers.

A 60-day notice published in the Federal Register on December 14, 2020, vol. 85, No. 240; pp. 80791-93. There were no public comments.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: Participating HPSL, LDS, PCL, and NSL schools are responsible for determining eligibility of applicants, making loans, and collecting monies owed by borrowers on their outstanding loans. Participating schools include schools that are no longer disbursing loans but are required to report and maintain program records, student records, and repayment records until all student loans are repaid in full and all monies due to the federal government are returned. The Deferment Form—HRSA Form 519, provides the schools with documentation of a borrower's deferment status, as detailed for the HPSL program under 42 CFR 57.210 and for NSL under 42 CFR 57.310, and is included without revision.

The AOR-HRSA Form 501 provides HHS with information from participating schools relating to HPSL, LDS, PCL and NSL program operations and financial activities. The proposed revisions to the AOR include the addition of a part-time option to select questions to allow institutions to report data on their part-time students, who are eligible to receive funding through the NSL program.

Specifically, the “part-time” option will be added to the following questions for the NHL program:

• Question 3, page 1A of the non-PCL section of the AOR (total full-time enrollment for the Nursing discipline for the academic year−NSL loan recipients),
• Question 13 (total number of full time graduates−NSL loan recipients) at the school during the current reporting period),
• Question 14 (total number of full time NSL graduates−NSL loan recipients) during the current reporting period who indicate intent to serve in a rural area),
• Question 15b (of the total graduates reported in question 15a, the number of full-time NSL graduates−NSL loan recipients in academic year 20XX-20XX serving in medically underserved communities),
• Question 15c (of the total graduates reported in question 15a, the number of Full-Time NSL graduates—NSL loan recipients in academic year 20XX—20XX serving in primary care), and
• Question 15d (of the total graduates in question 15a, the number of full-time NSL graduates−NSL loan recipients in Academic Year 20XX-20XX who entered the field for which they received their degree).

HRSA also proposes to revise the AOR-HRSA Form 501 form to include four additional questions at the bottom of Page 1A of all AORs:

• 16a. Are you a Community College?
• 16b. Are you a Historically Black College or University?
• 16c. Are you a Tribal college or university? and
• 16d. Are you an institution located in a rural area?

In addition, HRSA proposes to revise Page 4 (the excess cash worksheet) of the AOR-HRSA Form 501 form to limit the grantees' ability to make projections to 1 year. This proposed revision will allow HRSA to improve the overall management of funding.

Likely Respondents: Institutions participating in the HPSL, LDS, PCL, and/or NSL Programs.

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.

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.