Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request

AGENCY:

Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has 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.

DATES:

Comments on this ICR should be received no later than April 14, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, including the Information Collection Request Title, to the desk officer for HRSA, either by email to OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov or by fax to 202-395-5806.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request a copy of the clearance requests submitted to OMB for review, email the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at paperwork@hrsa.gov or call (301) 443-1984.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Information Collection Request Title: Maternal and Child Health Bureau Performance Measures for Discretionary Grants

OMB No.: 0915-0298—Revision

Abstract: The Maternal and Child Health Bureau's (MCHB) Discretionary Grant Information System (DGIS) electronically captures performance measure, program, financial, and abstract data, and products and publications about these discretionary grants from the grantees. The data collected are used by MCHB project officers to monitor and assess grantee performance as well as assist in monitoring and evaluating MCHB's programs.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) proposes to continue using reporting requirements for grant programs administered by MCHB, including national performance measures as previously approved by OMB, and in accordance with the “Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993” (Pub. L. 103-62). This Act requires the establishment of measurable goals for Federal Programs that can be reported as part of the budgetary process, thus linking funding decisions with performance. Performance measures for MCHB discretionary grants were initially approved in January 2003. Approval from OMB is being sought to continue the use of performance measures for these grants. The revised performance measures are categorized by population domains (Adolescent Health, Child Health, Children with Special Health Care Needs, Lifecourse/Crosscutting, Maternal/Women Health, and Perinatal/Infant Health) consistent with Title V, with the addition of a Capacity Building domain, specific to DGIS. There are also program-specific measures included for a subset of discretionary grant programs including the Healthy Start program, Emergency Medical Services for Children program, and programs within the Division of MCH Workforce Development. Grant programs will be assigned measures in the domains that are appropriate for their activities. Comments were received related to structure, content, and volume of performance measures during the 60-day public comment period and those comments were taken into consideration in the final revision of the DGIS performance measures and overall DGIS data collection.

MCHB's purpose in revising the performance measures is to better measure progress toward program goals. These program goals include alignment with and support of the Title V Block Grant, specifically population domains and National Performance Measures, where reasonable. Further, the revised measures will more accurately capture the scope of services provided through this grant funding. The overall number of performance measures has been reduced from prior DGIS data collection, and the average number of performance measures each grantee will be required to report is reduced as well. Further, the structure of the data collection has been revised to better measure the various models of programs and the services each funded program provides. This revision will allow a more accurate and detailed picture of the full scope of services provided through grant programs administered by MCHB. The data collected are also used by MCHB project officers to monitor and assess grantee performance as well as assist in monitoring and evaluating MCHB's programs.

Likely Respondents: Discretionary grant programs administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

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.