AGENCY:
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 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. 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 November 19, 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 Samantha Miller, the acting HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer at paperwork@hrsa.gov or call (301) 443-9094.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Information Collection Request Title: COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Activities, OMB No. 0906-XXXX—New.
Abstract: HRSA administers the PRF, which has disbursed funds to eligible health care providers to support health care-related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers who have accepted the Terms and Conditions regarding their PRF payment(s), including the requirement that the provider “shall submit reports as the Secretary determines are needed to ensure compliance with conditions that are imposed on this Payment, and such reports shall be in such form, with such content, as specified by the Secretary in future program instructions directed to all Recipients,” will be using the PRF Reporting Portal to submit information about their use of PRF payments. HRSA is currently operating under the Paperwork Reduction Act, Public Health Emergency (PHE) waiver that was approved by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation on January 14, 2021. In anticipation of the PHE waiver expiring, HRSA is undergoing the OMB clearance process as the data will be collected beyond the PHE.
A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register , 86, FR 40064 (July 26, 2021). There were 11 public comments. Comments were in regards to the accuracy of burden hours, data collection, and/or specific questions, suggestions, or feedback about the PRF program.
Need and Proposed Use of the Information: Recipients of a PRF payment agreed to a set of Terms & Conditions, which, among other requirements, mandate compliance with certain reporting requirements that will facilitate appropriate oversight of recipients' use of funds.
Information collected will allow for (1) assessing whether recipients have met statutory and programmatic requirements, (2) conducting audits, (3) gathering data required to report on findings with respect to the disbursements of PRF payments, and (4) program evaluation. HRSA staff will also use information collected to identify and report on trends in health care metrics and expenditures before and during the allowable period for expending PRF payments.
Likely Respondents: PRF recipients who have received more than $10,000 in aggregate PRF payments during one of the Payment Received Periods outlined below and that agreed to the associated Terms & Conditions are required to submit a report in the PRF Reporting Portal during the applicable Reporting Time Period.
| Reporting period | Payment received period (payments exceeding $10,000 in aggregate received) | Reporting time period |
|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | April 10, 2020, to June 30, 2020 | July 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021. |
| Period 2 | July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020 | January 1, 2022, to March 31, 2022. |
| Period 3 | January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021 | July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022. |
| Period 4 | July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023. |
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.
Total Estimated Annualized Burden—Hours
| Form name | Number of respondents | Number of responses per respondent | Total responses | Average burden per response (in hours) | Total burden hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRF Reporting Portal, Reporting Period 1 (Providers who received payments April 10, 2020, to June 30, 2020) | 126,831 | 1 | 126,831 | 5.6 | 710,254 |
| PRF Reporting Portal, Reporting Period 2 (Providers who received payments July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020) | 120,536 | 1 | 120,536 | 4.2 | 506,251 |
| PRF Reporting Portal, Reporting Period 3 (Providers who received payments, January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021) | 19,962 | 1 | 19,962 | 5.6 | 111,787 |
| PRF Reporting Portal, Reporting Period 4 (Providers who received payments July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021) | 19,962 | 1 | 19,962 | 5.6 | 111,787 |
| Total | 287,291 | 287,291 | 1,440,079 |
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.
Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2021-22831 Filed 10-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P