Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; Data Collection Tool for State Offices of Rural Health Grant Program

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 September 21, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, including the ICR 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:

When submitting comments or requesting information, please include the ICR title for reference.

Information Collection Request Title: Data Collection Tool for State Offices of Rural Health Grant Program

OMB No. 0915-0322—Extension

Abstract: The mission of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is to sustain and improve access to quality care services for rural communities. In its authorizing language (Section 711 of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 912]), Congress charged FORHP with administering grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to provide technical assistance and other activities as necessary to support activities related to improving health care in rural areas. In accordance with the Public Health Service Act, Section 338J (42 U.S.C. 254r), HRSA proposes to continue the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) Grant Program—Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and Forms for the Application. The FOA is used by 50 states in preparing applications for grants under the SORH Grant Program of the Public Health Service Act, and in preparing the required report.

Need and Proposed Use of the Information: FORHP seeks to continue gathering information from grantees on their efforts to provide technical assistance to clients within their states. SORH grantees submit a Technical Assistance Report that includes: (1) The total number of technical assistance encounters provided directly by the grantee; and (2) the total number of unduplicated clients that received direct technical assistance from the grantee. The Technical Assistance Report is submitted via the HRSA Electronic Handbook no later than 30 days after the end of each 12-month budget period.

A 60-day Federal Register Notice was published in the Federal Register on June 22, 2016 (81 FR 40704). There were no public comments.

Likely Respondents: Fifty State Offices of Rural Health.

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.