Proposed Information Collection Activity; Office of Refugee Resettlement Cash and Medical Assistance Program Quarterly Report on Expenditures and Obligations-(ORR-2) (OMB #0970-0407)

AGENCY:

Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Administration for Children and Families, HHS.

ACTION:

Request for public comment.

SUMMARY:

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is requesting a three-year extension of the ORR Cash and Medical Assistance (CMA) Program Quarterly Report on Expenditures and Obligations (ORR-2) (OMB #0970-0407, expiration 8/31/2021). There are no changes requested to the form.

DATES:

Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above.

ADDRESSES:

Copies of the proposed collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded by emailing infocollection@acf.hhs.gov. Alternatively, copies can also be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests, emailed or written, should be identified by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) reimburses, to the extent of available appropriations, certain non-federal costs for the provision of cash and medical assistance to refugees, along with allowable expenses for the administration the refugee resettlement program at the State level. States and Replacement Designees currently submit the ORR-2 Quarterly Report on Expenditures and Obligations, which provides aggregate expenditure and obligation data. The ORR-2 collects expenditures and obligations data separately for each of the four CMA program components: Refugee cash assistance, refugee medical assistance, cash and medical assistance administration, and services for unaccompanied minors. This breakdown of financial status data allows ORR to track program expenditures in greater detail to anticipate any funding issues and to meet the requirements of ORR regulations at CFR 400.211 to collect these data for use in estimating future costs of the refugee resettlement program. ORR must implement the methodology at CFR 400.211 each year after receipt of its annual appropriation to ensure that appropriated funds will be adequate for reimbursement to states of the costs for assistance provided to entering refugees. The estimating methodology prescribed in the regulations requires the use of actual past costs by program component. If the methodology indicates that appropriated funds are inadequate, ORR must take steps to reduce federal expenses, such as by limiting the number of months of eligibility for Refugee Cash Assistance and Refugee Medical Assistance. The ORR-2 is a single-page financial report that allows ORR to collect the necessary data to ensure that funds are adequate for the projected need and thereby meet the requirements of both the Refugee Act and ORR regulations.

Respondents: State governments and Replacement Designees.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 396.

Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted within 60 days of this publication.

Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1522 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act) (Title IV, Sec. 412 of the Act) for each state agency requesting federal funding for refugee resettlement under 8 U.S.C. 524 (Title IV, Sec. 414 of the Act).