Federal Register: March 30, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 60)NoticesPage 15169-15170From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr30mr99-47

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service

Request for Public Comment: 60-Day Proposed Collection: Indian Health Service, Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program

SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, to provide a 60-day advance opportunity for public comment on proposed information collection projects, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is publishing for comment a summary of proposed information collection to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.

Proposed Collections

Title: 09-17-0014, ``Indian Health Service, Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program'' Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently approved collection. Form Number: None. Need and Use of Information Collection: The IHS Loan Repayment Program (LRP) identifies health professionals with pre-existing financial obligations for education expenses that meet program criteria and who are qualified and willing to serve at, often remote, IHS health care facilities. Under the program, eligible health professionals sign a contract under which the IHS agrees to repay part or all of their indebtedness for professional training education. In exchange, the health professionals agree to serve for a specified period of time in IHS health care facilities. Eligible health professionals must submit an application to participate in the program. The application requests personal, demographic and educational training information, including information on the educational loans of the individual for which repayment is being requested (i.e., date, amount, account number, purpose of each loan, interest rate, the current balance, etc.). The data collected is needed and used to evaluate applicant eligibility; rank and prioritize applicants by speciality; assign applicants to IHS health care facilities; determine payment amounts and schedules for paying the lending institutions; and to provide data and statistics for program management review and analysis. Affected Public: Individuals and households. Type of Respondents: Individuals. Table 1 below provides the following: types of data collection instruments, estimated number of respondents, number of responses per respondent, annual number of responses, average burden hour per response, and total annual burden hour.

Table 1.--Estimated Burden Hours

Estimated Data collection instrument

number of Responses per Average burden hour per Total annual respondents respondent

response *

burden hrs

Section I..........................

350

1 0.25 (15 mins). Section II.........................

350

1 0.50 (30 mins). Section III........................

350

4 0.25 (15 mins). Contract...........................

350

1 0.334 (20 mins). Affidavit..........................

350

1 0.167 (10 mins). Lender Certificate.................

1400

1 0.25 (15 mins).

* For ease of understanding, burden hours are also provided in actual minutes.

[Page 15170]

There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs and/or Maintenance Costs to report.

Request for Comments: Your written comments and/or suggestions are invited on one or more of the following points: (a) Whether the information collection activity is necessary to carry out the treatment outcome evaluation; (b) whether the agency processes the information collected in a useful and timely fashion; (c) the accuracy of public burden estimate (the estimated amount of time needed for individual respondents to provide the requested information); (d) whether the methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimate are logical; (e) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (f) ways to minimize the public burden through the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

SEND COMMENTS AND REQUESTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Send your written comments, requests for more information on the proposed collection or requests to obtain a copy of the data collection instrument(s) and instructions to: Mr. Lance Hodahkwen, Sr., M.P.H., IHS Reports Clearance Officer, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 450, Rockville, MD 20852-1601, call non-toll free (301) 443-5938, send via fax to (301) 443-21316, or send your e-mail requests, comments, and return address to: Ihodahkw@hqe.ihs.gov.

COMMENT DUE DATE: Your comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received on or before June 1, 1999.

Dated: March 18, 1999. Michael H. Trujillo, Assistant Surgeon General Director.

FR Doc. 99-7782Filed3-29-99; 8:45 amBILLING CODE 4160-16-M