Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; the National Maltreatment Reporting System

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 152 (Monday, August 8, 2016)

Federal Register Volume 81, Number 152 (Monday, August 8, 2016)

Notices

Pages 52438-52439

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2016-18731

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; the National Maltreatment Reporting System

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS

ACTION: Notice

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (formerly the Administration on Aging (AoA) is announcing that the proposed collection of information listed below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The purpose of this notice is to allow for an additional 30 days of public comment on the information collection requirements relating to the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS). The proposed collection of information tools may be found in the NAMRS section of the ACL Web site.

DATES: Submit written comments on the collection of information by September 7, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget, Office for Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk Officer for ACL by email: OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov or fax: 202.395.6974.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Whittier Eliason, Administration for Community Living, 330 C St. SW., Washington, DC 20201; email: stephanie.whittiereliason@acl.hhs.gov; telephone: 202.795.7467.

Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained by contacting Stephanie Whittier Eliason.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-

3520), the Administration for Community Living (ACL, formerly the Administration for Aging) has submitted the following proposed collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for

Page 52439

review and clearance. The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on the information collection for a period of 60 days was published on March 22, 2016.

Authority: This data collection effort is in response to the Elder Justice Act of 2009, which amended title XX of the Social Security Act (42.U.S.C. 13976 et seq.). These provisions require that the Secretary of HHS ``collects and disseminates data annually relating to the abuse, exploitation, and neglect of elders in coordination with the Department of Justice'' (Sec. 2041(a)(1)(B)), and ``conducts research related to the provision of adult protective services'' (Sec. 2041(a)(1)(D)). Furthermore, the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) included as its third recommendation for increasing federal involvement in addressing elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation: Develop a national adult protective services (APS) system based upon standardized data collection and a core set of service provision standards and best practices.

Background: From 2013-2015, ACL, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), developed and pilot tested NAMRS. When implemented, NAMRS will be the first comprehensive, national reporting system for APS programs. NAMRS is intended to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the practices and policies of adult protective services (APS) agencies, as well as the outcomes of investigations into the maltreatment of older adults and adults with disabilities. In developing NAMRS, ACL and ASPE convened key stakeholders to identify data elements that are the most critical for a national system. More than 40 state administrators, researchers, service providers, and other stakeholders provided input in focus group conference calls. Additionally, more than 30 state representatives from 25 different states met in three in-person working sessions to discuss the uses of collected data and the key functionalities. A pilot version of NAMRS was tested in nine (9) diverse states, and refined based on feedback from the pilot and additional stakeholder engagement. A full discussion on the background of NAMRS, including the development of the system, the public engagement process, and the pilot testing can be found in the NAMRS section of the ACL Web site.

Proposed Collection Effort: NAMRS has been developed as a voluntary system to collect annually both summary and de-identified case-level data on APS investigations. NAMRS consists of three components:

(1) ACL proposes to collect descriptive data on state agency policies and practices from all states through the ``Agency Component,'' and

(2) Case-level, non-identifiable data on persons who receive an investigation by APS in response to an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation through the ``Case Component.''

(3) For states that are unable to submit a case-level file through the ``Case Component,'' a ``Key Indicators Component'' will be available for them to submit data on a smaller set of core items.

ACL will provide technical assistance to states to assist in the preparation of their data submissions. Respondents will be state APS agencies and APS agencies in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. No personally identifiable information will be collected. ACL has calculated the following burden estimates (information on how the estimates were calculated is available in the NAMRS section of the ACL Web site):

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Number of Average

Instrument Number of responses per burden hours Total burden

respondents respondent per response hours

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Agency Component................................ 56 1 13 728

Key Indicators Component........................ 31 1 40 1,240

Case Component.................................. 25 1 150 3,750

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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours......... .............. .............. .............. 5,718

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OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication of this announcement. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent directly to the following address: Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, email: OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV; Attention: Desk Officer for the Administration for Community Living.

With respect to the collection of information via NAMRS, ACL 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 30 days of this publication. The proposed collection of information tools may be found in the NAMRS section of the ACL Web site.

Dated: August 2, 2016.

Edwin L. Walker,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging.

FR Doc. 2016-18731 Filed 8-5-16; 8:45 am

BILLING CODE 4154-01-P

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