Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program

AGENCY:

Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION:

Request for public comment: 60-day Proposed Information Collection: Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Health and Human Services, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is providing a 60-day advance opportunity for public comment on a proposed extension of current information collection activity to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review.

Proposed Collection

Title:

0917-0014, “Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program.”

Type of Information Collection Request:

Extension, without revision, of currently approved information collection.

Form Number:

None.

Forms:

The IHS Loan Repayment Program Information Booklet contains the instructions and the application formats.

Need and Uses of Information Collection:

The IHS Loan Repayment Program 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 that wish to apply 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 specialty; 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.

Burden Hours:

The table below provides the estimated burden hours for this information collection:

Estimated Burden Hours

Data collection instrument

Estimated number of respondents

Responses per respondent

Average burden hour per response * (minutes)

Total annual burden hours

Section I

425

1

0.25 (15)

106

Section II

425

1

0.50 (30)

213

Section II

425

4

0.25 (15)

425

Contract

425

1

0.33 (20)

140

Affidavit

425

1

0.17 (10)

72

Lender Certificate

1700

1

0.25 (15)

425

Total

2125

1381

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

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 an agency function; (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 and 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 facsimile to (301) 443-2316, or send your e-mail requests, comments, and return address to:

Ihodahdw@hqe.ihs.gov.

Comment Due Date:

Your comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 60-days of the date of this publication.

Dated: August 13, 2002.

Michel E. Lincoln,

Acting Director, Indian Health Service.

[FR Doc. 02-21104 Filed 8-19-02; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160-16-M