Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection:

Comment Request

In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public

comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of

Title 44, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and Services

Administration (HRSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed

projects being developed for submission to OMB under the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the proposed

project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and draft

instruments, call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-1891.

Comments are invited 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) ways to enhance 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.

Proposed Project: The Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL)

Program: Refinancing Loan Application/Promissory Note--NEW. The HEAL

program provides federally-insured loans to students in schools of

allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, veterinary

medicine, optometry, podiatric medicine, pharmacy, public health,

chiropractic, or allied health, and graduate students in health

administration or clinical psychology. Eligible lenders, such as banks,

State agencies, and HEAL schools make HEAL loans which are insured by

the Federal Government against loss due to the borrower's death,

disability, bankruptcy, and default. The basic purpose of the program

is to assure the availability of funds for loans to eligible students

who need to borrow money to pay for their educational costs.

In July 1993 the HEAL refinancing program was implemented. This

allowed HEAL borrowers who had graduated to refinance all of their HEAL

loans into one new HEAL loan, often times at better rates and

provisions than their original loans.

A new combined HEAL refinancing loan application/promissory note is

being developed for lenders. Previously, the standard HEAL student

application form (HRSA-700) and promissory note (HRSA 500-3) were used

by lenders to process the loan refinancing. The application contained

items that were not needed for refinancing loans. Some lenders combined

the two forms into one application/promissory note using all

appropriate items from each form. Because of the successful use of the

combined form developed by the lenders, and the Department's desire to

make the refinancing process easier for all parties concerned, the

Department has developed an official combined form. In addition,

certain items that were previously required of the borrower (e.g.,

citizenship, date of birth, delinquent and default responses, etc.)

were deleted since they are presently available to the lenders and the

Department from other sources.

The estimate of burden for the new refinancing loan application/

promissory note form per year is as follows:

[[Page 19928]]

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Burden per

Type of respondent No. of Responses per Total number response Total burden

respondents respondent of responses (minutes) hours

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Applicants...................... 2,800 1 2,800 12 560

Lenders......................... 9 311 2,800 30 1,400

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Total....................... 2,809 .............. 5,600 .............. 1,960

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Send comments to Lyman Van Nostrand, HRSA Reports Clearance

Officer, Room 14-33, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville,

MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this

notice.

Dated: April 16, 1998.

Jane Harrison,

Acting Director, Division of Policy Review and Coordination.

[FR Doc. 98-10657 Filed 4-21-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160-15-U