Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship; Proposed Collection;

Comment Request; National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, for opportunity for public comment

on proposed data collection projects, the Office of Loan Repayment and

Scholarship, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will publish

periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

Proposed Collection

Title: National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs. Type

of Information Collection Request: Revision of currently approved

collection (OMB No. 0925-0361, expiration date 6/30/98). Form Numbers:

NIH 2674-1, NIH 2674-2, and NIH 2674-3. Need and Use of Information

Collection: The NIH makes available financial assistance, in the form

of educational loan repayment, to M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S., D.M.D., and

D.V.M. degree holders, or the equivalent, who perform biomedical or

biobehavioral research in NIH intramural laboratories for a minimum of

2 years in research areas supporting the mission and priorities of the

NIH. The AIDS Research Loan Repayment Program (AIDS-LRP) is authorized

by Section 487A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288-1); the

General Research Loan Repayment Program (General-LRP) is authorized by

section 487C of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288-3); and

the Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program (CR-LRP) is authorized by

section 487E (42 U.S.C. 288-5). The loan repayment programs can repay a

maximum of $20,000 per year toward a participant's extant eligible

educational loans, directly to lenders, in addition to NIH salary and

benefits. Participants must have qualifying educational debt in excess

of 20 percent of their annual NIH base salaries on the expected data of

program eligibility. The information proposed for collection will be

used by the Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship to

[[Page 10405]]

determine an applicant's eligibility for participation in the program.

Frequency of Response: Initial application and annual renewal

application. Affected Public: Applicants, financial institutions,

recommenders. Type of Respondents: Physicians and other scientific or

medical personnel.

The annual reporting burden is as follows:

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Estimated

Estimated Average total

Estimated number of burden annual

Type of respondents number of responses hours per burden

respondents per response hours

respondent requested

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Applicant................................................... 110 1.0 9.80 1,078

Recommenders................................................ 330 1.0 0.50 165

Financial Institutions...................................... 550 1.0 0.33 181

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Totals................................................ 990 ........... ........... 1,424

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The annualized cost to respondents is estimated at $33,575.46.

There are no capital costs, operating costs, or maintenance costs to

report.

Request for Comments

Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected

agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1)

Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the

proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the

agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of

information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions

used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who are to respond, including the

use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or other forms of information

technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy

of the data collection plans and instruments, contact: Marc S.

Horowitz, J.D., Director, Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship,

National Institutes of Health, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, Room 604,

Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9121. Dr. Horowitz can be contacted via e-mail

at [email protected] or by calling (301) 402-5666 (not a toll-free number).

COMMENTS DUE DATE: Comments regarding this information collection are

best assured of having their full effect if received on or before May

4, 1998.

Dated: February 19, 1998.

Ruth L. Kirschstein,

Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.

[FR Doc. 98-5334 Filed 3-2-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140-01-M