Notice2025-23065
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; Shortage Designation Management System, OMB No. 0906-0029-Extension
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 17, 2025
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentHealth Resources and Services Administration
Abstract
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Comments submitted during the first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB will accept further comments from the public during the review and approval period. OMB may act on HRSA's ICR only after the 30-day comment period for this notice has closed.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 240 (Wednesday, December 17, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58569-58571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23065]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; Shortage Designation
Management System, OMB No. 0906-0029--Extension
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department
of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA
submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Comments submitted
during the first public review of this ICR will be provided to OMB. OMB
will accept further comments from the public during the review and
approval period. OMB may act on HRSA's ICR only after the 30-day
comment period for this notice has closed.
DATES: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than January
16, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the clearance
requests submitted to OMB for review, email Samantha Miller, the HRSA
Information
[[Page 58570]]
Collection Clearance Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dfafbeafbaada8b0adb49fb7adacbef1b8b0a9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6c1c0d1c091e1b031e072c041e1f0d420b031a">[email protected]</span></a> or call (301) 443-
3983.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting
information, please include the ICR title for reference.
Information Collection Request Title: Shortage Designation
Management System OMB No. 0906-0029--Extension.
Abstract: HRSA is committed to improving the health of the Nation's
underserved communities and vulnerable populations by developing,
implementing, evaluating, and refining programs that strengthen the
nation's health workforce. The Department of Health and Human Services
relies on two federal shortage designations to identify and dedicate
resources to areas and populations in greatest need of providers:
Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations and Medically
Underserved Area/Medically Underserved Population (MUA/P) designations.
HPSA designations are geographic areas, population groups, and
facilities that are experiencing a shortage of health professionals.
The authorizing statute for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
created HPSAs to fulfill the statutory requirement that NHSC personnel
be directed to areas of greatest need. To further differentiate areas
of greatest need, HRSA calculates a score for each HPSA. There are
three categories of HPSAs based on health discipline: primary care,
dental health, and mental health. Scores range from 1 to 25 for primary
care and mental health and from 1 to 26 for dental health, with higher
scores indicating greater need. They are used to prioritize
applications for NHSC Loan Repayment Program award funding and
determine service sites eligible to receive NHSC Scholarship and
Students-to-Service participants.
MUA/P designations are geographic areas, or population groups
within geographic areas, that are experiencing a shortage of primary
care health care services based on the Index of Medical Underservice.
MUAs are designated for the entire population of a particular
geographic area. MUP designations are limited to a particular subset of
the population within a geographic area. Both designations were created
to aid the federal government in identifying areas with healthcare
workforce shortages.
As part of HRSA's Bureau of Health Workforce's cooperative
agreement with the state primary care offices (PCOs), the state PCOs
conduct needs assessments in their states, determine what areas are
eligible for designations, and submit designation applications for HRSA
review via the Shortage Designation Management System (SDMS). Requests
that come from other sources are referred to the PCOs for their review,
concurrence, and submission via SDMS. To obtain a federal shortage
designation for an area, population, or facility, PCOs must submit a
shortage designation application through SDMS for review and approval
by HRSA. Both HPSA and MUA/P applications request local, state, and
national data on the population that is experiencing a shortage of
health professionals and the number of health professionals relative to
the population covered by the proposed designation. The information
collected on the applications is used to determine which areas,
populations, and facilities have qualifying shortages.
In addition, interested parties, including the state's governor,
primary care association, and professional associations are notified of
each designation request submitted via SDMS for their comments and
recommendations.
HRSA reviews the HPSA applications submitted by the state PCOs,
and--if they meet the designation eligibility criteria for the type of
HPSA or MUA/P the application is for--designates the HPSA or MUA/P on
behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. HPSAs are
statutorily required to be annually reviewed and revised as necessary
after initial designation to reflect current data. HPSA scores,
therefore, may and do change from time to time. MUA/Ps do not have a
statutorily mandated review period.
The lists of designated HPSAs are published annually in the Federal
Register. In addition, lists of HPSAs are updated on the HRSA website
(<a href="https://data.hrsa.gov/">https://data.hrsa.gov/</a>) so that interested parties can access the
information.
A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on May 19,
2025, vol. 90, No. 95; pp. 21318-19. There were 51 public comments.
Below is a summary of key themes raised in the comments and HRSA's
response:
The public comments HRSA received largely centered around two key
themes: (1) the essential role of MUA/P and HPSA designations in
supporting community health centers (CHCs), and (2) the administrative
burden and data integrity challenges involved in shortage designation
processes.
<bullet> A total of 36 commenters--including CHCs, state
associations, and national organizations emphasized that these
designations are critical for funding, workforce recruitment
(especially through the NHSC), expansion of services, and addressing
broader impacts on health outcomes, such as food and pharmacy deserts.
Many stressed that without these designations, CHCs would face severe
operational and financial strain, leading to reduced access and
worsened disparities. HRSA acknowledged these concerns, reaffirming the
importance of these designations, and its recognition of their role in
improving health outcomes and supporting safety-net providers.
<bullet> Another 12 commenters, especially from State Primary Care
Offices, and technical organizations, focused on underestimation of
administrative burden and technical challenges with the SDMS system.
They highlighted that HRSA's estimated eight-hour workload was
unrealistically low, pointing instead to much higher demands for
provider updates, data acquisition, and reconciliation. Suggestions
included integrating federal datasets (e.g., Medicaid, CDC, NSDUH),
improving SDMS functionality (geocoding, duplicate checks, provider
exit tracking), and providing clearer federal guidance. HRSA
acknowledged these concerns, agreed that accurate data and system
performance are critical, and committed to reviewing burden estimates,
pursuing automation and integration of federal datasets, and exploring
system enhancements. However, HRSA also noted that certain structural
changes (e.g., adjusting population thresholds or adopting new
designation methodologies) would require regulatory action through
formal rulemaking.
<bullet> Finally, 3 commenters offered more targeted
recommendations, such as adopting the ADA Dental Care Geographic
Accessibility Dashboard, revising population thresholds, or
grandfathering existing designations. HRSA expressed appreciation for
these suggestions and noted that while it is open to considering
alternatives, such changes would require formal regulatory updates
before implementation.
Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The information obtained
from the SDMS applications is used to determine which areas,
populations, and facilities have critical shortages of health
professionals per PCO application submission. The SDMS HPSA and MUA/P
applications are used for these designation determinations. Applicants
must have an SDMS application submitted to HRSA to obtain a federal
shortage designation. In addition, the application must contain
detailed information explaining how the
[[Page 58571]]
area, population, or facility faces a critical shortage of health
professionals.
Likely Respondents: State primary care offices and or site points
of contact interested in obtaining a primary care, dental health, or
mental health HPSA designation or an MUA/P in their state.
Burden Statement: Burden in this context means the time expended by
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the
information requested. This includes the time needed to review
instructions; to develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and verifying
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to
a collection of information; to search data sources; to complete and
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise
disclose the information. The total annual burden hours estimated for
this ICR are summarized in the table below.
Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Average burden
Form name Number of responses per Total per response Total burden
respondents respondent responses (in hours) hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Designation Planning and 54 48 2,592 8 20,736
Preparation..................
SDMS Application.............. 54 83 4,482 4 17,928
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total..................... 54 ................ 7,074 .............. 38,664
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2025-23065 Filed 12-16-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 17, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.