Notice2025-23581
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program and the Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program-OMB No. 0906-0058-Revision
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 22, 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
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 243 (Monday, December 22, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 243 (Monday, December 22, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59841-59843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23581]
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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; Substance Use Disorder
Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program and the Pediatric
Specialty Loan Repayment Program--OMB No. 0906-0058--Revision
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department
of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Notice.
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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
21, 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 Collection Clearance Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2c5c4d5c495e5b435e476c445e5f4d024b435a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="047465746176736b766f446c7677652a636b72">[email protected]</span></a> or call
(301) 443-3983.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Information Collection Request Title: Substance Use Disorder
Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program and the Pediatric
Specialty Loan Repayment Program, OMB No. 0906-0058--Revision.
Abstract: The Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR)
Loan Repayment Program (LRP) is authorized by section 781 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295h). This program allows HRSA to
provide the repayment of eligible education loans to individuals
working in an eligible full-time substance use disorder treatment job
that involves direct treatment or recovery support of patients with or
in recovery from a substance use disorder and which is located in
either a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designated for Mental
Health, or a county (or municipality, if not contained within any
county) where the average drug overdose death rate per 100,000 people
over the past 3 years for which official data is available from the
state, is higher than the most recent available national average
overdose death rate per 100,000 people, as reported by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. The Pediatric Specialty (PS) LRP is
authorized by section 775 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
295f). This program allows HRSA to provide the repayment of education
loans to eligible providers working full-time in or serving a HPSA,
medically underserved area (MUA), or medically underserved population
(MUP).
The Department of Health and Human Services agrees to make payment
of up to $250,000 for the repayment of eligible educational loans in
return for 6 years of obligated service through the STAR LRP, and up to
$100,000 in return for 3 years of obligated service through the PS LRP.
Eligible disciplines for the STAR LRP include, but are not limited
to physicians, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, marriage and family
therapists, social workers, counselors, and substance use disorder
counselors. The PS LRP may make awards to applicants participating in
an accredited pediatric medical subspecialty, pediatric surgical
specialty, and child and adolescent mental health subspecialty
residency or fellowship employed as a pediatric medical subspecialist,
pediatric surgical specialist, or child and adolescent mental health
professional.
Eligible facilities or sites for the STAR LRP and PS LRP include,
but are not limited to: School-Based Clinics, Community Health Centers,
Inpatient Programs/Rehabilitation Centers, Federally Qualified Health
Centers, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-approved Critical
Access Hospitals, Rural Emergency Hospitals, American Indian Health
Facilities (Indian Health Service Facilities, Tribally-Operated 638
Health Programs, and Urban Indian Health Programs), inpatient
rehabilitation centers, and psychiatric facilities. STAR LRP facilities
must be located in a mental health HPSA or a county where the average
drug overdose death rate exceeds the national average, as described
above. PS LRP sites must provide pediatric medical subspecialty care,
pediatric surgical specialty care, or child and adolescent mental and
behavioral health care in or to a HPSA, MUA, or MUP. HRSA will approve
and activate sites for the PS LRP if:
(1) The facility is already approved for the National Health
Service Corps, Nurse Corps, or STAR LRP and located in or serves a
HPSA, MUA or MUP; or
(2) During the PS LRP application cycle, the facility submits to
HRSA the site type and the point of contact(s) to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4f1f1c10031d1f101c263b2a3c0f273d3c2e61282039"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="97c7c4c8dbc5c7c8c4fee3f2e4d7ffe5e4f6b9f0f8e1">[email protected]</span></a>.
HRSA will review and approve eligible new facilities during the
respective application cycle for the STAR LRP and the PS LRP, or upon
request by a STAR LRP participant. New facilities must submit to HRSA
the facility type and the recruitment contact(s). HRSA will use the
information collected to determine eligibility of the facility for
participants in the respective program.
Note: Despite the similarity in the titles, the STAR LRP is not
the existing National Health Service Corps Substance Use Disorder
Workforce LRP (OMB #0915-0127), which is authorized under Title III
of the Public Health Service Act. The STAR LRP is authorized under
Title VII of the Public
[[Page 59842]]
Health Service Act and has different service requirements, loan
repayment protocols, and authorized employment facilities.
A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on August 13,
2025, vol. 90, No. 154; pp. 38983-85. HRSA received one public comment.
Below is a summary of key themes raised and HRSA's response:
<bullet> The commenter expressed concern with data captured in the
PS LRP's application and the employment verification forms regarding
their alignment with current program guidance and statutory
requirements.
<bullet> The commenter also expressed support for the STAR/PS LRP
application and employment verification forms as well as provided ways
in which to streamline the application submission to ensure maximum
benefit for eligible applicants.
HRSA acknowledges the concerns and recommendations in the comment
and will consider them, as appropriate, in the development of
information collection activities for these programs. HRSA responded
directly to the stakeholder who submitted the comments, acknowledging
the recommendations raised. HRSA appreciates the views shared and the
willingness to support the PS LRP and STAR LRP.
Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and purpose of
this information collection is to obtain information that is used to
assess an applicant's eligibility and qualifications for the STAR LRP
and the PS LRP, and to obtain information for eligible facilities or
sites. Clinicians interested in participating in the STAR LRP or the PS
LRP must apply to the applicable program to participate. The forms
utilized by the STAR LRP and the PS LRP include the following: the STAR
LRP or PS LRP Application, respectively, the Authorization for
Disclosure of Loan Information form, the Privacy Act Release
Authorization form, and the electronic Employment Verification form, if
applicable. The forms collect information needed for selecting
participants and repaying eligible educational loans.
Additionally, health care facilities located in high overdose death
rate areas or mental health HPSAs must submit the facility type and the
site point(s) of contact for HRSA to determine the facility's
eligibility to participate in the STAR LRP. Similarly, sites located in
or serving a HPSA, MUA, or MUP must submit the site type and the site
point(s) of contact for HRSA to determine the sites' eligibility to
participate in the PS LRP. The STAR LRP and the PS LRP application ask
for personal, professional, and financial information needed to
determine the applicant's eligibility to participate in either of the
programs. In addition, applicants must provide information regarding
the loans for which repayment is being requested.
Likely Respondents: Licensed medical, mental, and behavioral health
providers who are employed or seeking employment and are interested in
serving underserved populations; and health care facilities or sites
interested in becoming approved for the STAR LRP and/or the PS LRP.
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 for the STAR LRP:
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Number of Average burden
Form name Number of responses per Total per response Total burden
respondents respondent responses (in hours) hours
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STAR LRP Application............ 1,700 1 1,700 0.50 850
Authorization for Disclosure of 1,700 1 1,700 0.50 850
Loan Information Form..........
Privacy Act Release 1,700 1 1,700 0.50 850
Authorization Form.............
Employment Verification Form.... 1,700 1 1,700 0.50 850
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Total....................... 1,700 .............. 6,800 .............. 3,400
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Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours for the PS LRP:
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Number of Average burden
Form name Number of responses per Total per response Total burden
respondents respondent responses (in hours) hours
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Pediatric Specialty LRP 500 1 500 0.50 250
Application....................
Authorization for Disclosure of 500 1 500 0.50 250
Loan Information Form..........
Privacy Act Release 500 1 500 0.50 250
Authorization Form.............
Employment Verification Form.... 500 1 500 0.50 250
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Total....................... 500 .............. 2,000 .............. 1,000
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[[Page 59843]]
Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2025-23581 Filed 12-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P
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