Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Programs OMB No. 0915-0127-Revision

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks comments from the public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the ICR.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 166 (Friday, August 28, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 166 (Friday, August 28, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55609-55611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17625]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: The 
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Programs OMB No. 0915-
0127--Revision

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection 
Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB). Prior to submitting the ICR to OMB, HRSA seeks comments from the 
public regarding the burden estimate, below, or any other aspect of the 
ICR.

DATES: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than October 
27, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3747564752454058455c775f45445619505841"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c7c6d7c697e7b637e674c647e7f6d226b637a">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> or mail the HRSA 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Room 13N82, 5600 Fishers 
Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
draft instruments, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#493928392c3b3e263b2209213b3a28672e263f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="017160716473766e736a41697372602f666e77">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> or call Samantha Miller, 
the HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer, at (301) 443-9094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the ICR title for reference.
    Information Collection Request Title: The National Health Service 
Corps Loan Repayment Programs, OMB No. 0915-0127--Revision.
    Abstract: The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment 
Program (LRP) was established to assure an adequate supply of trained 
primary care health professionals to provide services in Health 
Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) of the United States with the 
greatest need. The NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP and the 
NHSC Rural Community LRP were established to recruit and retain a 
health professional workforce with specific training and credentials to 
provide evidence-based substance use disorder treatment in HPSAs. Under 
these programs, HHS agrees to repay the qualifying educational loans of 
selected primary care health professionals. In return, the health 
professionals agree to serve for a specified period of time in an NHSC-
approved site located in a federally-designated HPSA approved by the 
Secretary of HHS for NHSC LRP participants.

[[Page 55610]]

    The forms used by each NHSC LRP include the following: (1) the NHSC 
LRP Application; (2) the Authorization for Disclosure of Loan 
Information Form; (3) the Privacy Act Release Authorization Form, and, 
if applicable; (4) the Certification of Vulnerable Background Form; (5) 
the Private Practice Option Form; (6) the NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral 
Health Services Checklist; (7) the NHSC Spanish Language Assessment 
Proficiency Test Form; and (8) the NHSC Site Application. The first 
four of these NHSC LRP forms collect information that is needed for 
selecting participants and repaying qualifying educational loans. The 
Private Practice Option and Spanish Language Assessment forms are 
needed to collect information from applicants who wish to be considered 
for those options. The NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral Health Services 
Checklist collects information to ascertain whether behavioral health 
providers are practicing in a community-based setting that provides 
access to comprehensive behavioral health services. The NHSC Site 
Application collects information used for determining the eligibility 
of sites for the assignment of NHSC health professionals and to verify 
the need for NHSC clinicians.
    In this revision, the NHSC seeks to update the terminology with 
respect to Disadvantaged Background and accompanying definitions. More 
specifically, the Verification of Disadvantaged Background Form, which 
is used to determine whether an applicant qualifies for a funding 
priority on the basis that the applicant is from a disadvantaged 
background (42 U.S.C. 254l-1(d)(2)(C)), has been changed in the 
following ways: updated the name to ``Certification of Vulnerable 
Background'', updated ``disadvantaged'' to ``vulnerable'', and updated 
``educational/environmental and or economic factors'' to 
``educationally/geographically vulnerable background'' and 
``economically vulnerable background.'' These changes are being made to 
align with the Administration's priority of reinforcing programs that 
direct resources to areas of greatest need to improve health outcomes.
    Previously, the NHSC used the same definition of ``disadvantaged 
background'' as that used by the Scholarships for Disadvantaged 
Students Program, which is authorized by Sec. 737 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293a). HRSA's use of ``vulnerable background'' 
operationalizes the statutory term by identifying individuals whose 
geographic or economic circumstances inhibited them from obtaining the 
knowledge, skills, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate 
from an eligible health profession school. This approach remains 
consistent with the statute's intent while incorporating more current 
terminology. These updates were made throughout the revised 
Certification of Vulnerable Background Form to improve consistency and 
help ensure that applicants and reviewers understand the criteria using 
current terminology.
    NHSC will define ``vulnerable background'' as ``coming from an 
educationally/geographically vulnerable background or an economically 
vulnerable background that has inhibited the individual from obtaining 
the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate 
from a health profession school.''
    NHSC will define ``educationally/geographically vulnerable 
background'' as ``a background that has inhibited the individual from 
obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to enroll in 
and graduate from a health profession school, or from a program 
providing education or training in an allied health profession.'' 
Examples of indicators that an individual comes from an educationally/
geographically vulnerable background include, but are not limited to:
    <bullet> Attending/graduating from a high school with low average 
SAT/ACT scores or below the average state test results.
    <bullet> Having lived in a school district where 50 percent or less 
of graduates go to college.
    <bullet> Diagnosed with a physical or mental impairment that 
substantially limits participation in educational experiences.
    <bullet> Having a primary language other than English and for whom 
language is still a barrier to academic performance.
    <bullet> Being the first generation to attend college.
    <bullet> Attending/graduating from a high school where at least 30 
percent of enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced-price 
lunches.
    <bullet> Being from a rural, remote, or geographically isolated 
community where access to quality education, health care, 
transportation, or broadband is limited.
    NHSC will define ``economically vulnerable background'' as:
    <bullet> Coming from a family with an annual income that does not 
exceed 200 percent of the HHS Poverty Guidelines. A family is a group 
of two or more individuals related by birth, marriage, or adoption who 
live together, or an individual who is not living together with any 
relatives.
    Need and Proposed Use of the Information: The need and proposed use 
of this information collection is to assess an NHSC LRP applicant's 
eligibility and qualifications for the NHSC LRP, and to determine NHSC 
LRP applicants' Spanish language proficiency if relevant to their 
application, and to obtain information for NHSC site applicants. The 
NHSC LRP application asks for personal, professional, and financial/
loan information.
    Likely Respondents: Likely respondents include licensed primary 
care medical, dental, and behavioral health providers who are employed 
or seeking employment and are interested in serving in HPSAs.
    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
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                                                   Number of                     Average burden
          Form name               Number of      responses per  Total responses   per response     Total burden
                                 respondents      respondent                       (in hours)         hours
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NHSC LRP Application.........  9,020..........               1  9,020..........            1.00  9,020

[[Page 55611]]

 
Authorization for Disclosure   7,150..........               1  7,150..........            0.10  715
 of Loan Information Form.
Privacy Act Release            303............               1  303............            0.10  30
 Authorization Form.
Certification of Vulnerable    660............               1  660............            0.50  330
 Background Form.
Private Practice Option Form.  330............               1  330............            0.10  33
NHSC Comprehensive Behavioral  4,400..........               1  4,400..........            0.13  572
 Health Services Checklist.
NHSC Spanish Language          3,006..........               1  3,006..........            0.50  1,503
 Assessment Proficiency Test
 Form.
NHSC Site Application........  4,070..........               1  4,070..........            0.50  2,035
(including recertification)..
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    Total....................  28,939.........  ..............  28,939.........  ..............  14,238
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    HRSA specifically requests comments on (1) the necessity and 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.

Maria G. Button,
Director, Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2026-17625 Filed 8-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P


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