Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information (including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information) and to allow 60 days for public comment on the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 199 (Friday, October 16, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 199 (Friday, October 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65747-65748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21151]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

[Document Identifier: CMS-10494 and CMS-10710]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human 
Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is 
announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention 
to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice in 
the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information 
(including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing 
collection of information) and to allow 60 days for public comment on 
the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send comments 
regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection 
of information, including the necessity and utility of the proposed 
information collection for the proper performance of the agency's 
functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology to minimize the information collection burden.

DATES: Comments must be received by December 15, 2026.

ADDRESSES: When commenting, please reference the document identifier or 
OMB control number. To be assured consideration, comments and 
recommendations must be submitted in any one of the following ways:
    1. Electronically. You may send your comments electronically to 
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the instructions for ``Comment or 
Submission'' or ``More Search Options'' to find the information 
collection document(s) that are accepting comments.
    2. By regular mail. You may mail written comments to the following 
address: CMS, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs, 
Division of Regulations Development, Attention: Document Identifier: 
__/OMB Control Number: __, Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.
    To obtain copies of a supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed collection(s) summarized in this notice, please access 
the CMS PRA website by copying and pasting the following web address 
into your web browser: <a href="https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing">https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing</a>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William N. Parham at (410) 786-4669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Contents

    This notice sets out a summary of the use and burden associated 
with the following information collections. More detailed information 
can be found in each collection's supporting statement and associated 
materials (see ADDRESSES).
    Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor. The term 
``collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 
1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of 
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a 
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires federal agencies 
to publish a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each 
proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension 
or reinstatement of an existing collection of information, before 
submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this 
requirement, CMS is publishing this notice.

Information Collections

    1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Annual State 
Report on CMS Value Based Purchasing Arrangements (VBP) Supplemental 
Rebate Agreements; Use: The Affordable Care Act created Health 
Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges), marketplaces where consumers and small 
businesses can purchase private health insurance. Consumers who access 
health insurance coverage through Exchanges can receive skilled 
assistance from Navigators and certified application counselors (CACs) 
who provide information and help facilitate enrollment in qualified 
health plans (QHPs) and determine whether consumers potentially qualify 
for insurance affordability programs through an Exchange. Exchanges 
will use the information collected to certify individual Navigators, 
Certified Application Counselors (CACs), or certified application 
counselor designated organization (CDOs) and to maintain CMS records 
related to those certifications and designations. CDOs will use the 
information collected to manage their internal processes to certify 
individual CACs. Exchanges will also use the information collected to 
inform the public about the availability of application services from 
Navigators and CACs. Form Number: CMS-10494 (OMB control number: 0938-
1205); Frequency: Yearly; Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal 
Governments; Number of Respondents: 275,089; Total Annual Responses: 
275,089; Total Annual Hours: 857,046. (For policy questions regarding 
this collection contact Meredyth Woody at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8ac7eff8efeef3fee2a4dde5e5eef3cae9e7f9a4e2e2f9a4ede5fc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90ddf5e2f5f4e9e4f8bec7fffff4e9d0f3fde3bef8f8e3bef7ffe6">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.)
    2. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Generic Clearance 
for Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 
Implementation); Use:

[[Page 65748]]

Whether seeking a loan, Social Security benefits, veterans benefits, or 
other services provided by the Federal Government, individuals and 
businesses expect Government customer services to be efficient and 
intuitive, just like services from leading private-sector 
organizations. Yet the 2016 American Consumer Satisfaction Index and 
the 2017 Forrester Federal Customer Experience Index show that, on 
average, Government services lag nine percentage points behind the 
private sector.
    A modern, streamlined and responsive customer experience means: 
raising government-wide customer experience to the average of the 
private sector service industry; developing indicators for high-impact 
Federal programs to monitor progress towards excellent customer 
experience and mature digital services; and providing the structure 
(including increasing transparency) and resources to ensure customer 
experience is a focal point for agency leadership. To support this, OMB 
Circular A-11 Section 280 established government-wide standards for 
mature customer experience organizations in government and measurement. 
To enable Federal programs to deliver the experience taxpayers deserve, 
they must undertake three general categories of activities: conduct 
ongoing customer research, gather and share customer feedback, and test 
services and digital products.
    These data collection efforts may be either qualitative or 
quantitative in nature or may consist of mixed methods. Additionally, 
data may be collected via a variety of means, including but not limited 
to electronic or social media, direct or indirect observation (i.e., in 
person, video and audio collections), interviews, questionnaires, 
surveys, and focus groups. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services (CMS) will limit its inquiries to data collections that 
solicit strictly voluntary opinions or responses. Steps will be taken 
to ensure anonymity of respondents in each activity covered by this 
request.
    The results of the data collected will be used to improve the 
delivery of Federal services and programs. It will include the creation 
of personas, customer journey maps, and reports and summaries of 
customer feedback data and user insights. It will also provide 
government-wide data on customer experience that can be displayed on 
<a href="http://performance.gov">performance.gov</a> to help build transparency and accountability of 
Federal programs to the customers they serve.
    CMS will collect this information by electronic means when 
possible, as well as by mail, fax, telephone, technical discussions, 
and in-person interviews. CMS may also utilize observational techniques 
to collect this information.
    Form Number: CMS-10710 (OMB control number: 0938-1382); Frequency: 
Occasionally; Affected Public: Individuals or Households; Private 
Sector (business or other for-profits, not-for-profit institutions), 
State, Local or Tribal governments; Federal government; and 
Universities; Number of Respondents: 1,001,750; Number of Responses: 
Varied, dependent upon the data collection method used; Total Annual 
Hours: 51,175. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact 
Mohanraj Balasubramanian at 410-786-7808.)

William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, 
Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2026-21151 Filed 10-15-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4169-69-P


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