Agency Information Collection Request. 60-Day Public Comment Request

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is inviting public comment on an extension request for an approved information collection request: ASPE Umbrella Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Research and Assessment (OMB #0990-0421). No changes are proposed to the purpose and use described within this generic, but burden estimates have been adjusted to reflect estimated use over the next three years.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 208 (Thursday, October 29, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 208 (Thursday, October 29, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68153-68154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22096]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Document Identifier: OS-0990-0421]


Agency Information Collection Request. 60-Day Public Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services.

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS), the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Evaluation (ASPE) is inviting public comment on an extension request 
for an approved information collection request: ASPE Umbrella Generic 
Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Research and Assessment 
(OMB #0990-0421). No changes are proposed to the purpose and use 
described within this generic, but burden estimates have been adjusted 
to reflect estimated use over the next three years.

DATES: Comments on the ICR must be received on or before December 28, 
2026.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f8bc9996919d94949dd6ba9d8a959996b890908bd69f978e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c486d626569606069224e697e616d624c64647f226b637a">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: When submitting comments or requesting 
information, please include the document identifier 0990-0421 and 
project title for reference, to Danielle Berman, email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ebaf8a85828e87878ec5a98e99868a85ab838398c58c849d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f0b4919e99959c9c95deb295829d919eb0989883de979f86">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title of the Collection: ASPE Umbrella Generic Clearance for the 
Collection of Qualitative Research and Assessment.
    Type of Collection: Extension of an Umbrella Generic Clearance.
    OMB No. 0990-0421.

Abstract

    The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation 
(ASPE) is requesting an extension without changes for their umbrella 
generic clearance for purposes of conducting qualitative research. ASPE 
advises the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on 
policy development in health, disability, human services, data, and 
science, and provides advice and analysis on economic policy. ASPE 
leads special initiatives, coordinates the Department's evaluation, 
research, and demonstration activities, and manages cross-Department 
planning activities such as strategic planning, legislative planning, 
and review of regulations. Integral to this role, ASPE conducts 
qualitative research to gain a better understanding of emerging health 
policy issues, develop future intramural and extramural research 
projects, and to ensure HHS leadership and agencies have relevant data 
for evidence-based program and policy decision-making. These efforts 
often require quick planning and implementation to ensure timely data 
collection and information around emergent areas of interest. ASPE is 
requesting approval for at least four types of qualitative research: 
(a) interviews, (b) focus groups, (c) questionnaires, and (d) other 
qualitative methods. Data collection will take place through a variety 
of activities--both in-person and virtual--dependent on the specific 
project. ASPE will submit individual requests under this clearance, as 
they are planned.
    The goal of developing these activities is to gather timely 
information and first-hand perspectives on priority policy-relevant 
topics and identify emerging issues and research gaps to ensure the 
successful implementation of HHS programs. Qualitative data and 
information collected from activities carried out under this generic 
clearance will inform internal analyses, surface areas for further 
research, and provide opportunities for engagement and collaboration 
with key stakeholders. Feedback collected under this generic clearance 
provides useful information, but it does not yield data that can be 
generalized to the overall population. This type of generic clearance 
for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative 
information collections that are designed to yield reliably actionable 
results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting program 
performance.
    ASPE is requesting comments on the burden for qualitative research 
aimed at understanding emerging health and human services policy 
issues.
    Respondents: Participants may include health and human services 
experts; national, state, and local health or human services 
representatives; public health, human services, or healthcare 
providers; representatives of other health or human services 
organizations, and people with lived experience.
    Annual Burden Estimates: The anticipated annualized burden is 
expected to increase slightly from what is currently approved to 
account for additional research efforts to be responsive to emerging 
leadership priorities and interest in broad-based input.

[[Page 68154]]



                                          Annualized Burden Hour Table
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                                                                    Number of     Average burden
      Type of respondent          Information       Number of     responses per      hours per     Total burden
                                  collection       respondents     respondents       response          hours
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Health or Human Services       Qualitative                7,000                1               1           7,000
 Policy Stakeholders.           Research
                                Methods.
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    Comments: Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding 
this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of 
information, including any of the following subjects: (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.

Catherine Howard,
Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance Officer, Office of the 
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-22096 Filed 10-28-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4151-19-P


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