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Supporting Statement
Office of Rural Health Policy
State Offices of Rural Health Grant (SORH) Program
A. JUSTIFICATION
1.

Circumstances of Information Collection

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Rural Health
Policy (ORHP), is requesting OMB approval for a new Technical Assistance Data Form
for the State Offices of Rural Health Grant (SORH) program. In it’s authorizing
language (SEC. 711. [42 U.S.C. 912]), Congress charged ORHP with “administering
grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to provide technical assistance and other
activities as necessary to support activities related to improving health care in rural
areas.” The mission of the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) is to sustain and
improve access to quality health care services for rural communities. This one page form
will collect information from SORH grantees on technical assistance provided to States
and communities.
SORH began in 1991and is a matching (3:1) grant program that has resulted in the
establishment of state offices of rural health in all 50 states. The mission of each office is
to help strengthen and improve rural health care delivery systems in rural communities.
To accomplish this mission, each office collects and disseminates information; provides
technical assistance; helps coordinate rural health interests state-wide; strengthens state,
local and Federal partnerships; and supports efforts to improve recruitment and retention
of health professionals. Grantees have provided narrative information on their
accomplishments; however, this general information is not standardized and does not
provide quantitative detail on the provision of technical assistance.
ORHP is requesting approval of this data form to capture GPRA data measures starting
with the FY 2009 grant year (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010).
2.

Purposes and Use of Information

The purpose of this data collection is to provide HRSA/ORHP with standardized
information on how well each grantee is meeting the needs of their States and
communities. Data from this form will provide quantitative information about the SORH
program. Currently, the two GPRA measures that this form will address are: 1) to report
the total number of unduplicated communities that received technical assistance during
the grant period; and, 2) whether or not the State has a focal point for rural recruiting and
retention.
In 2007, ORHP and representatives from the National Association of State Offices of
Rural Health (NOSORH) collaborated to revise and improve the existing GPRA
measures. The revised performance measures more precisely capture the outcome of the
SORH element related to providing technical assistance. The revised elements are: 1)

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report the total number of technical assistance (TA) encounters provided directly to
clients within State by SORH; and 2) report the total number of clients within State that
received technical assistance directly from SORH.
Responses will provide useful information on the SORH program and will enable
HRSA/ORHP to provide data required by Congress under the Government Performance
and Results Act of 1993. It will also ensure that grantees have a demonstrated need for
services in their communities and document that Federal funds are being effectively used
to provide services to meet those needs.
Instructions
The SORH data form consists of one table and is completed by all grantees. The table
provides data on the number of technical assistance encounters provided and the number
of clients that received technical assistance. Definitions for technical assistance and
client are provided to grantees on the form to assist them in filling out the table. The
information can be submitted on the HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB) website, and
grantees can call the Helpdesk with any technical questions.
3.

Use of Improved Technology

This database is fully electronic. Grantees submit the data electronically via a HRSA
managed website. This reduces the paper burden on the grantee and on the SORH
program staff.
4.

Efforts to Identify Duplication

The information on technical assistance provided by grantees is unique to the SORH
program.
5.

Involvement of Small Entities

Every effort has been made to ensure the data requested is the minimum necessary to
answer basic questions necessary to determine user population and appropriate use of
grant funds. This activity does not have a significant impact on small entities.
6.

Consequences if Information Were Collected Less Frequently

Grant dollars are awarded annually; therefore, this information is needed annually by the
program in order to measure effective use of grant dollars consistently among all the
grantees.
7.

Consistency with Guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2)

The data are collected in a manner consistent with guidelines contained in 5 CFR
1320.5(d)(2)

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8.

Consultation Outside of the Agency

The notice required in 4 CFR 1320.8(d) was published in the Federal Register on March
11, 2008 (Vol. 73, No. 48, page 13005-13006). No comments were received. The
following grantees provided consultation and review of the form:
RURAL HEALTH OFFICE
Mel & Enid Zuckerman
College of Public Health
University of Arizona
P.O. Box 245210
Tucson, AZ 85724-5210
520-626-5823
fax 520-626-3101
Lynda Bergsma, SORH
Program Coordinator
[email protected]

9.

OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH AND
PRIMARY CARE
Minnesota Dept. of Health
PO Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55164-0882
651-201-3859
fax 651-201-3830
Mark Schoenbaum, Director
[email protected]

CENTER FOR RURAL HEALTH
AND HEALTH SCIENCES
School of Medicine, Univ. of
North Dakota
501 North Columbia Rd., Box
9037
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037
701-777-3848
fax 701-777-6779
Lynette Dickson, SORH Project
Director
[email protected]

Remuneration of Respondents

Respondents will not be remunerated.
10.

Assurance of Confidentiality

No individual level data are collected on the TA form, and the data system does not
involve the reporting of personally identifiable information about individuals. The
SORH program requests only aggregate data on total number of technical assistance
encounters provided by the grantee and the total number of clients receiving the
assistance.
11.

Questions of a Sensitive Nature

The SORH program does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.
12.

Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden

Form Name

Number of
Respondents

TA Form

50

Total

50

Responses
per
Respondent
1

Total
Responses
50
50

Burden
Hours per
Response
12.5

Total
Burden
Hours
625.0
625.0

Basis for the estimates: Estimates of burden for the information were obtained from
consultations with the grantees.

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It should be noted that the burden is expected to vary across the grantees. This variation
is tied primarily to the type of data system(s) used by the grantees. Some grantees have
their own MIS systems that track the information, whereas others rely on the hard copy
medical records.
13.

Estimates of Annualized Cost Burden to Respondents

All grantees currently have the appropriate equipment and internet access to the HRSA
website, so there are no capital or startup costs associated with this activity.
14.

Estimated Cost to the Federal Government

Preparation and tallying the information is rolled into the duties of the ORHP SORH
program staff. A 0.02 FTE at a GS-13 ($1,600) annually is necessary to provide TA to
the grantees, collect the information, and compile to final totals for all of the 50 SORH
Grantees.
15.

Changes in Burden

This is a new activity.
16.

Time Schedule, Publication and Analysis Plans

There are no plans for statistical analysis or publication of the information. Summary
totals will be calculated for the two GPRA measures.
17.

Exemption for Display of Expiration Date

The expiration date will be displayed.
18.

Certifications

This project fully complies with CFR 1320.9. The certifications are included in this
package.

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