NHSC LRP non substantive change request

Health Resources and Services Administration

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program

Subject: Request for a non-substantive change to an existing agency data collection activity approved by OMB under number 0915-0127.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has provided funding to increase public access to affordable primary health care by providing an incentive to primary health care clinicians/students to serve in underserved areas, and thus increasing the number of jobs for National Health Service Corps (NHSC) primary health care clinicians. The NHSC program encourages primary health care clinicians/students to serve vulnerable populations (e.g., uninsured, Medicaid, Medicare) within health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). The expected benefits to the public include increasing health care service availability and accessibility and recruiting, developing, and retaining a competent health care workforce.

The language stated in the Recovery Act provides “$500,000,000 to address health professions workforce shortages, of which $75,000,000 for the National Health Service Corps shall remain available through September 30, 2011: Provided, That the funds may be used to provide scholarships, loan repayment and grants to training programs…” To comply with the Recovery Act, HRSA must make available NHSC loan repayment applications in early June, 2009. The application that will be used for this funding opportunity is the currently approved NHSC loan repayment application (OMB No. 0915-0127). No changes are being made to the application form. The only change is a non-substantive one, to change the currently approved number of respondent and burden hours in order to permit an increase in the respondents applying for this program.

This non-substantive change to the existing NHSC loan repayment application is for an increase in the annual number of respondents due to the additional funding opportunities provided by the Recovery Act. The program currently has approved a total of 2000 respondents, 13,520 responses, and 3,476 burden hours. The estimated additional annual increase due to ARRA is for 2,513 respondents, 17,591 responses, and 4,554 burden hours. The table below outlines the respondents and burden hours for the existing program and the separate estimates for respondents applying under ARRA.

Number of:	Currently approved	Additional – ARRA	Total
Respondents	2,000	2,513	4,433
Responses	13,520	17,591	31,111
Burden Hours	3,476	4,554	8,030