The Elder Justice Act of 2009, which amends Title XX of the Social Security Act [42.U.S.C. 13976 et seq.], requires that the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services âcollects and disseminates data annually relating to the abuse, exploitation, and neglect of elders in coordination with the Department of Justiceâ [Sec. 2041 (a) (1) (B)] and âconducts research related to the provision of adult protective servicesâ [Sec. 2041 (a) (1) (D)]. The Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) recommended development of âa national adult protective services (APS) system based upon standardized data collection and a core set of service provision standards and best practices.â
Administered by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS) addresses the needs cited by the Elder Justice Act and EJCC. It collects information about APS agencies and their programs, as voluntarily submitted annually by states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories (referred to as âstatesâ hereafter). After approval by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in March 2017, the first year of NAMRS reporting was FFY 2016. As a result of ACL system enhancement grants and technical assistance by the Adult Protective Services Technical Assistance Resource Center (APS TARC), every state now participates and the number of states submitting detailed case data has increased every year.
The Purpose of Information is to fulfill statutory requirements as described above.. ACL intends on using the data collected through NAMRS for the following purposes:
⢠To support ACLâs federal leadership role for the development and implementation of comprehensive APS systems
⢠To provide a better understanding of the extent, nature, and characteristics of the maltreatment of older Americans and adults with disabilities
⢠To support ACLâs role in providing a coordinated and seamless response for helping adult victims of abuse and to prevent abuse before it happens
⢠To assist in developing model APS program standards to help states improve the quality and consistency of programs
⢠To support a coordinated federal research strategy to fill the gaps in knowledge and develop evidence-based interventions to prevent, identify, and report, and respond to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The annual burden estimate for 2017-2020 was 5,718 hours. The annual burden estimate for 2020-2023 is 4,164 hours. There is an adjustment decrease of -1,554 based on the experience of states improving their capabilities and efficiencies in providing yearly NARMS data since FY2016. There are no program changes or revisions.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.