The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) request clearance of revised Annual Performance Reporting (APR) and Final Report forms to be completed by all NIDILRR grantees. The forms included in this information collection request are used by grantees in the following 10 programs to submit their Annual and Final Performance Reports for Reporting under OMB control number 0985-0050:
⢠Rehabilitation Research Training Centers (RRTCs)
⢠Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs)
⢠Field Initiated Research Projects (FIPs)
⢠Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Projects (ARRTs)
⢠Model Systems (including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and burn centers)
⢠Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRPs)
⢠Knowledge Translation (KT) Projects
⢠ADA National Network Centers (ADAs)
⢠Small Business Innovation Research Projects (SBIR) grantees (Phase 2 only)
Research Fellowships Program (RFP) Statutory Requirements for This Data Collection NIDILRRâs APR web-based reporting system (APR system) addresses specific Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regulations that shall be met by applicants and grantees. DHHS regulations that apply to NIDILRR Grant programs include Part 75 of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit requirements for HHS Awards. Specifically, §75.342, which addresses monitoring and reporting program performance, requires grantees to submit an annual performance report or, for the last year of a project, a final report that evaluates: (a) the granteeâs progress in achieving the objectives in its approved application, (b) the effectiveness of the project in meeting the purposes of the program, and (c) the results of research and related activities.
Additionally, GPRA requires all federal agencies to implement performance measurement systems that include: (1) a five-year strategic plan, (2) an annual performance plan, and (3) an annual performance report. Currently, NIDILRR has met these requirements and has established performance indicators to meet the reporting requirements. The NIDILRR APR System currently includes reporting forms for all 10 of NIDILRRâs grant programs.
Reporting forms for all 10 programs are Web-based; that is, all grantees will complete their annual reports via the Internet. Data collected through these forms will be used to:
(a) facilitate program planning and management;
(b) respond to Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Grants Policy Administration Manual (GPAM) requirements; and
(c) respond to the reporting requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 (P.L. 103-62).
There is a program change decrease of -194 annual burden hours and an adjustment decrease of -5 respondents. The Web-based system used for reporting incorporates a number of features to meet NIDILRRâs information needs while minimizing burden. The reporting form and system currently in use were designed so that information provided by grantees each year is automatically carried forward to the next. Under this design, grantees need only review and, if necessary, edit their previous yearâs entries in order to complete subsequent annual reports. To further reduce burden, the form is designed so that, instead of describing their accomplishments, grantees simply select their most important accomplishments from among the outputs they report. Data from grant applications, such as contact and budget information, are preloaded for efficiency. To facilitate grantee and NIDILRR staff review of information submitted, the system includes system-generated tables that summarize information entered in specific sections. The Web-based system also carries forward information from one section of the form to the next; for example, information on outcome-oriented goals is carried forward for convenient linkage with projects/activities and publications.
The only significant change to the performance reporting forms (final report only) is the addition of a new section under âOutputsâ to collect additional information required by a 2013 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy directive. This directive requires agencies with research and development budgets greater than $100 million per year, including NIDILRR, to: (1) ensure free public access to federally funded peer-reviewed scientific publications; and (2) maximizeâto the extent possibleâpublic access to digital data resulting from federally funded research. To meet these requirements, HHSâs Administration for Community Living, in which NIDILRR is housed, developed a Public Access Plan. Under this plan, the annual and final performance reporting forms were revised in 2017 to meet the first of these two requirements, and were approved by OMB. (This requirement applies to grants that started on or after October 1, 2016.)
To meet the second of these two requirements, ACLâs Public Access Plan requires grants that started on or after September 30, 2018 to provide information about the availability of their datasets, in a new âType 5 Outputsâ section of their final reports. This section has been added to the Final Report Form currently being submitted for OMB approval. The new requirement will be phased in as grants end and submit their final reports.
Several very minor changes in wording have also been made:
⢠Under Indirect Costs, to clarify that grantees claiming a new indirect cost rate should complete Form SF 424 A;
⢠Throughout the form, to reflect the fact that the name of the database NIDILRR uses to identify peer-reviewed publications has changed from ISI to Web of Science; and
⢠Under General Information, to clarify that contact information should be provided for the authorizing representative who signed the Application for Federal Assistance or the individual currently serving in that capacity.
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.
Annual Performance Reporting (APR) System for NIDRR Grantees
0050 SS 2020 Fin.docx
Annual Performance Reporting (APR) System for NIDRR Grantees