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 NIDILRR’s 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 grantee’s
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 NIDILRR’s 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 NIDILRR’s 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 year’s 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
“Outputs” 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) maximize—to the extent
possible—public access to digital data resulting from federally
funded research. To meet these requirements, HHS’s 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, ACL’s 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 “Type 5 Outputs” 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.