Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Application and Verification Forms Request

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Application and Verification Forms Request Form and Instruction	New
Emergency Memo Debt Relief .docx Supplementary Document	2022-10-07
Debt Relief ICR Supporting Statement.docx Supporting Statement A	2022-10-07

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
256321	Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Application and Verification Forms Request Form and Instruction	New

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1845-0167	ICR Reference No: 202210-1845-001
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No:
Agency/Subagency: ED/FSA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Application and Verification Forms Request
Type of Information Collection: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Emergency	Approval Requested By: 10/07/2022
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 10/07/2022
	Date Received in OIRA: 10/07/2022
Terms of Clearance: OMB approves this emergency information collection request (ICR) for a period of six months. Given the inability to seek public comment in advance of OMB approval, as part of the emergency notice in the Federal Register, the Department will simultaneously solicit 60-days of public comment for the standard information collection request.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	04/30/2023	6 Months From Approved
Responses	38,237,500	0	0
Time Burden (Hours)	8,236,075	0	0
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

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Abstract: The Department of Education (Department) is requesting an emergency clearance for a new information collection. This collection will be used to obtain information from federal student loan borrowers to determine eligibility for loan discharge announced by the Secretary of Education on August 24, 2022 under the authority of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.); 20 U.S.C. 1018(f) and 1087e(h); the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 ( 20 U.S.C. § 1098 bb)) (including any waivers or modifications that the Secretary of Education deems necessary to make to any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the federal student financial assistance programs under title IV of the HEA to achieve specific purposes listed in the section in connection with a war, other military operation, or a national emergency); and, 31 U.S.C. 7701 and Executive Order 9397, as amended by Executive Order 13478 (November 18, 2008). To implement the Secretary’s directive, the Department must, as soon as practicable, establish a process available to all federal student loan borrowers to request a discharge, attest to their income eligibility for loan discharge, and verify that income, if requested by the Department. Federal Student Aid has developed application forms (borrower and parent), an income verification form, and a parent income waiver request in compliance with this directive. As designed, each student loan borrower would complete an online or paper student loan debt relief application form to request consideration for loan discharge within 12 months of the end of the payment pause (December 31, 2022) and must verify their income, if required, by March 31, 2024. Due to the limited time between announcement on August 24, 2022, the importance of having the application available before the end of loan payment pause on December 31, 2022, and the urgency of providing financial relief from the ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency, we request that OMB approve the collection associated with the implementation of the application forms and verification process under the emergency clearance procedures of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, outlined in 44 U.S.C. 3507(j), by October 7, 2022. If this request is not granted, the Department would be unable to implement this loan discharge before the end of the loan payment deferral on December 31, 2022 which would result in further hardship for a large number of affected borrowers being obligated to restart payment before their discharge could be processed, causing them additional financial harm. Additionally, the Department is requesting that the full clearance package be filed at the same time and that the 60-day public comment period be initiated at the same time. Upon emergency approval the Department will be able to accelerate implementation for maximum benefit to federal student loan borrowers continuing to manage the economic hardship of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Emergency Justfication: The Department has determined that this information must be collected prior to the expiration of time periods established under 44 U.S.C. 3507(j), and that this information is essential to ED’s ability to effectively implement the initiative. Due to the limited time available before the end of loan payment deferment on December 31, 2022 and the urgency of providing financial relief from the ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency, we request that OMB approve the collection associated with the implementation of the application forms and verification process using the emergency clearance procedures of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, outlined in 44 U.S.C. 3507(j), by October 7, 2022 or as soon as possible. If this request is not granted, the Department would be unable to implement this loan discharge before the end of the loan payment deferral policy on 12/31/2022, which would result in a large number of affected borrowers being obligated to restart payment before their discharge could be processed, causing them further financial harm. Additionally, we are requesting that the full clearance package be filed at the same time and that the Department will initiate the 60-day public comment period upon notification of emergency approval.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 20 USC 1018(f) & 1087e(h) Name of Law: Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
   US Code: 20 USC 1098bb Name of Law: Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of2003
   US Code: 20 USC 1070 et seq. Name of Law: Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments

Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Application and Verification Forms Request	N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A	Debt Relief Application Form ,   Debt Relief Application Paper-Based Form ,   Income Verification Form ,   Income Verification Paper-Based Form ,   Parent Income Form for Dependent Students ,   Parent Income Form for Dependent Students Paper-Based Form ,   Parent Income Waiver Request Form ,   Parent Income Waiver Request Paper-Based Form

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	38,237,500	0	0	38,237,500	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	8,236,075	0	0	8,236,075	0	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: The increase in burden is due a newly established Federal Student Loan Discharge directed by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The annual increase of burden to individuals is an estimated maximum 8,236,075 hours based on an estimated 33,000,000 borrowers with a maximum 38,237,500 responses.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $101,300,000

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(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;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

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.

Certification Date: 10/07/2022

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