Change Memo Justification

Health Resources and Services DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Administration Bureau of Health Workforce Rockville, MD 20857

DATE: August 18, 2023

TO: Dan Cline, OMB Desk Officer

FROM: Samantha Miller, HRSA Information Collection Clearance Officer

______________________________________________________________________________

Request: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) requests approval to change the name of the approved information collection request and instrument to the “Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) Annual Performance Report.” The current name is the “Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) Annual Performance Report Financial Data Form” (OMB 0915-0314) expiration date (08/31/2026).

Purpose: The NFLP is a HRSA nursing grant program, under the auspices of the BHW, Division of Nursing and Public Health (DNPH). This program is authorized by 42 U.S.C. § 297n-1 (Public Health Service Act Section 846A) of the Public Health Service Act provides the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the authority to enter into an agreement with schools of nursing for the establishment and operation of a student loan fund to increase the number of qualified nurse faculty. Under the agreement, HRSA makes awards to accredited schools of nursing to establish and operate a student loan program including maintaining a fund, providing loans to students enrolled in advanced education nursing degree programs, and monitoring compliance with program requirements. In exchange for completion of up to four years of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment in an accredited school of nursing, graduates receive cancellation of up to 85 percent of the original student loan amount (plus interest thereon) as authorized by the program. In fiscal year 2023, the NFLP appropriation was approximately $26.5 million.

Under the NFLP, HHS makes an award to the eligible institution in the form of a Federal Capital Contribution (FCC). The institution uses the FCC to establish and operate a distinct, interest-bearing NFLP loan fund (“the Fund”) used only for making NFLP loans to eligible students and for the costs associated with collection of these loans. The institution is required to deposit an Institutional Capital Contribution (ICC) that is no less than one-ninth of the requested FCC into this fund. The school will deposit into the Fund: (1) the FCC, (2) an ICC equal to not less than one-ninth of the FCC, (3) collections of principal and interest on NFLP loans made from the Fund, and (4) all other earnings of the Fund.

The purpose of this request is to change the name of the ICR from Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) Annual Performance Report Financial Data Form to the Nurse Faculty Loan Program Forms to reflect that there are more instruments in the ICR other than the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) Annual Performance Report.

Changes: HRSA is requesting that the title of this collection be changed from the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) Annual Performance Report Financial Data Form to the Nurse Faculty Loan Program Forms. HRSA requests that this change be reflected in a revised Notice of Action.

Time Sensitivity: This change must be completed in a timely manner to ensure that the data collection schedule will not experience significant delay. Approval of these changes is requested by August 15, so that HRSA can update its public facing materials with updated information.

Burden: This request does not change the burden estimate for this ICR as most respondents do not review the name of the ICR prior to responding to it.