22790 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 17, 2012 / Notices 

Written comments and 

recommendations concerning the 

proposed information collection should 

be sent within 30 days of this notice to 

the desk officer for HRSA, either by 

email to 

OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov or by 

fax to 202–395–6974. Please direct all 

correspondence to the ‘‘attention of the 

desk officer for HRSA.’’ 

Dated: April 10, 2012. 

Reva Harris, 

Acting Director, Division of Policy and 

Information Coordination. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9134 Filed 4–16–12; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Health Resources and Services 

Administration 

‘‘Low Income Levels’’ Used for Various 

Health Professions and Nursing 

Programs Included in Titles III, VII and 

VIII of the Public Health Service Act 

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services 

Administration, HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Health Resources and 

Services Administration (HRSA) is 

updating income levels used to identify 

a ‘‘low income family’’ for the purpose 

of determining eligibility for programs 

that provide health professions and 

nursing training for individuals from 

disadvantaged backgrounds. These 

various programs are included in Titles 

III, VII and VIII of the Public Health 

Service Act. 

The Department periodically 

publishes in the Federal Register lowincome levels used to determine 

eligibility for grants and cooperative 

agreements to institutions providing 

training for (1) disadvantaged 

individuals, (2) individuals from 

disadvantaged backgrounds, or (3) 

individuals from ‘‘low-income’’ 

families. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

various health professions and nursing 

grant and cooperative agreement 

programs that use the low-income levels 

to determine whether an individual is 

from an economically disadvantaged 

background in making eligibility and 

funding determinations generally make 

awards to: accredited schools of 

medicine, osteopathic medicine, public 

health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, 

optometry, pharmacy, allied health 

podiatric medicine, nursing, 

chiropractic, public or private nonprofit 

schools which offer graduate programs 

in behavioral health and mental health 

practice, and other public or private 

nonprofit health or education entities to 

assist the disadvantaged to enter and 

graduate from health professions and 

nursing schools. Some programs 

provide for the repayment of health 

professions or nursing education loans 

for disadvantaged students. 

Low-Income Levels 

The Secretary defines a ‘‘low-income 

family/household’’ for programs 

included in Titles III, VII and VIII of the 

Public Health Service Act as having an 

annual income that does not exceed 200 

percent of the Department’s poverty 

guidelines. A family is a group of two 

or more individuals related by birth, 

marriage, or adoption who live together. 

A ‘‘household’’ may be only one person. 

Most HRSA programs use the income of 

the student’s parents to compute low 

income status. Other programs, 

depending upon the legislative intent of 

the program, the programmatic purpose 

related to income level, as well as the 

age and circumstances of the 

participant, will apply these low income 

standards to the individual student to 

determine eligibility, as long as he or 

she is not listed as a dependent on his 

or her parents’ tax form. Each program 

will announce the rationale and choice 

of methodology for determining low 

income levels in their program 

guidance. The Department’s poverty 

guidelines are based on poverty 

thresholds published by the U.S. Bureau 

of the Census, adjusted annually for 

changes in the Consumer Price Index. 

The Secretary annually adjusts the 

low-income levels based on the 

Department’s poverty guidelines and 

makes them available to persons 

responsible for administering the 

applicable programs. The income 

figures below have been updated to 

reflect increases in the Consumer Price 

Index through December 31, 2011. 

2012 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE

48 CONTIGUOUS STATES AND THE

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Size of parents’ family* Income 

level** 

1 ...................................................... $22,340 

2 ...................................................... 30,260 

3 ...................................................... 38,180 

4 ...................................................... 46,100 

5 ...................................................... 54,020 

6 ...................................................... 61,940 

7 ...................................................... 69,860 

8 ...................................................... 77,780 

For families with more than 8 persons, add 

$7,920 for each additional person. 

2012 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR

ALASKA

Size of parents’ family* Income 

level** 

1 ...................................................... $27,940 

2 ...................................................... 37,840 

3 ...................................................... 47,740 

4 ...................................................... 57,640 

5 ...................................................... 67,540 

6 ...................................................... 77,440 

7 ...................................................... 87,340 

8 ...................................................... 97,240 

For families with more than 8 persons, add 

$9,900 for each additional person. 

2012 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR

HAWAII

Size of parents’ family* Income 

level** 

1 ...................................................... $25,720 

2 ...................................................... 34,820 

3 ...................................................... 43,920 

4 ...................................................... 53,020 

5 ...................................................... 62,120 

6 ...................................................... 71,220 

7 ...................................................... 80,320 

8 ...................................................... 89,420 

For families with more than 8 persons, add 

$9,100 for each additional person. * Includes only dependents listed on Federal 

income tax forms. Some programs will use the 

student’s family rather than his or her parents’ 

family. **Adjusted gross income for calendar year 

2011. 

Separate poverty guidelines figures 

for Alaska and Hawaii reflect Office of 

Economic Opportunity administrative 

practice beginning in the 1966–1970 

period. (Note that the Census Bureau 

poverty thresholds—the version of the 

poverty measure used for statistical 

purposes—have never had separate 

figures for Alaska and Hawaii.) The 

poverty guidelines are not defined for 

Puerto Rico or other outlying 

jurisdictions. Puerto Rico or other 

outlying jurisdictions shall use income 

guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States 

and the District of Columbia. 

Dated: April 10, 2012. 

Mary K. Wakefield, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9137 Filed 4–16–12; 8:45 am] 

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