Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2024 / Notices 2961 

eligible entities to promote rural health 

care services outreach by improving and 

expanding the delivery of health care 

services to include new and enhanced 

services in rural areas, through 

community engagement and evidencebased or innovative, evidence-informed 

models. HRSA currently collects 

information about Care Coordination 

Program grants using an OMB-approved 

set of performance measures and seeks 

to revise that approved collection. The 

proposed changes to the information 

collection are a result of award recipient 

feedback and information gathered from 

the previously approved Care 

Coordination Program measures. 

Need and Proposed Use of the 

Information: This program needs 

measures that will enable HRSA to 

provide aggregate program data required 

by Congress under the Government 

Performance and Results Act of 1993. 

These measures cover the principal 

topic areas of interest to HRSA, 

including: (1) access to care, (2) 

population demographics and social 

determinants of health, (3) care 

coordination and network 

infrastructure, (4) sustainability, (5) 

leadership and workforce, (6) electronic 

health record, (7) telehealth, (8) 

utilization, and (9) clinical measures/ 

improved outcomes. All measures will 

evaluate HRSA’s progress toward 

achieving its goals. 

The proposed changes include 

additional components under ‘‘Access 

to Care’’ and ‘‘Population Demographic’’ 

sections that seek information about 

target population, counties served, 

direct services, and social determinants 

of health such as transportation barriers, 

housing, and food insecurity. Questions 

about Health Information Technology 

and Telehealth have been modified to 

reflect an updated telehealth definition 

and to improve understanding of how 

these important technologies are 

affecting HRSA award recipients. 

Sections previously titled ‘‘Care 

Coordination’’ and ‘‘Quality 

Improvement’’ were consolidated into 

one section titled ‘‘Care Coordination 

and Network Infrastructure’’ to improve 

clarity and ease of reporting for 

respondents. Part of the previous ‘‘Care 

Coordination’’ section was revised to 

include a section titled ‘‘Utilization’’ to 

improve clarity of instructions for 

related measures. Previously titled 

‘‘Staffing’’ section was revised to 

‘‘Leadership and Workforce 

Composition’’ to improve measure 

clarity and reduce overall burden for 

respondents by consolidating measures 

from previously separate ‘‘Staffing,’’ 

‘‘Quality Improvement,’’ and ‘‘Care 

Coordination’’ sections. Revised 

National Quality Forum and Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services measures 

were also included to allow uniform 

collection efforts throughout the Federal 

Office of Rural Health Policy. 

The total number of measures has 

increased from 40 to 48 measures since 

the previous information collection 

request. Of the 48 measures, 11 

measures are designated as ‘‘optional’’ 

or ‘‘complete as applicable.’’ The 

measures within Section 6: ‘‘Electronic 

Health Record’’ are noted as optional to 

grantees. In Section 9: ‘‘Clinical 

Measures/Improved Health Outcomes,’’ 

grantees are only required to respond to 

Clinical Measure 1: Care Coordination. 

Grantees can choose to provide data for 

Clinical Measures 2–10 if applicable to 

their projects. The total number of 

responses has remained at 10 since the 

previous information collection request. 

The new Care Coordination Program 

grant cycle maintained the same number 

of award recipients and number of 

respondents. 

Likely Respondents: The respondents 

would be recipients of the Rural Health 

Care Coordination Program grants. 

Burden Statement: Burden in this 

context means the time expended by 

persons to generate, maintain, retain, 

disclose, or provide the information 

requested. This includes the time 

needed to review instructions; to 

develop, acquire, install, and utilize 

technology and systems for the purpose 

of collecting, validating, and verifying 

information, processing and 

maintaining information, and disclosing 

and providing information; to train 

personnel and to be able to respond to 

a collection of information; to search 

data sources; to complete and review 

the collection of information; and to 

transmit or otherwise disclose the 

information. The total annual burden 

hours estimated for this ICR are 

summarized in the table below. 

TOTAL ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS

Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses 

per 

respondent 

Total 

responses 

Average 

burden per 

response 

(in hours) 

Total 

burden 

hours 

Rural Health Care Coordination Program Performance Improvement 

Measures ............................................................................................ 10 1 10 3.5 35 

Total ................................................................................................ 10 1 10 3.5 35 

HRSA specifically requests comments 

on: (1) the necessity and utility of the 

proposed information collection for the 

proper performance of the agency’s 

functions; (2) the accuracy of the 

estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (4) the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology to minimize the information 

collection burden. 

Maria G. Button, 

Director, Executive Secretariat. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00818 Filed 1–16–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4165–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Office of the Secretary 

Annual Update of the HHS Poverty 

Guidelines 

AGENCY: Department of Health and 

Human Services. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice provides an 

update of the Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) poverty 

guidelines to account for last calendar 


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2962 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2024 / Notices 

year’s increase in prices as measured by 

the Consumer Price Index. 

DATES: Applicable Date: January 11, 

2024 unless an office administering a 

program using the guidelines specifies a 

different applicable date for that 

particular program. 

ADDRESSES: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 

Room 404E, Humphrey Building, 

Department of Health and Human 

Services, Washington, DC 20201. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information about how the guidelines 

are used or how income is defined in a 

particular program, contact the Federal, 

State, or local office that is responsible 

for that program. For information about 

poverty figures for immigration forms, 

the Hill-Burton Uncompensated 

Services Program, and the number of 

people in poverty, use the specific 

telephone numbers and addresses given 

below. 

For general questions about the 

poverty guidelines themselves, contact 

Kendall Swenson, Office of the 

Assistant Secretary for Planning and 

Evaluation, Room 404E.3, Humphrey 

Building, Department of Health and 

Human Services, Washington, DC 

20201—telephone: (202) 695–2107—or 

visit http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/. 

For general questions about the 

poverty guidelines themselves, visit 

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/. 

For information about the percentage 

multiple of the poverty guidelines to be 

used on immigration forms such as 

USCIS Form I–864, Affidavit of Support, 

contact U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services at 1–800–375– 

5283. You also may visit https://

www.uscis.gov/i-864. 

For information about the Hill-Burton 

Uncompensated Services Program (free 

or reduced-fee health care services at 

certain hospitals and other facilities for 

persons meeting eligibility criteria 

involving the poverty guidelines), visit 

https://www.hrsa.gov/get-health-care/ 

affordable/hill-burton/index.html. 

For information about the number of 

people in poverty, visit the Poverty 

section of the Census Bureau’s website 

at https://www.census.gov/topics/ 

income-poverty/poverty.html or contact 

the Census Bureau’s Customer Service 

Center at 1–800–923–8282 (toll-free) or 

visit https://ask.census.gov for further 

information. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget 

Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1981 (42 

U.S.C. 9902(2)) requires the Secretary of 

the Department of Health and Human 

Services to update the poverty 

guidelines at least annually, adjusting 

them on the basis of the Consumer Price 

Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI–U). 

The poverty guidelines are used as an 

eligibility criterion by Medicaid and a 

number of other Federal programs. The 

poverty guidelines issued here are a 

simplified version of the poverty 

thresholds that the Census Bureau uses 

to prepare its estimates of the number of 

individuals and families in poverty. 

As required by law, this update is 

accomplished by increasing the latest 

published Census Bureau poverty 

thresholds by the relevant percentage 

change in the Consumer Price Index for 

All Urban Consumers (CPI–U). The 

guidelines in this 2024 notice reflect the 

4.1 percent price increase between 

calendar years 2022 and 2023. After this 

inflation adjustment, the guidelines are 

rounded and adjusted to standardize the 

differences between family sizes. In rare 

circumstances, the rounding and 

standardizing adjustments in the 

formula result in small decreases in the 

poverty guidelines for some household 

sizes even when the inflation factor is 

not negative. In cases where the year-toyear change in inflation is not negative 

and the rounding and standardizing 

adjustments in the formula result in 

reductions to the guidelines from the 

previous year for some household sizes, 

the guidelines for the affected 

household sizes are fixed at the prior 

year’s guidelines. As in prior years, 

these 2024 guidelines are roughly equal 

to the poverty thresholds for calendar 

year 2023 which the Census Bureau 

expects to publish in final form in 

September 2024. 

The poverty guidelines continue to be 

derived from the Census Bureau’s 

current official poverty thresholds; they 

are not derived from the Census 

Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure 

(SPM). 

The following guideline figures 

represent annual income. 

2024 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE

48 CONTIGUOUS STATES AND THE

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Persons in family/ 

household Poverty guideline 

1 ...................................... $15,060 

2 ...................................... 20,440 

3 ...................................... 25,820 

4 ...................................... 31,200 

5 ...................................... 36,580 

6 ...................................... 41,960 

7 ...................................... 47,340 

8 ...................................... 52,720 

For families/households with more 

than 8 persons, add $5,380 for each 

additional person. 

2024 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR

ALASKA

Persons in family/ 

household Poverty guideline 

1 ...................................... $18,810 

2 ...................................... 25,540 

3 ...................................... 32,270 

4 ...................................... 39,000 

5 ...................................... 45,730 

6 ...................................... 52,460 

7 ...................................... 59,190 

8 ...................................... 65,920 

For families/households with more 

than 8 persons, add $6,730 for each 

additional person. 

2024 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR

HAWAII

Persons in family/ 

household Poverty guideline 

1 ...................................... $17,310 

2 ...................................... 23,500 

3 ...................................... 29,690 

4 ...................................... 35,880 

5 ...................................... 42,070 

6 ...................................... 48,260 

7 ...................................... 54,450 

8 ...................................... 60,640 

For families/households with more 

than 8 persons, add $6,190 for each 

additional person. 

Separate poverty guideline 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. In cases in which a 

Federal program using the poverty 

guidelines serves any of those 

jurisdictions, the Federal office that 

administers the program is generally 

responsible for deciding whether to use 

the contiguous-states-and-DC guidelines 

for those jurisdictions or to follow some 

other procedure. 

Due to confusing legislative language 

dating back to 1972, the poverty 

guidelines sometimes have been 

mistakenly referred to as the ‘‘OMB’’ 

(Office of Management and Budget) 

poverty guidelines or poverty line. In 

fact, OMB has never issued the 

guidelines; the guidelines are issued 

each year by the Department of Health 

and Human Services. The poverty 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2024 / Notices 2963 

guidelines may be formally referenced 

as ‘‘the poverty guidelines updated 

periodically in the Federal Register by 

the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services under the authority of 

42 U.S.C. 9902(2).’’ 

Some federal programs use a 

percentage multiple of the guidelines 

(for example, 125 percent or 185 percent 

of the guidelines), as noted in relevant 

authorizing legislation or program 

regulations. Non-Federal organizations 

that use the poverty guidelines under 

their own authority in non-federallyfunded activities also may choose to use 

a percentage multiple of the guidelines. 

The poverty guidelines do not make a 

distinction between farm and non-farm 

families, or between aged and non-aged 

units. (Only the Census Bureau poverty 

thresholds have separate figures for aged 

and non-aged one-person and twoperson units.) 

This notice does not provide 

definitions of such terms as ‘‘income’’ or 

‘‘family’’ as there is considerable 

variation of these terms among programs 

that use the poverty guidelines. The 

legislation or regulations governing each 

program define these terms and 

determine how the program applies the 

poverty guidelines. In cases where 

legislation or regulations do not 

establish these definitions, the entity 

that administers or funds the program is 

responsible to define such terms as 

‘‘income’’ and ‘‘family.’’ Therefore, 

questions such as net or gross income, 

counted or excluded income, or 

household size should be directed to the 

entity that administers or funds the 

program. 

Dated: January 11, 2024. 

Xavier Becerra, 

Secretary, Department of Health and Human 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00796 Filed 1–16–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4150–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

Interagency Coordinating Committee 

on the Validation of Alternative 

Methods Communities of Practice 

Webinar on Implementing 

Computational Approaches for 

Regulatory Safety Assessments; 

Notice of Public Webinar; Registration 

Information 

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, 

HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Interagency Coordinating 

Committee on the Validation of 

Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) 

announces the public webinar 

‘‘Implementing Computational 

Approaches for Regulatory Safety 

Assessments.’’ The webinar is organized 

on behalf of ICCVAM by the National 

Toxicology Program Interagency Center 

for the Evaluation of Alternative 

Toxicological Methods (NICEATM). 

Interested persons may participate via 

the web meeting platform. Time will be 

allotted for questions from the audience. 

Information about the webinar and 

registration are available at https://

ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/commprac-2024. 

DATES: 

Webinar: January 29, 2024, 10 a.m. to 

approximately 12 noon EST. 

Registration for Webinar: January 10, 

2024, until 12:00 noon EST January 29, 

2024. Registration to view the webinar 

is required. 

ADDRESSES: Webinar web page: https:// 

ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/commprac-2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Helena Hogberg, Staff Scientist, 

NICEATM, email: helena.hogbergdurdock@nih.gov, telephone: (984) 287– 

3150. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: ICCVAM promotes the 

development and validation of toxicity 

testing methods that protect human 

health and the environment while 

replacing, reducing, or refining animal 

use. ICCVAM also provides guidance to 

test method developers and facilitates 

collaborations that promote the 

development of new test methods. To 

address these goals, ICCVAM will hold 

a Communities of Practice webinar on 

‘‘Implementing Computational 

Approaches for Regulatory Safety 

Assessments.’’ 

Computational toxicology methods 

can be useful for generating bioactivity 

predictions for chemicals for which 

limited toxicity data are available. They 

can also help users understand and 

interpret large, diverse bioactivity data 

sets, or predict how a chemical might 

behave in the body. However, users 

with limited experience with such 

methods may find it difficult to use 

them or interpret their outputs, or even 

understand how the methods could be 

applied in a specific context. 

This webinar will discuss how to 

establish confidence in computational 

approaches for regulatory applications. 

Ongoing activities and key insights will 

be described in three presentations by 

speakers from the U.S. government and 

the private sector focusing on 

applications of tools such as structurebased models to predict chemical 

bioactivity and pharmacokinetic models 

to support understanding of chemical 

metabolism and disposition. The 

preliminary agenda and additional 

information about presentations will be 

posted at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/ 

commprac-2024 as they become 

available. 

Webinar and Registration: This 

webinar is open to the public with time 

scheduled for questions by participants 

following each presentation. 

Registration for the webinar is required. 

Registration will open on or before 

January 10, 2024, and remain open 

through 12 noon EST on January 29, 

2024. Registration is available at https:// 

ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/commprac-2024. 

Interested individuals are encouraged to 

visit this web page to stay abreast of the 

most current webinar information. 

Registrants will receive instructions on 

how to access and participate in the 

webinar in the email confirming their 

registration. TTY users should contact 

the Federal TTY Relay Service at 800– 

877–8339. Requests should be made at 

least five business days in advance of 

the event. 

Background Information on ICCVAM 

and NICEATM: ICCVAM is an 

interagency committee composed of 

representatives from 17 Federal 

regulatory and research agencies that 

require, use, generate, or disseminate 

toxicological and safety testing 

information. ICCVAM conducts 

technical evaluations of new, revised, 

and alternative safety testing methods 

and integrated testing strategies with 

regulatory applicability. ICCVAM also 

promotes the scientific validation and 

regulatory acceptance of testing 

methods that more accurately assess the 

safety and hazards of chemicals and 

products and replace, reduce, or refine 

animal use. 

The ICCVAM Authorization Act of 

2000 (42 U.S.C. 285l–3) establishes 

ICCVAM as a permanent interagency 

committee of the National Institute of 

Environmental Health Sciences and 

provides the authority for ICCVAM 

involvement in activities relevant to the 

development of alternative test 

methods. Additional information about 

ICCVAM can be found at https://

ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvam. 

NICEATM administers ICCVAM, 

provides support for ICCVAM-related 

activities, and conducts and publishes 

analyses and evaluations of data from 

new, revised, and alternative testing 

approaches. NICEATM and ICCVAM 

work collaboratively to evaluate new 

and improved testing approaches 

applicable to the needs of U.S. Federal 

agencies. NICEATM and ICCVAM 

welcome the public nomination of new, 


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