[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77503-77504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21687]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2024-SCC-0085]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Federal Student Loan Program Deferment Request Forms

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved 
information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 23, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of 
publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain to access the site. Find this information collection request 
(ICR) by selecting ``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under 
Review,'' then check the ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. 
Reginfo.gov provides two links to view documents related to this 
information collection request. Information collection forms and 
instructions may be found by clicking on the ``View Information 
Collection (IC) List'' link. Supporting statements and other supporting 
documentation may be found by clicking on the ``View Supporting 
Statement and Other Documents'' link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, 202-570-8414.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is especially interested in 
public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is this collection 
necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this 
information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the 
estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on 
the respondents, including through the use of information technology. 
Please note that written comments received in response to this notice 
will be considered public records.
    Title of Collection: Federal Student Loan Program Deferment Request 
Forms.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0011.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 704,903.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 112,819.
    Abstract: These forms serve as the means by which borrowers in the 
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan), Federal Family 
Education Loan (FFEL) and the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) 
Programs may request deferment of repayment on their loans if they meet 
certain statutory and regulatory criteria. The U.S. Department of 
Education and other loan holders uses the information collected on 
these forms to determine whether a borrower meets the eligibility 
requirements for the specific deferment type being submitted. For 
greater simplicity and to make it easier to maintain consistency among 
the various forbearance forms, the Department is consolidating all the 
current forbearance forms into a single collection under OMB No. 1845-
0011. This collection is merging the six currently approved deferment 
forms in 1845-0011 with the military deferment form currently approved 
under 1845-0080 and the cancer treatment deferment form currently 
approved under 1845-0154.
    The Department is requesting a revision of the currently approved 
deferment forms. The proposed changes include the following:
    Streamlining the forms by eliminating duplicative and obsolete 
information; reordering items to present information in a more logical 
order that is consistent between forms; using ``plain language''

[[Page 77504]]

to present information more clearly and consistently; revising language 
as necessary to reflect regulatory changes made by the Final Rule 
published on November 1, 2022 (87 FR 65904) that that eliminated the 
capitalization of unpaid interest following periods of forbearance 
effective July 1, 2023.

    Dated: September 18, 2024.
Kun Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2024-21687 Filed 9-20-24; 8:45 am]
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