[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88783-88785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25931]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Public Comment Request; for the National Center on Law and Elder 
Rights--Resource Support and User Satisfaction Information Collection 
(OMB Control Number 0985-0060)

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, Health and Human Services 
(HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing an 
opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed collection of 
information listed above. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish a notice in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including 
each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and 
to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This 
Information Collection (IC) extension solicits comments on the 
information collection requirements relating to the National Center on 
Law and Elder Rights--Resource Support and User Satisfaction 
information collection (OMB Control Number 0985-0060).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information must be submitted 
electronically by 11:59 p.m. (ET) or postmarked by January 7, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information 
to: Sara Planthaber at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bdeedccfdc93edd1dcd3c9d5dcdfd8cffddcded193d5d5ce93dad2cb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="366557445718665a5758425e575453447657555a185e5e4518515940">[email protected]</span></a>. Submit written 
comments on the collection of information to Administration for 
Community Living, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attention: 
Sara Planthaber.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara Planthaber, email 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#74271506155a2418151a001c15161106341517185a1c1c075a131b02"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b784a594a057b474a455f434a494e596b4a484705434358054c445d">[email protected]</span></a> or by phone at (202) 795-7365.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal 
agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. 
``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 
1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of 
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a 
third party. The PRA requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day 
notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information, including each proposed extension of an existing 
collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for 
approval. To comply with this requirement, ACL is publishing a notice 
of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.
    With respect to the following collection of information, ACL 
invites comments on our burden estimates or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including:
    (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of ACL's functions,

[[Page 88784]]

including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) the accuracy of ACL's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used to determine burden estimates;
    (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including using automated collection techniques when 
appropriate, and other forms of information technology.
    The National Center on Law and Elder Rights--Resource Support and 
User Satisfaction information collection is authorized through legal 
assistance programs under section 420--Demonstration and Support 
Projects for Legal Assistance for Older Individuals--of the Older 
Americans Act (OAA). Section 420(a)(1) is intended to create a national 
legal assistance support system to assist states and area agencies on 
aging in providing, developing, or supporting legal assistance for 
older individuals. ACL contracts with the National Center on Law and 
Elder Rights (NCLER), to provide the required services. Through the 
NCLER contract, ACL provides aging, disability, and related legal 
professionals with training, complex case consultations and support for 
demonstration projects regarding contractually identified priority 
legal topics. When legal and aging/disability providers request legal 
training, case consultation, or technical assistance, NCLER asks a 
series of basic questions related to service requests and follow-up 
surveys which properly assess resource support needs, audience 
targeting, participant satisfaction, and outcomes of the training and 
technical assistance delivered.
    The purpose of the information requested is for ACL to ensure that 
NCLER creates and prioritizes the training, case consultations, and 
technical assistance resources it is contracted to provide and to 
ensure the resource center targets designated aging and disability 
network practitioners about the priority subject matters. This approach 
enables ACL to make data-informed decisions about deployment of its 
resource center assets.
    Section 2--Descriptions and Specifications (Objective 7) under the 
NCLER contract addresses performance outcome measurement of the 
services provided. The contractor is required to achieve anticipated 
outcomes as measured by a series of performance indicators. Section 2.8 
of the NCLER contract references the Quality Assurance Surveillance 
Plan (QUASP) and sets forth the performance indicators. The information 
collected by the contractor from recipients of resource support through 
NCLER will be provided to ACL in a report submitted annually to 
determine contractual compliance in view of requirements in the QUASP.
    These data are necessary for ACL to evaluate contractual compliance 
with established performance indicators under the NLCER contract 
(Section 2--Descriptions and Specifications--Objective 7) and 
delineated in the QUASP. These metrics include quantifiable increases 
in uptake by stakeholders of training, case consultation and technical 
assistance, and measures of satisfaction with and perceived benefit 
from these services. For example, the metrics measure successful 
problem resolution because of the services provided, and present 
quantifiable data on the fulfillment of requests for training, 
technical assistance, and consultation related to contractually 
designated legal and systems development topic areas. The information 
requested by ACL from legal, aging, and disability professionals falls 
into the following areas: (1) requests for training, case consultation, 
and technical assistance through an online, secure Uniform Resource 
Support Request Tool (URSRT); general requests for legal training 
(including the volume of webinar registrations), case consultation and 
technical assistance; and (2) information about satisfaction and use of 
the services and support received in order to enable ACL to measure 
performance outcomes.

Resource Support Requests

    ACL proposes (through NCLER) to ask aging/disability service 
providers and legal service providers who may need various forms of 
resource support a series of questions regarding appropriate delivery 
of needed assistance in a targeted and efficient manner.
    These questions will be presented through a web based URSRT that 
will be used for soliciting and accepting requests for legal training, 
case consultation, and technical assistance.

Legal Training, Case Consultation, Technical Assistance Requests

    ACL proposes to ask legal and aging/disability providers who 
request legal training, case consultation, or technical assistance 
(through the NCLER website using the URSRT) for background information 
and the following substantive data:
    <bullet> Type of Organization (Title III-B attorney, Legal Services 
Corporation attorney, other legal services attorney, other elder law 
attorney, other legal services professional, aging and/or disability 
network professional, other); and
    <bullet> Services requested: (legal training, case consultation, 
technical assistance on legal services delivery, or general 
information).

Performance Outcome Measurement

    ACL proposes to ask legal and aging/disability providers who 
request legal training, case consultation, or technical assistance the 
following series of survey questions in order to properly assess 
audience targeting, participant satisfaction, and anticipated outcomes 
of the training and technical assistance delivered:
    <bullet> Type of Organization (Title III-B attorney, Legal Services 
Corporation attorney, other legal services attorney, other elder law 
attorney, other legal services professional, aging and/or disability 
network professional, and other job title (e.g., executive director, 
management, staff attorney, counselor);
    <bullet> Please rank the quality of assistance provided in this 
(legal training/case consultation/technical assistance);
    <bullet> Did the assistance provided by this (legal training/case 
consultation/technical assistance) contribute to a successful 
resolution of a specific client issue?
    <bullet> If requesting assistance on legal services delivery, will 
the assistance provided contribute to the successful completion of 
legal needs and capacity assessments, legal services delivery plans, 
legal service delivery guidelines, or data collection/reporting 
systems?
    These questions will be presented through a web-based User 
Satisfaction Form that will be used for accepting user feedback on the 
legal training, case consultation, and technical assistance received 
through NCLER. The information under all categories will be collected 
by NCLER and provided to ACL's Office of Elder Justice and Adult 
Protective Services (OEJAPS) on a regular basis through the submittal 
of monthly reports and an annual report. The data will be reviewed by 
ACL and analyzed for the following programmatic purposes:
    To determine the resource support requested and legal issues 
presented: Section 420(a) of the OAA and the NCLER contract require 
that professionals within the aging network have access to resource 
support in the form of training, case consultations, and technical 
assistance in the development of legal assistance delivery systems. The 
information collected on requests for resource support from aging and

[[Page 88785]]

disability networks will be analyzed to determine resource needs in 
legal subject matter areas and systems development topics indicated by 
the target audience. The information collected will be used by ACL and 
the Contract Officer Representative (COR) to tailor the resource 
support provided through the NCLER contract to the ongoing and emerging 
priority needs of aging and disability networks.
    To determine effectiveness in reaching intended target audience: 
The NCLER contract and OAA section 420(a) requires that support 
services are provided to specific groups of providers within the aging 
and disability networks. The audience in need of comprehensive resource 
support through NCLER includes a broad range of legal, elder rights, 
and aging/disability services professionals, advocates, and 
organizations. These include legal assistance providers, legal 
assistance developers, long-term care ombudsmen, adult protective 
services, state units on aging, area agencies on aging, aging and 
disability resource centers, and others involved in protecting the 
legal rights of older persons. The information collected on requests 
for resource support from aging and disability networks will be 
reviewed and analyzed by ACL and the COR to determine whether the 
appropriate target audiences are requesting and receiving resource 
support through NCLER. ACL and the COR will also use the information to 
determine if the use of resource support through NCLER by intended 
target audiences is increasing at a set percentage annually in 
compliance with contractual performance indicators.
    To determine the quality of legal resource support provided: The 
NCLER contract performance indicators require that the quality of 
resource support provided be measured through voluntary recipient 
feedback. The Contractor is required to assure that a set percentage of 
recipients of resource support responding to evaluative tools will rate 
the quality of the assistance provided as good to excellent. The 
Contractor will have processes in place to ensure the integrity of 
information received by target audience. The information collected on 
quality of resource support received by target audiences will be 
analyzed by ACL and the COR to determine whether minimum performance 
standards are met and whether necessary actions need to be taken to 
improve the quality of resource support provided through NCLER.
    To determine the usefulness of resource support provided: The NCLER 
contract performance indicators require the anticipated usefulness of 
resource support provided be measured through voluntary recipient 
feedback. The Contractor is required to assure that a set percentage of 
recipients of resource support responding to evaluative tools will 
agree or strongly agree that the assistance provided contributed to the 
successful resolution of a specific legal issue.
    The information collected on the usefulness of resource support 
received by target audiences will be analyzed by ACL and the COR to 
determine whether minimum performance standards are met and whether 
necessary actions need to be taken to improve the practical usefulness 
of resource support provided through NCLER.
    The data collected will be reviewed by the COR on monthly basis 
through contractually required monthly reports provided by NCLER. 
Review of the data will be the focus of monthly calls with the 
Contractor to guide ongoing program improvements and adjustments as 
directed by the COR. The data will also be incorporated into the 
contractually required Summary of Stakeholder Input Document (SSID) 
designed to guide the ongoing evolution and improvement of NCLER into 
subsequent contract option years. The data will also be compiled in a 
final annual report provided by the Contractor and reviewed by the COR 
against the QUASP to determine contractual compliance.
    This IC does not collect demographic data from grantees receiving 
programs and services funded by HHS. This includes guidance specific to 
the collection of sexual orientation and gender identity items that 
align with Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support 
for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, Executive 
Order 14075 on Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 
Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals, and Executive Order 13988 
on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender 
Identity and Sexual Orientation, and the updated Statistical Policy 
Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting 
Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (effective March 28, 2024).
    The proposed data collection tools may be found on the ACL website 
for review at: https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input.
    Estimates of Burden: Burden calculation for each category of 
information:

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                                                   Number of                                       Annual burden
      Respondent/data collection activity         respondents         Minutes per response             hours
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Resource Support Requests.....................              80  2...............................            2.53
Legal Training, Case Consultation, Technical            14,000  2...............................             397
 Assistance Requests-User Satisfaction.
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    Total.....................................          14,080  4 min 39 sec....................    399.53 hours
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    Dated: November 4, 2024.
Maura Calsyn,
Principal Deputy Administrator for the Administration for Community 
Living, performing the delegable duties of the Administrator and the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2024-25931 Filed 11-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P


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