Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities

OMB No. 1820-0622; 10/18/2013 Page 1

SPECIAL EDUCATION—INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING ON REGULATORY 

COMPLIANCE RELATED TO THE PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 

SERVICE OBLIGATION 

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

INTRODUCTION

This submission is a result of regulations which govern the service obligation related to the 

Personnel Development Program in Section 673(h) of the Individuals with Disabilities Act 

(IDEA) Amendments of 1997 which requires individuals who receive a scholarship through 

personnel development projects funded under the Act subsequently to provide early 

intervention, special education or related services to children with disabilities or, for 

leadership personnel, work in the appropriate field for a period of two years for every year 

for which assistance was received. Scholarship recipients who do not satisfy their service 

obligation through service must repay all or part of the cost of their assistance in accordance 

with the regulations issued by the Secretary. These regulations implement requirements 

governing, among other things, the service obligation for scholars, oversight by grantees, 

repayment of scholarships, and procedures for obtaining deferrals or exemptions from 

service or repayment obligations. In order for the Federal government to implement these 

regulations, certain data collections, record keeping and reporting are necessary. 

JUSTIFICATION

A1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

The December 9, 1999 regulations require the institutions of higher education 

(IHEs) grantees to document scholars’ progress in programs and in their subsequent 

eligible employment. When scholars do not satisfy the requirements of the 

regulation and are required to repay part or all of their scholarship, IHEs are 

required to provide the Federal government with the information necessary to 

carryout the Secretary’s functions. This Paperwork Act submission relates to grants 

that were awarded in FY2004 and earlier.

The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 transferred

documentation of scholars’ eligible employment from IHEs to the Federal 

government. A separate Paperwork Act submission (1820-0686) was approved on 

June 5, 2006 for data collected in FY2005 and later and a renewal is currently in 

progress. 

A2. Purpose and Use of the Information

The information gathered by this collection is used to ensure repayment by obligees

to the Federal government of all or part of the scholarship assistance made to those 

scholars who received scholarships from personnel development grants awarded in 
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2004 and earlier but who do not complete programs or satisfy the service obligation 

through service as required by the regulations.

A3. Use of Technology to Reduce Burden

. Grantees establish their data collection systems, and these systems vary from 

institution to institution, including the degree to which they use technology. The 

grantees send via US mail the necessary information about scholars (approximately

30 each year) who will be required to repay their scholarships to the Department. 

Grantees will continue to send via US mail information related to students who have 

not completed their program of study or who have not completed their service 

obligation. 

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Nothing in the regulations duplicates other information requests or requirements. 

The requested information is not available from other sources. 

A5. Methods to Minimize Burden on Small Entities

The information requested does not involve the collection of information from small 

businesses.

A6. Consequences of Not Collecting Data

The regulations require the minimum amount of data to ensure that IHEs and 

obligees provide the information necessary to meet the purpose of the Act. To 

require less frequent collection would result in the inability of the Secretary to 

assure that grantees and obligees are complying with the statutory requirements. 

A7. Special Circumstances

Scholarship recipients are required to maintain their employment records until they

have satisfied their service obligation as required by IDEA 1997 and 2004.

A8. Federal Register Comments and Persons Consulted Outside the Agency

Since the last Paperwork Act submission, no unfavorable comments about the 

burden of this requirement have been documented. Many obligees have apparently

either completed their service obligation through service or have repaid part or all of 

the scholarship received. Therefore, the burden of this collection is decreasing. 

A9. Payments or Gifts

No payments or gifts will be provided to respondents. The grants from FY2004 and 

earlier have ended.

A10. Assurances of Confidentiality

No assurance of confidentiality is provided to respondents.

A11. Justification of Sensitive Questions

There are no questions of a sensitive nature contained in the application form.
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A12. Estimates of Hourly Burden

All of the FY2004 and earlier grants have closed. Therefore, grantees will no longer

establish Pre-scholarship Agreements or Exit Certifications with scholars/obligees.

It is estimated that 120 grantees will spend one hour each year collecting and 

documenting obligee employment data for an average of 20 obligees each. Grantees 

must report to the Secretary any obligees who must repay part or all of the funding 

received, because they have not completed their obligation through service. The 

burden for all grantees for each of the next 3 years equals an estimated 2,400 hours.

This burden has decreased because grantees are no longer establishing Prescholarship Agreements or Exit Certifications. As more scholars complete their 

service obligations or repay all or part of the funding received, the burden for 

grantees will continue to decrease.

It is estimated that 2,400 individual scholarship recipients will take 30 minutes each

year to report to the grantee the information necessary for the grantee to maintain 

scholars’ eligible employment records. The total average annual burden for all 

scholars during the next three years is 1,200 hours. An estimated half of the time is 

focused on recordkeeping and the other half on reporting to grantees. As scholars 

complete their service obligations and no longer need to provide the grantee with 

information, the burden for scholars will decrease.

Thus, the total annual reporting burden for this collection is estimated at 2,400 hours

annually for all grantees and 1,200 hours annually for all scholars.

The estimated cost to grantees of maintaining obligee information and providing 

information to scholars and the Secretary is $60,000. This annual cost is determined 

by multiplying the annual grantee burden hours (2,400) by the average hourly salary

($25). Therefore, the estimated average cost for each grantee is $500.

A13. Estimates of Cost Burden to Respondents

There are no additional costs other than the burden identified in A12.

A14. Estimate of annual Cost to the Federal Government

The following outlines the cost to the Federal Government:

Based on current experience, it is estimated that there will be approximately 30 

obligees each year who will be referred to the Department for collection when an

obligee fails to meet the requirements of the regulations and must repay all or part of 

the scholarship received. It is estimated that it will take 55 hours of staff time to 

resolve each of 30 cases for a total of 1,650 hours. Therefore, the estimated cost 

burden to the Federal government is 30 cases x 55 hours x the average hourly pay 

rate of $40. The total annual cost burden is $66,000.

A15. Program Changes or Adjustments
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No change. 

A16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication of Results

The information collected will not be published.

A17. Approval to Not Display the OMB Expiration Date

There is no request for permission not to display the expiration date for OMB 

approval. 

A18. Explanation of Exceptions

The information collection will not need an exception to the certification statement 

in OMB Form 83-1.

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL 

METHODS

This collection does not employ statistical methods.
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