Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 20, 2017 / Notices 43993 

Robert Sargis, 

Reports Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20022 Filed 9–19–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4184–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Health Resources and Services 

Administration 

Notice of Availability of Final Policy 

Document 

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services 

Administration (HRSA), Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Health Center Program 

Compliance Manual (Compliance 

Manual) has been developed as a 

comprehensive, significantly 

streamlined, and web-based guidance 

document to assist health centers in 

understanding and demonstrating 

compliance with Health Center Program 

requirements. As such, this guidance 

document will reduce burden for 

current and prospective health centers 

and look-alikes and further strengthen 

HRSA’s oversight of the Health Center 

and Health Center Federal Tort Claims 

Act (FTCA) Programs. It also responds 

to recommendations contained within 

the Government Accountability Office 

report, Health Center Program: 

Improved Oversight Needed to Ensure 

Grantee Compliance with Requirements, 

GAO–12–546, for increased 

transparency, clarity, and consistency in 

Health Center Program oversight. 

The Bureau of Primary Health Care 

(BPHC) released a draft Compliance 

Manual on August 23, 2016, for a 90-day 

public comment period. Individuals and 

groups submitted over 700 comments 

regarding the draft Compliance Manual. 

After thorough review and 

consideration of all comments received, 

HRSA made a substantial number of 

updates to the Compliance Manual to 

incorporate suggestions and requests for 

further clarification. HRSA has also 

posted a summary of comments for each 

corresponding section and chapter of 

the Compliance Manual and HRSA’s 

responses to these comments. HRSA’s 

‘‘Summary of Comments and HRSA 

Responses on the Draft Health Center 

Program Compliance Manual’’ is 

available online at https://

bphc.hrsa.gov/programrequirements/ 

pdf/healthcentercompliancemanualcomments.pdf. The Compliance 

Manual, which was effective August 28, 

2017, is available online at https://

bphc.hrsa.gov/programrequirements/ 

pdf/healthcentercomplianc

emanual.pdf. All Health Center Program 

non-regulatory policy issuances that 

remain in effect after release of the 

Compliance Manual are listed in 

Appendix A of the Compliance Manual. 

With the exception of these policies, the 

Compliance Manual supersedes other 

previous Health Center Program nonregulatory policy issuances related to 

Health Center Program compliance or 

eligibility requirements. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions regarding this notice, contact 

HRSA/BPHC at https://www.hrsa.gov/ 

about/contact/bphc.aspx. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Executive Orders 12866, 13563 and 

13771 

Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 

direct agencies to assess all costs and 

benefits of available regulatory 

alternatives and, if regulation is 

necessary, to select regulatory 

approaches that maximize net benefits 

(including potential economic, 

environmental, public health and safety 

effects, distributive impacts, and 

equity). Executive Order 13563 is 

supplemental to and reaffirms the 

principles, structures, and definitions 

governing regulatory review as 

established in Executive Order 12866, 

emphasizing the importance of 

quantifying both costs and benefits, of 

reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, 

and of promoting flexibility. Section 3(f) 

of Executive Order 12866 defines a 

‘‘significant regulatory action’’ as an 

action that is likely to result in a rule: 

(1) Having an annual effect on the 

economy of $100 million or more in any 

1 year, or adversely and materially 

affecting a sector of the economy, 

productivity, competition, jobs, the 

environment, public health or safety, or 

State, local, or Tribal governments or 

communities (also referred to as 

‘‘economically significant’’); (2) creating 

a serious inconsistency or otherwise 

interfering with an action taken or 

planned by another agency; (3) 

materially altering the budgetary 

impacts of entitlement grants, user fees, 

or loan programs or the rights and 

obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) 

raising novel legal or policy issues 

arising out of legal mandates, the 

President’s priorities, or the principles 

set forth in the Executive Order. A 

regulatory impact analysis (RIA) must 

be prepared for major rules with 

economically significant effects ($100 

million or more in any 1 year), and a 

‘‘significant’’ regulatory action is subject 

to review by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB). 

Executive Order 13771, entitled 

Reducing Regulation and Controlling 

Regulatory Costs, was issued on January 

30, 2017. Section 2(a) of Executive 

Order 13771 requires an agency, unless 

prohibited by law, to identify at least 

two existing regulations to be repealed 

when the agency publicly proposes for 

notice and comment or otherwise 

promulgates a new regulation. In 

furtherance of this requirement, section 

2(c) of Executive Order 13771 requires 

that the new incremental costs 

associated with new regulations shall, to 

the extent permitted by law, be offset by 

the elimination of existing costs 

associated with at least two prior 

regulations. OMB’s interim guidance 

issued on February 2, 2017, explains 

that for fiscal year 2017 the above 

requirements only apply to each new 

‘‘significant regulatory action that 

imposes costs.’’ It has been determined 

that the Compliance Manual is not a 

‘‘significant regulatory action that 

imposes costs’’ and thus does not trigger 

the above requirements of Executive 

Order 12866 or of Executive Order 

13771. 

Background 

HRSA provides grants to eligible 

applicants under section 330(e), (g), (h), 

and/or (i) of the Public Health Service 

(PHS) Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 254b), 

to support the delivery of preventive 

and primary care services to medically 

underserved communities and 

vulnerable populations. Nearly 1,400 

Health Center Program-funded health 

centers operate approximately 10,400 

service delivery sites that provide care 

to nearly 26 million patients in every 

U.S. state, the District of Columbia, 

Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 

the Pacific Basin. Note that for the 

purposes of the Compliance Manual, the 

term ‘‘health center’’ refers to entities 

that receive a federal award under 

section 330 of the PHS Act, as amended, 

grant subrecipients, and organizations 

designated as look-alikes, unless 

otherwise stated within the Compliance 

Manual. Look-alikes, as described in 

Sections 1861(aa)(4)(B) and 1905(l)(2)(B) 

of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

1395x(aa)(4)(B) and 42 U.S.C. 

1396d(l)(2)(B)(iii)), do not receive a 

Health Center Program award but must 

meet the Health Center Program 

statutory and regulatory requirements. 

Organizations designated as look-alikes 

are eligible for payment as a Federally 

Qualified Health Center under 

Medicare, Medicaid, and the State 

Children’s Health Insurance Program 

(CHIP), as well as participation in the 

340B Drug Pricing Program and the 

National Health Service Corps Program. 


sradovich on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with NOTICES
43994 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 20, 2017 / Notices 

HRSA also makes determinations of 

deemed PHS employment status for 

health centers funded under section 330 

(including subrecipients), which also 

extends to certain statutorily eligible 

‘‘covered individuals,’’ for purposes of 

providing liability protections under the 

Health Center Federal Tort Claims Act 

(FTCA) Program. A favorable FTCA 

deeming determination requires 

approval by HRSA of an application 

submitted by the Health Center Program 

awardee in the form and manner 

specified by HRSA. Health centers may 

also sponsor individual health 

professional volunteers for such 

protections. Sections 224(g)–(n) and (q) 

of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 233(g)–(n), 

and (q)) authorize the Health Center 

FTCA Program and afford eligibility for 

FTCA coverage as the exclusive civil 

remedy for acts or omissions arising 

within the scope of deemed federal 

employment in the performance of 

medical, surgical, dental, or related 

functions. 

The Compliance Manual restates the 

Health Center Program’s statutory and 

regulatory requirements and provides 

guidance on how health centers would 

demonstrate compliance with such 

requirements to HRSA. However, the 

Compliance Manual also allows health 

centers to submit alternative means of 

demonstrating compliance with the 

specified Health Center Program 

requirements. All means of 

demonstrating compliance are subject to 

HRSA review and approval. 

Organizations receiving Health Center 

Program federal awards, including 

subrecipients, continue to be subject to 

all requirements incorporated within 

terms and conditions stated in Notices 

of Funding Opportunity, Notices of 

Award, and other applicable laws, 

regulations, and policies, as well as the 

distinct statutory, regulatory, and policy 

requirements of other federal programs 

in which they participate. 

Dated: September 13, 2017. 

George Sigounas, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19938 Filed 9–19–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4165–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services 

[OMB Control Number 1615–0121] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Extension, Without Change, 

of a Currently Approved Collection: 

Generic Clearance for the Collection of 

Qualitative Feedback on Agency 

Service Delivery 

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

ACTION: 60-Day notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration (USCIS) invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

comment upon this proposed extension 

of a currently approved collection of 

information or new collection of 

information. In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, the information collection notice 

is published in the Federal Register to 

obtain comments regarding the nature of 

the information collection, the 

categories of respondents, the estimated 

burden (i.e. the time, effort, and 

resources used by the respondents to 

respond), the estimated cost to the 

respondent, and the actual information 

collection instruments. 

DATES: Comments are encouraged and 

will be accepted for 60 days until 

November 20, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: All submissions received 

must include the OMB Control Number 

1615–0121 in the body of the letter, the 

agency name and Docket ID USCIS– 

2014–0008. To avoid duplicate 

submissions, please use only one of the 

following methods to submit comments: 

(1) Online. Submit comments via the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site at 

http://www.regulations.gov under eDocket ID number USCIS–2014–0008; 

(2) Mail. Submit written comments to 

DHS, USCIS, Office of Policy and 

Strategy, Chief, Regulatory Coordination 

Division, 20 Massachusetts Avenue 

NW., Washington, DC 20529–2140. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, 

Regulatory Coordination Division, 

Samantha Deshommes, Chief, 20 

Massachusetts Avenue NW., 

Washington, DC 20529–2140, telephone 

number 202–272–8377 (This is not a 

toll-free number. Comments are not 

accepted via telephone message). Please 

note contact information provided here 

is solely for questions regarding this 

notice. It is not for individual case 

status inquiries. Applicants seeking 

information about the status of their 

individual cases can check Case Status 

Online, available at the USCIS Web site 

at http://www.uscis.gov, or call the 

USCIS National Customer Service 

Center at 800–375–5283 (TTY 800–767– 

1833). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments 

You may access the information 

collection instrument with instructions, 

or additional information by visiting the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal site at: 

http://www.regulations.gov and enter 

USCIS–2014–0008 in the search box. 

Regardless of the method used for 

submitting comments or material, all 

submissions will be posted, without 

change, to the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, 

and will include any personal 

information you provide. Therefore, 

submitting this information makes it 

public. You may wish to consider 

limiting the amount of personal 

information that you provide in any 

voluntary submission you make to DHS. 

DHS may withhold information 

provided in comments from public 

viewing that it determines may impact 

the privacy of an individual or is 

offensive. For additional information, 

please read the Privacy Act notice that 

is available via the link in the footer of 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

Written comments and suggestions 

from the public and affected agencies 

should address one or more of the 

following four points: 

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

(4) Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 


sradovich on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with NOTICES