[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15309-15310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06342]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Community Living
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; the National Maltreatment Reporting System
AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing an
opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain
information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish 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 notice solicits comments on the information collection
requirements relating to the National Maltreatment Reporting System
(NAMRS). The proposed collection of information tools may be found in
the NAMRS section of the ACL Web site.
DATES: Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of
information by: May 23, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the collection of information
to Stephanie Whittier Eliason at [email protected].
Submit written comments on the collection of information to:
Administration for Community Living, Attention: Stephanie Whittier
Eliason, 330 C St SW., Washington, DC 20201.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Whittier Eliason at
202.795.7467.
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 request or requirements that members of
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A))
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 notice of the proposed collection
of information set forth in this document.
Authority
This data collection effort is in response to the Elder Justice Act
of 2009, which amended title XX of the Social Security Act (42.U.S.C.
13976 et seq.). These provisions require that the Secretary of HHS
``collects and disseminates data annually relating to the abuse,
exploitation, and neglect of elders in coordination with the Department
of Justice'' (Sec. 2041(a)(1)(B)), and ``conducts research related to
the provision of adult protective services'' (Sec. 2041(a)(1)(D)).
Furthermore, the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) included as
its third recommendation for increasing federal involvement in
addressing elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation: Develop a national
adult protective services (APS) system based upon standardized data
collection and a core set of service provision standards and best
practices.
Background
From 2013-2015, ACL, in partnership with the U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning
and Evaluation (ASPE), developed and pilot tested NAMRS. When
implemented, NAMRS will be the first comprehensive, national reporting
system for APS programs. NAMRS is intended to collect quantitative and
qualitative data on the practices and policies of adult protective
services (APS) agencies, as well as the outcomes of investigations into
the maltreatment of older adults and adults with disabilities.
In developing NAMRS, ACL and ASPE convened key stakeholders to
identify data elements that are the most critical for a national
system. More than 40 state administrators, researchers, service
providers, and other stakeholders provided input in focus group
conference calls. Additionally, more than 30 state representatives from
25 different states met in three in-person working sessions to discuss
the uses of collected data and the key functionalities.
A pilot version of NAMRS was tested in nine (9) diverse states, and
refined based on feedback from the pilot and additional stakeholder
engagement. A full discussion on the background of NAMRS, including the
development of the system, the public engagement process, and the pilot
testing can be found in the NAMRS section of the ACL Web site.
Proposed Collection Effort
NAMRS has been developed as a voluntary system to collect annually
both summary and de-identified case-level data on APS investigations.
NAMRS consists of three components:
(1) ACL proposes to collect descriptive data on state agency
policies and practices from all states through the ``Agency
Component,'' and
(2) Case-level, non-identifiable data on persons who receive an
investigation by APS in response to an allegation of abuse, neglect, or
exploitation through the ``Case Component.''
(3) For states that are unable to submit a case-level file through
the ``Case Component,'' a ``Key Indicators Component'' will be
available for them to submit data on a smaller set of core items.
ACL will provide technical assistance to states to assist in the
preparation of their data submissions. Respondents will be state APS
agencies and APS agencies in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. No
personally identifiable information will be collected. ACL has
calculated the following burden estimates (information on how the
estimates were calculated is available in the NAMRS section of the ACL
Web site):
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Number of Average burden
Instrument Number of responses per hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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Agency Component................................ 56 1 13 728
Key Indicators Component........................ 31 1 40 1,240
[[Page 15310]]
Case Component.................................. 25 1 150 3,750
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours......... .............. .............. .............. 5,718
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With respect to the collection of information via NAMRS, ACL
specifically requests comments on:
(a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information;
(c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, including through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted
within 60 days of this publication. The proposed collection of
information tools may be found in the NAMRS section of the ACL Web
site.
Dated: March 16, 2016.
Kathy Greenlee,
Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2016-06342 Filed 3-21-16; 8:45 am]
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