89 FR 221 pgs. 90294-90295 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Child Care Improper Payments Data Collection Instructions (Office of Management and Budget #0970-0323)
Type: NOTICEVolume: 89Number: 221Pages: 90294 - 90295
Pages: 90294, 90295FR document: [FR Doc. 2024-26684 Filed 11-14-24; 8:45 am]
Agency: Health and Human Services Department
Sub Agency: Children and Families Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Child Care Improper Payments Data Collection Instructions (Office of Management and Budget #0970-0323)
AGENCY:
Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION:
Request for public comments.
SUMMARY:
The Administration for Children and Families is proposing revisions to an approved information collection, the Child Care Improper Payments Data Collection Instructions (OMB #0970-0323, expiration 1/31/2025). In addition to the proposed changes, we are requesting a 3-year extension.
DATES:
Comments due January 14, 2025. In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above.
ADDRESSES:
You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of information and submit comments by emailing infocollection@acf.hhs.gov. Identify all requests by the title of the information collection.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description: Section 2 of the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA) requires Federal agencies to review their programs and activities to identify those that may be susceptible to significant improper payments, publish improper payment estimates for those programs and activities, and submit a report on actions taken to reduce improper payments. Subpart K of 45 CFR part 98 of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) requires states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to prepare and submit a report once every 3 years with data on the errors occurring in the administration of CCDF grant funds. The Child Care Improper Payments Data Collection Instructions (DCI) provides instructions and guidance to states to implement the CCDF error rate methodology.
The Office of Child Care (OCC) is completing the sixth 3-year cycle of case record reviews to meet the requirements for reporting under PIIA. The current data collection forms and instructions expire on January 31, 2025. As part of the renewal process, OCC has revised the forms and instructions with minor changes that do not change the methodology, but that provide additional guidance and clarification to facilitate complete and accurate data submissions. Existing instructions and examples were updated, expanded, or rewritten to clarify the information requested. Several formatting changes were made to streamline instructions. The instructions and forms were also reviewed for alignment with the 2024 CCDF Final Rule. A description of changes made in each section can be found in the Introduction section of the revised DCI.
OCC is particularly interested in feedback about updates made to the following sections:
• Burden hours: OCC proposes to revise the estimated burden hours for the Sampling Decisions, Assurances, and Fieldwork Preparation Plan (SDAP), the ACF-403 Record Review Worksheet (RRW), the ACF-404 State Improper Payments Report, and the ACF-405 State Improper Payments Report Corrective Action Plan (CAP). The current burden hours have not been revised for several years. OCC recognizes that many factors have changed since states first began error rate reviews, including increased use of technology by states to aid data collection and reporting efforts, greater organizational capacity to conduct ongoing error rate reviews, and OCC's use of data reporting systems to reduce manual reporting burden on states.
[top] For this reason, OCC conducted a survey in the spring of 2024 to gather information about states' experiences
• Root Causes of Error: OCC proposes to standardize the root causes of error in Item 19 of the ACF-404 State Improper Payment Report by creating a drop-down list of error cause choices. Currently, Lead Agencies enter free text to describe the causes of errors in their Federal error rate reviews. While this approach allows flexibility at the individual reporting level, inconsistent terminology and descriptions across states and reporting cycles makes it difficult to analyze, report, and track national and state-level error trends over time. Further, the current approach can add additional burden to states during the report review and approval process because clarifications about error cause descriptions are often requested by Federal reviewers. We request comment on whether standardizing error causes in Item 19 would benefit Lead Agencies in their data analysis, ease of report preparation, and tracking of error trends over time. We also request comments on whether the proposed list of standardized error causes would meet Lead Agency reporting needs, and if not, what additional or different error causes should be included.
Respondents: CCDF grantees from states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Annual Burden Estimates: Burden estimates are shown based on the total burden over a 3-year period divided by three to show average annual burden estimates.
| Instrument | Total number of respondents | Total number of responses per respondent | Average burden hours per response | Total burden hours | Annual burden hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sampling Decisions, Assurances, and Fieldwork Preparation Plan | 52 | 1 | 35 | 1,820 | 607 |
| ACF-403 Record Review Worksheet: template | 52 | 1 | 63 | 3,276 | 1,092 |
| ACF-403 Record Review Worksheet: case record reviews | 52 | 276 | 3.0 | 43,056 | 14,352 |
| ACF-404 State Improper Payments Report | 52 | 1 | 66 | 3,432 | 1,144 |
| ACF-405 State Improper Payments Report Corrective Action Plan | 6 | a ?2 | 24 | 288 | 96 |
| Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: | 17,291 | ||||
| a ?The total number of responses per respondent over 3 years ranges from 1-3, depending on how long it takes respondents to reduce the Improper Payment Rate to below the threshold. Respondents submit a Corrective Action Plan that covers a 1-year period; at the end of each year, if respondents have not reduced the Improper Payment Rate to below the threshold, they submit a new Corrective Action Plan for the following year. An average of two responses per respondent over a 3 year period is used to calculate annual burden estimates. | |||||
Comments: The Department 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.
Authority: 45 CFR part 98 subpart K.
Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-26684 Filed 11-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-87-P