Publication Date: August 27, 2014
Posted Date: August 27, 2014
Subject: 2015-2016 FAFSA Comment Request
FR Type: Notice
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 2014)] [Notices] [Pages 51144-51146] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2014-20275] =================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket No.: ED-2014-ICCD-0125] Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 2015- 2016 Federal Student Aid Application AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED). ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before October 27, 2014. ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED-2014-ICCD- 0125 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily accept comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted; ED will ONLY accept comments during the comment period in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site is not available. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Mailstop L-OM-2- 2E319, Room 2E115, Washington, DC 20202. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Douglas Pineda Robles (202) 377- 4578. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps ED assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the ED's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. ED is especially interested in public comments addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of ED; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might ED enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might ED minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: 2015-2016 Federal Student Aid Application. OMB Control Number: 1845-0001. Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection. RespondentsAffected Public: Individuals. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 44,992,857. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 24,083,155. Abstract: Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), mandates that the Secretary of Education ``. . . shall produce, distribute, and process free of charge common financial reporting forms as described in this subsection to be used for application and reapplication to determine the need and eligibility of a student for financial assistance . . .''. The determination of need and eligibility are for the following title IV, HEA, federal student financial assistance programs: The Federal Pell Grant Program; the Campus-Based programs (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), and the Federal Perkins Loan Program); the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program; the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant; and the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant. Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education (hereafter ``the Department''), subsequently developed an application process to collect and process the data necessary to determine a student's eligibility to receive title IV, HEA program assistance. The application process involves an applicant's submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA[supreg]). After submission of the FAFSA, an applicant receives a Student Aid Report (SAR), which is a summary of the data they submitted on the FAFSA. The applicant reviews the SAR, and, if necessary, will make corrections or updates to their submitted FAFSA data. Institutions of higher education listed by the applicant on the FAFSA [[Page 51145]] also receive a summary of processed data submitted on the FAFSA which is called the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). The Department seeks OMB approval of all application components as a single ``collection of information''. The aggregate burden will be accounted for under OMB Control Number 1845-0001. The specific application components, descriptions and submission methods for each are listed in Table one. Table 1--Federal Student Aid Application Components NOTE: CHART OMITTED -- SEE PDF FILE [[Page 51146]] This information collection also documents an estimate of the annual public burden as it relates to the application process for federal student aid. The Applicant Burden Model (ABM), measures applicant burden through an assessment of the activities each applicant conducts in conjunction with other applicant characteristics and in terms of burden, the average applicant's experience. Key determinants of the ABM include: [ballot] The total number of applicants that will potentially apply for federal student aid; [ballot] How the applicant chooses to complete and submit the FAFSA (e.g., by paper or electronically via FOTW[supreg]); [ballot] How the applicant chooses to submit any corrections andor updates (e.g., the paper SAR or electronically via FOTW Corrections); [ballot] The type of SAR document the applicant receives (eSAR, SAR acknowledgment, or paper SAR); [ballot] The formula applied to determine the applicant's expected family contribution (EFC) (full need analysis formula, Simplified Needs Test or Automatic Zero); and [ballot] The average amount of time involved in preparing to complete the application. The ABM is largely driven by the number of potential applicants for the application cycle. The total application projection for 2015-2016 is based upon two factors--estimates of the total enrollment in all degree-granting institutions and the percentage change in FAFSA submissions for the last completed or almost completed application cycle. The ABM is also based on the application options available to students and parents. The Department accounts for each application component based on web trending tools, survey information, and other Department data sources. For 2015-2016, the Department is reporting a net burden decrease of 2,081,212 hours. Dated: August 21, 2014. Tomakie Washington, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2014-20275 Filed 8-26-14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P