| Page Range | 65987-65989 | |
| FR Document | 2015-27451 |
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 208 (Wednesday, October 28, 2015)] [Notices] [Pages 65987-65989] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2015-27451] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket No.: ED-2015-ICCD-0101] Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 2016-2017 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 November 27, 2015. ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2015-ICCD- 0101. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. [[Page 65988]] Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. 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, Room 2E103, Washington, DC 20202-4537. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Douglas A. 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 the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department'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. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department 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: 2016-2017 Federal Student Aid Application. OMB Control Number: 1845-0001. Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 40,135,807. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 20,560,481. 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 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 1. Table 1--Federal Student Aid Application Components ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Submission Component Description method ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Initial Submission of FAFSA ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FAFSA on the Web (FOTW)....... Online FAFSA that Submitted by the offers applicants a applicant via customized experience. www.fafsa.gov. FOTW--Renewal................. Online FAFSA for applicants who have previously completed the FAFSA. FOTW--EZ...................... Online FAFSA for applicants who qualify for the Simplified Needs Test (SNT) or Automatic Zero (Auto Zero) needs analysis formulas. FOTW--EZ Renewal.............. Online FAFSA for applicants who have previously completed the FAFSA and who qualify for the SNT or Auto Zero needs analysis formulas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FAFSA on the Phone (FOTP)..... The Federal Student Submitted Aid Information through Center (FSAIC) www.fafsa.gov representatives for applicants assist applicants by who call 1-800- filing the FAFSA on 4-FED-AID. their behalf through FOTW. FOTP--EZ...................... FSAIC representatives assist applicants who qualify for the SNT or Auto Zero needs analysis formulas by filing the FAFSA on their behalf through FOTW. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FAA Access.................... Online tool that a Submitted financial aid through administrator (FAA) www.faaacess.ed utilizes to submit a .gov by a FAA FAFSA. on behalf of an applicant. FAA Access--Renewal........... Online tool that a FAA can utilize to submit a Renewal FAFSA. FAA Access--EZ................ Online tool that a FAA can utilize to submit a FAFSA for applicants who qualify for the SNT or Auto Zero needs analysis formulas. [[Page 65989]] FAA Access--EZ Renewal........ Online tool that a FAA can utilize to submit a FAFSA for applicants who have previously completed the FAFSA and who qualify for the SNT or Auto Zero needs analysis formulas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Electronic Other.............. This is a submission The FAA may be done by a FAA, on using their behalf of the mainframe applicant, using the computer or Electronic Data software to Exchange (EDE). facilitate the EDE process. PDF FAFSA or Paper FAFSA...... The paper version of Mailed by the the FAFSA printed by applicant. the Department for applicants who are unable to access the Internet or the online version of the FAFSA for applicants who can access the Internet but are unable to complete the form using FOTW. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Correcting Submitted FAFSA Information and Reviewing FAFSA Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FOTW--Corrections............. Any applicant who has Submitted by the a Federal Student Aid applicant via ID (FSA ID)-- www.fafsa.gov. regardless of how they originally applied--may make corrections using FOTW Corrections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Electronic Other--Corrections. With the applicant's The FAA may be permission, using their corrections can be mainframe made by a FAA using computer or the EDE. software to facilitate the EDE process. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paper SAR--This is a SAR and The full paper summary Mailed by the an option for corrections. that is mailed to applicant. paper applicants who did not provide an e- mail address and to applicants whose records were rejected due to critical errors during processing. Applicants can write corrections directly on the paper SAR and mail for processing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FAA Access--Corrections....... An institution can use Submitted FAA Access to correct through the FAFSA. www.faaacess.ed.gov by a FAA on behalf of an applicant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Internal Department The Department will There is no Corrections. submit an applicant's burden to the record for system- applicants generated corrections. under this correction type as these are system-based corrections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FSAIC Corrections............. Any applicant, with These changes their Data Release are made Number (DRN), can directly in the change the CPS system by a postsecondary FSAIC institutions listed representative. on their FAFSA or change their address by calling FSAIC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SAR Electronic (eSAR)......... The eSAR is an online Cannot be version of the SAR submitted for that is available on processing. FOTW to all applicants with a PIN. Notifications for the eSAR are sent to students who applied electronically or by paper and provided an e-mail address. These notifications are sent by e-mail and include a secure hyperlink that takes the user to the FOTW site. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 and/or 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 2016-2017 is based upon two factors--estimating the growth rate of the total enrollment into post-secondary education and applying the growth rate to the FAFSA submissions. 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 2016-2017, the Department is reporting a net burden decrease of -3,522,674 hours. This decrease is considered to be an adjustment in burden hours from the 2015-2016 FAFSA. Dated: October 23, 2015. Kate Mullan, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2015-27451 Filed 10-27-15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice. | |
| Dates | Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 27, 2015. | |
| Contact | For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Douglas A. Pineda Robles, 202- 377-4578. | |
| FR Citation | 80 FR 65987 |