Agency Information Collection Activities Comment Request

In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, contact the SAMHSA Clearance Office at samhsaprn@samhsa.hhs.gov.

Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collections of information are 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) ways to enhance 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.

Proposed Project: National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS) (OMB No. 0930-0386)—Revision of a Currently Approved Collection

Under Section 505 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa-4), SAMHSA is required to conduct annual collection of data on substance use and mental health. Selected information collected from the N-SUMHSS is also published on SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov for persons seeking treatment for mental and substance use disorders in the United States. FindTreatment.gov is authorized by the 21st Century Cures Act (Pub. L. 114-255, Section 9006; 42 U.S.C. 290bb-36d).

In 2021, SAMHSA combined the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) and the National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS) into the N-SUMHSS to reduce the burden on facilities offering both substance use and mental health services, optimize government resources to collect data, and enhance the quality of data collected on the treatment facilities.

The N-SUMHSS is the most comprehensive national source of data on substance use and mental health treatment facilities. On an annual basis, the N-SUMHSS collects information on the facility location, characteristics, and utilization of substance use and mental health treatment services. The survey also collects client counts on individuals receiving services at these facilities. There is an increasing need to collect and maintain data on current and accurate numbers of clients in treatment at the local level for communities to assess capacity and estimate resource requirements. This information on substance use and mental health services has assisted communities to better respond to life changing events, ( i.e., hurricane) and plan for service demands in the event of a natural disaster ( i.e., earthquakes).

SAMHSA also maintains the Inventory of Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Facilities (I-TF) (previously known as the Inventory of Behavioral Health Services [I-BHS]). The I-TF is a master list of all known substance use and mental health treatment facilities in the United States, and serves as the frame for the N-SUMHSS. SAMHSA is requesting OMB approval of revisions to the N-SUMHSS and I-TF related data collections, to include changes to the following instruments: ( printed page 64386)

N-SUMHSS Questionnaire (Attachment A)

For this submission, SAMHSA proposes two categories of changes to the N-SUMHSS questionnaire.

First, SAMHSA is revising the questionnaire's content on crisis services and faith-based organizations. As part of these revisions, three existing crisis-related questions (B12-B14) will be removed and replaced with a new series of questions designed to collect more detailed information about mobile crisis, community outreach, behavioral health emergency, and crisis stabilization services. All facilities will be asked two new screening questions to determine whether they: (1) offer mobile crisis or community outreach services, and (2) offer behavioral health emergency or crisis stabilization services.

Depending on their responses to these questions, some facilities may receive additional follow-up questions to collect information about service models offered, services provided within those models, and the number of individuals who received or were actively engaged in those services during a specified reporting period.

In addition, all facilities will continue to be asked the existing question about whether they are affiliated with a religious or faith-based organization. SAMHSA also proposes a new question for all facilities regarding whether they identify as a faith-based organization.

Although these changes add new questions and data elements, they also replace existing crisis services questions and are intended to provide more actionable information about the availability and characteristics of crisis and faith-based services for program planning, policy development, and public reporting. Additional respondent burden will be limited primarily to facilities that meet the criteria for the applicable follow-up questions.

Second, this submission includes a limited set of targeted clarifications to existing N-SUMHSS questionnaire items. These revisions have been informed by respondent questions, interviewer debriefings, and routine instrument review. They are intended to improve question clarity and reporting accuracy by addressing ambiguous terminology and revising language that may not align with current SAMHSA terminology or clinical practice. These changes do not alter the underlying constructs being measured, the scope of information collected, or respondent burden. Rather, they are designed to address specific known areas of respondent confusion and improve consistency across related questionnaire items.

The clarifications address the following:

1. Ambiguity in question wording or response options that led to inconsistent interpretation,

2. Uncertainty about whether selected items apply to a facility,

3. Inconsistent response categories across similar items, and

4. Minor instructional language needed to reinforce existing reporting guidance.

These updates do not modify survey navigation, layout, question order, or overall wording style

N-SUMHSS Between Cycle Questionnaire (Attachment B)

While the Mini N-SUMHSS is derived from the N-SUMHSS, it includes only a subset of questions. Consequently, changes to the N-SUMHSS apply to the Mini N-SUMHSS only where the affected questions are included in the Mini.

N-SUMHSS VA Supplement (Attachment C and D)

SAMHSA is not proposing any new questions for the N-SUMHSS VA Supplement. Proposed updates are limited to minor wording revisions to existing VA Supplement items to ensure consistency with terminology used elsewhere in the N-SUMHSS. These changes do not alter the content, intent, or respondent burden of the VA Supplement.

I-TF Online State Add/Update Form (Attachment F)

The I-TF Online State Add/Update Form is used by the state user when requesting to modify facility information in I-TF. A few fields were added to the form, and one was deleted. These fields are prepopulated in the form based on the N-SUMHSS responses. These changes do not alter the content, intent, or respondent burden since the responses are from the N-SUMHSS.

The estimated annual burden for the N-SUMHSS and I-TF activities is as follows:

Send comments to SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 5600 Fisher Lane, Room 15E57A, Rockville, MD 20852, OR email a copy at samhsapra@samhsa.hhs.gov. Written comments should be received by December 7, 2026.