Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention to collect information from the public. Under the Pap...
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing an opportunity for the public to comment on CMS' intention to collect information from the public. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice in the
Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information (including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information) and to allow 60 days for public comment on the proposed action. Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding our burden estimates or any other aspect of this collection of information, including the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agency's functions, the accuracy of the estimated burden, ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology to minimize the information collection burden.
DATES:
Comments must be received by December 15, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
When commenting, please reference the document identifier or OMB control number. To be assured consideration, comments and recommendations must be submitted in any one of the following ways:
1.
Electronically.
You may send your comments electronically to
www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for “Comment or Submission” or “More Search Options” to find the information collection document(s) that are accepting comments.
2.
By regular mail.
You may mail written comments to the following address: CMS, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs, Division of Regulations Development, Attention: Document Identifier: __/OMB Control Number: __, Room C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.
This notice sets out a summary of the use and burden associated with the following information collections. More detailed information can be found in each collection's supporting statement and associated materials (see
ADDRESSES
).
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. The term “collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes agency requests 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 requires federal agencies to publish a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension or reinstatement of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, CMS is publishing this notice.
Information Collections
1.
Type of Information Collection Request:
Revision of a currently approved collection;
Title of Information Collection:
Annual State Report on CMS Value Based Purchasing Arrangements (VBP) Supplemental Rebate Agreements;
Use:
The Affordable Care Act created Health Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges), marketplaces where consumers and small businesses can purchase private health insurance. Consumers who access health insurance coverage through Exchanges can receive skilled assistance from Navigators and certified application counselors (CACs) who provide information and help facilitate enrollment in qualified health plans (QHPs) and determine whether consumers potentially qualify for insurance affordability programs through an Exchange. Exchanges will use the information collected to certify individual Navigators, Certified Application Counselors (CACs), or certified application counselor designated organization (CDOs) and to maintain CMS records related to those certifications and designations. CDOs will use the information collected to manage their internal processes to certify individual CACs. Exchanges will also use the information collected to inform the public about the availability of application services from Navigators and CACs.
Form Number:
CMS-10494 (OMB control number: 0938-1205);
Frequency:
Yearly;
Affected Public:
State, Local, or Tribal Governments;
Number of Respondents:
275,089;
Total Annual Responses:
275,089;
Total Annual Hours:
857,046. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Meredyth Woody at
Meredyth.Woody@cms.hhs.gov.)
2.
Type of Information Collection Request:
Revision of a currently approved collection;
Title of Information Collection:
Generic Clearance for Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation);
Use:
( printed page 65748)
Whether seeking a loan, Social Security benefits, veterans benefits, or other services provided by the Federal Government, individuals and businesses expect Government customer services to be efficient and intuitive, just like services from leading private-sector organizations. Yet the 2016 American Consumer Satisfaction Index and the 2017 Forrester Federal Customer Experience Index show that, on average, Government services lag nine percentage points behind the private sector.
A modern, streamlined and responsive customer experience means: raising government-wide customer experience to the average of the private sector service industry; developing indicators for high-impact Federal programs to monitor progress towards excellent customer experience and mature digital services; and providing the structure (including increasing transparency) and resources to ensure customer experience is a focal point for agency leadership. To support this, OMB Circular A-11 Section 280 established government-wide standards for mature customer experience organizations in government and measurement. To enable Federal programs to deliver the experience taxpayers deserve, they must undertake three general categories of activities: conduct ongoing customer research, gather and share customer feedback, and test services and digital products.
These data collection efforts may be either qualitative or quantitative in nature or may consist of mixed methods. Additionally, data may be collected via a variety of means, including but not limited to electronic or social media, direct or indirect observation (
i.e.,
in person, video and audio collections), interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and focus groups. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will limit its inquiries to data collections that solicit strictly voluntary opinions or responses. Steps will be taken to ensure anonymity of respondents in each activity covered by this request.
The results of the data collected will be used to improve the delivery of Federal services and programs. It will include the creation of personas, customer journey maps, and reports and summaries of customer feedback data and user insights. It will also provide government-wide data on customer experience that can be displayed on
performance.gov
to help build transparency and accountability of Federal programs to the customers they serve.
CMS will collect this information by electronic means when possible, as well as by mail, fax, telephone, technical discussions, and in-person interviews. CMS may also utilize observational techniques to collect this information.
Form Number:
CMS-10710 (OMB control number: 0938-1382);
Frequency:
Occasionally;
Affected Public:
Individuals or Households; Private Sector (business or other for-profits, not-for-profit institutions), State, Local or Tribal governments; Federal government; and Universities;
Number of Respondents:
1,001,750;
Number of Responses:
Varied, dependent upon the data collection method used;
Total Annual Hours:
51,175. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Mohanraj Balasubramanian at 410-786-7808.)
William N. Parham, III,
Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs.
www.regulations.gov
www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing
44 U.S.C. 3501-3520
5 CFR 1320.3(c)