Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Periodically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will publish a summary of information collection requests under OMB review, in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these documents, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.

Proposed Project: GPRA Client Outcomes for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)—(OMB No. 0930-0208)—Revision

SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is responsible for collecting data from discretionary services grants and contracts where client outcomes are to be assessed at three points (intake, discharge, and post-intake). SAMHSA's CSAT-funded projects are required to submit these data as a contingency of their award. The analysis of the data also will help determine whether the goal of reducing health and social costs of drug use to the public is being achieved.

The primary purpose of this data collection activity is to meet the reporting requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) by allowing SAMHSA to quantify the effects and accomplishments of SAMHSA's CSAT programs.

CSAT requests approval to increase the number of questions in the instrument due to the agency's need for additional information from its programs to satisfy reporting needs. The additional information needed is the following:

• Co-Occurring disorders screening—Over the years, CSAT has focused attention on co-occurring disorders and has established programs designed specifically for persons with both mental health and substance abuse problems. CSAT wants to make sure that all clients are screened regardless of the types of program they enter in order to get the treatment they need. CSAT has not had a formal way of assessing whether all programs screen clients for co-occurring disorders and consequently, these mental health problems potentially go untreated. CSAT will be able to monitor if clients are screened and for those who screen positive, monitor their outcomes and activities per the NOMS.
• Veteran Status—Collection of these data will allow CSAT to identify the number of veterans served and the types of services they may receive. Identifying a client's veteran status allows CSAT and the grantees to monitor these clients and explore whether special services or programs are needed to treat them for substance abuse and other related issues. Identification of veteran status will also allow coordination between SAMHSA and other Federal agencies in order to provide a full range of services to veterans. CSAT will also be able to monitor their outcomes and activities per the NOMS.
• HIV Test Status—SAMHSA is committed to addressing the twin epidemics of HIV and substance abuse; the agency has received funding to augment the HIV testing program and hopes to reduce the number of new cases. The goal is for at least 80 percent of the clients to be tested for HIV. The test results give clients and programs an important piece of information needed for their substance abuse treatment plans. With the testing information, CSAT will monitor the numbers of treatment clients who have been tested.

In addition, we will add a response option to an existing item:

• Housing for College Students—Housing stability is one of the NOMs and should be calculated as accurately as possible, particularly for programs that target college students such as Campus SBIRT. There currently is no way to distinguish the housing status of students living on campus from those housed elsewhere. This additional information can be captured by adding a new response option for the existing housing question.

CSAT requests approval to add a grant program to this data collection:

• CSAT will add the Access to Recovery (ATR) grant program to this data collection for the CSAT Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Client Outcome Measures for Discretionary Programs instrument. The Voucher Information Form and Voucher Transaction Form (OMB 0930-0266, Expiration Date 5/31/11) will remain under separate data collections. ATR requires the integration of evidence-based practices and a systematic federal scrutiny of outcomes through GPRA. The GPRA focuses on results or outcomes in evaluating the effectiveness of Federal activities and on measuring progress toward achieving national goals and objectives.

The estimated annual response burden for this data collection is provided in the table below:

The estimates in this table reflect the maximum annual burden for currently funded discretionary services programs. The number of clients/participants served in following years is estimated to be the same assuming level funding of the discretionary programs, resulting in the same annual burden estimate for those years.

Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed information collection should be sent by December 31, 2008 to: SAMHSA Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503; due to potential delays in OMB's receipt and processing of mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service, respondents are encouraged to submit comments by fax to: 202-395-6974.