CMS Seeks Public Comment on Information Collection Activities

Content

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 May 11, 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 http://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.

1. 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.

To obtain copies of a supporting statement and any related forms for the proposed collection(s) summarized in this notice,
please access the CMS PRA website by copying and pasting the following web address into your web browser: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William N. Parham at (410) 786-4669.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Contents

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 Collection

1. Type of Information Collection Request: New collection (Request for a new OMB control number); Title of Information Collection: Rural Health Transformation Program Reporting; Use: On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed Public Law 119-21, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) refers to as the “Working Families Tax Cut” (WFTC) legislation, into law. The legislation authorized the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, marking a significant federal investment of up to $50 billion over five years and is designed to empower as many as 50 State awardees to catalyze transformative improvements within their rural healthcare ecosystems. The principal objective is to enhance healthcare access, quality, and outcomes through innovative, system-wide change, thereby investing in the health of rural communities for future generations.

Funding for approved State awardees is determined through a formal scoring and allocation process. The financial architecture
of the program is composed of two primary streams: baseline funding, distributed equally among all awardees, and performance-based
workload funding, which is allocated based on the scoring of specific rural and technical score factors within each State's
application and their subsequent annual performance.

To ensure continued eligibility and funding, State awardees must adhere to

  key program requirements, including the submission of annual and quarterly reports. CMS will re-calculate each approved State's
  technical score and corresponding Workload funding amount for each subsequent budget period based on the information and data
  the approved State provides in the required annual reporting each year. In these reports, States will provide updates on programmatic
  milestones, report on performance and evaluation metrics, and detail the expenditure of funds. *Form Number:* CMS-10949 (OMB control number: 0938-TBD); *Frequency:* Quarterly and yearly; *Affected Public:* State, Local, or Tribal Governments; *Number of Respondents:* 50; *Total Annual Responses: 200; Total Annual Hours:* 1,950. (For policy questions regarding this collection contact Anthony (Tony) DiFondi at 215-861-4318.)

William N. Parham, III, Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs. [FR Doc. 2026-04745 Filed 3-10-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4120-01-P

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