[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 174 (Thursday, September 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54343-54345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-22900]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0571]


Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 
(44 U.S.C., 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the National 
Cemetery Administration (NCA), Office of Financial Management (OFM), 
and Office of Inspector General (IG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 
have submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA 
submission describes the nature of the information collection and its 
expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection 
instrument.

DATE: Comments must be submitted on or before October 10, 2000.

For Further Information or a Copy of the Submission Contact: Denise 
McLamb, Information Management Service (045A4), Department of Veterans 
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273-8030 
or FAX (202) 273-5981. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0571.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Generic Clearance for the National Cemetery Administration, 
Office of Financial Management, and Office of Inspector General 
Customer Satisfaction Surveys.
    OMB Control Number: 2900-0571.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Executive Order 12862, Setting Customer Service 
Standards, requires Federal agencies and departments to identify and 
survey its customers to determine the kind and quality of services they 
want and their level of satisfaction with existing service. The NCA, 
OFM, and IG use the customer satisfaction surveys to evaluate customer 
services as well as customer expectations and desires. The results of 
this information collection lead to improvements in the quality of the 
NCA, OFM, and IG service delivery by helping to shape the direction and 
focus of specific services.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection

[[Page 54344]]

of information was published on June 20, 2000 at pages 38319-38321.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, Business or other for-
profit and State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Listing of Survey Activities: The following list of activities is a 
compendium of customer satisfaction survey plans by the NCA, OFM, and 
IG. The actual conduct of any particular activity listed could be 
affected by circumstances. A change in, or refinement of, our focus in 
a specific area, as well as resource constraints could require deletion 
or substitution of any listed item. If these organizations substitute 
or propose to add a new activity that falls under the umbrella of this 
generic approval, including those activities that are currently in a 
planning stage, OMB will be notified and will be furnished a copy of 
pertinent materials, a description of the activity and number of burden 
hours involved. The NCA, OFM, and IG will conduct periodic reviews of 
ongoing survey activities to ensure that they comply with the PRA.

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                                                             Estimated
                  Year                       Number of     annual burden                 Frequency
                                            respondents     (in hours)
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                                      I. National Cementery Administration
                 Focus Groups with Next of Kin (10 participants per group/3 hours each session)
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2001....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2002....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2003....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
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              Focus Groups with Funeral Directors (10 participants per group/3 hours each session)
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2001....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2002....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2003....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
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        Focus Groups with Veterans Service Organizations (10 participants per group/3 hours each session)
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2001....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2002....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2003....................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
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                        Visitor Comments Cards (2,500 respondents/5 minutes per response)
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2001....................................           2,500             208  Annually.
2002....................................           2,500             208  Annually.
2003....................................           2,500             208  Annually.
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     Next of Kin National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Mail to 10,000 respondents/30 minutes per response)
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2001....................................          10,000           5,000  Annually.
2002....................................          10,000           5,000  Annually.
2003....................................          10,000           5,000  Annually.
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   Funeral Directors National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Mail to 1,000 respondents/30 minutes per response)
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2001....................................           1,000             500  Annually.
2002....................................           1,000             500  Annually.
2003....................................           1,000             500  Annually.
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   Veterans-At-Large National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Mail to 5,000 respondents/30 minutes per response)
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2001....................................           5,000           2,500  Annually.
2002....................................           5,000           2,500  Annually.
2003....................................           5,000           2,500  Annually.
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             Program/Specialized Service Survey (Mail to 1,000 respondents/30 minutes per response)
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2001....................................           1,000             500  Annually.
2002....................................           1,000             500  Annually.
2003....................................           1,000             500  Annually.
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                                       II. Office of Financial Management
             Accountability Report Pilot Evaluation Form (550 respondents/150 minutes per response)
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2001....................................             550             138  Annually.
2002....................................             550             138  Annually.
2003....................................             550             138  Annually.
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                                        III. Office of Inspector General
                        Patient Questionnaire (1,200 respondents/10 minutes per response)
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2001....................................           1,200             200  Annually.
2002....................................           1,200             200  Annually.

[[Page 54345]]

 
2003....................................           1,200             200  Annually.
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    Most customer satisfaction surveys will be recurring so that NCA, 
OFM, and IG can create and maintain ongoing measures of performance and 
to determine how well VA meets customer service standards. Each 
collection of information will consist of the minimum amount of 
information necessary to determine customer needs and to evaluate each 
organization's performance. NCA expects to conduct 15 focus groups 
annually involving a total of 450 hours during the approval period. In 
addition, NCA expects to conduct mail surveys with a total annual 
burden of 8,000 hours and will distribute comment cards with a total 
annual burden of 208 hours. NCA also plans to conduct mail surveys with 
customers of specific programs (e.g. Headstones and Markers, 
Presidential Memorial Certificates, State Veterans Cemeteries) to 
determine levels of service satisfaction. Program specific surveys are 
estimated at 500 burden hours annually during the approval period. OFM 
and IG will distribute written surveys with a total annual burden of 
338 hours.
    Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the 
information collection to VA's OMB Desk Officer, Allison Eydt, OMB 
Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 
10235, Washington, DC 20503 (202) 395-4650. Please refer to ``OMB 
Control No. 2900-0571'' in any correspondence.

    Dated: August 21, 2000.

    By direction of the Acting Secretary:
Donald L. Neilson,
Director, Information Management Service.
[FR Doc. 00-22900 Filed 9-6-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P