[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30230-30231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14096]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


ETA-9016 Report on Alien Claimant Activity; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice; request for comments

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with a provision of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 at 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). This 
program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the 
desired format, reporting burdens (time

[[Page 30231]]

and financial resources) are minimized, collection instruments are 
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on 
respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Employment and 
Training Administration is soliciting comments concerning the proposed 
revision/extention for collection of the ETA-9016 Report on Alien 
Claimant Activity. A copy of the proposed information collection 
request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the 
addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee's section below on or before August 6, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Office of Workforce Security, Employment and Training 
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Attn: Bob Whiting, Room S-
4522, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone 
number: (202) 693-3215 (this is not a toll-free number). Fax: (202) 
693-3229. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The ETA-9016 Report is used by the Department of Labor to assess 
whether (and the extent to which) the requirements of the Immigration 
and Naturalization Service (INS), Systematic Alien Verification for 
Entitlement (SAVE) system are cost-effective and otherwise appropriate 
for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. In addition, data from the 
Alien Claims Activity report is being used to assist the Secretary of 
Labor in determining whether a State Employment Security Agency's 
administrative costs associated with the verification program are 
reasonable and reimbursable. There is no other report or system 
available for collecting this required information. The report allows 
the Department of Labor to determine the number of aliens filing for 
UI, the number of benefit issues detected, the denials of benefits to 
aliens, the extent to which State Agencies use the system, and the 
overall effectiveness and cost efficiency of the verification system. 
If SESAs are not required to submit the information on the Alien Claims 
Activity Report, the Department of Labor would not be able to fulfill 
its responsibilities to assess the SAVE system.

II. Review Focus

    The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments 
which:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.

III. Current Actions

    In the year 2000, over 1.172 million UI claimants were identified 
by the SESAs as aliens, constituting almost eight percent of UI claims 
taken in the nation. Continued collection of the ETA-9016 data will 
provide for a comprehensive evaluation of alien claims activity. The 
data is collected quarterly, and an analysis of the data is made for 
each one-year period. The most recent analysis identified concerns with 
the consistency of the interpretation of the reporting instructions 
among the SESAs, each of whom must apply the instructions to 
claimstaking procedures that vary significantly. In order to encourage 
more consistency in the reporting by the SESAs, changes are being 
proposed that will simplify the reporting and decrease the burden.
    Currently, seven items are reported on the ETA-9016 Report:
    1. Initial claims where claimant is not a citizen.
    2. Number of claimants verified through the INS designated 
automated system.
    3. Number of secondary (mail) verifications through the INS.
    4. Nonmonetary determinations resulting from the verification in 
items number 2 and/or 3.
    5. Denials resulting from issues in item number 4.
    6. Nonmonetary determinations on the alien issue not a result of 
verification through the INS designated automated system or secondary 
INS verification.
    7. Denials resulting from issues in item number 6. ETA proposes to 
consolidate items 4-7 into two items as follows:
     Nonmonetary determinations on the alien issue.
     Denials resulting from the nonmonetary determinations on 
the alien issue.
    The effectiveness of the SAVE verification process is well 
established. For the year 2000, it is estimated that over $24 million 
was realized by identifying and denying benefits to ineligible aliens 
through the SAVE process. The total savings for the past 10 years is 
estimated at over $100 million. Thus, it is no longer deemed necessary 
to justify use of the SAVE process on a national basis.
    Consolidation of the reporting items on nonmonetary determinations 
will eliminate the distinction between issues detected through the SAVE 
process and issues detected through other means, as will consolidation 
of the reporting items on denials. The Department of Labor believes 
that this will simplify the reporting process by reducing the burden, 
with no corresponding loss of the Department of Labor's ability to 
evaluate the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the SAVE process in 
the individual SESAs.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: Alien Claims Activity Report.
    OMB Number: 1205-0268.
    Agency Number: ETA-9016.
    Affected Public: State Governments.
    Total Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Total Responses: 212.
    Average Time per Response: 1 hour.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 212 hours.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $10,200 which is a one time 
cost of reprogramming the State systems.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $5300 which is allowable 
cost under the administrative grants awarded to States by the Federal 
government.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and 
Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also 
become a matter of public record.

    Dated: May 29, 2001.
Cheryl Atkinson,
Director, Office of Income Support.
[FR Doc. 01-14096 Filed 6-4-01; 8:45 am]
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