[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30487-30489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14189]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


United States Employment Service & America's Labor Market 
Information System; ET Handbook No. 406 (ETA 9002 Data Preparation 
Handbook), and Vets 200 Report and Specifications; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to 
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, 
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. 
Currently, we are soliciting comments concerning the proposed revisions 
to the collection of the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 Reports in accordance 
with the ET Handbook 406 (ETA 9002 Data Preparation Handbook), and the 
VETS 200 Specifications, respectively. A copy of the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) 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: Send comments to Gay Gilbert, Chief, Division of United 
States Employment Service & ALMIS, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of 
Career Transition Assistance, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-
4514, Washington, DC 20210, telephone: 202-693-3428 (this is not a 
toll-free number) facsimile: 202-693-2874 (this is not a toll-free 
number), e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background:

    The ET Handbook No. 406 (ETA 9002 Data Preparation Handbook) 
provides instructions for completing the ETA 9002 Reports. The ETA 9002 
Reports collect information on the activities administered by the 
public labor exchange in each State and on the outcomes attributable to 
these activities. The VETS 200 Report and Specifications collect 
information on the labor exchange activities provided to veterans by 
Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists and Local 
Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER's) within the public labor 
exchange in each State. We are revising the ET Handbook No. 406 (ETA 
9002 Data Preparation Handbook) and VETS 200 Report and Specifications 
to reflect current federal reporting requirements and to provide for 
the reporting of performance outcome information derived using the 
labor exchange performance measures.
    In 2000, we initiated the development of a labor exchange 
performance measurement system which would consist of three elements: 
(1) labor exchange performance measures, (2) data collection and 
reporting procedures, and (3) procedures for establishing expected 
levels of performance. A Federal-State workgroup consisting of 
representatives from the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), 
fifteen State agencies, the National Association of State Workforce 
Agencies (NASWA), and the Veterans' Employment and Training Service 
(VETS) met three times during 2000 to develop the framework of a labor 
exchange performance measurement system.
    On August 14, 2000, we published proposed labor exchange 
performance measures in the Federal Register (65 FR 49708, et seq.). 
Based on consideration of comments received, we have established four 
performance measures for the public labor exchange, as published in the 
Federal Register on May 31, 2001.
    At the third of its meetings, the labor exchange performance 
measurement system workgroup recommended revisions to the reporting 
requirements for the public labor exchange. We have revised the ET 
Handbook No. 406 (ETA 9002 Data Preparation Handbook) to allow for the 
reporting of performance outcome information derived from the labor 
exchange performance measures, based on consideration of the 
workgroup's recommendations and to reflect current Federal reporting 
requirements.
    Services provided by DVOPs and LVERs to veterans as part of the 
public labor exchange are reported on the VETS 200 Report--distinct 
from the ETA 9002 Reports. The VETS 200 Report and Specifications are 
revised to account for current Federal reporting requirements and to 
allow for reporting on services provided by DVOP and LVER staff. The 
VETS 200 Report and Specifications mirror and are compatible with those 
for the ETA 9002 Reports. Both the ET Handbook No. 406 and the VETS 200 
Report and Specifications are available at 
www.workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/news/news.asp or by contacting the 
office listed in the addressee section of this notice.
    Information is collected on the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 Reports under 
the following authority:

A. Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 3(a), 29 U.S.C. 49b(a)

    The Secretary shall assist in coordinating the State public 
employment services throughout the country and in increasing their 
usefulness by developing and prescribing minimum standards of 
efficiency, assisting them in meeting problems peculiar to their 
localities, promoting uniformity in their administrative and 
statistical procedures, furnishing and publishing information as to 
opportunities for employment and other information of value in the 
operation of the system, and maintaining a system for clearing labor 
between the States.

B. Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 3(c)(2), 29 U.S.C. 49b(c)

    The Secretary shall--
    (2) assist in the development of continuous improvement models for 
such nationwide system that ensure private sector satisfaction with the 
system and meet the demands of job seekers relating to the system.

C. Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 7(b), 29 U.S.C. 49f(b)

    Ten percent of the sums allotted to each State pursuant to section 
49e of this title shall be reserved for use in accordance with this 
subsection by the Governor of each such State to provide--
    (1) performance incentives for public employment service offices 
and programs, consistent with performance standards established by the 
Secretary, taking into account direct or indirect placements (including 
those resulting from self-directed job search or group job search 
activities assisted by such offices or programs), wages on entered

[[Page 30488]]

employment, retention, and other appropriate factors.

D. Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 10(c), 29 U.S.C. 49i(c)

    Each State receiving funds under this Act shall--
    (1) make such reports concerning its operations and expenditures in 
such form and containing such information as shall be prescribed by the 
Secretary, and
    (2) establish and maintain a management information system in 
accordance with guidelines established by the Secretary designed to 
facilitate the compilation and analysis of programmatic and financial 
data necessary for reporting, monitoring and evaluating purposes.

E. Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 13(a), 29 U.S.C. 49l(a)

    The Secretary is authorized to establish performance standards for 
activities under this Act which shall take into account the differences 
in priorities reflected in State plans.

F. Wagner-Peyser Act sec. 15(e)(2)(I), 29 U.S.C. 49l-2(e)(2)(I)

    (e) State responsibilities.--
    (2) Duties.--In order to receive Federal financial assistance under 
this section, the State agency shall--
    (I) utilize the quarterly records described in section 2871(f)(2) 
of this title to assist the State and other States in measuring State 
progress on State performance measures.

G. Provisional Guidance on the Implementation of the 1997 Standards for 
Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, Executive Office of the President, 
Office of Management and Budget (66 FR 3829-3831); and ``Revisions to 
the Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data 
on Race and Ethnicity, (62 FR 58781-58790).

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 clarify 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

    We have revised the elements of services and outcomes required to 
be reported by category of job seeker on the ETA 9002 to better reflect 
the services provided by the modern labor exchange and to meet current 
Federal data collection requirements. The revised ETA 9002 now provides 
for the reporting of employment outcomes of job seekers, including 
veterans, as well as the job seeker and employer customer satisfaction 
scores. Because employment outcome information is dependent on 
unemployment insurance (UI) wage record data, it will not be available 
at the same time as information on the number of job seekers who are 
registered job seekers or who receive labor exchange services. 
Therefore, outcome information for job seekers and veterans will be 
collected on separate reports from information on services. Also, data 
elements required to be reported about job openings employers list with 
the labor exchange are revised to be consistent with the Occupational 
Information Network--Standard Occupational Classification (O*NET-SOC) 
system and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). 
We are eliminating the VETS 300 and Manager's Report. No changes are 
being proposed for these items and VETS is handling these items 
separate.
    Listed below is a description of the information that will be 
collected on each of the proposed ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports:

ETA 9002 A: Services to Job Seekers.
ETA 9002 B: Services to Veterans.
ETA 9002 C: Performance Outcomes--Job Seekers.
ETA 9002 D: Performance Outcomes--Veterans.
ETA 9002 E: Job Openings Received by Occupation (O*NET-SOC) and 
Industry (NAICS).
VETS 200 A: DVOP Quarterly Report.
VETS 200 B: LVER Quarterly Report.
VETS 200 C: DVOP/LVER Quarterly Report.

    The employment outcomes of registered job seekers will be derived 
by matching their Social Security Numbers with employment information 
contained in State databases, including the UI wage record database, 
the State Directory of New Hires (SDNH) database, or any other records 
the State agency may have access to that reliably indicate entry into 
employment. We anticipate that State agencies will have the option of 
using the wage record interchange system (WRIS) to obtain UI wage 
record information from other States as this system is implemented.
    We propose to implement a rolling four-quarter reporting period for 
the labor exchange performance measurement system. For the job seeker 
and veterans reports, cohorts of registered job seekers are identified 
according to their quarter of registration or beginning of a new 
registration year. States submit information on the Services to Job 
Seekers (ETA 9002 A) and Services to Veterans (ETA 9002 B) reports 
forty-five days following the completion of each calendar quarter. The 
reports include information on the number of active job seekers and the 
services provided to them during the four quarter reporting period. 
Data on performance outcomes, to be reported on the Performance 
Outcomes: Job Seekers (ETA 9002 C) and Performance Outcomes: Veterans 
(ETA 9002 D) reports, often will not be available until several 
quarters after a job seeker has registered with the labor exchange. 
States report information on the ETA 9002 C and D reports forty-five 
days following the completion of the quarter in which outcome data 
become available for four consecutive cohorts of registered job 
seekers. As outcome data become available for different performance 
measures at different times, the cohorts of registered job seekers for 
which data are being reported are identified on the reports next to 
each performance measure. (Note: during transition to the new reporting 
system, it may be necessary to report less than four consecutive 
quarters of data until the system is fully implemented).
    This system of reporting will provide program managers with the 
most current information available for program management, while also 
allowing for performance outcome information to be paired with 
information on services for purposes of evaluation, once complete 
information on a particular cohort becomes available. The rolling four 
quarter reporting period will provide program managers and other users 
of labor exchange information with the most current data available for 
a one-year period of time, during any quarter of the year. This system 
of reporting also will diminish the impact of seasonal variations in 
the reports on services or outcomes by always including each of the 
four calendar quarters in any

[[Page 30489]]

particular reporting period. Once complete information for the four 
cohorts registering during a particular program year becomes available, 
final program year reports may then be assembled. This information will 
then be used to assess a State's success in meeting its performance 
goals.
    ETA and VETS intend to begin transition to use of the proposed 
reporting procedures in the ET Handbook No. 406 (ETA 9002 Data 
Preparation Handbook) and VETS 200 Report and Specifications during PY 
2001, with the reporting procedures in the proposed handbook being 
followed no later than July 1, 2002. State agencies will be encouraged 
to submit the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports electronically.

Type of Review: Revision

    Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
    Title: ETA 9002 and VETS 200.
    OMB Number: 1205-0240.
    Recordkeeping: 2 years.
    Affected Public: State Government.
    Total Respondents: 54 States and territories.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                     Average
                 Cite/reference                       Total                  Frequency                  Total      minutes per  Burden hours
                                                   respondents                                        responses     response
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ETA 9002A.......................................            54  Quarterly.........................           216           480          1728
ETA 9002B.......................................            54  Quarterly.........................           216           480          1728
ETA 9002C.......................................            54  Quarterly.........................           216           480          1728
ETA 9002D.......................................            54  Quarterly.........................           216           480          1728
ETA 9002E.......................................            54  Quarterly.........................           216           480          1728
VETS 200A.......................................            53  Quarterly.........................           212           480          1696
VETS 200B.......................................            53  Quarterly.........................           212           480          1696
VETS 200C.......................................            53  Quarterly.........................           212           480          1696
                                                                                                   -------------------------------------------
      Totals....................................  ............  ..................................          1716  ............         13728
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $20,000.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
    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 25, 2001.
Grace A. Kilbane,
Administrator, Office of Workforce Security.
[FR Doc. 01-14189 Filed 6-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P