[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28233-28234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12908]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Title: HHS/ACF Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) 
Evaluation Implementation Data Collection Activities: Staff Time Study 
and Implementation Field Research Guide.
    OMB No.: New collection.
    Description: The Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) 
Evaluation is the most ambitious, comprehensive effort to learn what 
works in this area to date and is explicitly designed to build on past 
research by rigorously testing a wide variety of approaches to 
promoting employment retention and advancement for a range of 
populations. The project, conceived and sponsored by the Administration 
for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS),\1\ seeks to ``conduct a multi-site evaluation 
that studies the net impact and cost-benefits of programs designed to 
help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, former 
TANF recipients, or families at-risk of needing TANF benefits retain 
and advance in employment.'' \2\ The ERA Evaluation involves up to 15 
random assignment experiments in eight states, testing a diverse set of 
strategies designed to promote stable employment and/or career 
advancement for current and former welfare recipients and other low-
income parents. Over the next several years, the ERA project will 
generate a wealth of rigorous data on the implementation, effects, and 
costs of these alternative approaches.
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    \1\ The U.S. Department of Labor has also provided funding to 
support the ERA project.
    \2\ From the Department of Health and Human Services RFP No.: 
105-99-8100.
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    The time study and field guide are part of the ERA evaluation's 
implementation and process analysis. This analysis is intended to 
inform the impact analysis and assess the feasibility and replicability 
of different approaches by examining the implementation of various ERA 
approaches, individuals' patterns of participation in ERA and other 
available services, and the relationship between participation and 
individuals' baseline characteristics and the site contexts. In 
particular, the time study and field guides supply information for the 
implementation and process analysis that are not available through 
other means.
    Specifically, the staff time study, for which OMB authorization is 
requested, will be used for the following purposes in the ERA 
evaluation:
    [sbull] To create descriptive measures of case management;
    [sbull] To set up measures of program-control implementation 
differences within a few sites, as appropriate;
    [sbull] To compare case management practices across regions or 
counties within sites that have varying levels of impacts;
    [sbull] To compare case management practices across sites;
    [sbull] To compare ERA case management practices to those delivered 
in the Post Employment Service Demonstration programs, which were found 
to be largely ineffective, and to those in the soon-to-begin United 
Kingdom ERA programs; and
    [sbull] To identify the components of cost in preparation for a 
full benefit-cost analysis of the ERA programs.
    In addition, the implementation field research guide, for which OMB 
authorization is also requested, will be used for the following 
purposes in the ERA evaluation:
    [sbull] To describe what ERA programs set out to do and how 
services are delivered;
    [sbull] To help explain, once impact data are available, why 
certain ERA programs produce or do not produce impacts;

[[Page 28234]]

    [sbull] To identify the strengths (best practices) and weaknesses 
of ERA programs; and
    [sbull] To formulate questions/issues for further study.
    Respondents: The respondents in the ERA Staff Time Study and Field 
Research Guide discussions are staff from state and local agencies, 
non-profit program provider organizations, and for-profit program 
provider organizations in up to 15 ERA sites from the eight states 
participating in the ERA Evaluation: California, Oregon, New York, 
Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, South Carolina and Texas. The field research 
data collection effort may also involve selected sample members, and 
possibly some of the supervisors of employed sample members, again in 
up to 15 ERA sites. Survey respondents can be grouped according to 
three program clusters: Advancement projects; placement and retention 
(hard-to-employ) projects; and mixed goal projects. All three program 
clusters will be administered the time study and participate in field 
research activities. Time study participants will have the choice of 
completing an electronic or paper version of the time study instrument. 
Approximately 519 participants will complete the time study. 
Approximately 450 participants will take part in the field research 
discussions and will not be asked to fill out any paperwork or 
instruments.

                                                                 Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                  Number of
                  Instrument                      Number of     responses per              Average burden hours per response               Total burden
                                                 respondents     respondent                                                                    hours
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Staff Time Study.............................             519               1  150 minutes or 2.5 hrs...................................         1,297.5
Field Research Discussions...................             450               1  30 minutes or .5 hrs.....................................           225.0
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden hours: 1,522.5.
    Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be 
obtained by writing to The Administration for Children and Families, 
Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., 
Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer.
    OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the 
collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of 
this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best 
assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of 
publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office 
of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, 725 17th Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20503. Attn: Desk Officer for ACF.

    Dated: May 16, 2003.
Bob Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-12908 Filed 5-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M