[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60779-60781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26688]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0571]


Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: National Cemetery Administration, 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. 3501-21), this notice announces that the National Cemetery 
Administration (NCA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has 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 and it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 24, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF THE SUBMISSION CONTACT: Denise 
McLamb, Records Management Service (005E3), Department of Veterans 
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273-8030, 
Fax (202) 273-5981 or e-mail [email protected]. Please refer to 
``OMB Control No. 2900-0571'' in any correspondence.
    Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the 
information collection to VA's OMB Desk Officer, OMB Human Resources 
and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395-7613. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 
2900-0571'' in any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Generic Clearance for the National Cemetery Administration 
(NCA) and the Office of Inspector General (IG) 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. NCA and IG 
use customer satisfaction surveys to gauge customer perceptions of VA 
services as well as customer expectations and desires. The results of 
these information collections lead to improvements in the quality of VA 
service delivery by helping to shape the direction and focus of 
specific programs and 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 60780]]

of information was published on July 29, 2003, at pages 44563-44565.
    Affected Public: 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 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. NCA 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        hours
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                                       I. National Cemetery Administration
                 Focus Groups With Next of Kin (10 Participants per Group/3 Hours Each Session)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2005...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2006...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
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              Focus Groups With Funeral Directors (10 Participants per Group/3 Hours Each Session)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2005...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2006...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
----------------------------------------
        Focus Groups With Veterans Service Organizations (10 Participants per Group/3 Hours Each Session)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2005...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
2006...................................              50             150  5 Groups Annually.
----------------------------------------
                  Visitor Comments Cards (Local Use) (2,500 Respondents/5 Minutes per Response)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004...................................           2,500             208  Annually.
2005...................................           2,500             208  Annually.
2006...................................           2,500             208  Annually.
----------------------------------------
     Next of Kin National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Mail to 15,000 Respondents/30 Minutes per Response)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004...................................          15,000           7,500  Annually.
2005...................................          15,000           7,500  Annually.
2006...................................          15,000           7,500  Annually.
----------------------------------------
   Funeral Directors National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Mail to 4,000 Respondents/30 Minutes per Response)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004...................................           4,000           2,000  Annually.
2005...................................           4,000           2,000  Annually.
2006...................................           4,000           2,000  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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2004...................................           5,000           2,500  Annually.
2005...................................           5,000           2,500  Annually.
2006...................................           5,000           2,500  Annually.
----------------------------------------
             Program/Specialized Service Survey (Mail to 2,000 Respondents/15 Minutes per Response)
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2004...................................           2,000             500  Annually.
2005...................................           2,000             500  Annually.
2006...................................           2,000             500  Annually.
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                                         II. Office of Inspector General
                        Patient Questionnaire (1,440 Respondents/10 Minutes per Response)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004...................................           1,440             240  Annually.
2005...................................           1,440             240  Annually.
2006...................................           1,440             240  Annually.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Most customer satisfaction surveys will be recurring so that NCA 
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

[[Page 60781]]

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 12,000 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. 
The IG expects to distribute 1,440 surveys to patients with a total 
annual burden of 240 hours.

    Dated: October 8, 2003.

    By direction of the Secretary.
Jacqueline Parks,
IT Specialist, Records Management Service.
[FR Doc. 03-26688 Filed 10-22-03; 8:45 am]
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