[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 136 (Friday, July 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42777-42779]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-16175]



[[Page 42777]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public 
Comment and Recommendations; ETA Management Information and 
Longitudinal Evaluation (EMILE) Reporting System

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
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, the 
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, the 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The 
Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments on 
the establishment of a single, streamlined reporting and recordkeeping 
system, formally called the ETA Management Information and Longitudinal 
Evaluation (EMILE) reporting system, to replace the current data 
collection and reporting requirements for the following 12 employment 
and training programs: Employment Service (ES) program, including 
reports for the Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) 
program, Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title I-B Adult program, 
Dislocated Worker program, and Youth program, National Emergency Grant 
(NEG) program, Trade Adjustment Assistance program, National Farm 
Worker Jobs Program (NFJP), Indian and Native American program, Senior 
Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), H-1B Technical Skills 
Training grant (H-1B) program, and the Responsible Reintegration of 
Youth Offenders program.

DATES: Submit comments on or before September 14, 2004.

ADDRESSEE: Send comments to: Ms. Esther Johnson, Performance and 
Results Office, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department 
of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room S-5206, Washington, DC 
20210; telephone: (202) 693-3420 (this is not a toll-free number); fax: 
(202) 693-3490; e-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Karen Staha, Performance and 
Results Office, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department 
of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room S-5206, Washington, DC 
20210; telephone: (202) 693-3420 (this is not a toll-free number); fax: 
(202) 693-3490; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    This is a request by ETA to replace current quarterly reporting 
requirements for 12 ETA programs with a single, streamlined system of 
reporting performance results. In 2002, under the President's 
Management Agenda, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other 
Federal agencies developed common performance measures to be applied to 
certain Federally-funded programs with similar strategic goals. As part 
of this initiative, ETA issued Training and Employment Guidance Letter 
(TEGL) 15-03, Common Measures Policy. This policy guidance, however, 
becomes effective only when it is implemented through changes to the 
program reporting systems. The proposed EMILE reporting system 
streamlines 12 ETA program reporting systems into one comprehensive 
reporting structure that will allow for consistent, comparable analysis 
across ETA funded employment and training programs, using the 
definitions for common measures established in TEGL 15-03.
    States and other grantees are currently required to submit separate 
performance reports for each of the programs they administer. There are 
no standard forms, definitions, instructions, or submission procedures. 
In some instances, there is confusion regarding the time periods used 
for calculating program performance, what data are to be reported, and 
how the data are prepared for submission to the Department on a timely 
basis. The lack of standardized data collection and report preparation 
procedures imposes a burden on grantees that seek to coordinate service 
delivery and performance measurement in a local One-Stop environment. 
Equally important, these reporting inconsistencies frustrate many of 
the Department's stakeholders and the general public at large who want 
to understand how to interpret ETA program performance results and 
access the most up-to-date performance information to effectively 
inform program planning and accountability and resource allocation 
decisions.
    The need for a comprehensive and standardized reporting system was 
also underscored in reviews conducted by external oversight agencies, 
including the Department's Office of Inspector General and the General 
Accounting Office. These oversight agencies have questioned the 
validity and comparability of data reported by ETA to Congress. To 
address these issues, ETA is using its statutory and regulatory 
authority to redesign and strengthen its various program performance 
reporting systems into a single comprehensive system, formally called 
the ETA Management Information and Longitudinal Evaluation (EMILE) 
reporting system, to replace the current quarterly reporting 
requirements of 12 employment and training programs. This comprehensive 
reporting structure features a single quarterly report format and 
establishes a common language that will standardize data collection for 
program participants and employer customers, based on a core set of 
information for all program customers. These standardized individual 
records will include information on demographic characteristics, type 
of services received, and common measures of outcomes defined 
consistently across all programs. In some cases, additional data 
collection requirements are necessary for federal oversight or to 
comply with existing statutory requirements, and these are also 
included in the proposed EMILE reporting system.
    The EMILE reporting system consists of three components:
    (1) A Workforce Investment Quarterly Summary Report that provides 
aggregate performance information on program participants, participants 
who exit the program, and performance outcomes for the most recent 
four-quarter period. This rolling four-quarter data collection 
methodology provides ETA and the grantees with greater flexibility in 
discussing annual performance results according to any four-quarter 
reporting period (e.g., Calendar Year, Program Year, and Federal Fiscal 
Year). The quarterly report format has been designed in such a way that 
grantees who administer multiple ETA grants can utilize a single report 
format to certify program accomplishments on a quarterly basis. This 
uniform report format will not only help facilitate consistent 
performance calculations and reporting by grantees, but provide 
management information to the Administration, Congress and other 
stakeholders that focus on the core functions of the workforce system:

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employment for adults and skills for youth.
    (2) An Employer Individual Record that provides a list of 
standardized data elements, definitions, and specifications that are 
considered important to the management of the programs and the 
provision of services to employer customers. The use of an employer 
individual record reflects the current focus on becoming more demand-
driven as an effective way to provide good career opportunities for job 
seekers and improve economic conditions. Information contained on the 
employer individual record will provide a more complete picture of the 
total impact of the One-Stop system by including the characteristics of 
employers served and the type and frequency of services being 
delivered; and
    (3) A Job Seeker Individual Record that provides a list of 
standardized data elements, definitions, and specifications that can be 
used to describe the characteristics, services and activities, and 
outcomes of job seekers across ETA programs. This individual record 
incorporates data needed to calculate common measures defined in TEGL 
15-03 as well as other statutorily required indicators of performance, 
and establishes a common language that will standardize data collection 
for program participants, based on a core set of information for all 
job seeker customers. The job seeker individual record has been 
designed in such a way that grantees who administer multiple ETA grants 
can utilize this single record layout to report additional 
characteristics, services and activities, and outcomes for the same 
program customer. Information contained on the job seeker individual 
record will facilitate meaningful evaluation, realistic planning, and 
effective management of ETA funded programs.
    The EMILE Handbook provides detailed reporting specifications and 
instructions on each of the three reporting system components. It is 
available at http://www.doleta.gov/performance or by requesting an 
electronic copy through e-mail at [email protected] or by contacting 
the office listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this notice.
    The EMILE reporting system will ensure there is consistency across 
all ETA programs so all programs are evaluated using the same criteria. 
When job seeker and employer data are collected, maintained and 
reported consistently and accurately at a basic level (e.g., grantee 
field office or One-Stop Career Center), data can be aggregated from 
each program and reported to higher levels with greater confidence that 
the data are comparable from customer to customer, from program to 
program, and from year to year. EMILE also incorporates provisions to 
ensure the integrity of reported data, and resolve data collection and 
reliability issues raised by OIG and GAO regarding the Department's 
ability to accurately evaluate program performance. The quarterly 
report and standardized individual records contained within the 
proposed EMILE reporting system will replace the following 21 ETA 
reports: ETA 9090 WIA Quarterly Report; WIA Customer Satisfaction 
Survey; WIA Standardized Record Data; ES 9002 A, B, C, D, and E 
Quarterly Reports; ES Customer Satisfaction Survey; VETS 200 A, B, and 
C Quarterly Reports; ETA 563 Quarterly Determinations, Allowance 
Activities, and Reemployment Services Under the Trade Act Report; Trade 
Act Participant Report; ETA 9095--Section 167 NFJP Status Report; ETA 
9098--Section 167 NFJP Youth Status Report; WIA Standardized Program 
Report; ETA 5140 Quarterly Progress Report; SCSEP Customer Service 
Survey; ETA 9084 Comprehensive Services Program Report; and ETA 9085 
Supplemental Youth Program Report. The EMILE reporting system will also 
establish quarterly reporting requirements for the H-1B, NEG, and 
Responsible Reintegration of Youth Offenders grant program.
    While the proposed standardized individual records and quarterly 
report represent a comprehensive data collection and reporting 
approach, it is important to note that every effort has been made to 
establish common data definitions and formats with minimum burden to 
grantees. At its foundation, the proposed reporting structure organizes 
information that is maintained by states and grantees in order to run 
their day-to-day operations. The proposal streamlines and makes 
consistent information that ETA currently collects from states and 
grantees. The proposal describes a minimum level of information 
collection that is necessary to comply with Equal Opportunity 
requirements, hold states and grantees appropriately accountable for 
the Federal funds they receive, including common measures, and allow 
the Department to fulfill its oversight and management 
responsibilities.
    Administration of Federal grant programs does result in a data 
collection and reporting burden on states and grantees. ETA has 
developed strategies to minimize this burden on grantees, especially 
smaller grantees who may have limited access to technology. First, the 
Department will work closely with the grantees to establish a 
transition plan for each program, to phase out prior reporting 
requirements to be replaced by EMILE once these new reporting 
requirements have been approved by OMB. A key component of this 
transition plan will include use of the Department's existing resources 
to provide staff training and technical assistance on the new report 
specifications. Second, the Department will enhance its current 
electronic reporting system and technology infrastructure to 
accommodate the new report specifications. Third, because grantees are 
required to utilize wage records in order to calculate OMB common 
measures, the Department will continue its financial commitment for the 
national Wage Record Interchange System (WRIS) as well as other 
mechanisms that will support grantee access to wage records maintained 
by Federal agencies. And finally, to reduce startup costs related to 
implementing EMILE, the Department is planning to update standardized 
reporting and validation software and instructional handbooks, which 
may be used by grantees in calculating and electronically submitting 
the quarterly summary performance report and individual records.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the proposed new 
collection of information under the EMILE reporting system. A copy of 
the proposed information collection request can be obtained by 
contacting the office listed above in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. The Department is particularly interested in comments that 
address the following areas about the EMILE reporting and recordkeeping 
specifications:
     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;
     Discuss how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and
     Suggest how to 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

[[Page 42779]]

techniques or other forms of information technology (e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses).
    With regard to the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, ETA is particularly interested in receiving 
public comments on the efficacy of collecting a statistically valid 
sample of individual records for each program instead of all individual 
records. The Agency would also like to receive public comments 
regarding the collection of additional information on the types of 
disability of people being served in the One-Stop. More specifically, 
if a person indicates that he/she has a disability, that person would 
also be given the opportunity to voluntarily disclose whether he/she 
has any one or more of the following types of disability that 
substantially limits one or more major life activities: Specific 
learning disability, hearing impairment, visual impairment, speech 
impairment, cognitive impairment, orthopedic impairment, mental/
emotional/psychological impairment, drug addiction or alcoholism, or 
other types of disability. ETA believes that collection of types of 
disability will have practical utility for focusing on, and evaluating 
the effectiveness of its programs in serving persons with a disability 
through the One-Stop system.
    In summary, ETA's proposed reporting system, EMILE, is intended to: 
(1) Eliminate 12 disparate ETA program reporting requirements and 
replace them with a single performance reporting system that will 
enable consistent measurement and understanding of the overall 
effectiveness of ETA programs in helping job seekers find meaningful 
employment and in helping employers find workers, (2) implement 
standardized data collection and report submission procedures that will 
allow for consistent, comparable analysis across ETA funded employment 
and training programs, using the definitions for common measures 
established in TEGL 15-03, (3) collect management information in order 
to more fully understand how the populations served and services 
provided through each program impact performance outcomes, (4) collect 
participant information quarterly so the workforce system can respond 
more quickly and effectively to the oversight and management needs of 
Congress, the Administration and the general public, (5) ensure that 
performance information is accurate and reliable, and (6) support the 
establishment of a demand-driven system by organizing information on 
services used by employer customers.

III. Current Actions

    Type of Review: New.
    Agency: Department of Labor, Employment and Training 
Administration.
    Title: ETA Management Information and Longitudinal Evaluation 
(EMILE) Reporting System.
    OMB Number: 1295-ONEW.
    Recordkeeping: Three years for States and grantees.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-
profit, not-for-profit institutions, Federal, State, local or tribal 
government.
    Cite/Reference/Form/etc: Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Wagner-
Peyser Act, Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, Older Americans Act, Jobs 
for Veterans Act, American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century 
Act of 2000, see table below for list of forms.
    Total Respondents: 590 States and grantees.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Total Responses: 4,928 submissions annually--each State and grantee 
submits job seeker individual records and a quarterly summary report 
each quarter for each program. Each State also submits employer 
individual records each quarter.
    Average Time per Response: Varies by program and by submission 
(individual record or quarterly summary report).
    Estimated Total Burden Hours:

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                                                                                                                           Total annual   Average annual
           Form/activity              Total respondents               Frequency                Total annual responses          hours      hours/response
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Job Seeker Individual Record......  590 states,            Quarterly.....................  2,360........................         831,835             353
                                     territories, and
                                     grantees.
Employer Record...................  52 states, and         Quarterly.....................  208..........................             832               4
                                     territories.
Quarterly Summary Report..........  590 states,            Quarterly.....................  2,360 \1\....................          11,800               5
                                     territories, and
                                     grantees.
Customer Satisfaction.............  303 states,            Quarterly.....................  Included in Quarterly Summary          44,596              19
                                     territories, and                                       Report.
                                     grantees.
                                   ------------------------
    Totals........................  590 (unduplicated      Quarterly.....................  4,928........................         889,063            180
                                     count of all
                                     respondents).
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\1\ Customer satisfaction results are reported in the Quarterly Summary Report.

    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $4,576,260.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $26,019,500.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the information 
collection request; they will also become a matter of public record.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on July 13, 2004.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. 04-16175 Filed 7-15-04; 8:45 am]
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