[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75831-75833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-24277]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of Disability Employment Policy


 Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

ACTION: Notice of extension of approved data collection.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation process 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 process helps 
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, 
reporting burdens are minimized, collection instruments are clearly 
understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents 
can be properly assessed. Currently the Office

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of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is soliciting comments 
concerning an already approved data collection for the following 
Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) forms: EARN Provider 
Enrollment Form; EARN Employer Enrollment Form; EARN Employer and 
Provider Surveys. A copy of the approved information collection request 
(ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the 
address section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office shown in the 
address section below on or before February 21, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Richard Horne, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of 
Disability Employment Policy, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Suite S-
1303, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-7880. This is not a 
toll-free number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Horne, telephone: (202) 693-
7880, e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) is a nationwide 
service designed to provide employers with a technical, educational, 
and informational resource to simplify and encourage the hiring of 
qualified workers. Historically, disability programs required employers 
to do much of the work in the finding and hiring of people with 
disabilities. The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the 
Department of Labor has designed EARN to alleviate these barriers and 
do much of the work for the employer.
    EARN is a service from the Office of Disability Employment Policy 
(ODEP) of the Department of Labor. This referral service links 
employers with providers who refer appropriate candidates with 
disabilities. The service is provided by means of a nationwide toll-
free Call Center.
    EARN is a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy 
which was established pursuant to section 1(a)(1) of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2001 (Pub. L. 106-554) H.R. 5656, see Title I, 
(``Departmental Management'') 29 U.S.C. 551 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 301; and 
Executive Order 13187, ``The President's Disability Employment 
Partnership Board (PDEPB)'' (January 10, 2001).
    This service, and the data collection component is authorized 
pursuant to Public Law 106-554 which direct the Office of Disability 
Policy to provide initiatives such as EARN to ``further the objective 
of eliminating employment barriers to the training and employment of 
people with disabilities''.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Department is particularly interested in comments which:
     Evaluate whether the 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 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 Action

    This extended ICR covers four forms: EARN Provider Enrollment Form, 
EARN Employer Enrollment Form, EARN Employer Survey and EARN Provider 
Survey. The enrollment forms (Employer Enrollment and Provider 
Enrollment) will be used to enroll provider and employers who wish to 
participate and use this service. The surveys (Employer Survey and 
Provider Survey) will collect quantitative data on participants' levels 
of satisfaction with individual service elements and their satisfaction 
with the service as a whole. The surveys will also solicit free-text 
comments from participants regarding the service.
    Agency: Office of Disability Employment Policy.
    Titles: EARN Provider Enrollment Form, EARN Employer Enrollment 
Form, EARN Employer Survey, EARN Provider Survey.
    OMB Number: 1230-0003.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions; Farms; Government; and State, local, or tribal 
government.
    Number of Respondents: 13,500.

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                                                                     Estimated
                                                                     number of        Average        Estimated
                              Form                                    annual       response time   burden hours
                                                                     responses        (hours)
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EARN Provider Enrollment Form...................................           6,000            0.33           1,980
EARN Employer Enrollment Form...................................           7,500            0.33           2,475
EARN Employer Survey............................................             300            0.33              99
EARN Provider Survey............................................             300            0.33              99
                                                                 -----------------
    Total.......................................................          14,100  ..............           4,653
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    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
    Description: These surveys are designed to collect data from 
service providers and employers. For each provider, we will collect 
Point of Contact (POC) information and information about the types of 
clients the provider serves. We also request information about the size 
of the provider organization, whether a fee is charged for placement 
services, and employer references. For each employer, we will collect 
information about the number of employees, geographic location, 
industry, specific jobs offered, and Point of Contact (POC) 
information. The Employer Survey and Provider Survey will collect 
quantitative data on participants' levels of satisfaction with 
individual service elements and their satisfaction with the service as 
a whole. The surveys will also solicit free-text comments from 
participants regarding the service. We will present survey data in the 
aggregate for all Employers and Providers. We will combine survey data 
with system-generated data reports containing demographic data for the 
sample groups as well as performance data for the Call Center.


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    Signed at Washington, DC, this December 14, 2005.
Roy Grizzard,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05-24277 Filed 12-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-CX-P