[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43929-43930]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17523]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; National Longitudinal Study of Unemployment 
Insurance Recipients (NLS-UI)

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy/Chief Evaluation 
Office, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), 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 required 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.
    A copy of the proposed ICR can be obtained by contacting the office 
listed below in the addresses section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addresses section below on or before September 20, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods: Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Robert 
Pavosevich, U.S. Department of Labor ETA/OUI/DFAS, Room S-4231, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington DC 20210. Instructions: Please 
submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All submissions 
received must include the agency name and OMB Control Number identified 
above for this information collection. Because we continue to 
experience delays in receiving mail in the Washington, DC area, 
commenters are strongly encouraged to transmit their comments 
electronically via email or to submit them by mail early. Comments, 
including any personal information provided, become a matter of public 
record. They will also be summarized and/or included in the request for 
OMB approval of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Pavosevich by telephone at 202-
693-2935 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    I. Background: The unemployment insurance (UI) program was designed 
to reduce financial hardships for unemployed workers, assist with 
reemployment, and ameliorate the negative effects of unemployment on 
the economy as a whole. By providing temporary income support, UI 
benefits can smooth the transition to new circumstances, reduce 
financial distress, and provide workers with a buffer while they search 
for jobs. Furthermore, to reduce the potential incentive for UI 
recipients to prolong their unemployment, UI benefits are time-limited 
and provide only a partial replacement of lost earnings.
    Understanding how workers adjust to the changes in income during 
and after UI claim spells would enable policymakers to assess how well 
the program is serving the nation's workers and refine it to meet the 
needs of unemployed workers while encouraging them to return to work. 
However, information about UI recipients is generally obtained from 
retrospective surveys, which might not provide sufficient insight into 
the dynamic adjustments after job loss or the recipients' satisfaction 
with the program structure.
    The National Longitudinal Study of Unemployment Insurance 
Recipients (NLS-UI), funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of 
the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation Office, will help 
policymakers and program administrators gain information about the 
experiences of UI recipients. The study will examine the extent to 
which the UI program reduces recipients' financial hardships, the ways 
in which job search and reemployment expectations change during and 
after benefit collection, and customers' satisfaction levels with the 
UI program. The study will address research questions in six broad 
topic areas: (1) Adequacy of UI benefits, (2) reemployment 
expectations, (3) job search, (4) total UI benefit usage, (5) 
employment outcomes, and (6) UI recipients' satisfaction with the UI 
program.
    This package requests clearance for three surveys of UI recipients 
that will take place over approximately nine months. The surveys will 
be timed to coincide with the early, middle, and post-UI collection 
experiences of about 2,800 UI recipients in two states who filed to 
receive a first payment during 2013. Each survey will take about 25 
minutes, on average, and they will be administered by web and computer-
assisted telephone interviewing. Administrative UI claims data will 
also be collected from both states to obtain identifying and contact 
information about UI recipients who will be surveyed and to learn about 
their UI benefit collection experiences.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor 
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the 
National Longitudinal Study of Unemployment Insurance Recipients (NLS-
UI). Comments are requested to:
    * 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 clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    * minimize the burden of the information collection on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic,

[[Page 43930]]

mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of 
responses.
    III. Current Actions: At this time, the Department of Labor is 
requesting clearance to conduct three surveys of about 2,800 UI 
recipients for the National Longitudinal Study of Unemployment 
Insurance Recipients (NLS-UI).
    Type of review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0NEW.
    Affected Public: UI benefit recipients in two states who filed to 
receive a first payment during 2013.
    Frequency: Three interviews.
    Total Responses: 5,694 (1,898 per three survey waves).
    Average Time per Response: 25 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2,372 hours.
    Average Annual Other Burden Cost: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval; they will also become a matter of public record.

James H. Moore, Jr.,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2013-17523 Filed 7-19-13; 8:45 am]
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