[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49549-49550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19695]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Veterans' Employment and Training Service


Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public 
Comment and Recommendations Eligibility Data Form: Uniformed Services 
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and Veteran's Preference 
(USERRA/VP)

AGENCY: Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) is 
announcing an opportunity for public comment on a proposed collection 
of information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 
of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information and to 
allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A).) In this notice, VETS is soliciting comments concerning 
the proposed information collection request for the VETS USERRA/VP Form 
1010.

DATES: Comments are to be submitted by October 15, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Include ``VETS-1010 
Form'' in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: (202) 693-4755 Please send comments by fax only if 
they are 10 pages or less.
     Mail: Kenan Torrans, Deputy Director, Division of 
Investigation and Compliance, VETS, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-
1316, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210.
     Receipt of submissions, whether by U.S. Mail, email, or 
FAX transmittal, will not be acknowledged; however, the sender may 
request confirmation that a submission has been received, by 
telephoning VETS at (202) 693-4731 (VOICE) (this is not a toll-free 
number) or (202) 693-4760 (TTY/TDD).
    All comments received, including any personal information provided, 
will be available for public inspection during normal business hours at 
the above address. People needing assistance to review comments will be 
provided with appropriate aids such as readers or print magnifiers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenan Torrans, Deputy Director, 
Division of Investigation and Compliance, VETS, at the U.S. Department 
of Labor, Room S-1316, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20210, or by email at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The VETS/USERRA/VP Form 1010 (VETS-1010 Form) is used to file 
complaints with the Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and 
Training Service (VETS) under either the Uniformed Services Employment 
and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) or the laws and regulations 
related to Veterans' Preference (VP) in Federal employment.
    On October 13, 1994, the Uniformed Services Employment and 
Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), Public Law 103-353, 108 Stat. 3150 
was signed into law. Contained in Title 38, U.S.C., 4301-4335, USERRA 
is the replacement for the Veterans' Reemployment Rights (VRR) law. The 
purposes of USERRA laws and regulations are: To minimize disruption to 
the lives of persons who perform service in the uniformed services 
(including the National Guard and Reserves), as well as to their 
employers, their fellow employees, and their communities, by providing 
for prompt reemployment of such persons upon completion of such 
service; to encourage individuals to participate in non-career 
uniformed service by eliminating and minimizing the disadvantages to 
civilian careers and employment which can result from such service; and 
to prohibit discrimination in employment and acts of reprisal against 
persons because of their obligations in the uniformed services, prior 
service, intention to join the uniformed services, filing of a USERRA 
claim, seeking assistance concerning an alleged USERRA violation, 
testifying in a proceeding, or otherwise assisting in an investigation 
of a USERRA claim.
    The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) of 1998, Public 
Law 105-339, 112 Stat. 3182, contained in Title 5 U.S.C. 3330a-3330c, 
authorizes the Secretary of Labor to provide assistance to preference 
eligible individuals who believe their rights under the veterans' 
preference laws have been violated, and to investigate claims filed by 
those individuals. The purposes of veterans' preference laws include: 
To provide preference for certain veterans over others in Federal 
hiring from competitive lists of applicants; to allow access and open 
up Federal job opportunities to veterans that might otherwise be closed 
to the public; to provide preference eligible veterans with preference 
over others in retention during reductions in force in Federal 
agencies.
    Four minor changes, listed below, were made to the VETS-1010 Form. 
We believe they will have no significant impact on the burden hours 
needed to collect required information and to complete the form. VETS 
now has an electronic complaint form, the VETS e1010, available on our 
Web site at: www.dol.gov/vets, and which may also be accessed via our 
USERRA and Veterans' Preference elaws Advisors, available on our Web 
site at: http://www.dol.gov/elaws/veterans.html. The e1010 may be 
completed and submitted electronically without having to download, 
print, and mail a signed hard copy to our Atlanta regional lead center. 
To ensure the continuity between the paper and electronic form, we 
propose changing the following sections on the VETS-1010 Form:
    Phone: (404) 562-2305 will be changed to: (866) 4-USA-DOL ((866)-
487-2365).
    Section I: Claimant Information, question 5 will be 
changed from: ``Work Phone:'' to: ``Cell Phone:''.
    Section II: Uniformed Service Information, the check boxes in 
question 8 (asking the claimant to designate in which branch 
of service he or she served) will be changed in order to be consistent 
with the data fields that are already incorporated in the e1010 
version.
    Section IV: Claim Information, the labels and content of questions 
20 and 21 (asking the claimant to indicate the issues 
involved in the claim) will be changed in order to be consistent with 
the data fields that are already incorporated in the e1010 version.

[[Page 49550]]

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    VETS is soliciting comments concerning the proposed information 
collection in the VETS-1010 Form. The Department of Labor is 
particularly interested in comments which:
     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 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.

III. Current Actions

    This notice requests an extension, with non-substantive updates and 
modification, of the current Office of Management and Budget approval 
of the paperwork requirements for VETS-1010 Form.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Agency: Veterans' Employment and Training Service.
    Title: VETS/USERRA/VP (VETS-1010 Form.)
    OMB Number: 1293-0002.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Total Respondents: Approximately 2,250.
    Average Time per Response: 30 minutes, including 10 minutes 
estimated to collect the information needed to file a USERRA or VP 
claim and 20 minutes estimated to complete the form.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,125 hours.
    Total Annualized Capital/Startup costs: $0.
    Total Initial Annual Costs: $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and included in the request for the Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request. Comments will become a 
matter of public record.

Keith Kelly,
Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, U.S. 
Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2013-19695 Filed 8-13-13; 8:45 am]
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