[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 59 (Thursday, March 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17236-17237]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06822]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0770]


Proposed Information Collection Activity: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general 
public to take this opportunity to comment on the ``Generic Clearance 
for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery 
'' for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et. seq.). This collection was developed as part of a Federal 
Government-wide effort to streamline the process for seeking feedback 
from the public on service delivery. This notice announces our intent 
to submit this collection to OMB for approval and solicits comments on 
specific aspects for the proposed information collection.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by May 27, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information to 
Crystal Rennie, (005R1B), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 
2900-0770'' in any correspondence.

[[Page 17237]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Crystal Rennie at (202) 632-7492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13; 44 
U.S.C. 3501-3521), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. This request for comment is being 
made pursuant to Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA.
    With respect to the following collection of information, VBA 
invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of VBA's functions, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy 
of VA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on respondents, including through the use 
of automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of 
information technology.
    Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 
on Agency Service Delivery.
    OMB Control Number: 2900-0770.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: The proposed information collection activity provides a 
means to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an 
efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's 
commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we 
mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and 
opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative 
results that can be generalized to the population of study. This 
feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder 
perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of 
issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, 
training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or 
services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and 
actionable communications between the Agency and its customers and 
stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the 
improvement of program management.
    The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: Timeliness, 
appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of 
service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. 
Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or 
maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this 
information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable.
    The Agency will only submit a collection for approval under this 
generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:
     The collections are voluntary;
     The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government;
     The collections are non-controversial and do not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
     Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
     Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
     Information gathered will be used only internally for 
general service improvement and program management purposes and is not 
intended for release outside of the agency;
     Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
     Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically 
reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the 
population of study.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful 
information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the 
overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative 
information will not be used for quantitative information collections 
that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as 
monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such 
data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target 
population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, 
the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the 
precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed 
sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing 
potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any 
testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding 
the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely 
to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for 
other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative 
results.
    As a general matter, information collections will not result in any 
new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask 
questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, 
religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered 
private.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and 
Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 100,000.
    Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 17,500.
    Focus Groups: 17,500.
    Customer Comment Cards: 5,000.
    Small Discussion Groups: 5,000.
    Cognitive Laboratory Studies: 15,000.
    Qualitative Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 17,500.
    In-Person Observation Testing: 5,000.
    Patient Surveys: 17,500.

Estimated Average Burden per Respondent

    Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 30minutes.
    Focus Groups: 30 minutes.
    Customer Comment Cards: 30 minutes.
    Small Discussion Groups: 30 minutes.
    Cognitive Laboratory Studies: 30 minutes.
    Qualitative Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 30 minutes.
    In-Person Observation Testing: 30 minutes.
    Patient Surveys: 30 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: Once per request.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 200,000.
    Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 35,000.
    Focus Groups: 35,000.
    Customer Comment Cards: 10,000.
    Small Discussion Groups: 10,000.
    Cognitive Laboratory Studies: 30,000.
    Qualitative Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 35,000.
    In-Person Observation Testing: 10,000.
    Patient Surveys: 35,000.

    Dated: March 24, 2014.

    By direction of the Acting Secretary.
Crystal Rennie,
Department Clearance Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014-06822 Filed 3-26-14; 8:45 am]
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