[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13832-13833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05809]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Unemployment Compensation for Ex-
Servicemembers Handbook

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request 
(ICR) titled, ``Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers 
Handbook,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public 
comments on the ICR are invited.

DATES: The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives 
on or before April 14, 2016.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; 
including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency 
of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained free of charge 
from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201510-1205-005 (this link will only become active 
on the day following publication of this notice) or by contacting 
Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are 
not toll-free numbers) or by email at [email protected].
    Submit comments about this request by mail or courier to the Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for DOL-
ETA, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20503; by Fax: 202-395-5806 (this is not a toll-free 
number); or by email: [email protected]. Commenters are 
encouraged, but not required, to send a courtesy copy of any comments 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor-OASAM, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, Attn: Departmental Information Compliance 
Management Program, Room N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20210; or by email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Michel Smyth by telephone at 
202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by 
email at [email protected].

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This ICR seeks to extend PRA authority for 
the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers Handbook 
information collection. The Unemployment Compensation for Ex-
Servicemembers Act (UCXA), 5 U.S.C. 8521 et seq., provides unemployment 
insurance protection to former members of the Armed Forces. The UCXA 
requires a State Workforce Agency (SWA) to administer the Unemployment 
Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX) Program in accordance with the 
same terms and conditions of State unemployment insurance law that 
apply to unemployed claimants who have worked in the private sector. 
Each SWA must obtain certain military service information about a 
claimant filing for UCX benefits in order to make a benefit-eligibility 
determination. A SWA may record or obtain required UCX information on 
Form ETA-843, Request for Military Document and Information. Use of 
this form may be essential to the UCX claims process. Optional-use Form 
ETA-841, Request for Determination of Federal Military Service and 
Wages, is also part of this information collection. Information 
pertaining to the UCX claimant can only be obtained from the

[[Page 13833]]

individual's military discharge papers, the appropriate branch of 
military service, or the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Without a 
claimant's military information, a SWA cannot adequately determine the 
eligibility of ex-servicemembers and would not be properly able to 
administer the program. UCXA section 3 and Social Security Act section 
303(a)(6) authorize this information collection. See 5 U.S.C. 8523; 42 
U.S.C. 503(a)(6).
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays 
a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection 
under Control Number 1205-0176.
    OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) 
years without renewal, and the current approval for this collection is 
scheduled to expire on March 31, 2016. The DOL seeks to extend PRA 
authorization for this information collection for three (3) more years, 
without any change to existing requirements. The DOL notes that 
existing information collection requirements submitted to the OMB 
receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review. For 
additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related 
notice published in the Federal Register on August 12, 2015 (80 FR 
48339).
    Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in 
the ADDRESSES section within thirty (30) days of publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate 
consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number 1205-0176. 
The OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
     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, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    Agency: DOL-ETA.
    Title of Collection: Unemployment Compensation for Ex-
Servicemembers Handbook.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0176.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households; State, Local, and 
Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 102,735.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 107,816.
    Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 2,139 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.

    Dated: March 9, 2016.
Michel Smyth,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-05809 Filed 3-14-16; 8:45 am]
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