[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 93 (Friday, May 13, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29851-29852]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11290]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket ID: DOD-2016-OS-0057]
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and
Readiness, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public
comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
[[Page 29852]]
burden of the information collection on respondents, including through
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by July 12,
2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and
title, by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Chief
Management Officer, Directorate of Oversight and Compliance, Regulatory
and Audit Matters Office, 9010 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-
9010
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.
Any associated form(s) for this collection may be located within
this same electronic docket and downloaded for review/testing. Follow
the instructions at http://www.regulations.gov for submitting comments.
Please submit comments on any given form identified by docket number,
form number, and title.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments, please write to the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness, Force Education and
Training, Voluntary Education, ATTN: Ms. Dawn Bilodeau, Pentagon, Room
2E573, Washington, DC 20301-1500 or send email to project officer at:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: President Barack Obama signed Executive
Order 13607 on April 27, 2012 to address the problem of aggressive and
deceptive targeting of Service members, veterans, and their families by
some educational institutions. Section 4 of the Executive Order
specifically calls for the creation of a robust, centralized complaint
process for students receiving Federal military and veterans'
educational benefits.
DoD, along with the participating Federal agencies identified in
the Executive Order have determined that this complaint process, in
addition to taking in complaints about abusive or deceptive practices
by schools, must create an opportunity for schools to resolve those
complaints, and must ensure that complaint data is accessible both to
the relevant components at the Departments of Defense, Veterans
Affairs, and Education that review schools for compliance and program
eligibility, as well as the relevant law enforcement agencies that will
prosecute any illegal practices. Beyond creation of this complaint
process, the agencies seek to prevent abusive, deceptive, and
fraudulent marketing practices through the following mechanisms:
establishment of risk-based program reviews; limits on access to
military installations by educational institutions; and the use of
intellectual property and other legal protections to ensure Web sites
and programs are not deceptively suggesting military affiliation or
endorsement. The centralized complaint system will provide a resource
for students receiving military and veteran educational benefits to
effectively submit complaints against institutions they feel have acted
deceptively or fraudulently. The first step is to make it easier for
prospective and current military students and spouse-students to raise
these concerns.
Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: DoD Postsecondary Education
Complaint Intake Form, DD Form 2961; OMB Control Number 0704-0501.
Needs and Uses: The information collection requirement is necessary
to obtain, document, and respond to egregious complaints, questions,
and other information concerning actions post-secondary education
programs and services provided to military service members and spouse-
students. The DoD Postsecondary Education Complaint Intake form will
provide pertinent information such as: the content of the complaint,
the educational institution the student is attending, the level of
study, the education program the student is enrolled in, the type of
education benefits being used, the branch of the military service, and
the preferred contact information.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Annual Burden Hours: 25.
Number of Respondents: 100.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Annual Responses: 100.
Average Burden per Response: 15 minutes.
Frequency: On Occasion.
Respondents are military spouses who submit complaints via the
Department of Defense (DoD) Postsecondary Education Complaint Intake
form. The PECS Intake form is used to record complaints concerning
educational institutions that military spouses feel have acted
deceptively, aggressively or fraudulently towards them. The Intake form
documents information such as the level of study of the student, the
educational institution the student is attending, the type of education
benefits being used, the branch of the military service the spouses'
sponsor, the content of the complaint, and the preferred contact
information for the person making the contact. Complaint Case Managers
use information from the Intake form to track and manage cases and to
coordinate a resolution with educational institutions, and to provide
feedback to the respondent throughout the process and once a resolution
has been reached.
Dated: May 9, 2016.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2016-11290 Filed 5-12-16; 8:45 am]
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