[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 14, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52735-52736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24587]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Title: Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies Evaluation--
Extension.
    OMB No.: 0970-0440.
    Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is 
proposing the extension without changes to an existing data collection 
activity as part of the Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies 
Evaluation. The JSA evaluation will aim to determine which JSA 
strategies are most effective in moving TANF applicants and recipients 
into work and will produce impact and implementation findings. To date, 
the study has randomly assigned individuals to contrasting JSA 
approaches. The study will next compare participant

[[Page 52736]]

employment and earnings to determine the relative effectiveness of 
these strategies. The project will also report on the implementation of 
these strategies, including measures of services participants receive 
under each approach, as well as provide operational lessons gathered 
directly from practitioners.
    Data collection efforts previously approved for JSA, include: Data 
collection activities to document program implementation, a staff 
survey, a baseline information form for program participants, and a 
follow-up survey for JSA participants approximately 6 months after 
program enrollment. Approval for these activities expires on February 
28, 2018.
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
the extension of the 6-month follow-up survey to allow follow-up data 
to be collected for all study participants. Although the enrollment 
period was originally estimated to span 12 months, it took 18 months to 
complete enrollment, leaving insufficient time to complete the 6-month 
follow-up survey. A four-month extension is requested in order to allow 
individuals randomly assigned between June and August 2017 to complete 
the follow-up survey in the same timeframe as earlier enrollees. The 
purpose of the survey is to follow-up with study participants and 
document their job search assistance services and experiences including 
their receipt of job search assistance services, their knowledge and 
skills for conducting a job search, the nature of their job search 
process, including tools and services used to locate employment, and 
their search outputs and outcomes, such as the number of applications 
submitted, interviews attended, offers received and jobs obtained. In 
addition, the survey will provide an opportunity for respondents to 
provide contact data for possible longer-term follow-up. There are no 
changes to the currently approved instruments.
    Respondents: JSA study participants.
    Annual Burden Estimates: This extension is specific to the 6-month 
survey. All other information collection under 0970-0440 will be 
complete by the original OMB expiration date of February 28, 2018.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Total/annual      Number of     Average  burden
                 Instrument                      number of      responses per      hours  per     Annual  burden
                                                respondents       respondent        response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Extension of Previously Approved Information Collection
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6-Month Follow-Up Survey....................           1,200                1             .333              400
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and 
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the 
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed 
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded 
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of 
Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW., Washington, DC 
20201, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. Email address: 
[email protected]. All requests should be identified by 
the title of the information collection.
    The Department specifically requests comments 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 collection of 
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.

Mary Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-24587 Filed 11-13-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-09-P