[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66308-66309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27919]
[[Page 66308]]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request, Implementation Evaluation of the National
Health Emergency (NHE) Demonstration Grants To Address the Opioid
Crisis, New Collection
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation
Office, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice of Information Collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and
federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95). This program helps to ensure that
requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden
(time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on
respondents is properly assessed. Currently, the Department of Labor is
soliciting comments concerning the collection of data about the
Implementation Evaluation of the National Health Emergency
Demonstration Grants to Address the Opioid Crisis. A copy of the
proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by
contacting the office listed below in the addressee section of this
notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee's section below on or before February 25, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Jennifer
Daley, Chief Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-
2312, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Instructions:
Please submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All
submissions received must include the agency name and OMB Control
Number identified above for this information collection. Comments,
including any personal information provided, become a matter of public
record. They will also be summarized and/or included in the request for
OMB approval of the information collection request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Daley by email at
[email protected] or by phone at (202) 693-5913.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background: The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) of the U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL) intends to design and conduct information
collection activities to provide data for the implementation evaluation
of the National Health Emergency (NHE) Demonstration Grants to Address
the Opioid Crisis. DOL awarded $22 million in NHE grants to six states
in 2018. States have proposed a variety of strategies including
services for individuals or family members affected by opioid
addiction, training for workers to address the crisis, and system-wide
investments to align workforce services with services provided by other
organizations at the state and local levels. The implementation study
of the grants will address four research questions: (1) How were the
grants implemented, what services were provided, and what factors
influenced implementation and job placement and retention?; (2) Who
were the major partners involved and what services did they provide?;
(3) What challenges did grantees encounter in implementation and how
were those addressed?; and (4) What practices developed under the grant
appear to be promising or potentially promising?
This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on
proposed data collection instruments that will be used in the
implementation evaluation: Key informant interview protocols, survey of
key informants (state- and local-level administrators) and a program
participant interview guide.
1. Key informant interview protocol. The protocol will be used
during site visits to the grantees to collect information from
administrators and staff at the state- and local-level, and with
partner organizations and employers at either the state or local level.
Issues to be covered include the state and local community context,
strategies and approaches to service delivery, target populations and
recruiting, the role of various partners in grant and subgrant
activities, successes and challenges, preliminary outcomes, promising
practices, and other topics.
2. Survey of key informants. This short questionnaire for key
informants (administrators and staff at the state- and local-level)
includes basic background information, such as their highest education
level and experience, and brief questions about their perspectives on
the opioid crisis and the state's partnerships to address the crisis.
3. Program participant interview guide. The guide will be used for
individual or group discussions with approximately 10 program
participants in each state. Topics will include participant background,
service receipt, participants' views on the quality and effectiveness
of the workforce services received, and their current or anticipated
labor market experiences as a result of the services.
II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the
Implementation Evaluation of the National Health Emergency (NHE)
Demonstration Grants to Address the Opioid Crisis. DOL is particularly
interested in comments that do the following:
[cir] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have practical utility;
[cir] evaluate the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of the
proposed information collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions;
[cir] enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and
[cir] 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--for example, permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions: At this time, DOL is requesting clearance for
the key informant interview protocol, written survey for key
informants, and a program participant interview guide.
Type of Review: New information collection request.
OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
Affected Public: NHE grantee administrators, participants, and
partners.
Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a
matter of public record.
[[Page 66309]]
Estimated Annual Burden Hours
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Average burden
Number of Number of time per Estimated
Type of instrument respondents responses per response burden hours
respondent (hours)
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Key informant interview protocol: state and 60 1 1 60
local administrator, staff, and partners \b\...
Survey: State and local staff and partners...... 60 1 0.17 10
Program participant interview guide............. 20 1 1 20
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Total....................................... 140 .............. .............. 90
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\a\ The study is scheduled to take three years.
\b\ Assumes each visit will, on average, involve individual or group interviews with approximately 30
respondents. The team assumes the average burden time per response to be about 1 hour, although some meetings
will be shorter and some will be longer.
Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2018-27919 Filed 12-21-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P