[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 80 (Thursday, April 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17434-17435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08354]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request, Reemployment Services and Eligibility 
Assessments (RESEA) Program Implementation Study, 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 
Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Program 
Implementation Study. 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 section below on or before June 24, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Megan Lizik, 
Chief Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-2312, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington,

[[Page 17435]]

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: Megan Lizik by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at (202) 430-1255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    I. Background: DOL funds RESEA programs across all 50 states, DC, 
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. States and territories use these 
funds to address the reemployment services needs of Unemployment 
Insurance (UI) claimants and to prevent and detect UI improper payments 
(Unemployment Insurance Program Letter 8-18). The Bipartisan Budget Act 
of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-123) included amendments to the Social Security 
Act (SSA) that create a permanent authorization for the RESEA program. 
The permanently authorized RESEA program in Section 306 of the SSA 
provides for a phased implementation of new program requirements over 
several years, one of which is to ``establish and expand the use of 
evidence-based interventions'' in states' RESEA programs. To help meet 
this requirement and build evidence about RESEA, DOL is conducting an 
implementation study that will provide an understanding of current 
RESEA programs and program components being implemented in the field. 
As part of this implementation study, DOL will conduct a web-based 
survey of all RESEA grantees nationwide. This Federal Register Notice 
provides the opportunity to comment on a new proposed information 
collection activity that will be used for the implementation study.
     Web-based survey instrument. The evaluation team will 
conduct a survey of all states and territories operating RESEA programs 
to systematically gather up-to-date information about RESEA program 
operations not available in existing documents. This includes detail on 
how reemployment services are provided, interactions with federal 
workforce programs, how eligibility assessment and enforcement are 
carried out, types of reemployment services provided, and exploratory 
information about evaluation activities.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor 
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the 
Evaluation to Advance Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments 
Program Evidence. 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, the Department of Labor is 
requesting clearance for for the survey protocol to be administered 
with all RESEA grantees nationwide.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: State RESEA program administrators.
    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.

                                          Estimated Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                                  Average burden
                                     Number of       Number of     Total number      time per        Estimated
       Type of instrument           respondents    responses per   of responses      response      burden hours
                                        \a\         respondent                        (hours)
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Web-based survey instrument for    \b\[thinsp]18               1              18               2              36
 State RESEA administrators.....
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    Total.......................              18               1              18               2              36
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\a\[thinsp]We are seeking a clearance period of three years.
\b\[thinsp]Assumes approximately 1 survey participant from each of approximately 53 state and territory RESEA
  programs over the three-year clearance period.


Christina Yancey,
Acting Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2019-08354 Filed 4-24-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P