[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]
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