[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37953-37954]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16533]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[New Collection]


Agency Information Collection Activity: Clearance for A-11 
Section 280 Improving Customer Experience Information Collection

AGENCY: Veterans Experience Office, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:  Written comments and recommendations on the proposed collection 
of information should be received on or before October 1, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information 
through Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov 
or to Michael Jacobsen, Veterans Experience Office, Department of 
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420 or email 
to [email protected]. Please refer to ``Clearance for A-11 
Section 280 Improving Customer Experience Information Collection'' in 
any correspondence. During the comment

[[Page 37954]]

period, comments may be viewed online through FDMS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danny S. Green at (202) 421-1354.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA of 1995, Federal agencies must 
obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor. This request for 
comment is being made pursuant to Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA.
    With respect to the following collection of information, VEO 
invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of VEO's functions, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy 
of VEO's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on respondents, including through the use 
of automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of 
information technology.
    Authority: OMB Circular A-11 (2018), Section 280.
    Title: Clearance for A-11 Section 280 Improving Customer Experience 
Information Collection.
    OMB Control Number: 2900-New.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Abstract: Whether seeking a loan, Social Security benefits, 
veterans benefits, or other services provided by the Federal 
Government, individuals and businesses expect Government customer 
services to be efficient and intuitive, just like services from leading 
private-sector organizations. Yet the 2016 American Consumer 
Satisfaction Index and the 2017 Forrester Federal Customer Experience 
Index show that, on average, Government services lag nine percentage 
points behind the private sector. A modern, streamlined and responsive 
customer experience means: Raising government-wide customer experience 
to the average of the private sector service industry; developing 
indicators for high-impact Federal programs to monitor progress towards 
excellent customer experience and mature digital services; and 
providing the structure (including increasing transparency) and 
resources to ensure customer experience is a focal point for agency 
leadership. To support this, OMB Circular A-11 Section 280 established 
government-wide standards for mature customer experience organizations 
in government and measurement. To enable Federal programs to deliver 
the experience taxpayers deserve, they must undertake three general 
categories of activities: Conduct ongoing customer research, gather and 
share customer feedback, and test services and digital products.
    These data collection efforts may be either qualitative or 
quantitative in nature or may consist of mixed methods. Additionally, 
data may be collected via a variety of means, including but not limited 
to electronic or social media, direct or indirect observation (i.e., in 
person, video and audio collections), interviews, questionnaires, 
surveys, and focus groups. Veterans Experience Office will limit its 
inquiries to data collections that solicit strictly voluntary opinions 
or responses. Steps will be taken to ensure anonymity of respondents in 
each activity covered by this request.
    The results of the data collected will be used to improve the 
delivery of Federal services and programs. It will include the creation 
of personas, customer journey maps, and reports and summaries of 
customer feedback data and user insights.
    Veterans Experience Office will collect this information by 
electronic means when possible, as well as by mail, fax, telephone, 
technical discussions, and in-person interviews. Veterans Experience 
Office may also utilize observational techniques to collect this 
information.
    Collections will be targeted to the solicitation of opinions from 
respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience 
with the program in the near future. For the purposes of this request, 
``customers'' are individuals, businesses, and organizations that 
interact with a Federal Government agency or program, either directly 
or via a Federal contractor. This could include individuals or 
households; businesses or other for-profit organizations; not-for-
profit institutions; State, local or tribal governments; Federal 
government; and Universities.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 625,000.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: Varied, dependent upon the 
data collection method used. The possible response time to complete a 
questionnaire or survey may be 2 minutes or up to 2 hours to 
participate in an interview.
    Estimated Average Cost per Respondent: 0.
    Frequency of Response: Varied, dependent upon the data collection 
method used.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,500,000.

    By direction of the Secretary.
Danny S. Green,
Interim VA Clearance Officer, Office of Quality, Performance and Risk, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-16533 Filed 8-1-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P