[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77896-77898]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27515]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Veterans' Employment and Training Service


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request: VETS' 
Competitive Grant Program Reporting

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: VETS is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the 
proposed revision of certain information the agency collects from grant 
recipients. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal 
agencies are required to publish a notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information and to allow 60 days 
for public comment in response to the notice.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received 
February 21, 2023.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this Information Collection Request (ICR) with 
applicable supporting documentation, including a description of the 
likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total 
burden, may be obtained for free by contacting Kate McCord by telephone 
at (503) 806-4241 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].
    Submit written comments about this ICR to: [email protected]. Include 
``HVRP 1293-0014 ICR Comments'' in the subject line.
    Electronic submission: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at [email protected], identified by OMB Control 
Number 1293-0014.
    Comments are invited on: (1) whether the collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) if the information will be processed and used in a timely 
manner; (3) the accuracy of the agency's estimates of the burden and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (4) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (5) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate McCord by telephone at (503) 806-
4241 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at [email protected]. 
Include ``HVRP 1293-0014 ICR Information'' in the subject line.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Labor's VETS administers 
funds for the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) grant on 
an annual basis. These competitive grants are codified under 38 U.S.C. 
2021, 2021A, and 2023.
    VETS provides funds to grantees through annual Funding Opportunity 
Announcements and incremental funding throughout the grant's three-year 
(12 quarters) period of performance. The total number of grantees 
varies from year to year based on the amount of available funds, 
awarded in grants up to $500,000 each year or up to $1.5 million in 
total.
    The Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training 
monitors and supervises the distribution and use of those funds as 
required by 38 U.S.C. 2021 (b) and 38 U.S.C. 2021A. Additionally, and 
in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 2021 (e), the Secretary reviews 
performance and provides an annual report to Congress on the program, 
including an evaluation of the services furnished to veterans and an 
analysis of the information we have collected.
    VETS is requesting continued approval for this information 
collection that streamlines the funding application process for 
applicants, reports the use of grantee funds in sufficient detail to 
allow interim adjustments that ensure all appropriated funding is 
expended properly, and provides data needed for VETS' Annual Report to 
Congress.
    The forms and reports collect required programmatic and financial 
data from applicants and grantees. The continued use of standardized 
formats for collecting this information helps to ensure that requested 
data is provided in a uniform way, reporting burdens are minimized, the 
impact of collection requirements on respondents are properly assessed, 
collection instruments are clearly understood by respondents, and the 
information is easily consolidated for posting in accordance with 
statutory requirements.
    VETS is proposing the following additions to the form collection:
     VETS-705 Past Performance Chart. VETS intends to add a new 
form to this collection, the VETS-705 Past Performance Chart, to 
provide a standardized template for grant applicants without a previous 
HVRP award to submit performance outcomes from completed projects.
    VETS is proposing the following revisions to the forms:
     VETS-704 Applicant Synopsis/Abstract. VETS proposes to 
rename this form to ``Abstract'' to better align with the terminology 
used in the HVRP Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) definitions and 
terms.
     VETS-700 Planned Goals Chart. VETS has historically 
requested that applicants submit up to 24 planned goals and a list of 
service delivery area counties. VETS proposes removing the requirement 
to enter geographic location information and goals for participant 
subgroups, training, and expenditures, which results in 16 fewer 
measures on the form. The authoritative source for a grant's service 
delivery area is the VETS-704 Abstract form; requiring county-level 
details to be entered into the VETS-700 is unnecessary. VETS no longer 
needs goals for participant subgroups and expenditures as they are not 
relevant at the application stage and training subgoals are redundant 
as there is only one standard training goal and it is a single 
benchmark that applies to all grantees. In addition, the formatting of 
the VETS-700 Planned Goals Chart only supports data entry for the first 
four quarters of a performance measure. VETS recommends changing the 
formatting to allow data entry for all 12 quarters of the grant's 
period of performance. This allows applicants the flexibility to submit 
quarter and/or program year-specific goals and displays a final set of 
goals that encompass the grant's full three-year period of performance. 
Lastly, this form is now included as a separate tab in the VETS-704 
Abstract and in the VETS-701 TPR. The Planned Goals Chart is completed 
once at application; the data is then pasted into the Planned Goals 
Chart
     VETS-701 Technical Performance Report (TPR). On the 
Planned Goals tab, VETS proposes grantees enter the goals shown on the 
VETS-700 Planned Goals Chart and add three entries for planned 
expenditures related to participant services, indirect costs, and 
direct costs. On the Tech Perf Report tab, VETS proposes removing the 
requirement to enter the number of eligibility assessments conducted 
each quarter as VETS no longer needs to collect this information. On 
the Participant Info tab, VETS proposes removing two services provided 
entries: Transitional or Permanent Housing and the Work Attire/Tools/
Equipment; the former is a data point VETS no longer requires, and the 
latter is redundant with another service (Employment Adjustment 
Services) and will be incorporated into

[[Page 77897]]

those selections. Continuing the Participant Info tab, VETS proposes 
replacing the free text Participant ID field with a form-generated, 
unique within the TPR-identification code based on existing participant 
data entries. VETS proposes to add service delivery area (SDA) fields 
to record the participant's state, county, city, and zip code of 
residence at the time of enrollment. This will allow VETS to map HVRP 
services at the county level and compare grantees' proposed service 
delivery areas to the locations of the participants being served. VETS 
intends to add an LGBTQIA+ field to ensure equity in services to 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other sexual 
and gender-diverse communities. VETS intends to add a field to record a 
participant's military discharge status and modify the age at 
enrollment field to date of birth. VETS proposes to add fields to 
capture the number of training hours provided for each of the training 
type categories and modify the services last provided entries for each 
of the service type categories from a ninety-day selection window 
(quarters) to the date last provided. VETS intends to add occupation 
type selection fields to the placement, second quarter after exit, and 
fourth quarter after exit questions in the participant follow-up 
tracking section. Lastly, VETS has added a new tab titled, New 
Enrollment Entry; it serves as optional new enrollment data input form 
that assists in populating the Participant Info tab.
     VETS-702 Technical Performance Narrative (TPN). VETS 
proposes to remove the question pertaining to ``Cumulative Percentage 
of Participants Receiving Training Services,'' as the result of that 
measure will now be addressed in the existing failed and/or minimal 
performance narratives. VETS is also removing two financial review 
questions related to the status of the SF-425 as finalized for 
closeout. VETS proposes adding one additional question to the failed 
and minimal performance narratives that asks grant recipients to 
specify when an indicator's underperformance is related to a continuing 
issue from prior quarters and explain what remedies have been taken to 
address and improve performance over time. VETS has modified the 
Quarters 5-8 section of the TPN from one field that provided narrative 
explanations for both failed and minimal performance outcomes to two 
separate fields, with one text box dedicated to failed performance and 
one text box dedicated to minimal performance. The overall number of 
questions in the TPN remains unchanged.
     VETS-703 Stand Down After Action Review (SDARR). 
Currently, grant recipients have no way to explain why a required 
service for a Stand Down event as stated in the FOA was not available. 
By adding a comment box field to the form, grantees will be able to 
provide narrative justification regarding the services provided to 
Stand Down participants. This new field only applies if the grant 
recipient did not provide certain required services at the Stand Down 
event.
    The Department's estimated burden total for the collection with the 
proposed changes are shown in the chart below. Overall, the proposed 
changes have increased the burden by two hours, from 11,004 to 11,006. 
The overall estimated number of respondents decreased by 186 from 1,078 
to 892, specifically for the VETS-700, VETS-703, and VETS-704. The 
total estimated annual responses increased by two from 2,662 to 2,664. 
The average time burden by response increased for the VETS-701 and 
VETS-702 but decreased for the VETS-700 and VETS-703, with no changes 
to the VETS-704.

                                          Estimated Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
    Type of Instrument (form/        Number of       Number of     Total number     burden time      Estimated
            activity)               respondents    responses per   of responses    per response    burden hours
                                                    respondent                        (hours)
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VETS-700 Planned Goals..........             116               1             116             1.0             116
VETS-701 TPR (Quarters 1-4; Year              58               4             232            14.0           3,248
 1 Grantees)....................
VETS-701 TPR (Quarters 1-4; Year             117               4             468             7.0           3,276
 2 and Year 3 Grantees).........
VETS-701 TPR (Quarters 5-8; Year               0               0               0               0               0
 1 Grantees)....................
VETS-701 TPR (Quarters 5-8; Year             117               4             468             2.0             936
 2 and Year 3 Grantees).........
VETS-702 TPN (Quarters 1-4; All              175               4             700             4.0           2,800
 Grantees Years 1-3)............
VETS-702 TPN (Quarters 5-8; Year             117               4             468             1.0             468
 2 and Year 3 Grantees).........
VETS-703 SDARR..................              30               1              30            0.75              23
VETS-704 Abstract...............             116               1             116             1.0             116
VETS-705 Past Performance Chart.              46               1              46             0.5              23
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    Unduplicated Total..........             892              28           2,644             4.2          11,006
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    This information collection is subject to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (PRA). A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information, and the public is generally not required to 
respond to an information collection, unless the OMB approves it and 
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, 
notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally 
be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of 
information that does not display a valid OMB Control Number. See 5 CFR 
1320.5(a) and 1320.6.
    The DOL seeks PRA authorization for this information collection for 
three (3) years. OMB authorization for an Information Collection Review 
cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal. The DOL notes 
that currently approved information collection requirements submitted 
to the OMB receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo 
review.
    Agency: DOL-VETS.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Title of Collection: VETS' Competitive Grant Program Reporting.
    Forms:
    1. VETS-700, Competitive Grants (CG) Planned Goals Chart;
    2. VETS-701, CG Technical Performance Report (TPR);

[[Page 77898]]

    3. VETS-702, CG Technical Performance Narrative (TPN);
    4. VETS-703, Stand Down After Action Report (SDAAR);
    5. VETS-704, Abstract and;
    6. VETS-705, Past Performance Chart.
    OMB Control Number: 1293-0014
    Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; Private 
Sector--businesses or other for-profits and not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 892.
    Frequency: Varies.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 2,644.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 4.2 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,006 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

James D. Rodriguez,
Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, U.S. 
Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2022-27515 Filed 12-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-79-P