[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 52 (Friday, March 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 16447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05488]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 3090-XXXX; Docket No. 2023-0001; Sequence No. 2]


Information Collection; Living Quarters Eligibility 
Questionnaire; GSA Form 5039

AGENCY: Office of Human Resource Management, Division of Human Capital 
Policy and Programs, General Services Administration (GSA).

ACTION: Notice of request for comments regarding a request for a new 
OMB clearance.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the 
Regulatory Secretariat Division will be submitting to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a new 
information collection requirement.

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 16, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by Information Collection 3090-
XXXX; Living Quarters Eligibility Questionnaire; GSA Form 5039 to: 
http://www.regulations.gov.
    Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by searching for 
``Information Collection 3090-XXXX; Living Quarters Eligibility 
Questionnaire; GSA Form 5039''. Select the link ``Submit a Comment'' 
that corresponds with ``Information Collection 3090-XXXX; Living 
Quarters Eligibility Questionnaire; GSA Form 5039''. Follow the 
instructions provided at the ``Submit a Comment'' screen. Please 
include your name, company name (if any), and ``Information Collection 
3090-XXXX; Living Quarters Allowance Eligibility Questionnaire; GSA 
Form 5039'' on your attached document. If your comment cannot be 
submitted using https://www.regulations.gov, call or email the points 
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 
document for alternate instructions.
    Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite Information 
Collection 3090-XXXX; Living Quarters Allowance Eligibility 
Questionnaire; GSA Form 5039, in all correspondence related to this 
collection. Comments received generally will be posted without change 
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal and/or business 
confidential information provided. To confirm receipt of your 
comment(s), please check www.regulations.gov, approximately two-to-
three days after submission to verify posting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colin C. Bennett, Human Resources 
Specialist, Office of Human Resources Management, Division of Human 
Capital Policy and Programs, at telephone 240-418-6822 or via email to 
[email protected] for clarification of content.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

    The General Services Administration routinely hires, reassigns, 
promotes or transfers Federal employees to duty stations in foreign 
areas (i.e., outside of the United States and its territories and 
possessions). Civilian employees located in foreign areas are eligible 
for different compensation authorities compared to employees located in 
the United States or its territories or possessions. Besides basic pay, 
certain foreign allowances are often used as recruitment or retention 
incentives to make foreign service more economically feasible. One type 
of allowance is called a ``living quarters allowance,'' or ``LQA,'' and 
allows an agency to reimburse the cost of rental housing as well as 
utilities (such as electricity, natural gas, and water service). Under 
this authority (conveyed by the Overseas Differentials and Allowances 
Act of 1960, Pub. L. 86-707, Sept. 6, 1960, codified at 5 U.S.C. 
5923(a)(2)), not all job candidates or overseas employees are 
necessarily eligible (for example, if Government-provided housing is 
made available). In addition, for those job candidates eligible, the 
amount of the benefit varies by rank (i.e., GS grade), presence 
overseas with or without family, and overall family size. Detailed 
rules concerning eligibility and other matters are found in the State 
Department's Department of State Standardized Regulations, sections 
031.12 and Chapter 130.
    To more effectively administer LQA, the General Services 
Administration (GSA) has created a new agency form, GSA Form 5039, 
Living Quarters Allowance Eligibility Questionnaire. This form collects 
basic demographic and housing-related information and also includes 
questions meant to coordinate housing benefits between the U.S. 
military and other Federal agencies (for example, if two spouses work 
for different Federal agencies). Individuals who complete this pre-
employment questionnaire are considered job candidates and may be 
members of the public (if not already Federal civilian employees). The 
purpose of the data collection from job candidates is to ensure that 
eligible applicants receive allowance consideration, in the correct 
amounts based on the position and family size, and ineligible 
candidates are not erroneously provided with this significant monetary 
benefit.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

    Respondents: 25 per year.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Total Annual Responses: 25.
    Hours per Response: 1.
    Total Burden Hours: 25.

C. Public Comments

    Public comments are encouraged and are particularly invited on: (a) 
whether this collection of information is necessary, (b) whether it 
will have practical utility, (c) whether our estimate of the public 
burden of this collection of information is accurate (and based on 
valid assumptions and methodology), (d) whether or not there are ways 
to enhance the new form's utility and clarity of the information to be 
collected, and (e) whether or not there might be ways in to minimize 
the data collection burden through the use of information technology.
    Obtaining Copies of Proposals: While the proposed GSA Form 5039 is 
not included within this article's publication, a copy of form can be 
obtained through the Regulatory Secretariat Division by calling 202-
501-4755 or emailing [email protected]. Please cite OMB Control No. 
3090-XXXX, Living Quarters Allowance Eligibility Questionnaire; GSA 
Form 5039, in all correspondence.

Beth Anne Killoran,
Deputy Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-05488 Filed 3-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-FM-P