[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82917-82918]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26089]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
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. 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 can be 
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed revision of the ``Current Population 
Survey (CPS) Disability Supplement.'' A copy of the proposed 
information collection request can be obtained by contacting the 
individual listed below in the Addresses section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before January 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, Division 
of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room G225, 2 
Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, at 
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The July 2024 CPS Disability Supplement will be conducted at the 
request of the Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office. The 
Disability Supplement will provide information on the labor force 
participation rates for people with disabilities and those experiencing 
work-limiting health conditions or difficulties; the health conditions 
or difficulties they face; barriers to employment; challenges that make 
it difficult to perform their jobs; and job-related accommodations.
    Since the supplement was last collected in 2021, work patterns have 
changed, policies have changed, and assistive technologies have 
advanced. In the 2024 iteration of the Disability Supplement, a number 
of questions will be added and others will be dropped, and overall 
there is no additional burden on the respondents.
    New questions are being added to identify individuals with health 
conditions or difficulties that limit their ability to work, to 
complement data collected by the six disability questions currently 
included in the basic CPS, which ask a series of yes or no questions 
about whether a person:


[[Page 82918]]


1. Is deaf or has serious difficulty hearing
2. Is blind or has serious difficulty seeing (even with the assistance 
of corrective lenses)
3. Has serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making 
decisions
4. Has serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs
5. Has difficulty dressing or bathing
6. Has difficulty doing errands alone

    A number of questions are thus being added to the 2024 Supplement 
to identify individuals with a work-limiting health condition or 
difficulty and to classify or identify these conditions. Questions also 
will be asked to determine if work-limiting conditions or disabilities 
are temporary. The supplement will continue to include questions about 
barriers to employment and workplace accommodations. Questions about 
participation in specific assistance programs, the receipt of financial 
assistance, working from home, and others will be dropped to 
accommodate the new focus.
    Because the Disability Supplement is part of the CPS, the same 
detailed demographic information collected in the CPS will be available 
about respondents to the supplement. Thus, comparisons will be possible 
across respondent characteristics, including sex, race, ethnicity, age, 
and educational attainment. It will also be possible to create 
estimates for those who are employed, unemployed, and not in the labor 
force. Because the CPS is a rich source of information on the 
employment status of the population, it will be possible to examine in 
detail the nature of various employment and unemployment situations. 
Additionally, questions about telework are now asked on the monthly 
CPS; they will enable analyses of how the incidence of telework and 
disability intersect.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for a 
revision of the CPS Disability Supplement. These data are necessary to 
provide information about the labor market challenges facing persons 
with a disability and will contribute to improvements in policies and 
programs designed to assist these individuals.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility.
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     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, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    Title of Collection: CPS Disability Supplement.
    OMB Number: 1220-0186.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Total Respondents: 50,000.
    Frequency: Once.
    Total Responses: 50,000.
    Average Time per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 4,167 hours.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on November 21, 2023.
Leslie A. Bennett,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2023-26089 Filed 11-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P