[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 153 (Thursday, August 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64961-64963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17585]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request, Reemployment Services and Eligibility 
Assessment (RESEA) Evidence Building Portfolio Project, 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 Assessment (RESEA) Evidence 
Building Portfolio Project. 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 October 7, 2024.

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, 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 08-24). The Bipartisan Budget 
Act (BBA) of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-123) contains requirements 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 funding several studies including the 
RESEA Component Impact Study, the RESEA Behavioral Impact Study and the 
RESEA Cost Study. The RESEA Impact Studies will help participating 
states meet the RESEA evaluation requirement under the BBA while 
simultaneously building casual evidence on program components that are 
of interest to states for RESEA program improvement. The RESEA Cost 
Study will help DOL and

[[Page 64962]]

states better understand how costs of implementing RESEA programs vary 
by program and place.
    This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on 
several new proposed information collection activities that will be 
used for the studies across this contract.
    1. Semi-structured program stakeholder interview protocols. Site 
visits for the RESEA Impact Study (Component Impact Study) will occur 
in the Spring of 2025 and Summer of 2026 in approximately six states. 
Site visits or virtual interviews for the RESEA Impact Study 
(Behavioral Study) will occur in the Summer of 2025 in approximately 
two states. These visits will last 3 days each. During these site 
visits, we will conduct one-on-one or small-group semi-structured 
interviews with managers and staff at up to three American Job Centers 
(AJCs) or local Workforce Development Boards (WDBs), as appropriate. We 
will also observe program activities for both the Component Impact 
Study and Behavioral Study to help us describe key program components, 
assess the quality of program delivery, and understand participant 
needs. The observations will not involve additional burden. Site visits 
for the RESEA Cost Study will take place in Summer of 2025 in three 
states, with staff interviews at the central State Workforce Agency and 
approximately 4 AJCs per state. The combined site visits will last 5 
days in each state. During these site visits, we will conduct one-on-
one or small-group semi-structured interviews with staff including 
approximately 4 program staff at each of the 3 central offices and 6 
staff at each of the 4 AJCs per state.
    2. Participant focus group protocols. During the site visits for 
both the RESEA Component Impact Study and RESEA Cost Study, we will 
also conduct focus groups at each site. For the RESEA Component Impact 
Study, we will conduct one focus group per site with approximately four 
to six claimants participating in the study. For the RESEA Cost Study, 
we will conduct 90-minute focus groups at up to 12 AJCs to understand 
the costs claimants' experience when participating in the RESEA 
program.
    3. Participant interview protocols. For the RESEA Behavioral Impact 
Study, we will conduct 9 participant interviews per State, for a total 
of 18 interviews.
    II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Department of Labor 
is soliciting comments concerning the above data collection for the 
Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Evidence 
Building Portfolio Project. 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 the semi-structured program stakeholder 
interview protocols, participant interview protocols, and participant 
focus group protocols.
    Type of Review: New information collection request.
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW.
    Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Government; Individuals 
or Households.
    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
    Type of instrument (form/        Number of       Number of     Total number      time per        Estimated
            activity)               respondents    responses per   of responses      response      burden hours
                                                    respondent                        (hours)
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                                          RESEA Impact Study: Component
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Semi-structured program manager           \1\ 18               1              18               1              18
 interview protocol.............
Semi-structured program staff             \2\ 54               1              54               1              54
 interview protocol.............
Participant interview protocol..          \3\ 54               1              54             0.5              27
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                                         RESEA Impact Study: Behavioral
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Semi-structured program manager            \4\ 2               1               2               1               2
 interview protocol.............
Semi-structured program staff              \5\ 6               1               6               1               6
 interview protocol.............
Participant interview protocol..           \6\ 8               1               8               1               8
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                                                RESEA Cost Study
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Semi-structured program                   \7\ 28               1              28             1.5              42
 stakeholder interview protocol.
Participant focus group protocol          \8\ 32               1              32             1.5              48
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                                                      Total
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    Total.......................             202  ..............             202  ..............             205
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\1\ Assumes 3 site visits x 6 states, each including approximately 3, 1-hr semi-structured manager interviews
  for a total of 54 program managers and 54 hours over the three-year clearance period; an average of 18
  respondents and 18 hours per year.
\2\ Assumes 3 site visits x 6 states, each including approximately 9, 1-hr semi-structured staff interviews for
  a total of 162 program staff members and 162 hours over the three-year clearance period; an average of 54
  respondents and 54 hours per year.
\3\ Assumes 3 site visits x 6 states, each including approximately 9, 0.5-hr semi-structured participant
  interviews for a total of 162 program participants and 81 hours over the three-year clearance period; an
  average of 54 respondents and 27 hours per year.

[[Page 64963]]

 
\4\ Assumes 1 site visits x 2 states, each including approximately 3, 1-hr semi-structured management interviews
  for a total of 6 program managers and 6 hours over the three-year clearance period; an average of 2
  respondents and 2 hours per year.
\5\ Assumes 1 site visits x 2 states, each including approximately 9, 1-hr semi-structured staff interviews for
  a total of 18 program staff members and 18 hours over the three-year clearance period; an average of 6
  respondents and 6 hours per year.
\6\ Assumes 1 site visits x 2 states, each including approximately 12, 1-hr semi-structured participant
  interviews for a total of 24 program participants and 24 hours over the three-year clearance period; an
  average of 8 respondents and 8 hours per year.
\7\ Assumes 1 site visit x 3 states, each including 28, 1.5-hr staff interviews for a total of 84 respondents
  and 126 hours over the three-year clearance period; an average of 28 respondents and 42 hours per year.
\8\ Assume 1 site visit x 3 states, each including 4, 1.5-hr focus groups with approximately 8 program
  participants in each group for a total of 96 participants and 144 hours over the three-year clearance period;
  an average of 32 participants and 48 hours per year.


Upeksha Savi Swick,
Director of Research, Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of 
Labor.
[FR Doc. 2024-17585 Filed 8-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P