Rules and Regulations. Notice

Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs
Action: Notice
Citation: FR Doc. 00-28074 · OMB Control No. 2900-0569

Summary

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefit Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection instrument.

Dates

Comments must be submitted on or before December 4, 2000. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF THE SUBMISSION CONTACT: Denise McLamb, Information Management Service (045A4), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273-8030 or FAX (202) 273-5981. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0569.”

Supplementary Information

Title: Generic Clearance for the Veterans Benefits Administration Customer Satisfaction Surveys. OMB Control Number: 2900-0569. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection. Abstract: VBA administers integrated programs of benefits and services, established by law for veterans and their survivors, and service personnel. Executive Order 12862, Setting Customer Service Standards, requires Federal agencies and departments to identify and survey its customers to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing service. VBA uses customer satisfaction surveys to gauge customer perceptions of VA services as well as customer expectations and desires. The results of these information collections lead to improvements in the quality of VBA service delivery by helping to shape the direction and focus of specific programs and services. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on July 17, 2000 at pages 44094-44096. Affected Public: Individuals or households, Business or other for-profit. National Survey Activities Survey of Veterans' Satisfaction with The VA Compensation and Pension Claims Process Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 22,800 5,700 One-time. 2002 22,800 5,700 One-time. 2003 22,800 5,700 One-time. Survey of Veterans' Satisfaction with the VA Education Claims Process Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 3,200 800 One-time. 2002 3,200 800 One-time. 2003 3,200 800 One-time. Survey of Educational Institution Certifying Officials Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2002 1,000 330 One-time. 2003 1,000 330 One-time. Loan Guaranty Customer Satisfaction Survey—Veteran Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 7,200 1,202 One-time. 2002 7,200 1,202 One-time. 2003 7,200 1,202 One-time. Loan Guaranty Customer Satisfaction Survey—Lender Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 1,000 330 One-time. 2002 1,000 330 One-time. 2003 1,000 330 One-time. Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Program Survey Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 10,800 2,700 One-time. 2002 10,800 2,700 One-time. 2003 10,800 2,700 One-time. Insurance Customer Surveys Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 2,800 280 One-time. 2002 2,800 280 One-time. 2003 2,800 280 One-time. Undetermined Focus Groups Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 500 1,000 One-time. 2002 500 1,000 One-time. 2003 500 1,000 One-time. National Telephone Survey Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 7,200 1,224 One-time. 2002 7,200 1,224 One-time. 2003 7,200 1,224 One-time. VA Regional Office-Based Customer Satisfaction Focus Groups Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 600 1,800 One-time. 2002 600 1,800 One-time. 2003 600 1,800 One-time. VA Regional Office-Specific Service Improvement Initiatives (Comment Card) Year Number of respondents Estimated annual burden (in hours) Frequency of response 2001 139,200 11,554 One-time. 2002 139,200 11,554 One-time. 2003 139,200 11,554 One-time. Most customer satisfaction surveys will be recurring so that VBA can create ongoing measures of performance and to determine how well the agency meets customer service standards. Each collection of information will consist of the minimum amount of information necessary to determine customer needs and to evaluate VBA's performance. VBA expects to conduct an estimated 100 focus groups and receive up to 139,200 comment cards involving a total of 14,354 hours each year for 2001, 2002, and 2003. In addition, VBA expects to distribute written surveys with a total annual burden of approximately 12,236 hours in 2001, 12,566 hours in 2002, and 12,566 hours in 2003. The grand totals for both focus groups, comment cards, and written surveys are: 26,590 hours in 2001, 26,920 hours in 2002, and 26,920 hours in 2003. Anyone may view the results of previously administered surveys on the internet by going to the following VBA surveys website: http://www.vba.va.gov/surveys/. The areas of concern to VBA and its customers may change over time, and it is important to have the ability to evaluate customer concerns quickly. OMB will be requested to grant generic clearance approval for a 3-year period to conduct customer satisfaction surveys, focus groups and to send out comment cards. Participation in the surveys, focus groups, and comment cards will be voluntary and the generic clearance will not be used to collect information required to obtain or maintain eligibility for a VA program or benefit. In order to maximize the voluntary response rates, the information collection will be designed to make participation convenient, simple, and free of unnecessary barriers. Baseline data obtained through these information collections will be used to improve customer service standards. VBA will consult with OMB regarding each specific information collection during this approval period. Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the information collection to VA's Desk Officer, OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503 (202) 395-7316. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0569” in any correspondence. Dated: September 25, 2000. By direction of the Acting Secretary. Donald L. Neilson, Director, Information Management Service. [FR Doc. 00-28074 Filed 11-1-00; 8:45 am]