1660-0036Supporting Statement Part A11-05-07

Date: November 5, 2007

Supporting Statement for

Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

Title: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance Customer Satisfaction Surveys

OMB Control Number: 1660-0036

Form Number(s):

• FEMA Individual Assistance Customer Satisfaction Surveys:

  • Registration Intake Survey

  • Helpline Survey

  • Program Effectiveness and Recovery Survey

  • Internet On-Line Registration Phone Survey

  • Internet Applicant Inquiry/Update Phone Survey

  • Moderator’s Guide for Focus Group

General Instructions

A Supporting Statement, including the text of the notice to the public required by 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(i)(iv) and its actual or estimated date of publication in the Federal Register, must accompany each request for approval of a collection of information. The Supporting Statement must be prepared in the format described below, and must contain the information specified in Section A below. If an item is not applicable, provide a brief explanation. When Item 17 or the OMB Form 83-I is checked “Yes”, Section B of the Supporting Statement must be completed. OMB reserves the right to require the submission of additional information with respect to any request for approval.

To complete the supporting statement, type in your responses in the white space below for each question. Your responses should be full and complete and provide sufficient information to help the OMB desk officer to understand what you are planning to do and why and how the Agency/Federal Government will benefit from and use the information you will be obtaining or soliciting.

Specific Instructions

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary, and provide details why this information is being collected. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information. Provide a detailed description of the nature and source of the information to be collected.

Executive Order 12862, “Setting Customer Service Standards”, and its Memorandum addendum, “Improving Customer Service”, requires that all Federal agencies ask their customers what is most important to them, and survey their customers to determine the kind and quality of services the customers want and their level of satisfaction with existing services. The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requires agencies to set missions and goals, and measure performance against them. FEMA will fulfill these requirements by collecting information about customer satisfaction with service and program evaluation through surveys of the Disaster Assistance Directorate’s (DAD) Individual Assistance (IA) external customers.

Individual Assistance Customer Satisfaction Surveys are managed by the Disaster Assistance Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency which provides or coordinates emergency housing; financial assistance; and unemployment assistance for individuals, families, farmers and businesses. Applicants eligible for Housing Assistance to meet their temporary housing needs are provided funds directly.  For personal property losses or Other Needs, the state provides funds directly to the disaster victim if eligible. For those not eligible for the state grant funds, referrals are provided to the Small Business Administration for low interest rate disaster loans.

The results will come from the following Telephone Surveys and focus groups:

Individual Assistance (IA) Surveys

• Registration Intake (RI) Survey

• Helpline Survey (HL) Survey

• Program Effectiveness & Recovery (PE&R) Survey

• Internet On-Line Registration (Internet RI) - Phone Survey

• Internet Inquiry/Update (Internet Inquiry) - Phone Survey

• Moderator’s Guide for Focus Groups

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection. Provide a detailed description of: how the information will be shared, if applicable, and for what programmatic purpose.

The Customer Satisfaction Surveys are collected to fulfill the requirement from the Government Performance Results Act, and are reported each quarter and annually. The surveys also fulfill the Agency’s annual performance plan requirement, meeting strategic goals. The Federal Coordinating Officers use the information to identify trends while their disasters are still going on and to measure how their disaster is doing in comparison to others. For example, Public Affairs may saturate an area with the information about the disaster assistance programs based on the results; or Disaster Recovery Centers may provide additional services based on needs of the community. Program Managers use the information to suggest changes to procedures to better meet the needs of the customer. Supervisors use the information to celebrate good customer service or to coach on improving customer service. Generally, performance is measured to meet objectives, gauge and make improvements to disaster services, and to increase customer satisfaction and program effectiveness.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

Though all surveys are performed via telephone, customer data is randomly selected and populated to the interviewer’s computer screen using a Microsoft Access database. The collected data are stored in the same database for easy retrieval for statistical analyses and report writing. The scheduled reports are performed electronically.

A proposed focus group activity is held via internet online. The Time-extended online technique consists of a group of online participants who have agreed in advance to participate in an online discussion. The great advantage of the Time-extended online focus group is the depth and detail it yields as well as respondents can be located anywhere in the United States. It is conducted online and can be viewed from any PC, therefore, it eliminates the need for travel (see #12. for more details).

Budget constraints have not yet permitted other higher electronic data collection technology to be deployed.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.



The information gathered in these surveys is not available from any other source and the surveys are performed at different stages of the recovery process.

Applicants are asked for their permission to be surveyed again at a later phase in the disaster if we don’t have sufficient sample. For example, in very small disasters, we may have to survey the same respondent twice in order to have some responses to the PE&R survey, but only if they said yes. An overall satisfaction question is asked in each survey to measure the respondents’ satisfaction over time during the recovery process.

The database will screen out applicants who have been surveyed about their registration (RI) experience and the referral processes, so that they will not be surveyed again about their experience if they contact the Helpline (HL). The same process is in place for those who register on-line and later make changes to their case on-line. The third phase of the recovery process survey (PE&R) may be completed by an applicant who participated in another survey when the universe is small based on their positive response to being surveyed again.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities (Item 5 of OMB Form 83-I), describe any methods used to minimize.

Impact on small businesses or other small entities will be minimal since survey participation does not require recordkeeping or any other burden on organizational resources other than the time required to complete the questionnaires on a voluntary basis.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal/FEMA program or policy activities if the collection of information is not conducted, or is conducted less frequently as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

If FEMA’s customer service satisfaction surveys were not conducted, the consequences would be the absence of documentation of customer satisfaction for each disaster operation, though there have been times that surveys were not able to be conducted due to catastrophic circumstances. Catastrophic disasters are not required to be reported in GPRA. The survey results serve as a vital tool for policy review and measurement of operational performance. If FEMA could not survey the disasters in a timely manner, patterns and trends would not be identified during a disaster, which might be correctable immediately, as well as identifying patterns and trends over and between fiscal years which is useful in program management and strategic planning. As stated earlier, customer surveying is a requirement of EO 12862 “Setting Customer Service Standards” and its Memorandum addendum “Improving Customer Service.” Also, the gathering of program data is required by the GPRA.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

 (a) Requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly.



Due to the variance in disaster causes, location of the disaster, population affected, speed of delivery of assistance, administration by different Regions and staff persons, customer satisfaction information may be gathered more than quarterly to measure program effectiveness and recovery. FEMA will use these disaster survey results to ascertain progress or regression in meeting standards and to provide Federal Coordinating Officers (FCOs) and Program Managers with continuous information regarding trends in disaster operations.

 (b) Requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it.



There are no special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it.

(c) Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document.

There are no special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document.

 (d) Requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years.



There are no special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years.

 (e) In connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study.

There are no special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner that a statistical survey is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study.

 (f) Requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.

There are no special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.

 (g) That includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use.

There are no special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use.

 (h) Requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

There are no special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

8. Federal Register Notice:



 (a) Provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.



A 60-day Federal Register Notice inviting public comments was published or filed on March 27, 2007 under FR Doc. E7-5619 Filed 3-27-07; 8:45 am. No comments were received. Please see attached copy of the published notice included in this package.

 (b) Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

The initial three phone surveys (Registration Intake, Helpline and Program Effectiveness & Recovery) were designed in 2001 by a contractor who programmed the data collection and made recommendations regarding sampling methodology. Prior to the 2004 extension of the collection, in 2003 an outside consultant reviewed proposed changes and assisted in restructuring of the RI, HL, and PE&R questions.

The addition of the two surveys pertaining to the internet (Internet On-Line Registration Phone Survey and Internet On-Line Applicant Inquiry/Update Survey) are rewrites of the initial Registration Intake and Helpline surveys with mere word modifications to reflect interaction with the internet and technical Helpdesk.

As of November 1, 2006, a contractor has been engaged and has started their review of all the current survey documentation including aggregate responses and questionnaires to conduct a critique of the program and methodology, perform one-on-one focus groups and online in depth interviews, and suggest new questions and report designs.

Within the agency from 2004-2007 Federal Coordinating Officers and Individual Assistance Program Managers have been requested for input and they have offered suggestions to improve the timeliness of collection and the reporting process. For many new disasters, reports are now written weekly for the first few weeks to inform the FCO of the overall satisfaction, level of customer service, and the effectiveness of communications in that disaster. Another report is sent with cumulative results after the first 30-40 days and the final report after the end of the application period.

(c) Describe consultations with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records. Consultation should occur at least once every three years, even if the collection of information activities is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.

The first FEMA focus groups were held in 1995 and then in 1998. Due to budget constraints, no additional traditional focus groups will be held until 2007.

The current proposal includes the following focus group activities:

To replace traditional focus groups until budget constraints are removed, one-on-one in depth interviews and on-line in-depth interviews will be held in 2007 to ensure the information collected is meaningful to customers and to be sure the questions asked are clearly understood. These focus group sessions are vital for ensuring that our information collection activities are meaningful to both the individuals who receive the service and the program officials whose decision-making must result in operational effectiveness and efficiency.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

Nominal monetary incentives may be offered to potential focus group participants. This is a standard practice in the conduct of such groups. For Focus Groups held in person, a fee of $50-75 may be offered. For On-Line Time Extended In Depth Interviews, a fee of $25 may be offered. For One-on-One In Depth Interviews performed by phone, no fee will be offered.

 10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy. Provide details on:

1. Whether respondents are informed of the mandatory or voluntary nature of providing the information,

2. Opportunities to decline participation or to consent to particular uses of the information, and

3. How can respondents grant such consent.

4. State any administrative and/or technological control to secure the information.

5. Will data findings be analyzed and reported in a way that protects respondents’ anonymity?



FEMA will make no pledge of confidentiality to the respondents. However, the proposed information collection processes are voluntary in nature; all respondents are informed that they may decline to participate and that doing so will in no way affect their rights to assistance for which they qualify.  At the beginning of each survey, each respondent will be read the following statement: “Please be assured that your responses are voluntary and will in no way affect the outcome of your application for FEMA assistance”, and are asked if they would consent to completing the survey.  No mention of the survey is made in the applicant’s record in the Individual Assistance Registration Intake database (OMB 1660-0082), where the processing data is stored.  Identifying information is required to conduct the surveys, and this data is pulled from the Individual Assistance Registration Intake Database (covered by the Privacy Impact Assessment for OMB 1660-0002).  The survey data will become part of the internal Access database used to collate the data by the Customer Satisfaction Section of the Texas National Processing Service Center.  Access to the data in the Access database will be password protected so that only authorized personnel can do so, and reports are aggregated to ensure anonymity. There is no intent to track the respondents based on gender, race, age, geography or other descriptions.

11. Provide additional justification for any question of a sensitive nature (such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs and other matters that are commonly considered private). This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

There is no question of a sensitive nature such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs and other matters that are commonly considered private in the surveys.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:



 (a) Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desired. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance. Generally, estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

(b) If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I.

The total annual hour burden estimated for the collection of information for all surveys and focus groups is 8,791.75 hours. See Table 1 and Table 1-A for details on surveys and focus groups, respectively.

For each of the existing RI, HL and PE&R surveys as well as new Internet On-Line Registration and Internet Applicant Inquiry/Update surveys, the number of annual responses in Table 1 is estimated based on the 23 declared disasters for FY 2006. The requested annual hour burden for the surveys is 8,101.75 hours for total 32,407 respondents.

Table 1. Surveys Annual Hour Burden

Survey Type and Method	Number of Respondents	Number of Disasters	Frequency of Responses	Hour Burden Per Response (hours)	Annual Responses	Total Annual Hour Burden (hours)
	(A)	(B)	(C)	(D)	(E=AxBxC )	(DxE)
Registration Intake Survey (RI)--Phone	385	23 Disasters	1	0.25	8855	2213.75
Helpline Survey (HL)--Phone	385	23 Disasters	1	0.25	8855	2213.75
Program Effectiveness & Recovery Survey (PE&R)--Phone	384	23 Disasters	1	0.25	8832	2208
Internet-On Line Registration--Phone	130	23 Disasters	1	0.25	2990	747.50
Internet-Applicant Inquiry/Update--Phone	125	23 Disasters	1	0.25	2875	718.75
SURVEYS SUBTOTAL					32,407	8,101.75

In Table 1A below, Focus Groups may be conducted in person, asking the respondent to travel to a location in their community to a facility for participants to interact with each other and a moderator. In this instance, travel time to the location is anticipated to be 1 hour for the round trip. Other styles of Focus Groups are facilitated through a one-on-one phone call to the respondent or through a website. In these last two methods, travel is not required for the respondents.

The Time-extended online technique consists of a group of online participants who have agreed in advance to participate in an online discussion (whether individually or as a group), following a message (bulletin) board format over a set period of days (usually 3 to 5). The discussions are led by a skilled online moderator. Participants are requested to visit and comment one to two times per day, and to spend at least 15 minutes a day logged in to the discussion. The moderator reviews respondents’ comments several times per day (and night) and probes or redirects the discussion as needed. The online discussion is unrehearsed, nondirective and spontaneous. Time-extended online interviews help reveal the “why” of consumer behavior by uncovering the relationships among various ideas, emotions, perceptions, and behaviors.

The great advantage of the Time-extended online focus group is the depth and detail it yields (three-to-four-times as much content as the typical in-person focus group) but there are other advantages too. Respondents can be located anywhere in the United States and, because it is conducted online and can be viewed from any PC, it eliminates the need for travel. In addition, any illustrations (e.g. labeling concepts) and even videos can be shown online. The anonymity of the online environment can lead to more honest responses from the participants. Time-extended focus groups give participants time to remember, time to reflect, time to talk to others, time to visit a store, or time to check the pantry or one’s records. The extra time allows respondents to become involved and to build rapport with each other and the moderator. This extra time translates into much richer content, greater detail, and deeper insights. The requested annual hour burden for the focus group activities is 690 hours for total 1,368 respondents.

Table 1-A. Focus Groups Annual Hour Burden

Focus Groups	No. of Respondents	No. of Groups	Frequency of Responses	Hour Burden per Response (hours)	Annual Responses	Total Annual Hour Burden (hours)
	(A)	(B)	(C)	(D)	(AxB)	(AxBxC)
Focus Groups held in person annually	10	12	1	1.5	120	180
Same respondents Travel Time to a Focus Group conducted in person			1	1.0		120
One-on-One In Depth Interviews	24	1	1	.75	24	18
On-Line Time Extended In Depth Interviews	24	1	1	3	24	72
Quantitative Design Validation	100	12	1	.25	1,200	300
FOCUS GROUPS SUBTOTAL					1,368	690
GRANDTOTAL					33,775	8,791.75



(c) Provide an estimate of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. The cost to the respondents of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here. Instead this cost should be included in Item 13.

To provide annualized cost to respondents for the hour burden, the 2005 Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (Modified Date: May 25, 2006) was used from their website (www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm) which reports national median and mean hourly rates based on the Standard Occupations Code (SOC). The cost is calculated using the Median Hourly rate of $14.15 for all occupations. See Table 2. Table 2 and 2A contain the calculation of the Annual Cost per Hour Burden.

Table 2. Cost to a respondent for the hour burden for each response.

Occupation Code	Occupation Title	Median Hourly
00-0000	All Occupations	$14.15
Survey Cost per Respondent = .25 hour		$3.5375 Rounded to $3.54
Focus Group Cost per Respondent = 1.5 hours		$21.225 Rounded to $21.23
Travel Cost to Focus Group per Respondent = 1.0 hours		$14.15
One-on-One In Depth Interviews = .75 hours		$10.6125 Rounded to $10.61
On-Line Time Extended In Depth Interviews = 3.0 hours		$42.45

Table 2A. Annual Cost to Respondents for the Hour Burden
Program	Annual Hour Burden (hours) (a)	Median Hr. Rate (b)	Average Cost per Respondent (c)	Annualized Cost All Respondents (a) x (b)
Surveys @ 15 minutes per Respondent	8101.75	$14.15	$3.54 @ 15 minutes	$114,639.76
Focus Groups @ 1.5 Hr per Respondent	180	$14.15	$21.23 @ 1.5 hours	$2,547.00
Travel to Focus Group @ 1.0 Hr per Respondent	120	$14.15	$14.15 @ 1.0 hours	$1,698.00
One-on-One In Depth Interviews @ .75 hour	18	$14.15	$10.61 @ .75 hours	$254.70
On-Line Time Extended In Depth Interviews @ 3 hours over a span of time	72	$14.15	$42.45 @ 3 hours	$1,018.80
Quantitative Design Validation @ 15 minutes	300	$14.15	$3.54 @ 15 minutes	$4,245.00
Total	8,791.75			$124,403.26

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information. The cost of purchasing or contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14.)

The cost estimates should be split into two components:

a. Operation and Maintenance and purchase of services component. These estimates should take into account cost associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing information. Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred.

b. Capital and Start-up-Cost should include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software, monitoring sampling, drilling and testing equipment, and record storage facilities.

There is no expected cost to the respondents since there are no recordkeeping and or reporting burden on them associated from this data collection. In telephone surveys, the only cost may be for a household who has only a cell phone and who has exhausted his/her free minutes, but wants to continue the call. Also, if the respondent volunteers to attend a focus group in their community, they will absorb the cost of traveling to the facility.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the federal government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing and support staff), and any other expense that would have been incurred without this collection of information. You may also aggregate cost estimates for Items 12, 13, and 14 in a single table.

The estimate of annualized cost to the Federal government for all surveying activity listed in this document is $1,908,207.47. This estimate is based on the information in Table 3 below.

For the annual cost to the federal government, salaries based on year 2007 are included plus benefits of 30% for full time staff and 15% for part time staff. Long distance charges and language line charges are listed for phone surveys. Facilities cost includes leased space including maintenance and housekeeping, air conditioning, and security.

A contractor has been engaged to consult with and make recommendations for improvements to the current survey process, including methodology, scales, questionnaires and report design. The total cost of the contract is $88,800 and is a one time cost from FY 2006 funds. This expenditure will take place in 2007 and will be fully funded during the third quarter. For the purposes of this submission which lasts for 3 years, the $88,800 cost has been annualized over the 3 years.

Table 3. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government.

Statistical Cost
Performance of Registration Intake Survey, Helpline Survey, Program Effectiveness & Recovery Surveys, Internet On-Line Registration Phone Survey, Internet Applicant Inquiry / Update Survey, Analysis and Reporting.
Survey Administration	Salaries Estimated (2007 w/benefits):	Salary at 2007	+ Benefits @ 30% for full time and @ 15% for part time	Total Cost
	Section Manager GS 13 Step 10	102,132	30,639.60	$132,771.60
	Administrative Assistant GS 6 Step 3	35,749	10,724.70	$46,473.70
	Lead Analyst GS 12 Step 10	85,886	25,765.80	$111,651.80
	3 Analysts GS 12 Step 1	66,064 * 3 staff	19,819.20 * 3	$257,649.50
	1 Supervisor for Surveyors GS 11 Step 1	55,119	16,535.70	$71,654.70
	1 Customer Service Specialist GS 11 Step 1	55,119	16,535.70	$71,654.70
	1 Customer Service Specialist GS 11 Step 1	55,119	16,535.70	$71,654.70
	14 Customer Service Specialists GS 9 Step 1	45,556 * 14 staff	13,666.80 *14	$829,119.20
	4 Customer Service Specialists / Surveyors 20 hrs/wk GS 7 Step 2	18.44 * 20 hours * 52 weeks * 4 staff	2,876.64 * 4	$88,216.96
SubTotal	Salaries Estimated			$1,680,849.86
Long Distance Phone Charges	$.019581 per minute x avg 15 minutes x 12,620 completed responses in FY 2006			$3,706.68
Long Distance Phone Charges	$0.19581 per minute x avg 1:17 minutes x 29,412 attempts in FY 2006			$7,371.73
Language Line	$1.40 per minute x 528 completed responses in FY 2006			$739.20
Facilities	2,700 sq.ft. x $64.20 per square foot			$173,340.00
Consultant Contract	$88,800 annualized over the 3 year OMB collection			$29,600.00
Focus Group Incentive	Nominal Incentive to range from $50-$75 for 120 Focus Groups held in Person and a fee of $25 for 24 On-Line Time Extended In Depth Interviews (Note: Using the higher cost of $75 for the Focus Groups held in Person)			$9,600.00
SubTotal				$224,375.61
Total	Updated 10-11-07			$1,905,207.47

 15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-I in a narrative form. Present the itemized changes in hour burden and cost burden according to program changes or adjustments in Table 4. Denote a program increase as a positive number, and a program decrease as a negative number.

Definitions

Program changes should not be confused with adjustments.

i) Program change

A "Program increase" is an additional burden resulting from an action or directive of a branch of the Federal government (e.g., an increase in sample size or coverage, amount of information, reporting frequency, or expanded use of an existing form). This also includes previously in-use and unapproved information collections discovered during the ICB process, or during the fiscal year, which will be in use during the next fiscal year.

A "Program decrease", is a reduction in burden because of: (1) the discontinuation of an information collection; or (2) a change in an existing information collection by a Federal agency (e.g., the use of sampling (or smaller samples), a decrease in the amount of information requested (fewer questions), or a decrease in reporting frequency).

ii) An "Adjustment" denotes a change in burden hours due to factors over which the government has no control, such as population growth, or in factors which do not affect what information the government collects or how (e.g., changes in the methods used to estimate burden or correction of errors in burden estimates).

Table 4. Itemized Changes in Hour Burden and Cost Burden.

Changes in Hour Burden
Data Collection Activity/Instrument	Current OMB Inventory	Proposed Estimate	Program Change (hours)	Adjustment (hours)
Registration Intake Survey (RI)—Phone: increase in completed surveys	1000.00	2213.75	+1213.75	0.00
Helpline Survey (HL)—Phone: increase in completed surveys	1000.00	2213.75	+1213.75	0.00
Program Effectiveness & Recovery Survey (PE&R)—Phone: increase in completed surveys	1000.00	2208.00	+1208.00	0.00
Public Assistant—Mail*	450.00	0.00	-450.00	0.00
Housing Inspection Services—Mail*	7,500.00	0.00	-7,500.00	0.00
Internet-On Line Registration—Phone: new collection	0.00	747.50	+747.50	0.00
Internet-Applicant Inquiry/Update—Phone: new collection	0.00	718.75	+718.75	0.00
Focus Group: decrease in number of hours and respondents	780.00	180.00	-600.00	0.00
Focus Group travel: separation of travel hours	0.00	120.00	+120.00	0.00
Focus Group--Public Assistance*	480.00	0.00	-480.00	0.00
One-on-One In Depth Interviews: new	0.00	18.00	+ 18.00	0.00
On-Line Time Extended In Depth Interviews and Focus Groups: new	0.00	72.00	+ 72.00	0.00
Quantitative Design Validation: new	0.00	300.00	+300.00	0.00
Total	12,210.00	8,791.75	-3,418.25	0.00

Note *: The marked two surveys (Public Assistant and Housing Inspection Services) and focus group activity (Public Assistant) are currently bundled with the proposed IC under OMB control number 1660-0036. The mentioned ICs have been separated from the bundle after the consultation with the OMB desk officers, and will be presented as a new IC request.

The proposed total annual hour burden estimate for ICs in OMB 1660-0036 has decreased 3,418.25 hours from 12,210 hours in the current OMB inventory to 8,791.75 mostly due to the separation of the 2 surveys and 1 focus group activity (see the Note above).

For the surveys included in the FEMA Individual Assistance Customer Satisfaction Surveys in

this information collection request, the annual hour burden estimate has increased from 3,780 hours in 2003 to 8,791.75. The total program change of plus 5,011.75 hours is attributable to (1) the plan to achieve a higher confidence level with less margin of error for completed existing surveys (3,635.50 hours increase), (2) the inclusion of new survey programs (1,466.25 hours increase): Internet On-Line Registration Phone Survey, the Internet On-Line Applicant Inquiry/Update Phone Survey, (3) inclusion of new focus group programs (390 hours increase): One-on-One In-Depth Interviews, On-Line time Extended In-Depth Interviews and Quantitative Design Validation, and (4) changes in Focus Group design, that is a plan to hold fewer In person Focus Groups (480 hours decrease) during the year due to the inclusion of the One-on-One In-Depth Interviews and One-on-One Time Extended In-Depth Interviews.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.



The results will be tabulated based on the survey type and the time the results were gathered. The results of each survey will be distributed within FEMA such as to the Federal Coordinating Officers, the Individual Assistance Officers, Housing Officers and the call center and processing center Managers.

The time schedule for each survey varies depending on the survey type. The schedule is displayed in Table 5 below.

Table 5. Surveys and Report Schedule.

Survey & Report	Collection Start	Collection End	Report Expected
Registration Intake Survey—Phone Report for FCO, Program Managers and Supervisors	1 through 7 days after contact, repeated weekly with new random sample throughout the application period	60 days or after close of the application period	Per Disaster: Weekly for the first 4 weeks during the peak of the Registration process, cumulative at the end of the first month, and then again after the close of the application period
Helpline Survey—Phone Report for FCO, Program Managers and Supervisors	1 through 7 days after contact, repeated weekly with new random sample throughout the application period	60 days or after close of the application period	Per Disaster: Weekly for the first 4 weeks during the peak of the Registration process, cumulative at the end of the first month, and then again after the close of the application period
Program Effectiveness & Recovery Survey—Phone Report for FCO, Program Managers	1 through 15 days after declaration date and again for days 16 through 60 (or close of the application period) with new sample	After the first 15 days and again after the close of the application period	Per Disaster: 30-40 days after declaration date and again 30 days after the close of the application period
Internet On-Line Registration Survey—Phone Report for Program Managers	1 through 7 days after contact, repeated weekly with new random sample throughout the application period	60 days or after close of the application period	Quarterly
Internet Applicant Inquiry / Update Survey—Phone Report for Program Managers	1 through 7 days after contact, repeated weekly with new random sample throughout the application period	60 days or after close of the application period	Quarterly

17. If seeking approval not to display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain reasons that display would be inappropriate.

A valid OMB control number is recited to the respondent over the phone by the interviewer as follows: “The following questions have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under number 1660-0036”.



 18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions,” of OMB Form 83-I.

This collection does not seek exception to the certification statement referenced above.