Peace Corps – Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection
Peace Corps Confidential Reference Form PC-1532
OMB Control Number 0420-0006
Supporting Statement
Section A: Justification
The Peace Corps Confidential Reference Form is used to collect information from volunteer applicants’ personal references and determine whether an applicant would be a good candidate to become Peace Corps volunteer. The data gathered demonstrates whether an applicant has a suitable demeanor, pertinent qualifications, and realistic expectations for their potential role as a Peace Corps volunteer. The Peace Corps Act (22 USC2501 et seq.) authorizes the recruitment of persons for service in the Peace Corps Volunteer programs. 22USC2519 of The Peace Corps Act outlines and authorizes the need for collection of this information. 22CFR305.4 outlines the eligibility and selection standards used to determine best qualified candidates for Peace Corps volunteer service.
2. The information collected on the Confidential Reference Form as an integral part of the screening and selection process and is used to determine whether an applicant would be a good candidate as a Peace Corps volunteer. This information is submitted voluntarily from the applicants’ references of choice. References choices are: applicants’ job supervisor(s); co-worker(s); employee(s); friend(s); and/or teacher(s). References are able to receive and return the Confidential Reference Form to the Peace Corps via a Peace Corps application website, or hard-copy. The information obtained from these forms is used by the placement teams within the Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection in the Peace Corps.
Serving as a Peace Corps volunteer involves many challenges, and is not suitable for every person, the information gathered from this form helps the agency gauge applicants’ potential success in the role of volunteer. Selecting an applicant that does not demonstrate the characteristics screened may result in an unsuccessful placement, cost the agency money, may pose a risk to the applicant because of conflicting personality with persons of the host country (due to cultural differences), and may send a message to the host country that is inconsistent with the agency’s mission and goals.
The data from this form is only requested and collected at the pre-selection phase of the application process. There is no other means of obtaining the required data, and the information gathered is not shared with outside sources or other government agencies.
Peace Corps utilizes a web-based application process and includes the Confidential Reference Form as a part of this process. Applicants are able to send the Confidential Reference Form to their references of choice electronically via
the website, and the references are able to electronically return the form via the web service. Hard-copies are made available upon request only, and are especially important to ensure equal availability to those without computer capabilities. When an applicant requests hardcopy Confidential Reference Forms be sent to their references, pre-paid envelopes are also provided.
4. This information is not duplicated outside of the agency, e.g. from any other government sources or outside sources. If a candidate has “reapplied” to serve as a volunteer (either to serve an additional term, or because the applicant was not selected previously due to medical disqualifier, etc.), the placement and recruitment staff can refer back to the references on file, if, the first application was within the past two years and the application has remained “active”. New references will be requested if the references are older than two years, or if the file has become “inactive”. This is done to evaluate the applicants’ current status, as it may have changed over time.
The collection of information from the Peace Corps Confidential Reference Form does not impact small businesses or other small entities in any capacity.
6. Failure to collect this information would hinder the mission of the Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection and the mission of the agency by removing a vehicle for which the agency uses to screen for qualified and quality volunteers. If Peace Corps were unable to collect the information on this form, the agency would then run the risk of sending poor representatives into foreign countries. The actions of volunteers are highly observed, and can at times, be a part of a political statement on the behalf of the United States. The impact of a volunteer with poor performance, bad judgment, social inadequateness, or undesirable personal behavior could have a very large negative impact. By sending a poorly screened volunteer not only would it run the risk of the volunteer creating conflict in a country, attracting unnecessary and negative attention as a representative of Peace Corps and the United States, but it could also run the risk of attracting negative media and political coverage from/for the United States, foreign press, and political affiliations.
7. No special circumstances exist that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR Subsection 1320.6.
8. The agency’s notice, required by CFR section 132.8(d) was published in the federal register on June 4, 2007, Volume 72, No. 106 and appeared on page 30882. No public comments were received during the 30-day period. To date, no negative feedback has been received from references regarding the pertinence, difficulty, or quality of the questions contained within the form.
9. No payment or gift is provided to respondents.
10. Respondents are informed that the Privacy Act provides that Peace Corps may keep their identity confidential, if so requested. The form has a box to check if the individual does not authorize the Peace Corps to identify the respondent as the source. The form also has a box to check indicating that the individual authorizes the Peace Corps to identify the respondent as the source.
The agency’s policy for responding to Privacy Act requests from individuals for copies for references is as follows:
If one or more person in the group of applicants’ references requests confidentiality, no copies of the references are released. Since the individuals provide the names of the references, they could determine who requested confidentiality. A reference summary is released with generic information, nothing identifiable. Appeal rights are provided.
If requested, copies of all the references are released, but only if no one has requested confidentiality.
Privacy Act notices are printed on the form for assurance of confidentiality. It reads: (taken from the back of the Reference Form)
The Privacy Act is a federal law that states that everyone has the right to know about and receive information about, or copies of, documents about them that are maintained by the federal government. This law provides that the Peace Corps may keep the identity of the source of this reference confidential only if you request that it be kept confidential. Please indicate below whether you do or do not wish your identity reveled to the applicant.
□ I DO NOT authorize the Peace Corps to identify me as the source of this reference, nor do I authorize the Peace Corps to release a copy of this reference in its entirety to the applicant, I realize that a summary of this reference may be released without my approval.
□ I AUTHORIZE the Peace Corps to identify me as the source of this reference and to release a copy of this reference, upon request, to the applicant.
No questions of a sensitive nature are asked.
Estimates of hour burden of the collection of information:
A. a. # of Average Applicants: 12,000
b. # of Applicants who submit required references: 9240
c. Number of reference required per applicant: 3
d. Estimated Number of reference forms received: 27,720
e. Frequency of response: One time
f. Completion time: 30 minutes
g. Annual burden hours: 13,860
h. # of forms received electronically (92.7 %): 25,696
i. # of forms received hardcopy (7.3%) 2,024
Cost to respondents based on one-half hour of annual salary equivalent to Foreign Pay Scale Grade 5, Step 1:
$47,576/year = $22.79/hr = $11.40 for 1/2 hour.
There is no total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers.
14. Total annual cost to the Federal Government per annum (7.3% of 33,000 forms)
Printing (per 10,000) $ 1,435
(includes cost of paper, ink, printing labor)
Mailing out of form to references $ 830
($0.41 (postage cost) x 2,024 (#of mailings)
Return postage costs $ 830
($0.41 (postage cost) x 2,409 (#of mailings)
Analyzing information and processing $ 76,560
(see table below for calculation of labor hours)
TOTAL per annum $ 79,655
14. (continued) Labor costs per annum:
Amt of reference forms reviewed in Interview Phase by Recruiter 27,720
(9240 complete applications received * 3 references each)
Amt of time Recruiters review reference forms 1386 hrs
((3 minutes per form* 27720 forms) / 60 minutes)
Labor cost for review by Recruiters $33,228
(1386 hrs / 2087 hrs per year = 0.66 of a Recruiters’ annual salary
0.66 of Recruiters’ salary * $50,345 annual salary of a Recruiter = )
# of applications that move to Placement Assistants for Nomination 7800
(65% * 12000 applications)
Amt of time Placement Assistants screen reference forms 780 hrs
(7800 applicants * 3 references each = 23,400 reference forms
23,400 reference forms * 2 minutes per form = 46,800 min.
46,800 min. / 60 minutes = 780 hrs)
Labor cost for screening by Placement Assistants (PAs) $15,736
(780 hrs / 2087 hrs per year = 0.37 of a PAs’ annual salary
0.37 of PAs’ annual salary * $42,531 annual salary of a PA = )
Amt of time Placement Officers follow up with references (if needed) 988 hrs
(5% of annual labor hours * 2087 hrs = 104 hrs
104 hrs * 9.5 Placement Officers = 988 hours)
Labor cost for follow up with references by Placement Officers (POs) $27,596
988 hrs / 2087 hrs = 0.47 annual salary of a (POs)
0.47 of (POs) annual salary * 58,715 annual salary of a PO)
TOTAL LABOR HOURS $76,560
15. Due to an increasing number of volunteer applicants; the number of reference forms sent out has increased in-tandem. The annual burden hour has also increased in correlation to the increase in references. The cost to respondents, which was our calculation of the time burden on respondents, was erroneously entered in our previous submission. There are no actual costs to respondents.
This information will not be published for statistical use.
N/A
18. A. The agency is able to certify compliance with all provisions under Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.
This collection of information does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | Peace Corps – Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection |
| Author | nfull |
| Last Modified By | Julie Hetrick |
| File Modified | 2007-11-05 |
| File Created | 2007-11-05 |