Sponsor Support Statement

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

FOR

NAVAL ACADEMY SPONSOR APPLICATION FORM

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Need for Information Collection. This information requirement is needed by officials to determine the eligibility and overall compatibility between sponsor applicants and Fourth Class Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. An analysis of the information collected is made by the Sponsor Program Director during the process in order to best match sponsor with midshipmen. 10 USC Chapter 603.

2. Description and practical utility of the information collection activity

Description: This information is used to assign midshipmen to sponsors, to maintain a record of the names and addresses of families assigned as sponsors or who are interested in the Sponsor Program, and to contact sponsors either by phone or written correspondence. The Naval Academy will also use the information to conduct background checks available through national, state, local agencies and NCIC databases.

Practical Utility: To assist the Naval Academy in managing the US Naval Academy Sponsor Program.

3. Minimize Burden. In order to minimize the burden on the respondent the Naval Academy has designed the forms in a manner that enables the sponsor candidate to complete the application on-line.

4. Non-Duplication. The information requested is not available to the Naval Academy from any other source.

5. Minimizing of Burden for Small Businesses. This collection of information does not impact small businesses or other small entities.

6. Consideration of Alternatives. There is no alternative method of collecting the requested data on-line. Use of this application is the only accurate and specific method to determine an applicant's suitability.

If the information were not collected, it would result in the Naval Academy’s inability to endorse sponsors.

7. There are no special circumstances for this collection.

8. The 60-day Federal Register notice published April 20, 2007 (72 FR 19887). No comments were received.

9. No payment of gift will be provided to respondents.

10. Confidentiality. The information that is collected is handled, stored, and disposed of in accordance with existing Department of Defense procedures for safeguarding information held for official use only. It is not reported or published. In addition, compliance is made with the Privacy Act of l974 and OMB Circular A-108.

11. Sensitive Questions. No information of a sensitive nature is required.

12. Estimates of Burden. The total respondent burden was derived by trial for an individual respondent. It is estimated that 800 sponsor candidates submit the requested information to the Naval Academy each year.

Number of respondents: 800

Frequency: On occasion

Response time: 1 hour

Number of responses per respondent: 1

Annual burden: 800 (one response per respondent)

This estimate is calculated through experience. The individual burden on applicants will not vary widely.

Cost to respondents: $20,000

The average cost burden for each respondent will be approximately $25. Costs were calculated as burden hours (1) x labor rate/hr. ($25).

13. There will be no additional cost burden to respondents.

14. Costs to the Government. The total dollar costs to the Naval Academy to process, analyze, and maintain the requested information is $28,500. This estimate is made by multiplying the hours necessary to handle a form by a labor rate. Approximately 500 direct labor hours are requested to handle the forms for a total of 3500. A composite labor rate of $25 per hour (including 25% overhead) is used to calculate a total of 25,000.

15. This is an existing collection in use without an OMB control number.

16. The results of this information collection will not be published.

17. Approval is not sought for avoiding display of the expiration date for OMB approval.

18. There will be no exceptions to the certification statement identified in Item 19; "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions," of OMB Form 831.

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

The information collection activity does not employ statistical methods or techniques.