Fasttrack Template LRP Renewal Application Process Survey

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0925-0648)

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Loan Repayment Program Survey: Renewal Application Process

PURPOSE:

The Division of Loan Repayment (DLR) proposes to conduct a small survey of Loan Repayment Program (LRP) participants who were eligible to continue in the program but did not submit a renewal application for FY 2013. This project will be conducted under OMB Control Number 0925-0648, expiration date 1/2015. This survey will gather information regarding why LRP participants chose not to continue in the program and how that might be related to the services DLR provides.

Background

For the FY 2013 application cycle, DLR noted an increased non-application rate (24.30%) over prior years in the number of LRP participants who were eligible to submit a renewal application versus the number who actually did. While the non-application rate for FY 2013 may be a part of a recent trend (FY2010=5.11%, FY 2011=4.14%, FY 2012=12.37%), DLR would like to pursue information regarding the cause of these observed non-application rates and how they relate to our extant customer service operation. This project will be conducted under OMB Control Number 0925-0648, expiration date 1/2015.

The mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to improve human health through biomedical and behavioral research. The NIH implements this mission by conducting intramural research in its own laboratories; supporting extramural research by scientists at universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutes; training basic and clinical research investigators; and fostering and supporting biomedical communication as well as public health information dissemination.

OER/OD/NIH exercises overall oversight for the policies and procedures governing the award of extramural program financial support. This represents more than 80% of the total NIH budget ($30.9 billion in FY 2012) to the extramural scientific community and academic research institutions through a variety of mechanisms including the LRP. The goal of the LRP is to encourage promising researchers and scientists to continue in their research careers by repaying up to $35,000 of their qualified student loan debt each year. Frequently, beginning scientists leave their research careers in order to pursue jobs in other types of settings. By helping them pay off their student debt, the LRP can promote the retention of these individuals in research and scientific settings.

Executive Order 12862 directs agencies that “provide significant services directly to the public” to “survey customers to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing services.” DLR’s proposed LRP survey project is consistent with these goals, and the project will garner important information regarding the experience and satisfaction of our customers.

Use of the Information Collected

Information from the survey will be used by DLR to identify areas for improvement in our current operations provided by the LRP that support and promote NIH’s mission. Depending on the results of the survey, information from the survey will be used to help us improve and refine our interactions with, and responsiveness to, our customers; refocus the strategies that are used to accomplish our objectives; and identify areas in need of improvement and enhancement. This survey will not be used to formulate or change policies. Rather, it will be used to enable DLR to be responsive to its constituents.

Plan

Sixty current LRP participants who were eligible to apply for a renewal during the FY 2013 application cycle but did not will serve as participants in the survey. Potential survey participants will be sent an email (Attachment 1) inviting them to participate in the online survey. The email will contain a link to the survey. Individuals who do not complete the survey within one week of the invitation email will be sent a second invitation email (Attachment 2). Individuals will have two weeks total from the date of the first email invitation to complete the survey, and once the survey is complete, the link will expire. See Attachment 3 for screenshots of the survey. A burden statement is included at the beginning of the online survey.

Participation in the survey is completely voluntary. No identifying information from participants will be collected, and all information provided by respondents will be maintained in a confidential manner, unless compelled by law. All electronic information will be kept on secure servers and hard copy information will be kept in locked cabinets in locked facilities. Analysis of data will be limited to descriptive statistics on the 10 questions of the survey.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Respondents will be current LRP participants who were eligible to submit a renewal application in November, 2012 (for FY 2013) but did not. A total of 302 current participants meet this criterion. Those current program participants who have been identified to participate in another survey will be removed from the pool, and 100 persons in the remaining pool will be chosen randomly to participate in the present survey. With a non-response rate of 40%, we anticipate that the final sample size will be 60.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:__Jill Mattia, Ph.D.__________________________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals	60	5/60	5 minutes
Totals

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is 2% of a Grade 15 FTE salary.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

Respondents will be current LRP participants who were eligible to submit a renewal application in November, 2012 (for FY 2013) but did not. A total of 302 current participants meet this criterion and will serve as the initial pool. Those current program participants who have been identified to participate in another survey will be removed from the pool (approximately 25%), and 100 persons in the remaining pool will be chosen randomly to participate in the present survey. With a non-response rate of 40%, we anticipate that the final sample size will be 60.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X ] No

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