DOL Response to Comment

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Attn: Brenda Aguilar

OMB ICR Reference Number 201202-1205-005, VOW Emergency Approval Request

COMMENT:

OMB wanted to know how DOL will be able to identify the participants without the SSN.

AGENCY RESPONSE:

The VA will provide DOL with the following information to identify veterans that have completed or terminated training: Name, File Number, Birth Date, email, phone number, and Occupational Objective. This is sufficient to identify the veterans.

COMMENT:

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) commented on the proposed Information Collection Request that they “do not believe that the information being gathered and reported to the VA will allow the Workforce System to easily identify and contact these veterans for further service.”

AGENCY RESPONSE:

The DOL information collection was designed to reduce the burden on applicants by leveraging an existing VA approved information collection “Application for VA Educational Benefits” (OMB Control Number 2900-0154, VA Form 22-1990). This approach streamlines the application process for the applicant and removes redundant questions which may exist in a different application system.

DOL and VA have an agreement which allows USDOL staff to access a report, through a secure system, that includes the following information on any veterans who complete or terminate training: Name, File Number, Birth Date, email, phone number, and Occupational Objective. This information will be shared, also using a secure process, with State Workforce Agencies, which will provide this information to local workforce areas so that they can offer employment services to the veterans who completed or terminated training. ETA believes this satisfies TWC’s concern regarding the level of data being collected and that the combined data collection is sufficient to contact veterans to offer employment services.

ETA also would like to point out that the application is available electronically, and a veteran may access this training without going to a One-Stop Career Center. It is anticipated that most veterans who complete the training may not be in case management systems yet, and will not be until the employment services are offered. This should reduce TWC’s concern about matching individuals with records in their case management systems.