Supporting Statement A 7.25.12

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1.  Need for Information Collection

The Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) offers a child care benefit to eligible AmeriCorps State & National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps NCCC members. This information collection consists of the forms that applicants and child care providers complete to obtain child care benefits.

A2.  Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

These forms are submitted by members of AmeriCorps and by the child care providers identified by the member for the purpose of applying for, and receiving payment for, the care of children during the day while the member is in service. Completion of this information is required to be approved and required to receive payment for invoices.

 

 A3.  Minimize Burden: Use of Improved Technology to Reduce Burden

The Corporation has contracted services for the administration of child care benefits. The vendor and the Corporation are currently working to have these forms offered online for submission of required information.

A4.  Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information by which the Corporation can meet the purposes described in A2 (above).

 

A5.  Minimizing for economic burden for small businesses or other small entities.

This collection of information will impact small businesses that are child care providers to AmeriCorps members. There is no economic burden to any small entities beyond the cost of staff time to fill out the required forms. This is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information required to verify the credentials of the child care provider and the attendance of the child at the provider’s facility.

A6.  Consequences of the collection if not conducted, conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

 

The Corporation will be unable to provide child care benefits to AmeriCorps members and payment to providers if the information is not collected.

A7.  Special circumstances that would cause information collection to be collected in a manner requiring respondents to report more often than quarterly; report in fewer than 30 days after receipt of the request; submit more than an original and two copies; retain records for more than three years; and other ways specified in the Instructions focused on statistical methods, confidentially, and proprietary trade secrets.

There are no special circumstances that would require the collection of information in any other ways specified.

A8.  Provide copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the Agency’s notice. Summarize comments received and actions taken in response to comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

The 60 day Notice soliciting comments was published on February 3^rd, 2012. No comments were received.

 

 A9.  Payment to Respondents

Payments are given to providers for child care services rendered which are verified through the submission of required forms.

  

A10.  Assurance of Confidentiality and its basis in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

Information provided by respondents is subject to the Privacy Act and the following Privacy Act Notice is included on the information collection. The information requested on AmeriCorps Childcare Application is collected pursuant to 42 U.S.C 12592 and 12615 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 as amended, and 42 U.S.C. 4953 of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 as amended. Purposes and Uses - The information requested is collected to evaluate applications for the childcare subsidy made available to AmeriCorps members by law, and to evaluate applications to provide the childcare. Routine Uses - Routine uses may include disclosure of the information to federal, state, or local agencies pursuant to lawfully authorized requests. In some programs, the information may also be provided to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to determine the existence of any prior criminal convictions. The information may also be provided to appropriate federal agencies and Department contractors that have a need to know the information for the purpose of assisting the Department’s efforts to respond to a suspected or confirmed breach of the security or confidentiality or information maintained in this system of records, and the information disclosed is relevant and unnecessary for the assistance. The information will not otherwise be disclosed to entities outside of AmeriCorps and CNCS without prior written permission. Effects of Nondisclosure - The information requested is mandatory in order to receive benefits. 

A11.  Sensitive Questions

 

The information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature.

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

We expect approximately 750 AmeriCorps members and 1,500 child care providers respondents to use these child care benefit forms. The frequency of response is once. The estimated per respondent is 30 minutes. The total burden hours are 1,125.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

There are no additional costs to the respondent.

 

A14. Cost to Government

There are no additional costs to the Government.

A15. Reasons for program changes or adjustments in burden or cost.

Not applicable.

 

 A16.  Publication of results

Not applicable because the responses to this information collection will not be published. 

 

A17.  Explain the reason for seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.

Not applicable.

 

 A18.  Exceptions to the certification statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement in the submitted ROCIS form.

3