National Crime Victimization Survey

NCVS 570
(August 2007)

National Crime
Victimization Survey

Regional Office Manual

This document does not contain any Title 13 data
or other Personally Identifiable Information. All
data are fictitious and any resemblance to actual
data is coincidental. Consistent with Field
Division Policy, any person names or codes
referenced in the exhibits or illustrations are not
meant to refer to any actual persons, especially
any current or former Census Bureau employees.
Also, any map feature names or codes are not
meant to refer to actual states, counties, places,
streets, addresses or other map features.

NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

National Crime Victimization Survey
Regional Office Manual
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction to the National Crime Victimization Survey
Topic 1 -

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Topic 2 Description of the National Crime Victimization Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purpose of the National Crime Victimization Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Legal Basis for the Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Confidentiality Provision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Privacy Act of 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sponsorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Uses of the Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Users of the Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Survey Sample Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Sample Population and Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Primary Sampling Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tabulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-3
1-3
1-3
1-3
1-4
1-4
1-4
1-4
1-5
1-5
1-6
1-6

Topic 3 Overview of Major Survey Operations in the Regional Office . . . . . . . . . . . .
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assignment Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interviewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Budget and Cost Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-7
1-7
1-7
1-7
1-8
1-8
1-8
1-9

Chapter 2 - Activities of the Survey Cycle
Topic 1 Using the NCVS Activities Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Calendar Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technologies Management Office (TMO) Loads ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interviewing and Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Goal Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

Releasing NCVS Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RO Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-4
2-4
2-4
2-5

Topic 2 Advance Preparations and Making Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Advance Preparations for Each Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
1990 Sample Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Read the NCVS Office Memorandum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Prepare for Monthly Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Add New FRs to the ROSCO Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Unit Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Permit Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Area Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
GQ Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Provide FRs Segment Folders for the Current Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Prepare Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Letter Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mail Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Setting/Adjusting Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Zip Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Apply Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Adjusting Assignments – Print the Workload Summary Report (CAPI 3) . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Print the FR List of Assigned Cases Report (CAPI 35) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Enter Transmittal Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Mail FR Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Check Segments for Additional Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Release Assignments to the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Transmit FR Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Monitor Assignment Pick Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Topic 3 Daily Routine: Monitoring and Check-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Monitoring Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Check-In Completed Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cases Not Checked-In Report (CAPI 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

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Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
QC Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RE Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supplemental QC Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Procedures to Identify PSUs for FRs Working ALMI TOI . . . . . . . .

2-14
2-14
2-14
2-14
2-14

Topic 4 Resolving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Laptop and Transmission Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Difficult Respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-17
2-17
2-17
2-18
2-18

Topic 5 End of the Survey Cycle Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
End of Month Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Closing Out the Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reviewing/Charging Type A Noninterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reviewing Converted Type A Noninterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Populating FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing End of Month Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FRs Running Laptop Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reviewing Reassigned Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assessing Temporary Reassignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleaning Up an Interview Period from Four Months Ago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-19
2-19
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-21
2-21
2-21
2-21
2-21
2-22

Topic 6 Regional Office/Headquarters Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Headquarters Liaisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operations Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
US Postal Service Address for HQ (LCSB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Federal Express Address for HQ (LCSB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HQ EMail Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On the Census Bureau Intranet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-23
2-23
2-23
2-34
2-23
2-24
2-24
2-24

Appendix 2A - Accessing the RO ALMI TOI Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25
Chapter 3 - Forms, Materials and Memoranda
Topic 1 Forms and Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

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Topic 2 NCVS Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Types of Numbered Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Office Memoranda Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Field Representative Memoranda Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS Reinterview Memoranda Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Disposition of Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Library File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Numbered Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unnumbered Memoranda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-6
3-7

Topic 3 Disposition of Forms and Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Forms and Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCS-510 Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-8
3-8
3-8
3-8

Chapter 4 - Introduction to the Database
Topic 1 The Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Relational Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tables and Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rows and Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Binary Large Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charts of Database Tables and Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-2
4-2
4-2
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-4
4-4
4-4
4-4

Topic 2 Accessing ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Accessing ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Topic 3 ROSCO Title, Menu, and Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Information Help Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How-to Help Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ROSCO Title Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ROSCO Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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The File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Operations Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ROSCO Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Standard Icons Always Displayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other Icons – Toolbar Icons Displayed on SOME Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-10
4-10
4-11
4-11
4-11
4-12

Topic 4 ROSCO Queries, Filters, and Sorts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Retrieving and Viewing Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Query vs. Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Query Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Columns Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operators Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Values Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining a Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Query Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining a Query Using the Query Expression Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Verify Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Count Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hints for Complex Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Filter Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to Define a Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sorting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to Define a Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-14
4-14
4-14
4-14
4-14
4-15
4-15
4-15
4-16
4-17
4-17
4-17
4-17
4-19
4-19
4-20
4-20

Topic 5 Using the SQL Select Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List All Columns and All Rows in One Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting Specific Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling Column Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting Specific Rows – The WHERE Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Search Conditions - The AND Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Alternate Search Conditions - The OR Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Negative Search Conditions < !=> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A List of Values – The IN Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Matching Character Patterns – The LIKE Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The DISTINCT Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ordering Rows – The ORDER BY Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The COUNT Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Subqueries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Tables in One Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The JOIN Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-22
4-22
4-24
4-25
4-25
4-25
4-26
4-26
4-27
4-28
4-29
4-29
4-30
4-31
4-34
4-35
4-35

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August 2007

Appendix 4A - ROSCO Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List of Table Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
– CURRENT SURVEYS – . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ADDRESS_HISTORY & ADDRESS_INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BOOST_BLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE_ACTIVITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CMFILE_IN, SUPV_REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_ADDRESS_HISTORY & CM_ADDRESS_INFO_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_CASE_IN & CM_CASE_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_CONTACTS_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_HH_ROSTER_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CM_INTERVIEWING_CASE_IN & CM_INTERVIEWING_CASE_OUT .
CONTACTS & RESTING_CONTACTS_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONVERTED_TYPE_A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DELIVER_TO_MCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_INTVPERIOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_LEAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FR_X_PSU (ALMI TOI Table) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HH_ROSTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTERVIEW_PERIOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LETTER_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LETTER_LANGUAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAIL_MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MAIL_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NOTES (BLOb) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PAL_INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PLACE_ZIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REASSIGNMENT_REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RECYCLE_LIMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RELOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REPORT_FILE_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTING_ADDRESS_HISTORY & RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO . . . . . .
-vi-

4-37
4-37
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-38
4-39
4-40
4-40
4-40
4-40
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-41
4-42
4-42
4-42
4-42
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-43
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-45
4-45
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

RESTING_CASE_HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTING_BOOST_BLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTING_INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RO_CODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SEGMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SERVER_JOB / OLD_SERVER_JOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SCHEDULED_JOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STUDY_INTVPERIOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TRANS_GOAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
USER_JOB_STATUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WORKLOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
– REINTERVIEW TABLES – . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SUPP_QC_FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FALSIFICATION_NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CMFILE_IN, RI_SUPV_REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_ADDRESS_INFO_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_CASE_IN & RI_CM_CASE_OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_CONTACTS_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_REINTERVIEW_IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RI_CM_INTERVIEWING_IN & RI_CM_REINTERVIEWING_OUT . . . .
RI_WORKLOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-45
4-45
4-45
4-45
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-46
4-47
4-48
4-48
4-48
4-48
4-48
4-49
4-49
4-49
4-50
4-50

Appendix 4B - ROSCO Field Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-51
Scheduled Job Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outcome Code/Action Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Action Code Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-84
4-85
4-86
4-87

Chapter 5 - Training and Observations
Topic 1 NCVS Training and Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Topic 2 Adding New Staff to the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Edit FR Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

Edit FR’s Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Team Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print FR Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print FR Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-3
5-3
5-3
5-4

Topic 3 Training NCVS Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supervisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clerks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Field Representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-5
5-5
5-5
5-6

Topic 4 Purpose and Types of Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purpose of Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Initial Observation (–1, and –2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Needs (SN) Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Performance Review (GPR) Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-7
5-7
5-7
5-7
5-8

Topic 5 Observer’s Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11-62, OJT and Observation Self-Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11-62A, OJT and Observation Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NCVS 524, NCVS Induction Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reporting Observed Cases in GUI Case Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-9
5-9
5-9
5-9
5-9

Topic 6 Advance Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Materials Provided for Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preparation of Form 11-62A, On-the-Job Training and Observation Report . . . . . . .

5-11
5-11
5-11
5-12

Topic 7 Selecting FRs for Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Initial Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N–1, Initial Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
N–2, Initial Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Performance Review (GPR) Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Single Survey (S)FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multi-Survey (S)FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Needs (SN) Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Needs(SN) Observation Fulfills GPR Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Schedule FRs and SFRs for GPR Observation Once Each Fiscal Year . . . . .

5-13
5-13
5-13
5-13
5-13
5-14
5-14
5-14
5-14
5-15
5-16
5-16

Topic 8 Selecting Observers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
General Qualifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
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Previous Observation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Topic 9 Timing of Special Needs Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arranging the Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Low Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Low Response Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other Reasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-18
5-18
5-18
5-18
5-18

Topic 10 Length of Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Number of Observed Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Length of –1 Initial Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Length of N–2 Initial Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Performance Review and Special Needs Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-19
5-19
5-19
5-19
5-20
5-20

Topic 11 FR Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notify by Electronic Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notify by Memorandum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Observer Contacts FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-21
5-21
5-21
5-21

Topic 12 Feedback to the FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Provide Timely Feedback to the FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Appendix 5A, Notification of Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Chapter 6 - Assignment Activities
Topic 1 Field Representative Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Edit FR Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Edit FR’s Survey Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Other Uses of the Edit Survey Data Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Delete an FR From the Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Undelete an FR From the Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Mark an FR On Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Adding FR Codes in the Telecom Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Editing FR Survey Data for Team Leaders (SFRs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Edit Team Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Deleting a Team Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Designating a Temporary Team Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Print FR Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
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Print FR Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ROSCO Surveys Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FRs On Leave Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Designate an FR on Leave for the Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-12
6-13
6-13
6-14

Topic 2 Sample Control Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sample Control Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View/Edit Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Add to View/Edit Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mail Merge (Customized Respondent Letters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Letter Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Letter Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generating Source Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generate the Source File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select Letter Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting up the Merge Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of Merge Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
<> Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From the “Generate Data Source File” Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tracking Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print Respondent Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Segments with Additional Units – Identify Segments with Additional Units . . . . . . .
Segments with Additional Units – Check Folder for Identified Segments . . . . . . . . .
Key Additional Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Checking for New PSUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View Historical Resting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Resting Information Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address Information Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Case History Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notes Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sample Count Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Identical Segment Folder Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Respondent Letters Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-15
6-15
6-15
6-15
6-18
6-18
6-20
6-20
6-22
6-22
6-23
6-24
6-28
6-29
6-30
6-30
6-30
6-30
6-31
6-32
6-32
6-33
6-33
6-34
6-35
6-35
6-36
6-37
6-37
6-38
6-39

Topic 3 Using Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display By PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-40
6-40
6-40
6-40
6-41

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Conventions for the Edit Assignment Parameters Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Steps to Assign an FR to Entire PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Steps to Assign FRs to Portions of a PSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Assignment Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Remove an FR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Change an FR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Change One FR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To Delete a Row for a Lower Level Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Apply Parameters to Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-41
6-42
6-42
6-43
6-43
6-43
6-44
6-45
6-45

Topic 4 Adjusting Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Assigning the Unassigned Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Adjusting the Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Make/Adjust Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Topic 5 Releasing the Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Set Assignment Start and Due Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
To Set Assignment Start and Due Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
To Set the Same Start and Due Date for All FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Check Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Release and Transmit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-53
Chapter 7 - Monitoring Progress
Topic 1 Transmission and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Encrypting, Decrypting, Zipping, and Unzipping Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Create and Send Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Create a New Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Send a Previous Mail Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Make Transmissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
View In Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
View Out Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
View Job Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Topic 2 Check-In Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Description of Check-In Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Team Leader Status Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
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Daily Laptop Report (CAPI 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Control Numbers Assigned But Not On Laptop Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Daily Receipt Report (CAPI 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Cases Not Checked Report (CAPI 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Segment Folders Not Checked In Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Topic 3 Check-In/Status Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Supervisory Review: General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Supervisory Review: Non Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
The Address Information Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
The Customized Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
The View More Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Reassigning a Noninterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Accepting a Noninterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Eliminating a Noninterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Changing a Noninterview Outcome Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Supervisory Review: Duplicates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Accept or Eliminate a Duplicate Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Supervisory Review: Failed Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
At First, No Action is Required for Failed Edit Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
When Failed Edit Cases Require a Remedy Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Supervisory Review: Extra Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Inserting an Extra Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Deleting an Extra Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
View/Reassign Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Reassigning a Case on the View/Reassign Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Run Check-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Check-Out/Check-In Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Assigning and Checking-out Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Checking-in Segment Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Requesting Keystroke Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Appendix 7A - Schedule of Automatic Transmissions by RO* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Appendix 7B - Schedule of Automatic Check-ins by RO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Appendix 7C - Variables in the Customizable Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39

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Chapter 8 - Noninterviews
Topic 1 Types of Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Introduction to Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Type A Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Type A - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Type B Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Type B Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Type B - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Type C Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Type C Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Type C - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Topic 2 Office Control of Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Control the Number of Type A Noninterviews in Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
No One Home (NOH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Temporarily Absent (TA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Refusals (Ref) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Type A - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Discuss Refusals and Offer The Following Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Send Refusal Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Provide Other Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14
Confirmed Refusals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Charging Duplicate and Confirmed Refusals or Congressional Refusals . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Other Occupied - specify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Topic 3 Procedures for Type B Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17
The Only Type B in Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17
Topic 4 Procedures for Type C Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
All Type Cs Stop in Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
Reinstating Type Cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18
Topic 5 Procedures for Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
Minimizing Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-20
Procedures for Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-21
Designating household members as Type Z Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-21
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August 2007

Denial of Access to Multi-Unit Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23

Topic 7 Using ROSCO to Print Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
Create the Letter File in .RTF Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
Summary of ROSCO Merge Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25
Set Up the Letter in ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Print Respondent Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Sample Letter Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
Appendix 8A - Letter to Respondents who Refuse to Cooperate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
Appendix 8B - Letter to Manager of a Multi-Unit Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Appendix 8C - Title 13 - Confidentiality Citations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-35
Chapter 9 - End of the Survey Cycle Operations
Topic 1 -

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

Topic 2 Reviewing Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Review/Charge Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Review Converted Type A Noninterviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Topic 3 Resolving Missing Cases/Closeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Check-In Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
FRs Make Final Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Resolve Missing Cases Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Cases Not Checked-In And Not In Supv Review Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Cases Not Checked In But In Supv Review Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Cases Not in MCS Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Cases Pending MCS Processing Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Spawned Cases on Laptop Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Potentially Dangerous Cases Not Submitted to DAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Closeout Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
The Closeout Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Closeout Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Reopening for Late Arriving Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
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Topic 4 Closeout/Clean-Up Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Description of Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Report - Converted Cases by FR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Report - Final Status (CAPI 7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Report - Final Outcome Code (CAPI 8) – RO Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Report - Final Outcome Code (CAPI 8) – FR Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Type A, and Z Report (CAPI 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Type C Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Topic 5 Populating the FR Performance Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Populate the FR Performance Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Topic 6 Clean Up the Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Clean Up Interview Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Clean Up Instrument on Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Topic 7 Clean Up the Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Clean Up Monthly Cases on Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Clean Up Monthly Instrument on Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Chapter 10 - Reinterview
Topic 1 Overview of NCVS Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Purpose of NCVS Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Timing of NCVS Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Topic 2 Sample Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Types of CAPI Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
The QC Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Reinterview Sample Person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
The Supplemental QC Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
The Focused Reinterview Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Reinterview Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Topic 3 -

Supervisor’s Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
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Topic 4 Reinterview Assignment Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Before SFRs Can Receive RI Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Make Reinterview Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Release Reinterview Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Reassign a Reinterview Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
When Reinterview Cases Become Unassigned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Reinterview Assignment Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Topic 5 Focused and Supplemental Quality Control Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Procedure for Activating Inactive Supplemental QC Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Procedure for Selecting Supplemental QC FRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Topic 6 Monitoring Reinterview Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Transmissions and Utilities for Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Reinterview Check-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Reinterview Progress Reports in ROSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Reinterview Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
View/Reassign Reinterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Flagging Observed Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Topic 7 Suspected Falsification, Follow-Up, and Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Falsification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Reinterview Discrepancies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Quality Control Reinterview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Supervisory Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Falsification Suspected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Follow up in Current Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Complete Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Send Yellow Cover Page to Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Focused Reinterview Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Complete the Remainder of Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Additional Requirements for Follow-up of Suspected Falsification . . . . . . . . 10-26
Contact Subject Matter Branch at Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Do Not Take Any Administrative Action until Notified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Falsification Not Suspected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Detailed Instructions for Completion of the Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Frequently Asked Questions for Completion of Form 11-163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Reasons for Not Filling out a Form 11-63, Field Representative Data Falsification
Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
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Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Minor Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Serious Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Topic 8 Reinterview Outcome Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Reinterview vs. Interview Outcome Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Assignment of Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Topic 9 Reinterview Closeout Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Resolve Missing Reinterview Cases Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Reinterview Close Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Appendix 10A - Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes . . . . . . . . 10-35

Chapter 11 - Performance of the NCVS Staff
Topic 1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Responsibility for Employee Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Measuring FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
Topic 2. Monitoring Monthly Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Performance Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
FR Performance Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Monitoring FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Form 11-39, Summary of FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Response and Production Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Transmission Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Observation Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
Reinterview Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Topic 3. Generating the 11-39, Summary of FR Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Populate the FR Performance Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Update the FR Data in SPAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
Load the Performance Data in SPAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Key Hours and Miles Into SPAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Modify Performance Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Print the 11-39s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Topic 4. Conducting Performance Appraisal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
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The Performance Appraisal System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Supervisory Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Unsatisfactory Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-10
Topic 5. Evaluating Clerical Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-11
Appendix 11A Performance Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-13

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Chapter 1. Introduction to the NCVS Survey
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.

Overview

1-2

2.

Description of The National
Crime Victimization Survey

1-3

3.

Overview of Major Operations
in the Regional Office

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Topic 1. Overview
Overview

This chapter introduces the integrated data
collection system for the National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS).
Field Representatives (FRs) collect NCVS data
with a laptop computer. They are assigned to a
regional office and work out of their homes.
Interviews are conducted in person or by
telephone.

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Topic 2. Description of the National Crime Victimization
Survey
Purpose of the National
Crime Victimization
Survey

The National Crime Victimization Survey obtains
detailed information on the extent to which
persons have been victims of certain types of
crime. The survey focuses on selected crimes that
are of major concern to the general public. Since
this survey asks about all such victimizations, it
reflects crimes that are reported to the police as
well as those that are not reported. It is also the
only current source of detailed information on the
characteristics of both the victim and the crime.

Legal Basis for the
Survey

All data for the NCVS are collected under the
authority of Title 42, United States Code, Section
3732.

Confidentiality
Provision

All information collected as part of this survey is
held in strictest confidence under Title 13 of the
United States Code and is seen only by sworn
employees or agents of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Any information from the survey that is disclosed
or released to others will be handled in such a
manner that individuals cannot be identified.
Unauthorized disclosure of individual information
by a sworn Census Bureau employee is punishable
by a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up
to five years, or both.
The confidentiality statement on the NCVS
questionnaire reads:
“We are conducting this survey under the
authority of Title 13, United States Code, Section
8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all

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information about you and your household strictly
confidential. We may use this information only
for statistical purposes. Also, Title 42, Section
3732, United States Code, authorizes the Bureau
of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, to
collect information using this survey. Title 42,
Sections 3789g and 3735 United States Code, also
requires us to keep all information about you and
your household strictly confidential.”

Privacy Act of 1974

The provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 require
that Federal Agencies provide individuals with the
following information when collecting personal
information:
1.

Authority: Title 13, USC, Section 182

2.

Compliance: Voluntary

3.

Penalty for not participating: None

Sponsorship

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Justice sponsors the NCVS. The
Bureau of the Census acts as the collecting agency
for the NCVS. The Bureau of Justice Statistics
tabulates the information, analyzes the data, and
publishes the findings.

Uses of the Survey Data

The information obtained by the NCVS improves
the effectiveness of the law enforcement, judicial,
and correctional agencies throughout the country
by providing a more complete and up-to-date
picture of the extent of crime in the United States.

Users of the Survey
Data

In addition to the Department of Justice, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) routinely
distributes information from the NCVS to state
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and regional planners, colleges and universities,
commercial and industrial groups, citizen groups,
professional associations, and Federal, state, city,
and local police, courts, correctional agencies, and
legislative bodies.

Survey Sample Design

The NCVS collects data from approximately
10,000 sample units monthly. The samples are
identified by the letter “J” and a two-digit number.
Each sample consists of 6 rotations. Sample units
in a particular sample-rotation will be interviewed
once every 6 months. Each rotation is further
divided into 6 panels or months. Thus, one-sixth
of the rotation will be interviewed each month
during a 6 month period.

NCVS Sample
Population and Size

Any noninstitutionalized person who is 12 years of
age or older and lives in the United States is
eligible for the NCVS. Every 6 months,
approximately 60,000 housing units and other
living quarters such as college dormitories and
religious group dwellings, are sampled. This
means that 60,000 households every 6 months or
10,000 sample households every month are
interviewed seven times every 6 months for 3
years.
Persons who are not included in the scope of this
survey include:
o

Crew members of merchant vessels,

o

Armed Forces personnel living in military
barracks,

o

Institutionalized persons, such as
correctional facility inmates.
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Primary Sampling
Units

The households to be interviewed for the NCVS
are selected by scientific sampling methods from
specific sampling areas across the United States.
We refer to these sampling areas as Primary
Sampling Units (PSUs).

Tabulations

The findings from the NCVS are tabulated. The
data are published by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. Copies of
the publications are made available to the regional
offices for distribution to other interested persons.

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Topic 3. Overview of Major Operations in the Regional
Office
Training

The survey supervisor trains field representatives
and office clerks.
Initial training consists of a self-study, 4 days of
classroom training, and on-the-job training during
the first two assignments. Additional training
consists of periodic home study exercises and
group classroom training sessions.
Training also involves teaching clerks the office
procedures. This consists of on-the-job training
for various office activities, including use of the
ROSCO application (see Chapter 4). Clerks also
complete all self-studies and classroom training
given to the field representative staff.

Assignment Operations

Prior to, or during FR training, assignment
operations take place. Assignment operations
include entering/updating FR data, preparing
respondent letters, assigning cases, and releasing
assignments to the field.

Interviewing

Interviewing consists of gaining the household’s
cooperation and then asking questions of all
household members age 12 or older in each
selected household. Knowledgeable household
members who meet the proxy requirements may
serve as proxy respondents for other household
members.
You will conduct personal visit (PV) interviews
for Time-in-Sample (TIS) 1 cases. Maximize
telephone interviews for TIS 2-7 cases. Personal
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visit interviews for TIS 2-7 cases only if needed to
get the interview.
Observation

Each month the NCVS Supervisor must review the
performance of the FR staff and the initial training
requirements to select FRs and SFRs for
observation.
The main objective of the observation is to help
the FR improve his or her interviewing skills.
While there is no specific number of interviews to
observe, the NCVS Supervisor must ensure that
the observation provides enough varying
situations to accurately evaluate the FR’s
performance.

Reinterview

Reinterview is the systematic review of a FR’s, or
a SFR’s work to determine the quality of coverage
and to detect possible falsification. Reinterview is
usually completed within two weeks of the
original interview. The program supervisor is
responsible for ensuring reinterview is completed
in a timely fashion.
Reinterview involves re-contacting the sample
household and re-asking survey questions.
Results from the reinterview are then compared to
the original interview and discrepancies are noted
and discussed with FRs.
Cases of suspected falsification are reported on
form 11-163.

Closeout

Closeout is performed on the last business day of
every month. Review your NCVS activities
calendar for the exact monthly closeout dates.
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Budget and Cost
Review

August 2007

At the conclusion of every month and quarter, cost
reports are reviewed and analyzed to ensure that
the costs of field and office operations are within
the budget allocations. The regional office reports
budget variances every quarter.

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Chapter 2. Activities of the Survey Cycle

Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic

See Page

1.

Using the NCVS
Activities Calendar

2-2

2.

Advance Preparations and
Making Assignments

2-6

3.

Daily Routine:
Monitoring and Check-in

2-15

4.

Resolving Problems

2-20

5.

End of the Survey Cycle
Operations

2-23

6.

Regional Office/HQ
Communication

2-27

Appendix 2A Accessing
the RO ALMI TOI
Review

2-30

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Topic 1 - Using the NCVS Activities Calendar
Overview

HQ sends a monthly activities calendar for the
NCVS. Many of the tasks are for RO office staff,
but some activities will alert you when to expect
reports or shipments. The tasks are color coded by
responsibility: HQ, RO, and FR/Supervisory Field
Representative (SFR).
Documents containing office procedures and FR
instructions, are posted on the Field Directorate
Website each month.

Calendar Activities

While all activities on the calendar are important,
there are some activities that are vital to the
success of the NCVS. These milestone include:

Technologies
Management
Office (TMO)
loads ROSCO

At the beginning of the month, TMO will load the
ROSCO database with the cases for the next
month. Once ROSCO has been loaded, you can
begin to make your assignments.

Interviewing and
Listing

FRs begin interviewing on the 1st of the month.
For the 1990 design cases in unit and permit
segments, FRs verify/list at the time of interview.
For area and GQ segments, FRs list several
months before interview. Some segments may be
updated at the time of interview if the segment
folder is assigned at the same time.
For detailed listing and sampling instructions for
the 2000 design cases review the following Listing
and Coverage Manuals:
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Goal Dates

August 2007

1.

Form 11-8, Volume 1 - Current Surveys
Listing and Coverage Manual and,

2.

NCVS-256L Listing & Sampling Supplement
for NCVS Regional Office Manual.

HQ has established dates by which each RO
should have a certain percentage of their cases
completed (i.e., RO transmission goals).
Completed cases include complete interviews,
Type As, Type Bs, and Type Cs. This is how the
rates are calculated;
1. The first, second, and third goals are the 7th,
14th, and 21st calendar days of the month.
2. The percentage rate assumes 5% per day for
the first and second goal. The third goal is always
90%.
3. If the 7th or 14th fall on a Friday, Saturday,
or Sunday, then the goal date moves to the
following Monday, with an upward adjustment to
the percentage rate goal, assuming 5% per day.
4. If a national holiday preceeds the 7th or 14th,
then make a downward adjustment of 5% to the
percentage goal, for the goal that is first affected
by the holiday.
5. If a national holiday preceeds the 21st, then
move the goal date to the next available nonFriday office workday, but do not adjust the 90%

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goal.
6. If the 7th, 14th, or the adjusted goal date
from #3 above, fall on a national holiday, then the
goal date moves to the next available non-Friday
office workday, with a upward adjust for the
additional days and a downward adjustment for
the holiday, assuming 5% per day.
7. If the 21st falls on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday
or a national holiday, then the goal date moves to
the next available office workday, with no
adjustment to the 90% goal.
Releasing NCVS
Assignments

On the last week of the month the RO staff can
release the FR assignments for the next month.

FR Closeout

FRs closeout the day before the RO closeout.

RO Closeout

RO closeout is scheduled at 12:00 noon local time
on the last weekday of the interview month.
On the day following RO closeout, HQ staff
prepares and sends out a report with the
preliminary final response rate and closeout date
and time.

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Reinterview

August 2007

Reinterview continues for 2 weeks after office
closeout. Reinterview cases should be transmitted
on a daily basis. For further information about
reinterview, refer to the reinterview chapter in this
manual.

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Topic 2 - Advance Preparations and Making Assignments
Advance Preparations
for Each Month

Each month, there are a variety activities to
complete before NCVS interviewing week begins.
These preparation activities are explained below.
For more detail, see Chapters 5 and 6 of this
manual.

1990 Sample Only

For complete 2000 design listing instructions refer
to the NCVS-256L Listing and Sampling
Supplement for NCVS RO Manual.

Read the NCVS Office
Memorandum

The memo, along with any attachments, is posted
on the intranet each month.

Prepare for Monthly
Observations

Plan which FRs and SFRs need to be observed
during the month and who will conduct the
observation. See Topic 4, Purpose and Types of
Observations, and Topic 5, Observer’s
Instructions, in Chapter 5, Training and
Observations, of this manual for details on initial,
special needs, and General Performance Review
(GPR) observations.

Add New FRs to the
ROSCO Database

If new FRs need to be trained on NCVS, make
sure to add them to the FR and FR_Survey tables
in ROSCO. Also, add new FRs to the ROSCO
assignment parameters table before you apply the
assignment parameters.
See Chapter 5, Training and Observations,
Topic 2, Adding New Staff to the Database, for
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detailed instructions on updating the database in
ROSCO.
Segment Folders

Form BC-1669, Segment Folder, is a resealable
plastic bag that contains a label sheet with the
Survey, RO, PSU, Segment, ZIP Code, Frame,
Place/MCD, and County. Segment folders are
used for unit and permit segments.
For NCVS the segment folders are by PSU and
segment.

Unit Segments

Unit segments have a segment folder only if the
segment has an 11-12, Multi-Unit Listing Aid
(MULA). Unit segment folders may also have an
11-3, Unit Permit Listing Sheet, and locator
materials.

Permit Segments

All permit segments have a segment folder with an
11-3, Unit Permit Listing Sheet.

Area Segments

Area segments do not have segment folders. FRs
use the Automated Listing and Mapping
Instrument (ALMI) to locate sample addresses.
ALMI contains listing of sample cases and map
spots that show the location of each sample
address.

GQ Segments

GQ Segments do not have segment folders. FRs
use the Group Quarters Automated Instruction for
Listing (GAIL) to locate addresses. GAIL
contains listings of GQ sample units and a map
with map spots that show the location, and GQ

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sample designations on a paper listing.
Provide FRs
Segment Folders for
the Current Month
Prepare Respondent
Letters

Provide the FRs segment folders for all unit and
permit segments to be interviewed during the
current month.
Respondent letters will be stuffed into envelopes
at NPC in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and sent in bulk
to the RO. The RO will need to print respondent
letter labels and affix them to the respondent
letters. The RO staff will review the mailing
labels for insufficient addresses to ensure that a
letter is not sent to those households.

Letter Labels

From the ROSCO menu, select Operations/
Sample Control / Print Respondent Labels. Select
the correct Label Type and print the labels.

Mail Letters

The RO or FR mails the respondent letter as
appropriate.
Mail letters to units that have deliverable mailing
addresses. Do not send letters to units in rural
areas unless the RFD route number, box number,
town, state, and ZIP codes are known.

Setting/Adjusting
Assignment Parameters

PSU

Assignment Parameters are set based on how the
program supervisor assigns NCVS cases. The
main parameter choices are PSU, Place, and ZIP
Code.
If the workload in a PSU is the size of one
assignment, assign the entire PSU to one FR.

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Place

If the workload in a PSU is more than one
assignment, assign the PSU workload to FRs by
place or groups of places.

ZIP Code

If the workload in a place is too large for an
individual FR, assign the place workload to FRs
by ZIP Code.

Segment

Do not use segment as a NCVS assignment
parameter.

Apply Assignment
Parameters

Apply assignment parameters and adjust the
assignments once you are allowed to make
assignments for the next interview period.

Adjusting Assignments –
Print the Workload
Summary Report
(CAPI 3)

After applying the assignment parameters, print
the Workload Summary Report (CAPI 3). The
CAPI 3 displays assigned cases by either
PSU/Segment/ Place, FRs Without Work, or PSU.
Use this report to make sure FR assignments are
evenly balanced and assignment areas are kept
compact to minimize FR travel. Keep the ratio of
personal visit cases to telephone cases reasonable.
Use ROSCO to adjust the assignments. Print the
Workload Summary Report again after making
adjustments.

Print the FR List of
Assigned Cases
(CAPI 35)

The FR List of Assigned Cases (CAPI 35)
contains Title 13 data, as well as, Personally
Identifiable Information (PII). Send this report
ONLY to SFRs. DO NOT sent CAPI 35s to the
FRs.

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Refer to the CAPI 35s along with the workload
summaries (CAPI 3s) when making assignments.
Enter Transmittal Goals

Before you release assignments, you can enter up
to six FR transmittal goal dates and percentage for
each interview period. Note: you are required to
meet the RO transmittal goals set by HQ.

Mail FR Assignments

Ship the following materials to the FRs and SFRs:
9

CAPI-35s - To SFRs ONLY;

9

Segment folders (if appropriate);

9

Addressed letters if not mailed by the RO;

9

Non-addressed advance letters, flashcard
booklets, pamphlets, stamps, etc.;

9

Any supplies requested by the (S)FR;

9

Copies of the monthly FR memo sent to the
RO from HQ; and

The FRs should receive these materials BEFORE
they receive their transmitted assignments.
Check Segments for
Additional Units

Before you can release assignments, check to see
if any segments have been flagged for potential
additional units. To do this, go into Operations/
Sample Control Operation/ Segments with
Additional Units/ or Identify Segments with
Additional Units, or Check Folder for Identified

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Units. You are required to click the “Done Button
(” on the Check Folder screen before you can
release assignments. For detailed information on
these activities, refer to Chapter 6, Assignment
Activities, of this manual.
Release Assignments to
the Field

After adjusting to the FR assignments, release the
assignments to the field. Select the Release
Assignments to Field option on the Assignment
Operations sub-menu of the Operations menu.
Once assignments are released to the field, they no
longer display in the Assignment Operations.
Changes can be made through the View/Reassign
Cases activity under the Sample Control
Operations sub-menu.
Do NOT release assignments until ALL
assignments are correct. Once assignments are
released to the field by all 12 ROs, a process
creates the files for reinterview.

Transmit FR
Assignments

After releasing FR assignments, make a
transmission to release assignments to the
telecommunications server. FRs are responsible
for “picking up” their assignments with a
transmission.

Monitor Assignment
Pick Up

View the OUT Directory to monitor the FRs
picking up assignments. Before the interview
period begins go into ROSCO, Operations/
Transmissions and Utilities. Contact FRs whose
assignments are not yet picked up.

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Topic 3 - Daily Routine: Monitoring and Check-in
Overview

This topic provides an overview of the daily
activities performed by the RO staff during the
NCVS interview period. During this time, your
primary duties include monitoring the progress of
your FRs and (S)FRs and checking in completed
work.

Monitoring Progress

FRs are expected to transmit completed work and
hours and miles data to HQ every night of
interview week. Each morning, the RO staff
should print and review the Check-In Reports.
These reports include:
9
9
9
9

Daily Receipt Report (CAPI-1)
Team Leader Status Report
Daily Laptop Report
Cases Not Checked In Report

We discuss more details about generating these
reports in Chapter 7, Monitoring Progress, of this
manual. Use the Check-In Reports option to
monitor the progress and cost of your interviewing
staff so they will complete NCVS interviewing on
time, within budget, and with an acceptable
response rate.
Check-In Completed
Work

Every morning, check the IN Directory to verify
that early morning check-ins were successful.
These early morning check-ins run at 5:30 a.m. for
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Eastern Time Zone ROs, and at 6:30 a.m. for
non-Eastern Time Zone ROs. You will also need
to process cases in Supervisory Review and
review paperwork and mail messages submitted to
the RO from the FRs and SFRs.
Supervisory Review

Cases in Supervisory Review are not checked in
by ROSCO (i.e., are not counted towards your
number of completed cases), but are held for you
to review and decide whether the case should be
accepted, reassigned, or eliminated. Cases that
come into Supervisory Review include:
9
9
9
9
9

Noninterviews (All Type A and C cases, and
Type B - Other cases)
Duplicate Cases
Extra Units
Failed Cases
Partials

You should process the cases in Supervisory
Review each day. For more information about
using the Supervisory Review activity, see
Chapter 7 of this manual.
Progress

Cases Not Checked-

It is the survey supervisor’s responsibility to
ensure that the interviewing staff is making
adequate progress and that the RO is on track for
meeting the 35%, 70%, 90%, and 100%
transmittals goals and closeout date listed on the
NCVS monthly activities’ calendar.
Print the Case Not Checked-In Report (CAPI 4)

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In Report (CAPI 4)

toward the end of the interview month. As the
interview period comes to a close, this report also
allows you to monitor the uncompleted work of
individual FRs. It is sorted by FR code, control
number, and interview period for each FR.

Reinterview

The monthly reinterview file is created after
regular assignments are released.

QC Reinterview

Two-thirds of the reinterview cases are in Quality
Control (QC) reinterview. Every month, QC cases
are selected for a different set of FRs. Each FR
will be selected for QC reinterview two or three
times in the 15-month QC selection cycle.

RE Reinterview

One third of the reinterview cases are in Response
Error (RE) reinterview. RE cases are selected
from the entire workload and used to measure
response error between answers in the original
interview and the reinterview.

Supplemental QC
Reinterview

Supplemental QC reinterview provides RO staff
the opportunity to select additional cases for QC
reinterview. If an FR is selected before
assignments are released, DSMD selects the
supplement QC cases. After interviewing begins,
RO staff can select supplemental QC cases.

Registering S/FRs for
ALMI TOI Map Updates

S/FRs use ALMI TOI maps on their laptops to
locate sample addresses.
ALMI TOI - Automated Listing and Mapping
Instrument that is used at the Time of Interview.

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You must register S/FRs for the Census map
updates on the “Send TOI Files” under FR
Operations in ROSCO.
Register S/FRs for the PSUs (counties) where they
work on the “Send TOI Files” screen as follows:

1.

Click the “Insert” button to add an FR, select
a PSU from the drop-down list, and click the
“Send Now” box. Repeat this for each PSU
the FR works in.

2.

For FRs already in table, if “Latest Version”
is later than “Latest Date Sent”, click the
“Send Now” box.

3.

To click the “Send Now” box for more than
one PSU and/or S/FR, highlight the lines and
click the “Send Now” icon (hockey puck) on
the tool bar.

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4.

Click the “Save” button to save changes.

5.

Click the “Send TOI” button to send TOI
files to the FRs whose “Send Now” boxes are
checked.

ROSCO puts the TOI files (one per PSU per S/FR)
on the server for the S/FRs to pick the next time
they transmit. The TOI file (s) will merge with the
dataset(s) whenever the FR opens the map.
See Appendix 2A RO ALMI TOI Review on
desktop PCs.

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Topic 4 -

August 2007

Resolving Problems

Overview

In addition to monitoring the progress of your FRs
and reassigning cases for follow-up, resolve
problems with as little delay as possible to the
interviewing cycle. Problems you resolve during
the course of the interview period may include
laptop and transmission problems, ROSCO
problems, and difficult respondents.

Laptop and Transmission
Problems

During initial training, instruct FRs to first discuss
laptop problems with their Team Leader. If their
Team Leader is not available they can call the RO.
If an FR calls you with a laptop problem, you can
refer them to one of the two following documents:
9

11-903a, Getting Started – Administrative:
Classroom Workbook
“Computer Troubleshooting Guide”

9

11-7(WIN), Windows Laptop Users Guide
Useful sections include: Chapter 7,
Transmissions, Chapter 11, Password
Recovery, Chapter 12, Software Problems,
and Chapter 13, Hardware Problems

If you are unable to resolve the laptop problem
using these documents, contact your RO IT
Specialist.
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If you are still unable to resolve the problem,
submit a Remedy ticket to the Technical
Assistance Center (TAC). Your RO IT Specialist
can show you how to use the Remedy software.
Notify the HQ NCVS liaison of urgent problems.
When submitting a Remedy Ticket or calling the
HQ liaisons with an FR laptop problem, send the
FR’s name, FR code, telephone number, and best
time to call. Also include the screen name where
the problem is occurring and any error messages
that were displayed.
ROSCO Problems

If you experience problems with ROSCO, check
your NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization
Survey Regional Office Manual and/or the
ROSCO Help screens. If you are unable to resolve
your problem and still need assistance, contact
your RO IT Specialist, or submit a Remedy ticket
to get assistance from TAC. If you still cannot
resolve the problem, call your NCVS HQ liaisons.
When you submit a Remedy ticket or call a HQ
liaison to report a problem, be sure to include the
screen name where the problem occurred and any
error message that is displayed.

Difficult Respondents

FRs and SFRs may contact you for help in dealing
with difficult respondents. Follow your RO’s
policies for following up with difficult
respondents.

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Topic 5 End of Month
Operations

August 2007

End of the Survey Cycle Operations
RO staff completes several end-of-month activities
before printing out the final monthly survey
reports. Details for end of survey operations are
covered in Chapter 9, End of the Survey Cycle
Operations. End-of-month operations include:
9
9
9
9
9
9

Closing Out the Survey on Time
Reviewing/Charging Type As
Reviewing Converted Type As
Populating the FR Performance Table
Printing End of Month Reports
FRs Running Laptop Cleanup

RO staff also prepare for the upcoming interview
period by:
9
9
9

Reviewing Reassigned Cases
Assessing Temporary Reassignments
Editing Assignment Parameters

Finally, RO staff cleans up an Interview Period
from four months ago.
Closing Out the
Interview Period

Use the two Resolve Missing Cases screens when
closing out the interview period.
9

Cases Not Checked In and Not in
Supervisory Review displays cases that
need to be transmitted in.

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9

August 2007

Cases Not Checked In But In Supervisory
Review displays cases that are in
Supervisory Review. You must go to the
regular Supervisory Review screens to
resolve these cases.

The other two screens display cases that are
already checked in. When all cases are checked
in, the close out “Hand” is activated. Clicking the
“Hand” creates a closeout file for the RO.
Reviewing/Charging
Type A Noninterview
Cases

The Review/Charge Type A screen permits you to
charge the Type A to a different FR code or
change the Outcome code to a different Type A.
This task may have been completed while
accepting the Type A case in Supervisory Review.

Reviewing Converted
Type A Noninterview
Cases

The Review Converted Type As screen permits
you to review Type A cases that were reassigned
to different FRs in Supervisory Review and then
were converted to different (non-Type A) outcome
codes.
Even though the cases was converted to different
outcome codes, the screen allows you to charge
the Type As to any FR including A01, as
appropriate.

Populating FR
Performance

The Populate FR Performance saves historical FR
data for the current month. Make sure to complete
any Type A adjustments from reviewing Type As
before populating FR performance. The current

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August 2007

month’s reinterview must also be closed out
before you can run this process.
Printing End of Month
Reports

Print the following end of month reports:
9
9
9
9

CAPI 6, Type A, Z Report
CAPI 7, Final Status Report
CAPI 8, Final Outcome Summary
Type Cs and Extras

FRs Running Laptop
Cleanup

In the future we may need to impose a maximum
number of interview cycles that can be stored on
FR laptops by having them run “Cleanup Cases
and Instrument” on their laptops. If we need to
implement this at a later time we will let you
know.

Reviewing Reassigned
Cases

The Review Reassigned Cases screen permits you
to review the cases that were reassigned in the
current month and assign the cases to the original
FR or the “reassigned” FR in future months.

Assessing Temporary
Reassignments

The Temporary Reassignments screen permits you
to assign cases to a different FR for particular
future interview periods. This different FR takes
assignment priority over the FR in the assignment
parameter table.

Editing Assignment
Parameters

Edit the assignment parameter table to
accommodate cases that were unassigned after you
applied the parameters this month. Make these
changes before applying the assignment
parameters to the sample next month.

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Cleaning Up an
Interview Period from
Four Months Ago

August 2007

When a new interview period loads, the oldest one
must be cleaned up (removed).
Four interview periods are usually available in
ROSCO since interview periods cannot be
removed until 90 days after the completion of
Reinterview.

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Topic 6 - Regional Office/Headquarters Communication
Headquarters Liaisons

RO staff can call or send survey-related questions
via electronic mail to HQ liaisons in the Labor and
Crime Surveys (LCSB) at - FLD Labor and Crime
[email protected]
HQ liaisons answer routine questions directly, and
obtain answers for more detailed questions from
Demographic Surveys Division (DSD) or
Demographic Statistical Methods Division
(DSMD) staff.

Technical Assistance
Center (TAC) Support

Submit a ticket in the Remedy Action Request
System to send ROSCO or laptop questions to the
Technical Assistance Center (TAC) staff . If you
call TAC support staff directly, TAC will
complete and submit a ticket for your call.
Periodically, TAC staff sends e-mail messages
announcing the release of the production
instruments, or current problems/resolutions that
are affecting the field staff.

Operations Logs

Periodically, LCSB HQ staff e-mail an NCVS
Operations (Ops) Log with survey-related
information – from reminders and notices to things
that require clarification or immediate attention.

US Postal Service

US Census Bureau
Rm. 5H130C
4600 Silver Hill Rd
Washington, DC 20233
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Federal Express

HQ E-mail Information

August 2007

US Census Bureau
Rm. 5H130C
4600 Silver Hill Rd
Suitland, MD 20746
[email protected]
E-mail share account used by the HQ NCVS
liaison staff.
[email protected]
E-mail list that includes the generic RO account
for all 12 ROs.
Caution: Be careful when you select the option to
“Reply to All” or “Reply to All with History”
when responding to a message that was sent to
group E-mail addresses. If you don’t change the
address to FLD Labor and Crime Surveys, your
reply will be sent to all accounts on the group list.

On the Census Bureau
Intranet:

FLD LCSB intranet address is accessible under the
Current Surveys tab from the Field Directorate
homepage.
Current Surveys : LCSB Document Library :
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
This site contains memos, cost reports, training
materials, manuals, etc.

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APPENDIX 2A - ACCESSING THE RO ALMI TOI REVIEW
The ALMI TOI Review feature allows RO staff to
review the automated maps the FRs use locate
sample addresses at Time of Interview. The two
desktop applications needed to conduct an ALMI
TOI Review are:
•

ROSCO

•

ALMI Standalone

Note: ALMI TOI is Read Only. The RO staff and FRs
cannot update ALMI maps at Time of Interview.

In ROSCO, click Operations > FR Operations >
Send TOI File.

Creating the Cmage
(.cmg) File in ROSCO

Step 1. Highlight the FR code and PSU line.
Then click the TOI Review button to create a .cmg
file for that PSU (county).

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A ROSCO message will indicate that you are
about to request TOI data. Click OK to continue.

Another ROSCO message will indicate that the
.cmg file is ready for review. This means the .cmg
file for the PSU (county) has been saved on the
C:drive on your PC. Minimize or exit ROSCO.

The .cmg files are stored at C:\ROSCO\TOIFiles.
Cmage Filename
Deciphered

The .cmg file has a rather long name 880882005220051123011756.cmg.
88088 - PSU (Psuedo State and County codes)
20052 - version of the dataset (county map)
200511 - TOI date version
23011756 - the cmage number
Once a .cmg file is created for a PSU, it can be used to
review other blocks in the (PSU).

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Log Onto the ALMI
Standalone

August 2007

Step 2. Click on the ALMI Standalone button on
your desktop PC and click the Log On button.

Log in at the bottom of the Confidentiality
Agreement screen.
•

The User name is prefilled with “ALMI
Standalone User”.

•

Enter the password and click OK.

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The Settings Window

August 2007

Step 3. In the “Settings” window:
•

Section 1 - Set Mode to “RO Review:
Original Listing”

•

Section 2 - This section is filled when the
dataset and .cmg county files are loaded.

•

Section 3 - Set “Non-NHIS or NHIS”, as
appropriate.

Note: If your screen displays an almost blank window with
a F6 ALMI button in the bottom left corner, click File >
Settings on the top menu bar to get to the “Settings”
window.

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Loading the Data Sets
from the CD/DVD Drive

August 2007

Each PSU (county) is a separate dataset file on the
CD/DVD.
Here is an example of a filename:
ALMI_88008_20051
88008 - PSU (Pseudo State and County codes)
20051 - dataset version
Step 4. Place the Data Set disk in the CD/DVD
drive, click the “Import” button in section 2. Then
on the “Import” screen:
•

Click the drop-down button in the “Look in”
field, and select the “D”drive.

•

Highlight the correct dataset (county) file
from the list on the “Import” window, and
click Open. The data set will load.

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Loading the Cmage File
from the C:drive.

August 2007

Step 5. After the data set file loads, the “Select
MAGE...” screen displays. On “Select MAGE”:
•

Click the down arrow at “Files of type” and
se
le
ct
CM
A
G
E
fil
es
fr
om the drop-down list.

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August 2007

Select the C:drive from the drop-down list next to
“Look in”.

•
Selec
t the
Rosc
o
folder
from the C:Drive, then TOIFiles from the Rosco
folder.

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•

August 2007

Highlight the correct file from the list on the
“Select MAGE” window and click Open.
The .cmg file will load.

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The Settings screen will reappear with the State
and County now displaying in item 2.

After verifying Non-NHIS or NHIS in item 3,
click the OK button.
Step 6. The mostly blank screen displays with the
F6 ALMI button in the bottom left corner. Click
the F6 ALMI button.

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Step 8. The ALMI Standalone Window now will
display. Select:
•

“Block” from the Map Type drop-down list.

•

Tract from the Tract drop-down list.

•

Block from the Block drop-down list.

•

Click the Open Map button.

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The map for block 1000 displays on the screen.

The ALMI map screen displays:
•

A MAP VIEW of the shaded block (pink on
the screen) with a list of addresses directly
below the map in the ADDRESS VIEW.

•

The View Bar on the left has the navigation
features used for Time of Interview.

•

Many of the other toolbar features are not
active for Time of Interview (TOI).

Note: Block 1000 above has no housing units.

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The View Bar

The Tools Bar

August 2007

The View Bar has the zoom, pan and size buttons
that allow you to adjust the ALMI TOI map view.
A few of these buttons include:
•

Rect - Click Rect and draw a rectangle
around an area to enlarge it.

•

Pan - Click the Pan arrows to resposition the
map in eight different directions.

•

Spot - Click on Spot to zoom in and center a
selected map spot.

•

Zoom In and Out buttons

•

Buttons to increase or decrease the size of
map text or map spots.

The Tools Bar has:

•

Find - to locate map features

•

Ruler - to measure distances

•

Clear - to eliminate highlighted feature or
ruler markings

•

Check boxes for switching features ON and
OFF

For more details on how to use the ALMI TOI
maps, see the 11-826 Self-Study and 11-826a,
Quick Reference Guide.
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Other Ways to Open
ALMI TOI Maps

August 2007

To open block maps in a different way, make
different choices at the ALMI Standalone screen.
•

Select “Open Map in ALMI” from the Map
Type drop-down list.

A list of available tracts and blocks will display.
•

From the list, select the tract and block, then
click the Load Block Map button.

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August 2007

The map will display on your screen.
To Select Another
Tract and Block Map

To select another tract and block from the same
dataset (county), click the top-right “X” to close
the ALMI map.
To select another tract and block from a different
dataset (county), go back to the “Settings” screen
and load the different dataset (county).

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June 2006

Chapter 3. Forms, Materials, and Memoranda

Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic

Page

1.

Forms and Materials

3-2

2.

NCVS Memoranda

3-6

3.

Disposition of Forms and
Reports

3-8

3-1

Forms, Materials and Memoranda

NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual

June 2006

Topic 1. Forms and Materials
Overview

This chapter lists the forms and materials used for
NCVS. Refer to the appropriate chapter
containing information on field operations for an
explanation of each of these forms.

3-2

Forms, Materials and Memoranda

NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Form
No.
11-3
11-8
11-12(WIN)
11-35
11-36
11-38
11-38A
11-38A(SP)
11-39
11-49A
11-55
11-55 RO
11-62
11-62A
11-62(NCVS)
11-107
11-142

Supply
Contact

Title

June 2006
Supply
Request
Method

Unit/Permit Listing Sheet (1990)
J'ville
AICS
Listing and Coverage Manual: A Survival
Guide for the Field Representative
J'ville
AICS
Winfred Payroll Training Guide
FLD-Adm
AICS
FR Assignment and Control
Computer Generated
INTER-Field COMMunication
(INTER-COMM)
J'ville
AICS
Request for Appointment
J'ville
AICS
Request for Appt. (Door Hanger)
J’'ville
AICS
Request for Appt. (Door Hanger-Span.)
J'ville
AICS
Summary of NCVS FR and SFR Performance Computer generated
Notification of Observation
Computer generated
Administrative Handbook for Int. and P/T
Schedule A Employees
FLD-Adm
AICS
RO Admin. Handbook
FLD-Adm
AICS
On the Job Training and Observation Self Study J'ville
AICS
On the Job Training and Observation Report
J'ville
AICS
NCVS Appendix
J'ville
AICS
Report of Field Division Training
Computer Generated
Workload Report
HQ
LCSB

3-3

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NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Form
No.

Supply
Contact

Title

11-230
11-800
11-801
11-802

Transmittal for Segment Materials
Initial Training Self-Study on Unit Segments
Initial Training Self-Study on Area Segments
Initial Training Self-Study on
Permit Segments
11-803
Initial Training Self-Study on Group Quarters
BC-20
Field Division Training Manual
BC-27
Time and Cost Distribution Report for
Part-Time/Intermittent Personnel
BC-27A
Field Employee's Travel Expenses
BC-27B
Field Employee's Communication
BC-27C
Field Employee's Worksheet for Recording
Number of Local Calls
BC-1669(NCVS) Segment Folder
BC-1718(ADP) 1990/2000 Sample Redesign Incomplete
Address Locator Actions
NCVS-110
Fact Sheet
NCVS-521(E)
NCVS CAPI Blaise Self-Study for Experienced
NCVS FRs

J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
J'ville

June 2006
Supply
Request
Method
AICS
AICS
AICS
AICS
AICS
Tel/cc:Mail

J'ville
J'ville
J'ville

AICS
AICS
AICS

FLD-Adm
J'ville

AICS
AICS

Prefilled by J'ville
J'ville
AICS
J'ville

AICS

3-4

Forms, Materials and Memoranda

NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual
Form
No.

Title

NCVS CAPI Blaise Training Guide for
Experienced NCVS FRs
NCVS-522.1(E) NCVS CAPI Blaise Training classroom
Workbook
NCVS-524
Induction Guide

June 2006

Supply
Contact

Supply
Request
Method

J'ville

AICS

J'ville
J'ville

AICS
AICS

J'ville

AICS

NCVS-522(E)

(an updated CAPI version forthcoming)

NCVS-546

Reinterviewer’s Manual (1997)
(an updated CAPI version forthcoming)

NCVS-547

Reinterviewer’s Self-Study (1997)
(an updated CAPI version forthcoming)

NCVS-550
NCVS-551-large
NCVS-551-small
NCVS-554
NCVS-554)X)
NCVS-570
NCVS-572(L)

Interviewing Manual For FRs (7\2006)
NCVS Rotation Chart 17 x 22
NCVS Rotation Chart 8-1/2 x 11
Information Card Booklet
Information Card Booklet (Spanish)
Office Manual
Respondent Letter - Incoming Households
(each RO has an RO-specific NCVS-572(L)
NCVS-572(L)CHIN/M
Respondent Letter (Modern Chinese)
NCVS-572(L)CHIN/T
Respondent Letter (Traditional Chinese)
NCVS-572(L)KOR
Respondent Letter (Korean)
NCVS-572(L)SP Respondent Letter (Spanish)
NCVS-572(L)VIET Respondent Letter (Vietnamese)
NCVS-573(L)
Respondent Letter - Returning Households
NCVS-573(L)SP Respondent Letter (Spanish)
NCVS-593(L)
NCVS-593(L)SP
NCVS-594(L)
NCVS-594(L)SP

Thank You Letter - Continuing Households
Thank You Letter (Spanish)
Thank You Letter - Outgoing Households
Thank You Letter (Spanish)

J'ville
AICS
J’ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
J'ville
AICS
LCSB Tel/cc:Mail
LCSB
Automatic

J'ville

AICS

J'ville

AICS

J'ville
J'ville
J'ville
LCSB
J'ville

AICS
AICS
AICS
Automatic
AICS

LCSB
J'ville
LCSB
J'ville

Automatic
AICS
Automatic
AICS

3-5

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NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual

June 2006

Topic 2. NCVS Memoranda
Types of Numbered
Memoranda

There are three NCVS Memoranda which are sent
to the Regional Offices on a monthly basis. They
are the Office, Field Representative, and
Reinterview Memoranda described below.

NCVS Office
Memoranda Series

NCVS Office Memoranda contain instructions to
program supervisors and office staff for
interviewing explanations of new or revised
materials and procedures. This series is numbered
in order by calendar year.

NCVS Field
Representative
Memoranda Series

NCVS Field Representative Memoranda contain
FR and SFR instructions and other NCVS subjects
of concern to FRs and SFRs who work on NCVS.
This series is numbered in order by calendar year.

NCVS Reinterview
Memoranda Series

NCVS Reinterview Memoranda contains
instructions for office staff of current, new or
revised information. This is numbered in order by
the calendar year.

Disposition of
Memoranda

Disposition of Memoranda vary according to the
type of memoranda as described below:

Library File

Maintain a library file of all numbered and
unnumbered NCVS memoranda for 1 year after
the year to which the file pertains. For example,
discard library files for 2004 in January 2006.

Numbered
Memoranda

Discard extra copies of numbered memoranda
(other than the Library File) 3 months after the
year of issue. For example, discard memoranda
prefixed "05" during March 2006. LCSB will
inform you if a memorandum should be retained
longer.

3-6

Forms, Materials and Memoranda

NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Unnumbered
Memoranda

June 2006

Discard unnumbered memoranda (other than the
Library File) after the instructions have been
completed or noted.

3-7

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NCVS 570 National Crime Vicitimization Survey Regional Office Manual

June 2006

Topic 3. Disposition of Forms and Reports
Manuals

Discard all superseded manuals or manual pages
immediately upon receiving the revised pages.

Forms and Reports

Discard blank copies of forms and reports when
they are replaced by a revised version (unless
instructed otherwise).

NCS-510 Segment
Folders

Retain NCS-510 segment folders and cover cards
for segments in which no new samples will be
selected or added (e.g., "inactive" segments, with
their maps and listing sheets) in an "inactive" file
until you are notified of their disposition.

3-8

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

July 2007

Chapter 4. Introduction to the Database
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.

The Database

4-2

2.

Accessing ROSCO

4-6

3.

ROSCO Title, Menu, and Toolbars

4-8

4.

ROSCO Queries, Filters and Sorts

4-15

5.

Using the SQL Select Command

4-26

Appendix 4A -

ROSCO Tables and Fields
for the NCVS (sorted by
table name)

Appendix 4B -

Descriptions of the Fields
4-57
in the NCVS ROSCO
Database Tables (sorted by
field name)

4-1

4-43

NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Topic 1 -

July 2007

The Database

Overview

This chapter provides an introduction to the NCVS
database with its tables and fields. ROSCO
software is programmed to display NCVS
information from the database on the screen or in
printed reports. You can also query the database
tables directly using Structured Query Language
(SQL) – pronounced “see-quill.”
SQL is an ANSI standard computer language for
accessing and manipulating databases.

The Relational Database

A relational database is a collection of data items
organized in tables from which data can be
accessed or reassembled in different ways without
having to reorganize the original database tables.

Tables and Columns

The tables (which are sometimes called relations)
are objects that contain one or more data
categories in columns. In the database design
phase, each table is established based on its own
set of unique characteristics. Then, relationships
between the tables are determined. This form of
data management is more efficient than using flat
file structures.
For example, some of the major current survey
tables and data columns are:

4-2

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

July 2007

9

FR Table A names, address, and telephone
numbers of the FR staff for all surveys

9

FR Survey Table A survey-specific data
such as Team Leader and survey start and
due dates

9

Address Info A sample case street address,
place, State, and ZIP Code

9

Interview Period A RO Team milestones
such as released assignments, closeout, and
when historical data is saved

9

Workload A data for each sample case such
as control number, FR code, interview
number, outcome code, MAFID, and over
100 other columns.

Rows and Records

Rows contain the detail level of the table. For
example, the FR and FR survey tables contain one
row for each FR. The Address Info and Workload
tables include one row for each sample case. One
row for each RO team is included in the Interview
Period table.

Fields

The data is stored in fields.

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Data Types

Text

July 2007

There are various data types available in the
databases: Character, Number, Date, etc. The
survey databases typically use data types:
Called CHAR or VARCHAR2, text is used for
names, addresses, etc. The maximum number of
characters that can be stored in a text field should
specified as part of the table definition. The width
of each text column has been defined by HQ
developers.
CHAR data type columns have a fixed length,
while VARCHAR2 data type columns have a
defined maximum length but the actual length
depends upon the data stored in the column.

Date

The default date format is DD-MM-YYYY
(e.g., 20-10-2005).

Number

Columns defined as numbers can only store one or
more numerical digits.

Binary Large
Object

Binary Large Object (BLOB) data types are used
to store “files” associated with a “thing.” For
instance, with the introduction of GUI Case
Management, notes are now stored in a file. This
file is stored in the database in a BLOB field.

Charts of Database
Tables and Columns

Appendix 4A, ROSCO Tables and Fields for

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NCVS, displays the table names and a list of
columns (field names) in each table.
This information is included in this manual to
provide RO staff with the table and column names
required for the SQL statements. ROs use the
button/activity in ROSCO to execute
SELECT statements (i.e., no delete, update, or
insert statements).
Not all field names are intended for use by each
survey. For example, some tables (and reports)
have fields related to CATI. Not all surveys
conduct CATI interviewing, but for continuity
across surveys, the database tables include the
columns referring to CATI. If the survey does not
use CATI these columns will be empty.
Appendix 4B, Descriptions of the Fields in the
NCVS ROSCO Database Tables, lists
columns/field names in alphabetical order.
Included in this chart is a brief description of the
data stored in the column. When appropriate, the
description provides a definition of any coding
used.

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Topic 2 -

July 2007

Accessing ROSCO

Overview

The ORACLE database can be accessed via the
button/activity in ROSCO. Most of the
RO staff access the database using the ROSCO
menus to query, sort, filter, and view more.
However, RO staff can also use SQL to execute
their own SELECT statements.
If the RO needs certain information or information
in a particular format that is not available through
ROSCO menu selections, use the
button/activity to extract the data and specify the
desired format via the button.

Accessing ROSCO

Some menu selections display screens which are
used to enter, edit, display, and delete information
in the database.
To access the database, use the following steps to
login to ROSCO:
Step 1.

From the Start button, go to Surveys,
then ROSCO.

Step 2.

After the initial ROSCO splash screen
disappears, select “NCVS” on the
Survey Selection Dialog Box. Your
RO should already be selected/
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displayed. If not, contact your RO IT
Specialist.
Step 3.

In the next dialog box, select the
team(s) whose information you wish
to access if your survey uses teams.

Step 4.

Select the correct interview period on
the Interview Period Dialog Box.

The main screen of the ROSCO application is
displayed. Once connected, you are able to make
menu selections to display entry/edit screens, to
create reports, and perform survey management
tasks.

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July 2007

ROSCO Title, Menu, and Toolbars

Overview

A menu-driven system is established as the basis
for interaction with the database. From the pulldown menus, the RO staff clicks a menu selection
to initiate a desired activity.

Help Screens

Help screens are provided for every function,
dialog box, and icon in ROSCO. The Help
Contents are organized by operations (for
example, Assignment Operations, FR Operations,
Reports, etc.). When necessary, a function has a
general information help screen and a specific
how-to help screen. For example, the icons that
appear on most screens in ROSCO are explained
in the help screen “Standard Icons in ROSCO.”
General Information Help Screens
The general information help screen for each
function contains:
9

the menu path for the function;

9

the purpose of the screen;

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9

the procedural steps you must have
completed before you can perform this
function;

9

the procedural steps that follow this
function;

9

rules and conventions for the screen;

9

additional functionality available on the
screen;

9

definitions of the fields on the screen; and

9

a list that references related topics and icons
on the screen.

How-to Help Screens
The how-to help screens contain:
9

the menu path for the function;

9

the purpose of the screen;

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9

step-by-step instructions for performing the
function;

9

help information for dialog boxes; and

9

a list that references related topics and icons
on the screen.

The ROSCO Title Bar

The title bar at the top of the window displays the
title of the application (ROSCO) and information
regarding the survey (NCVS), RO Team (if
applicable), and Interview Period(s) currently in
use.

The ROSCO Menu Bar

ROSCO uses a menu-driven system to access its
features. From the various menus available, the
RO staff click options to initiate the desired
activity.
The ROSCO menu bar contains the titles of the
pull-down menus. The menu bar changes
depending upon which part of ROSCO you are
using. The menu consists of three main items:
File, Operations, and Help.

The File Menu

The File menu consists of the following tasks
(which also appear as icons on the toolbar):
9

Log-in Survey
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The Operations
Menu

9

Select Interview Period

9

Select RO Team (if applicable)

9

Exit

July 2007

Most tasks in ROSCO are performed via the
Operations Menu which consist of the following
main options:
9

Reports

9

FR Operations

9

ROSCO Survey Overview

9

ROSCO Respondent Address Search

9

Sample Control

9

Assignment Operation

9

Check-in/Status

9

Transmissions and Utilities

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The Help Menu

The ROSCO Toolbar

9

Reinterview

9

Closeout/Cleanup

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The Help menu consists of the following:
9

Help Contents

9

About [ROSCO]

The toolbar displays the icons available for the
screen that is currently displayed. The top row of
icons on the toolbar is the same throughout the
system. The bottom row of icons changes
depending upon the screen displayed.

Standard Icons
Always Displayed

The following table highlights the standard icons
on the top row of the toolbar that are always
displayed and their functions:

Standard Toolbar Icons Always Displayed
Login

Displays the Login Dialog Box which allows you to
select a different survey, i.e., log out of current survey
and log in to different survey.

Period

Displays the Interview Period Dialog Box where you
can specify which group(s) of cases you want to work
with.
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Standard Toolbar Icons Always Displayed
RO Team

Displays the RO Team Dialog Box which allows you to
specify which RO team(s) to work with.

Reports

Displays the Reports Selection menu from which you
can select a report to view.

Mail

Displays the Mail Activity screen which allows you to
create a new mail message or open a previously saved
mail message.

SQL

Displays the Interactive SQL Dialog Box which allows
you to create and execute SQL (SELECT) statements.

Help Topics

Displays the online help for the system.

Exit

Logs you out of ROSCO.

SQL Spy

For use by HQ designers and troubleshooters.

Other Icons –
Toolbar Icons
Displayed on
SOME Screens

The following table highlights the icons on the
bottom row of the toolbar that are displayed based
upon the screen you are on and their functions:

Toolbar Icons Displayed on SOME Screens
Save

Saves changes you have made to the database.

Print

Sends the current table or report to print.

View More

Displays view more screen (tabs) pertaining to the
case.

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Insert

On most screens, allows the user to insert a new row
into a table.

First

Displays the first page, record, etc.

Prior

Displays the prior page, record, etc.

Next

Displays the next page, record, etc.

Last

Displays the last page, record, etc.

Query

Displays the option selection list or the “Build a Query”
pop-up screen.

Sort

Allows the user to display the data in a particular order.

Filter

Allows the user to display a subset of the data.

Close

Allows the user to close the ROSCO operation in use.

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Topic 4 -

July 2007

ROSCO Queries, Filters, and Sorts

Retrieving and Viewing
Information

You must retrieve information from the database
whenever existing data needs to be viewed or
updated. The process of retrieving information
from the database is called executing a query or
filter, or querying or filtering the database.

Query vs. Filter

The query and filter options, on the surface, seem
basically like the same function. However, the
difference is the universe used:

The Query Dialog Box

9

A query is executed against a database.

9

A filter is executed against the data already
returned by a query.

Although there are a variety of ways to initiate a
query (using the query icon in the toolbar,
choosing a query from an option selection list,
etc.), most queries function the same way using
the Query Dialog Box. The Query pop-up screen
has two sections – Query Expression and Build
Query With. You may either type your query
directly into the Query Expression section or use
the Build Query With function by selecting fields
below each of the three tabs – Columns,
Operators, and Values.

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Columns Tab

The Columns tab lists all the fields or variables
you can use to query your data. Double-click on
one of these fields to add it to your query. The
field you select affects the values that appear on
the Values tab.

Operators Tab

The Operators tab contains the mathematical
expressions and comparison terms you can use to
apply constraints to your expressions. For
example, double-click on the equals [=] sign to
display the data that matches the single value you
select.

Values Tab

The items on the Values tab vary depending on
the column selected under the Columns tab. If you
select FR Code on the Columns tab, then the
Values tab displays all valid FR codes for your
survey, RO Team, and Interview Period(s) shown
in your ROSCO Title bar.

Defining a Query

The following pages list the steps to enter a query
using the tabs in the Build Query With section of
the Query Dialog Box:
Step 1.

From the Columns tab, double-click
the field you want to add to your
query.

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Step 2.

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Click on the Operators tab and
double-click the appropriate operator.

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Step 3.

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Click on the Values tab and doubleclick the appropriate value or values.

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Multiple Query
Expressions

July 2007

Step 4.

Click the Verify button to see if your
search expression in the Query
Expression panel is valid.

Step 5.

Click on OK.

To define multiple query expressions:
Step 1.

Follow steps 1 through 3 above.

Step 2.

Click the Operators tab and choose
either AND or the word OR.

Step 3.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 to build the
additional query.

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For example, if you wanted to bring up cases for
FR Z99 that were in PSU 91910, you would create
the following query expression:
fr_code=’Z98’ and psu=’91910'

Defining a Query
Using the Query
Expression
Section

Rather than using each of the tabs in the Build
Query With section, you can also directly type
your query into the Query Expression section.
However, ROSCO only accepts queries that use
the proper format (single quotes around values,
correct column names), so you may need to use the
Build Query With section several times in order to
learn the proper formatting for your desired query.

The Verify Button

You may click on the Verify button to check
whether your query has been entered properly.
You will then see a message window telling you
that your query is valid or not valid.

The Count Button

Using the Count button after creating your query
will give you a count of cases or lines of data that
meet your query criteria.

Hints for Complex
Expressions

Here are some hints for using more complex query
expressions:
1.

To query using a “not equal to” operator,
select the less than (<) and greater than (>)
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signs from the Operators tab and remove
any spaces between them. For example:
outcome_code <> ‘200'
2.

To use an “in” or “not in” operator, whether
you use the Values tab or type in your
values directly, you must type in
parentheses and commas as needed. For
example: outcome_code in (‘218', ‘219')

3.

To use the “like” operator, you must also
use a wildcard in the value entry to match
character patterns. The underscore (_) is the
wildcard for one character position, and the
percent sign (%) is the wildcard for any
string of zero or more characters. For
example: fr_code like ‘A1_’ returns all FR
codes that have A1 followed by one other
character; fr_code like ‘A%’ returns all FR
codes that begin with A.

4.

When keying a NCVS control number into
query, use the following space (see
underscores below for spacing):
919106101__J24_01_100
The two spaces after the segment number
“6101__" are for a one or two letter segment
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suffix. The single space after the sample
“J24_" is for a sample suffix (used only in
Alaska). The single space after the serial
number”01_” is for an extra or additional
unit letter.
The Filter Dialog
Box

The filter function allows you to change the
queried data by specifying an expression to view
only a subset of data. For example, after you
query the database for all unassigned cases, you
can filter by a specific city (Place) and view only
the unassigned cases in that PLACE.
To display the Filter Dialog Box, click on the
Filter icon in your toolbar or select Filter from the
View menu. The Filter Dialog Box operates in the
same manner as the Query Dialog Box – you can
use either the Filter Expression section to type in
your filter directly, or you can use the Build Filter
With section and select fields under the Columns,
Operators, and Values tabs.

How to Define a
Filter

To define a filter:
Step 1.

Click on the Filter icon.

Step 2.

From the Columns tab, double-click
on the field you want to filter by.

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Step 3.

Click on the Operators tab and
double-click on the appropriate
operator.

Step 4.

Click on the Values tab and doubleclick on the desired value(s).

Step 5.

Click the Verify button to see if your
filter expression is valid.

Step 6.

Click on OK.

Note that you may also directly type your filter
expression using the Filter Expression section.
Define multiple filter expressions and complex
filter functions in the same way as described for
queries previously in this topic.
Sorting Data

How to Define a
Sort

The Sort function allows you to view data in a
particular order. You may access the Sort Dialog
Box by either clicking on the Sort icon, or by
selecting Sort from the View menu.
To define a sort:
Step 1.

Click on the Sort icon or select Sort
from the View menu.

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Step 2.

Drag the fields you want to sort the
data by from the Columns Available
for Sorting panel to the Sort Columns
panel. The first data field you drag
will be the primary sort. The second
data field will be the secondary sort,
etc.

Step 3.

The default sort is ascending order.
This is shown by a check mark in the
box under Ascending. To change the
order to descending, click the box to
make the check mark disappear.

Step 4.

Click on OK.

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Topic 5 -

Overview

July 2007

Using the SQL Select Command

Rather than use the Query, Sort, or Filter options
in ROSCO, RO staff may choose to construct SQL
commands. Select Interactive SQL from the
Transmissions and Utilities operation or click on
the SQL icon to access SQL.
For the examples of SQL statements in this
section, two tables – FR_LEAVE and
CASE_HISTORY (listed below) – will be used.
These tables are similar to tables in the Census
Bureau's survey databases. The column names
within the tables are actual column names from the
NCVS Database.
NOTE: SQL commands are not case sensitive.
SQL commands may be made in either upper or
lower case letters. However, when querying on
specific values of a column, the values are case
sensitive (i.e., must match exactly what’s in the
database).
If you’re unsure, you can use the UPPER or
LOWER string functions on both the column and
the value to force a match. For example, in the
following example,

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UPPER(fr_code) = UPPER(‘a01')
The database converts everything to upper case
before doing the match.
Table
FR_LEAVE

Column

Size

FR_CODE

3

INTERVIEW_PERIOD

8

STATE_DATE
END_DATE
CASE_HISTORY CONTROL_NUMBER
INTERVIEW_PERIOD

24
8

INTERVIEW_NUMBER 2
FR_CODE

3

INTERVIEWER_CODE

4

CAPI_OUTCOME

3

REPLACEMENT_HH

1

Retrieving data from the database is the most
common SQL operation. A database retrieval is
called a query. To issue a query in SQL, RO staff
enter a SELECT command. The basic select
command contains multiple (one required, the
other one optional) parts called clauses:

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SELECT some data (column name/names)
FROM a table or some tables (table name/names)
WHERE a certain condition is met
ORDER BY a certain condition
In the above example, the SELECT and FROM
statements are required clauses. Everything else is
optional.
After keying in the Select statement, click on the
Execute icon to execute the query. After running
a SQL query, click on the Edit icon to edit the
query.
List All Columns and All
Rows in One Table

In this example the name of every column of the
FR_LEAVE table is included in the SELECT
clause:
SELECT FR_CODE, INTERVIEW_PERIOD
START_DATE, END_DATE
FROM FR_LEAVE
Click the Execute icon to execute.
Another method to select all the columns of a table
is to use an asterisk (*) in place of the list of

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column names. The following select statement
yields the same results as the earlier command.
SELECT *
FROM FR_LEAVE
Again, click the Execute icon to launch the query.
Selecting Specific
Columns

If only some of the columns of a table are needed,
list only the columns desired:
SELECT CONTROL_NUMBER, FR_CODE,
CAPI_OUTCOME
CASE_HISTORY

FROM

Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
Controlling
Column Sequence

The results of a query, whether displayed on the
screen or printed, is itself a spreadsheet made up
of columns and rows. The order in which column
names are listed in the SELECT clause controls
the left-to-right sequence of the result table.
When SELECT * is used, the left-to-right
sequence is determined by the order in which
columns were defined when the table was created.

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Selecting Specific Rows
– The WHERE Clause

July 2007

When specific rows are desired from a table, a
WHERE clause is added to the SELECT
command. The following example would retrieve
only those rows WHERE the FR_CODE column
was equal to Z99:
select

CONTROL_NUMBER,
OUTCOME_CODE

from

CASE_HISTORY

where

FR_CODE = 'Z99'

Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This displays the requested columns for all rows
that have an FR Code equal to Z99 that are in the
CASE_HISTORY table. Note the use of single
quotes on the value Z99 and the case used for the
value.
Multiple Search
Conditions - The
AND Connector

Sometimes you may need to further restrict the
records retrieved by a query. The AND connector
in the WHERE clause will limit retrieval to those
records which meet both components of the search
condition.
CONTROL_NUMBER,
INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
REPLACEMENT_HH

select

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from

CASE_HISTORY

where

FR_CODE = 'Z99'

and

CAPI_OUTCOME = '201'

Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This displays a list of the requested columns for all
rows that have an FR Code equal to Z99 with a
201 CAPI outcome that exist in the
CASE_HISTORY table.
Alternate Search
Conditions - The
OR Connector

The OR connector is used to select rows that meet
any of several search conditions.
select

CAPI_OUTCOME

from

CASE_HISTORY

where

INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘03'

or

INTERVIEWER_CODE = ‘Z99'

Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This displays the selected columns for all the rows
in the CASE_HISTORY table with an interview
number equal to 03 or an interviewer code equal to
Z99.

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Negative Search
Conditions < !=>

July 2007

You may wish to retrieve only those rows which
do not contain certain values. Use the exclamation
point with the <=> sign . This
combination means not equal to.
The example below retrieves all rows with a CAPI
outcome of ‘201' except those rows with an
FR_CODE equal to Z99.
select

CONTROL_NUMBER,
INTERVIEWER_CODE

from

CASE_HISTORY

where

CAPI_OUTCOME = ‘201'

and

FR_CODE != 'Z99'

Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
You can combine AND, OR, and != in the same
query to connect as many search conditions as
necessary to retrieve the desired rows.
The use of parentheses to combine AND, OR, and
!= statements is acceptable. For example:
CAPI_OUTCOME = ‘201' and
(FR_CODE = 'Z99' or
REPLACEMENT_HH = '1')

where

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This WHERE clause returns the requested
columns for rows with a CAPI outcome code of
201 and either an FR_CODE equal to Z99 or
coded with a 1 in the replacement household field.
A List of Values –
The IN Operator

The IN operator allows RO staff to select rows
that contain a value that matches one of the values
in a list of values. (Note this is just a shortcut to
using the OR condition.) For example:
select

CONTROL_NUMBER

from

CASE_HISTORY

where

INTERVIEW_NUMBER IN ('04',
'05', ‘06')

The Control number assigned to all rows in
CASE_HISTORY that are Interview Numbers 04,
05, or 06 is returned.
Note the WHERE clause could also be written as:
INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘04' or

where

INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘05' or
INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘06'

Matching
Character Patterns

Rows may be selected if a column value matches a
pattern of characters specified. Wildcard
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– The LIKE
Operator

July 2007

characters are used with the LIKE operator. The
underscore character <_> is the wildcard for one
character position, the percent sign <%> is the
wildcard for any string of zero or more characters.
The following example returns control numbers
with 2 as the second character of their code no
matter how many characters follow the 2.
select

CONTROL_NUMBER

from

CASE_HISTORY

where

CONTROL_NUMBER like '_2%'

IN and LIKE comparison operators can be
preceded with the word NOT and connected with
AND and OR to form as complex a WHERE
clause as required to retrieve the desired rows.
The DISTINCT
Command

When no WHERE clause is included in a query,
ORACLE returns all values in the requested
column.
select

FR_CODE

from

CASE_HISTORY

Assume that 100 cases are equally divided among
5 FRs. In the query above, there would be one

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column with 100 rows of FR codes displayed, one
for each row in the CASE_HISTORY table.
However, there would be many duplicate values
since each FR code is present in 20 different rows.
Duplicate values can be eliminated by specifying
DISTINCT in the SELECT clause.
The following query requests all the different
(DISTINCT) values for FR code in the
CASE_HISTORY table and will return 5 values.

Ordering Rows – The
ORDER BY Clause

select

distinct FR_CODE

from

CASE_HISTORY

You can control the order in which retrieved rows
are displayed by adding an ORDER BY clause to
the end of a SELECT command.
select

CONTROL_NUMBER, FR_CODE,
CAPI_OUTCOME,
INTERVIEWER_CODE

from

CASE_HISTORY

order by

FR_CODE, INTERVIEWER_CODE,
CAPI_OUTCOME,
CONTROL_NUMBER

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This select statement returns the requested
columns in order of the FR code, then the
Interviewer code, then the CAPI outcome code,
and finally the control number.
The COUNT Function

All table columns likely to be queried by RO users
are VARCHAR2 (text) datatype. It is not
meaningful to add phone numbers together.
Arithmetic operators (e.g.: "*") and some of the
comparison operators (e.g.: "<", ">=", etc.), and
almost all of the group functions (e.g.: SUM,
AVG, etc.) will not be used.
There is, however, one group function that may be
used quite often - the COUNT function.
In its simplest usage, COUNT reports the number
of rows in a table:
select count(*)
from CASE_HISTORY
gives results in this fashion:
COUNT(*)
------------100

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The number returned represents the number
of cases in the CASE_HISTORY table.
When used with a GROUP BY clause, COUNT
becomes a useful tool to "tally" the number of
rows that fit a particular group.
The groups of interest are specified in the
SELECT clause and must also be included in the
GROUP BY clause. Here are two examples, one
with a single grouping and another with two
groupings.
select count(*), FR_CODE
from

CASE_HISTORY

group by FR_CODE
And results could look like:
COUNT(*) FR_CODE
------------- -------------15

Z96

25

Z97

10

Z98

50

Z99

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The data returned represents the number of rows
cases in CASE_HISTORY for each unique FR
Code.
count(*), CAPI_OUTCOME,

select

FR_CODE
CASE_HISTORY

from

group by REPLACEMENT_HH,
FR_CODE
Results could look like the following:
COUNT(*)
------------15
12
14
10
16
09
25
22
25
25

CAPI_OUTCOME
---------------------201

202

203
204
205

FR_CODE
-------------Z97
Z98
Z99
Z97
Z98
Z99
Z96
Z99
Z97
Z98

The GROUP BY clause in this example tells the
database to group together similar CAPI outcomes
first and then, within each CAPI outcome, to
group together similar FR code values.
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Subqueries

July 2007

A WHERE clause of one query may itself contain
another query, called a subquery. ORACLE
processes the subquery and uses the results in the
main query. Subqueries are enclosed in
parentheses.
In the following example, assume that there are 25
rows in the CASE_HISTORY table – 15 FRs with
a case in INTERVIEW NUMBER 5 and 10
without a case in INTERVIEW NUMBER 05.
The DISTINCT operator then uses those values to
return the INTERVIEW PERIOD for the FRs with
a case in INTERVIEW NUMBER 05.
SELECT interview_period
FROM fr_leave
WHERE fr_code in
(SELECT DISTINCT FR_CODE
from CASE_HISTORY
where INTERVIEW_NUMBER = ‘05')
Click the Execute icon to launch the query.
This statement produces the
INTERVIEW_PERIOD of all FRs that have a
record with an INTERVIEW_NUMBER equal to
05 assigned to them in the CASE_HISTORY
table.
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Multiple Tables in One
Query
The JOIN
Command

In the preceding examples, only one table
(FR_CODE or CASE_HISTORY) has been
queried. The JOIN feature lets you select data
from two or more tables and combine the selected
data in a single result display.
A join occurs whenever multiple tables are listed
in the FROM clause of the SELECT statement. A
WHERE clause determines how the rows of the
tables are combined by naming the columns that
must match.
The columns used in the WHERE clause need not
have the same name. If the column names are
identical, they must be prefaced with the table
name. For example: CASE_HISTORY.
CAPI_OUTCOME is the full, formal name for the
CAPI_OUTCOME column in the
CASE_HISTORY table.
Many users choose to use the formal name for all
column references in the command whenever two
or more tables are being queried. This helps them
remember to include the proper table names in the
FROM clause.

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In the example below, we wish to display four
columns from the CASE_HISTORY table and the
INTERVIEW_PERIOD column from the
FR_LEAVE table. The WHERE clause names the
columns, one from each table, that must match.
select

FR_LEAVE.INTERVIEW_
PERIOD, CASE_HISTORY.
CONTROL_NUMBER,
CASE_HISTORY.
INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
CASE_HISTORY.FR_CODE,
CASE_HISTORY.CAPI_OUT
COME

from

FR_LEAVE,
CASE_HISTORY

where

CASE_HISTORY.
INTERVIEW_PERIOD =
FR_LEAVE.INTERVIEW_
PERIOD;

An "alias" for the table name may be defined.
This can save a substantial number of keystrokes.
In the example below, note the definition of the
aliases in the second line and the use of the aliases
with all column names.

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select

F.INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
C.CONTROL_NUMBER,
C.INTERVIEW_PERIOD,
C.FR_CODE,
C.CAPI_OUTCOME

from

FR_LEAVE F,
CASE_HISTORY C

WHERE

C.FR_CODE = F.FR_CODE;

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Appendix 4A - ROSCO Tables and Fields for NCVS
(sorted by table name)
List of Table Names
Primary keys that link the tables are denoted in bold.

– REGULAR NCVS –

REASSIGNMENT_REVIEW

ADDRESS_HISTORY

RELOAD

ADDRESS_INFO

REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS

REPORT_FILE_OUT

BOOST_BLOCK

RESTING_ADDRESS_HISTORY

CASE_ACTIVITY

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

CASE_HISTORY

RESTING_BOOST_BLOCK

CMFILE_IN

RESTING_CASE_HISTORY

CONTACTS

RESTING_CONTACT_HISTORY

CONVERTED_TYPE_A

RESTING_INFO

DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP

RESTING_NOTES

DELIVER_TO_MCS

RO_CODE

FR

RO_TEAM

FR_HISTORY

SEGMENT

FR_INTVPERIOD

SEQUENCE_NO

FR_LEAVE

SERVER_JOB/OLD_SERVER_JOB

FR_SURVEY

SCHEDULED_JOB

INSTRUMENT

STRATUM

INTERVIEW_PERIOD

STUDIES

LANGUAGE_CODE

STUDY_INTVPERIOD

LETTER_HISTORY

SUPERVISOR_REVIEW

LETTER_LANGUAGE

SUPPLEMENTAL_OUTCOME

LETTER_TYPE

SURVEY
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MAIL_MESSAGES

SYSTEM_IN_LIST

MAIL_OUT

TEAM_STATUS_REPORT

NEW_SPAWN

TEAM_LEADER_TABLE

NOTES

TEMPORARY_LOB

OLD_CONTROL_NUMBER

TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT

OUTCOME_CODE

TRANS_GOAL

PAL_INFO

USER_JOB_STATUS

PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT

WORKLOAD

PLACE_ZIP
PSU

– NCVS REINTERVIEW --

PSU_GROUP_TABLE

FALSIFICATION_NOTES
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_WORKLOAD
SUPP_QC_FR

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– REGULAR NCVS –
ADDRESS_HISTORY
Ah_id

Date_changed

Street_name

Addr2

Zip

Control_number

House_number

Unit_designation

Place

Zip4

Interview_period

House_number_sfx

Addr1

State

Physical_description

Address_seq

ADDRESS_INFO
Control_number

House_number

Unit_designation

Place

Zip4

Interview_period

House_number_sfx

Addr1

State

Physical_description

Address_type

Street_name

Addr2

Zip

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
Ap_Id

Psu

Zip

Segment

Typea_fr

Psu_level

Tract

Bpo_id

Pv_fr

Place

Block

Regular_fr

Phone_fr

CAPI_NOTES
Control_number

Int_or_reint

Interview_period

Version

Notes1 - 15

CATI_NOTES
Control_number

Interview_period

Notes1 - 15

CASE_ACTIVITY
Ca_Id

Action_code

Date_xmit_to_fr

Date_mcs_ack

Control_number

Fr_code

Date_case_completed

In_supv_review

Interview_period

Checked_in

Date_received

Outcome_code

Seq_nbr

Date_assigned

Date_checked_in

Reload_version

Case_activity_date

Date_recv_by_fr

Date_deliv_to_mcs

Xmit_status

Case_activity_code

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CASE_HISTORY
Control_number

Interview_number

Interview_period

Fr_code

Capi_outcome

Replacement_hh

Interviewer_code

Cati_outcome

Last_update

CMFILE_IN, CMFILE_OUT, SUPV_REVIEW
Control_number

Phone_number_2

Cati_ok

Sheet_number

Interview_period

Phone_ext_2

Never_cati

Year_built

Study_name

Phone_interview_ok

Supplemental_outcome

Ahs_frame

Caseid

Notes_flag

Status

G_flag_1

Arcnum

Notes_changed

Trans_status

Screener

Reassigned

Pnotes1–15

Date_recv_by_fr

Structure_type

Original_outcome

Contact1_type

Date_case_completed

Sp_unit

Original_action

Contact1_name

Observed

Hu_type

Collection_mode

Contact1_title

House_number

Incentive

County_name

Contact1_phone_exp

House_number_sfx

Cati_outcome

How_to_interview

Contact1_phone

Street_name

Cati_recycle

Interview_number

Contact1_phone_ext

Unit_designation

Tnotes1-15

Previous_fr

Contact1_addr1

Physical_description

Design

Previous_fr_name

Contact1_addr2

Place

Segment_type

Previous_outcome

Contact1_place

State

Gq_register_method

Listing_id

Contact1_state

Zip

Permit_issuing

Survey_id

Contact1_zip

Zip4

Transition_assignment

G_ind_1-5

Contact1_zip4

Mailflag

Urban_rural

Action_code

Contact2_type

Mhouse_number

Within_psu_stratum

Address_changed

Contact2_name

Mhouse_number_sfx

G_flag_2–3

Best_time

Contact2_title

Mstreet_name

Free_fields

Best_time_specified

Contact2_phone_exp

Munit_designation

Fr_code

Callback_notes

Contact2_phone

Mplace

Confirmed_refusal

Contact2_phone_ext

Mstate

Also in cmfile_in and
Supv_review tables:

G_resp_name

Contact2_addr1

Mzip

Supv_review_type

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How_interviewed

Contact2_addr2

Mzip4

Supv_review_category

Type_z_base

Contact2_place

Address_size

Supv_review_action

Nbr_type_z

Contact2_state

Gq_flag

Date_received

No_Sunday

Contact2_zip

Gq_name

Notes_version

Outcome_code

Contact2_zip4

Gq_code

Reload_version

Phone_exp_1

Relist_add

Incomplete_address

Study_outcome

Phone_number_1

New_extra

Line_number

Study_action

Phone_ext_1

New_unit

Mobile_home

Failed_reason

Phone_exp_2

New_unit_trans

Multi_unit

Date_supv_review_action

CONTACTS
Control_number

Contact_type

Contact_addr1

Contact_city

Contact_phone

Interview_period

Contact_name

Contact_addr2

Contact_state

Contact_phone_ext

Int_or_reint

Contact_title

Contact_zip

Contact_phone_exp

Contact_zip4

Contact_phone_type

Contact_id

CONVERTED_TYPE_A
Control_number

Interview_period

Fr_code

Outcome_code

CPCAPCS_TEMP
Asgt_month

Sample_no

Mis

Received_date

Orig_fr

Asgt_year

Segment_no

Ro_code

Grpldr_old_psu

PSU

Fips_county_code

Serial_no

Cati_outcome

Typea_fr

Fips_state_code

Serial_suffix

Confirmed_refusal

Reassignment_code

CPCAPFR_TEMP
Asgt_month

Fr_code

Ro_code

Pickup_date

Grpldr

Asgt_year

DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP
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Control_number

Interview_period

July 2007

Fr_code

DELIVER_TO_MCS
Control_number

Date_created

Study_name

Date_deliv_to_mcs

Interview_period

Reload_version

Caseid

Locked

FR
Fr_code

Address

L_name

Parcel_state

Alt_phonenum

Name

City

F_name

Parcel_zip

M_initial

Stat

State

M_name

Alt_phone_no

Parcel_zip4

Lister

Zip

Ssn

Phone_no

Ssn_short

Sfr

Zip4

Parcel_address

Active_inactive

Birthdate

Phonenum

Eod_date

Parcel_city

End_date

FR_INTVPERIOD
Fr_code

Ro_team

Interview_period

Assg_start_date

Trans_goal_1

Trans_goal_4

Assg_due_date

Trans_goal_2

Trans_goal_5

Supplemental_qc

Trans_goal_3

Last_trans_date

FR_LEAVE
Fr_code

Start_date

Interview_period

End_date

FR_NOTES
Fr_code

Notes

FR_SURVEY
Fr_code

Sfr_code

Db_cnt

Eop_date

Team_leader_code

Survey

Start_date

Inp_cnt

Fr_survey_flag1

Ro_use

Psu1

Due_date

Hours

Ri_group

Active_inactive

Psu2

Trans_date

Miles

Ro_reint

End_date

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Psu3

Recv_date

Ri_ready_position

Fr_survey_flag2

Stat

Kit_date

Ro_team

Employee_type

July 2007

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
Ro_code

Psu

Serial

Survey

Ident_segment

Sample

Segment

Segment_type

Ident_sample

Tie_flag

INTERVIEW_PERIOD
Interview_Period

Cls_file_sent

Date_segment_folders_checked

Ro_team

Ri_cls_file_sent

Laptop_cleanup

Release_to_field

Ri_closeout_files_sent

Date_laptop_cleanup

Survey_data_loaded

Date_released_to_field

Confirmed_refusal_sent

Ro_closeout

Date_ro_closeout

Ri_release_to_field

Mcs_closeout

Date_ro_ri_closeout

Date_ri_released_to_field

Ri_ro_closeout

Date_fp_saved

Date_lc_fr_correction

Ri_mcs_closeout

Date_ro_cleanup

Date_lc_results

Cati_cases_sent

Date_fp_loaded

Ri_files_sent

Segment_folders_checked

LETTER_HISTORY
Control_number

Fr_code

Letter_type

Date_sent

Letter_delivered

Interview_period

LETTER_LANGUAGE
Letter_type

Language

Filename

MAIL_MESSAGES
Mail_mesages

Message_date

Message_subject

Message_text

Keep_or_delete

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MAIL_OUT
Fr_code

Message_id
PAL_INFO

Control_number
Interview_period

Bpo_id
Bpo_name

Keyed_remarks

Pal_seq_number

Pal_line_number

Permit_year_month

Day_of_issue

Pal_origin_code

Permit_number

Unit_in_structure

PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT
Control_number

Fr_code

Old_control_number

PLACE_ZIP
Psu

Place

Zip

PMN_NOTES (CAPI Control notes) - Obsolete
Control_number

Notes

PSU
Psu

Stratum

Psu_group

Ro_team

REASSIGNMENT_REVIEW
Control_number

Interview_period

RECYCLE_LIMIT
Survey

Limit_numbe
r

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RELOAD
Control_number

Reload_version

Interview_period

Study_name

Caseid

Archive_name

Transfer_flag

REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS
Rr_Id

Interview_period

Control_number

Reassigned_by

Reassigned_to

Date_received

Reassigned_from

Reassignment_reason

Reassigned

REPORT_FILE_OUT
Report_name

Team_leader_code

Line_number

Line_text

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
Control_number

House_number

Unit_designation

Place

Zip4

Interview_period

House_number_sfx

Addr1

State

Physical_description

Address_type

Street_name

Addr2

Zip

In_care_of

RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
Control_number

Interview_number

Fr_code

Outcome_code

Cati_outcome

Notes_version

Interview_period

RESTING_INFO
Control_number

G_resp_name

Address_changed

Workload_id

Interview_period

Phone_number_1

Fr_code

Best_time

Phone_number_2

Outcome_code

Mail_flag

RESTING_NOTES
Control_number

Interview_period

Int_or_reint

Version

Notes1-15

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RO_CODE
Ro_code

SEGMENT
Interview_period

Fr_code

List_now

Transition_assignment

Psu

Date_checked_out

New_segment_folder

Within_psu_stratum

Sample

Date_checked_in

Old_design_psu

Permit_issuing

Segment

Design

Old_design_segment

Urban_rural

Segment_type

Check_folder_flag

Folder_checked

SEQUENCE_NO
Table_name

Column_name

Next_id

SERVER_JOB / OLD_SERVER_JOB
Job_id

Job_name

Parameters

Status

Survey

Time_started

Max_running_time

Ro_code

Time_completed

Auto_abort_code

Time_requested

Priority

Comments

SCHEDULED_JOB
Survey

Job_name

Minute

Date_last_scheduled

Ro_code

Hour

Enabled

Parameters

STUDIES
Survey

Int_or_reint

Study_number

Cases_version

Release_to_field

Study_name

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STUDY_INTVPERIOD
Study_name

Cleaned_up

Interview_period

Inst_cleaned_up

SURVEY
Survey

Recordnum

SYSTEM_IN_LIST
Userid

Class_name

Stringlist

Numberlist

Datetimelist

TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
Fr_code

G_label

G_counts_1-17

Date_created

Team_leader_code

TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
Control_number

Interview_period

Fr_code

TRANS_GOAL
Interview_period

Goal_id

Goal_date

Goal_percent

USER_JOB_STATUS
Job_id

Survey

Time_requested

Comments

Ro_code

Status

Seen_by_user

Job_name

Time_completed

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WORKLOAD
Workload_id

In_supv_review

Xmit_status

Serial

Control_number

Interview_number

G_ind_1-5

Serial_sfx

Interview_period

Listing_id

G_resp_name

Sheet_number

Psu

Load_date

G_flag_1–5

Year_built

Tract

G_short_1–5

Cati_outcome

Block

Nbr_type_z
No_Sunday

G_varchar_1–5

Cati_recycle

Action_code

Notes_changed

G_varchar_long

Date_recycle_recv

Address_changed

Notes_version

G_int_1–5

Previous_cati_outcome

Best_time

Observed

G_number_1-3

Cati_eligible

Best_time_specified

Original_fr

G_timestamp_1-5

Cati_eligible_psu

Callback_notes

Original_outcome

Address_size

Cati_ok

Caseid

Original_action

Census_id

Cati_possible

Checked_in

Outcome_code

Do_code

Cati_selected Ever_cati

Collection_mode

Phone_interview_ok

Fips_state_code

Never_cati

Confirmed_refusal

Phone_exp_1

Gq_code

Previous_recycle

County_name

Phone_number_1

Gq_flag

Recycle_requested

Date_assigned

Phone_ext_1

Gq_name

Returning_cati

Date_recv_by_fr

Phone_exp_2

Gq_register_method

Why_not_cati

Date_xmit_to_fr

Phone_number_2

Incomplete_address

Supplemental_fr

Date_case_completed

Phone_ext_2

Line_number

Supplemental_outcome

Date_checked_in

Previous_fr

Mobile_home

G_other_name

Date_deliv_to_mcs

Previous_outcome

Multi_unit

Phone_type_1

Date_mcs_ack

In_reinterview

Nbr_or_ltr

Phone_type_2

Date_received

Reload_version

New_extra

Incentive

Date_last_modified

Ro_team

New_unit

Incoming_flag

Fr_code

State_of_case

Relist_add

Map_spot

How_to_interview

Study_name

Sample

Maf_Id

How_interviewed

Type_z_base

Segment

Mail_flag

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– NCVS REINTERVIEW TABLES –
FALSIFICATION_NOTES
Control_number

Interview_period

Fnotes1 – 5

RI_CMFILE_IN, RI_CMFILE_OUT, RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Control_number

House_number

Contact1_phone_exp

Notes_flag

Interview_period

Contact1_phone

Notes_changed

Caseid

House_number_sfx
Street_name

Contact1_phone_ext

Rnotes1-15

Study_name

Unit_designation

Contact1_addr1

Orig_notes_flag

Arcnum

Physical_description

Contact1_addr2

Pnotes1-15

Outcome_code

Place

Contact1_place

Free_fields

Action_code

State

Contact1_state

Fr_code

Qc_outcome

Zip

Contact1_zip

Reinterview_type

Zip4

Contact1_zip4

Also in RI_cmfile_in

Status

Gq_name

Contact2_type

Trans_status

G_resp_name

Contact2_name

And RI_supv_review
Tables:

Date_recv_by_fr

Phone_exp_1

Contact2_title

Supv_review_type

Date_case_completed

Phone_number_1

Contact2_phone_exp

Supv_review_category

Reassigned

Phone_ext_1

Contact2_phone

Supv_review_action

Original_fr

Best_time

Contact2_phone_ext

Date_received

Original_outcome

Best_time_specified

Contact2_addr1

Notes_version

Original_action

Callback_notes

Contact2_addr2

Reload_version

Interview_fr

No_Sunday

Contact2_place

Study_outcome

Interview_fr_name

Contact1_type

Contact2_state

Study_action

Interview_outcome

Contact1_name

Contact2_zip

Failed_reason

Interview_number

Contact1_title

Contact2_zip4

Date_supv_review_action

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RI_WORKLOAD
Workload_id

Date_xmit_to_fr

Input_received

Reinterview_type

Control_number

Date_case_completed

Load_date

Reload_version

Interview_period

Date_checked_in

No_Sunday

Ro_team

Action_code

Date_deliv_to_mcs

Notes_changed

Study_name

Active

Date_mcs_ack

Notes_version

Xmit_status

Best_time

Date_received

Original_fr

False_followup

Best_time_specified

Fr_code

Original_outcome

Gq_name

Caseid

G_resp_name

Original_action

Phone_Type_1

Checked_in

In_supv_review

Outcome_code

G_other_name

Collection_mode

Ineligible

Phone_exp_1

Phone_exp_2

Confirmed_refusal

Interview_fr

Phone_number_1

Phone_number_2

Date_assigned

Interview_number

Phone_ext_1

Phone_ext_2

Date_recv_by_fr

Interview_outcome

Qc_outcome

Phone_type_2

SUPP_QC_FR
Fr_code

Interview_period

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Appendix 4B - Descriptions of the Fields in the NCVS ROSCO
Database Tables (sorted by field name)
FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Action_code

CASE_ACTIVITY

Indicates status of case and its next destination.
Some common codes:

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD

W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD

Active_inactive

FR, FR_SURVEY

Addr1

ADDRESS_HISTORY

Addr2

ADDRESS_INFO

Address

FR

Address_changed

CMFILE_IN

B

C

Xmit

10

20

30 40 To sponsor

11

21

31 41 To Supv Review

12

22

32 42 Allow re-entry then to sponsor

13

23

33 43 Allow re-entry then to
SupvRev

SUPV_REVIEW
Active

201 A

15

25

35 45 Never transmit

Indicates if case is in any type of reinterview,
including: Quality Control (QC), Response Error
(RE), QC CATI recycle and QC supplemental.
Indicates an FR’s working status: A – active,

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_INFO

I – inactive, S – separated.
The 1 st and 2 nd line in the old-style 2-line address
format. The new-style address format has separate
house #, house # suffix, street name, and unit
designation fields.
House number, street name, and unit designation,
or P.O. Box line in FR addresses.
Indicates that an FR changed part of an address at
any previous interview.
0=No, 1=Yes.

SUPV_REVIEW
Address_seq

W ORKLOAD
ADDRESS_HISTORY

Address_type

ADDRESS_INFO

Ah_Id
Ahs_frame

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
ADDRESS_HISTORY
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

Address change sequence number unique for each
address.
Indicates address type: S=sample, M=mailing, or
R=reinterview.
Case Id in Address History table.
01-09=American Housing Survey frames – field
not used by other surveys.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

Alt_phone_no

SUPV_REVIEW
FR

Alt_phonenum
Ap_Id
Archive_name
Arcnum

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS
RELOAD
CMFILE_IN

July 2007

DESCRIPTION
Used to store FR secondary phone numbers –
Alt_phonenum is used by NCVS.
Case Id used in Assignment Parms table.
Name of archive where case is stored.
Sequence number in archive file where case is
stored.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Assgn_due_date

SUPV_REVIEW
FR_INTVPERIOD

Target date for the start and end of interviewing
set in Assignment Ops > Set Start and Due Dates
and printed on the CAPI-35, FR Assignment List.
A code that automatically aborts a job on the
server.

Assgn_start_date
Auto_abort_code

OLD_SERVER_JOB

Best_time

SERVER_JOB
CMFILE_IN,

The best time to call respondent chosen from a list
of categories at the end of the interview and
printed on the CAPI-35, FR Assignment List, for
the next interview period.

CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Best_time
_specified

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

1=AM

4=4P-7P

7=7-9P

2=11A-1P

5=6P-9P

8=9A-4P

3=12P-4P

6=9P-9P

9=5P-9P

Best time to call respondent keyed at the end of the
interview and printed on the CAPI-35, FR
Assignment List for the next interview period.
This “spelled-out” entry is often more specific than
the Best Time categories.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW

Birthdate
Block

W ORKLOAD
FR
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS

FR birth date.
**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

Bpo_id

ASSIGNM ENT_PARM S

DESCRIPTION
cases in a block to a single FR.
Identification code (6-digit) assigned to each
permit office by MCD that puts the offices in
alphabetic sort within state. Permit frame only.
Place or area name for territory covered by the
permit office. Permit frame only.
Case Id used in the Case Activity table.

PAL_INFO
Bpo_name

PAL_INFO

Ca_Id

CASE_ACTIVITY
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_IN

Callback_notes

July 2007

Notes recorded by FR on laptop that specifies
when to call a respondent back to complete the
interview for the current interview period. These
notes appear in laptop case management on the
Full (F3) screen.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW
Capi_outcome

W ORKLOAD
CASE_HISTORY

Laptop code stored in the Case History file.

Case_activity

CMFILE_OUT
CASE_ACTIVITY

1 - Reassigned from W orkload

CMFILE_OUT

2 - Reassigned from Sup Rev

_code

3 - Checked-in from FR different than assigned FR
The activity record of a case in
ROSCO.

4 - Accepted duplicate
5 - Accepted from FR different than assigned FR
6 - Eliminated from Supervisory Review
7 - Resolved with prior version
8 - Reassigned Mover
9 - Type A - Charged to different FR
10 - Deleted From Supervisory Review

Case_activity

CASE_ACTIVITY

_date
Caseid

CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_IN

11 - Remote Reassignment
Date ROSCO case activity occurred.
The 8-digit Id beginning with 00000001 that is
assigned to each case every month. The caseid
changes each month due to incoming and outgoing
rotations.

CMFILE_OUT
DELIVER_TO_MCS
RELOAD

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FIELD NAME

July 2007

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

RI_CMFILE_IN

W hen an extra or additional unit is created, the
new unit is assigned the parent’s caseid with a
letter prefix:

RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW

A0000123=additional (A, B, C… )

RI_W ORKLOAD

Z0000123=extra (Z, X, Y)

SUPV_REVIEW
Category

W ORKLOAD
N/A

Cati_cases_sent

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Cati_eligible
Cati_ok

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

Classification in a field description usually blank.
Query: “Select * from ‘field name’ to view.
Flag set when assignments are released indicating
selected cases are sent to CATI: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Segment CATI eligible in CATI eligible PSU.
Indicates if case should be considered for CATI
interviewing based on input from the FR during
most recent interview:

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Cati_outcome

0=No, 1=Yes.

W ORKLOAD
CASE_HISTORY

Outcome code from CATI interview.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT

.

CPCAPCS_TEM P
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
SUPV_REVIEW
Cati_possible

W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD

Yes, if:
1=Interview # not 1 or 5, Never CATI=N, AND

This flag is set for each case
by DSM D in the monthly PIN
file based on meeting the
parameters in this box à

2=Ever CATI=Y and CATI Outcome 01-05
OR
3=Ever CATI=N, Phone # is not blank,
Phone OK=Y, Vacation (g_flag_2)=N,

0=No, 1=Yes.

MAR HIS (g_flag_1)=N, Previous Outcome in
Cati_recycle

(201,203,204,205) and Previous Recycle=N
Case recycled from CATI: 0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

July 2007

DESCRIPTION

SUPV_REVIEW
Cati_selected

W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD

Yes, if:
1 - CATI Eligible=Y, CATI Possible=Y,

0=No, 1=Yes, 2=Temp Yes

and CATI ok=Y

If 1 or 2, case displays on the
ROSCO Selected Cases screen
and will go to CATI unless it
is Removed.
Census_Id

W ORKLOAD

Check_folder_flag

SEGMENT

Checked_in

This flag is set in ROSCO
Sample Control > Segments
with Additional Units.
CASE_ACTIVITY

OR

2=Ever CATI=Y, Interview # not 1or 5,
Phone OK=Y and Vacation (g_flag_2)=N
One can set this flag on the CATI Selection tab in
View/Edit Sample.
An id assigned to each housing unit in the 1990
Census, unique within District Office.
Indicates there are more units than expected for a
unit frame listing. This flag alerts RO staff to
check the segment folder and listing sheets for
possible additional units to add to sample control
before releasing assignments.
Indicates an FR has sent the case in and it is
checked into ROSCO. Cases in Supervisory
Review are not checked in until they are Accepted.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
City
Cleaned_up

W ORKLOAD
FR
STUDY_INTVPERIOD

Cls_file_sent

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Code

N/A – An entry in a field of
any table.

Collection_mode

CMFILE_IN

Select * from ‘fieldname’
Indicates case collection mode:

CMFILE_OUT

0=CAPI

RI_W ORKLOAD

1=CATI

SUPV_REVIEW

5=Listing

The city (place) part in the FRs mailing address.
Flag indicating that the Study was removed from
ROSCO. For example, NCVS_FS02 the February
NCVS Study (instrument).
Indicates that the month’s closeout file was sent
from ROSCO to MCS (M aster Control). This
occurs when RO staff clicks the “activated” close
out hand on the Resolve Missing Cases screen.
For example, control #s, names, addresses, dates,
categories, 0=No, 1=Yes, etc. Codes are often
described in the field description queries:

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

Column_name

W ORKLOAD
SEQUENCE_NO

Confirmed_refusal

CMFILE_IN

DESCRIPTION
Name of column in table that stores sequence
numbers for mail messages and jobs.
Set when accepting Refusals in Supv Review >
Non Interview tab. Once set, field cannot be reset.

CMFILE_OUT

0=Not a confirmed refusal

CPCAPCS_TEM P

1=Confirmed Refusal

RI_W ORKLOAD

2=Congressional Refusal

SUPV_REVIEW
Confirmed_refusal

W ORKLOAD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD

_sent
Contact1

CMFILE_IN

Contact2

CMFILE_OUT

July 2007

3=Potential Congressional Refusal
?????
Contact 1 is for Type B and C case contact
persons. Contact 2 is for mover case contact
persons. Surveys that do not have Type B or C
contact persons may use both contact fields for
movers.

RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW

FRs view contact data in laptop case management
on the F3 (Full) > M-View More screen.

Contact_add1

CONTACTS

First two lines in contact address

Contact_add2
Contact_city
Contact_Id

CONTACTS
CONTACTS

The city part of the contact address.
Identifier indicating Contact 1 or Contact 2.
Contact_id = 1 – for contact on the 1 st line

Contact_name

CONTACTS

Contact_phone

CONTACTS

Contact_id = 2 – for contact data on the 2 nd line
The name of the person who provided information
at the sample unit.
The contact person’s phone number, extension and
(.exp) expansion if Area Codes are expanded to 4
digits.

Contact_phone_exp
Contact_phone_ext
Contact_state
Contact_title
Contact_type

CONTACTS
CONTACTS
CONTACTS

The State of the contact address.
The contact person’s title.
1=B/C Contact
4=Vacant Contact (AHS only)
2=Household Contact

5=CAUS Contact

3=Proxy Respondent

6=GQ Contact

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Contact_zip

CONTACTS

Contact_zip4
Control_number

The contact person’s address ZIP Code and
ZIP+4.

ADDRESS_HISTORY

PERMANENT_REASSIGNMENT

ADDRESS_INFO

PMN_NOTES

CAPI_NOTES

REASSIGNM ENT_REVIEW

CASE_ACTIVITY

RELOAD

CASE_HISTORY

REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS

CATI_NOTES

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

CMFILE_IN,

RESTING_CASE_HISTORY

CMFILE_OUT

RESTING_INFO

CONTACTS

RESTING_NOTES

CONVERTED_TYPE_A

RI_CMFILE_IN

DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP

RI_CMFILE_OUT

DELIVER_TO_MCS

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

FALSIFICATION_NOTES

RI_W ORKLOAD

LETTER_HISTORY

SUPV_REVIEW

PAL_INFO

TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT

Unlike the case_id
that changes with
each interview
period, the control
number for a case
never changes.

Below are examples
of a NCVS control
number.

W ORKLOAD
NCVS - 91910 1699B J22 01 100 - regular case
91910-PSU, 1699B-Segment+suffix, J22-sample, 01-Serial No., 100-Original HH
The PSU is a combination of state and county codes – 91-State, 910-County.
Segment - 1 st digit = panel(1-6), 2 nd digit = rotation(1-6), 3 rd & 4 th digits - segment type
Segment Type - Permit (01-49), GQ (55-59), Area (60-69), Unit (70-99)
Note: Parts of the Ctl # can have a suffix: Segment – 1 or 2 letters, Sample – 1 letter, Serial No. – 1 letter
Replacement Households - the last three digits increase by 100 with each replacement household
W hen an extra or additional unit is created for a case, the Ctl # for the new case is the same as the parent
case with a suffix added to the Serial No. Extra suffix=Z, Y, X Additional suffix=A, B, C…
County_name
CMFILE_IN
Proper name of a principal sub-division of a state.
Also includes county equivalents – parishes in LA,
CMFILE_OUT
Independent Cities, etc.
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Date_assigned

CASE_ACTIVITY

The date the case is assigned or reassigned in
ROSCO.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
Date_case
_completed

W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY

The date the case is completed on the laptop.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW

Date_changed
Date_checked_in

W ORKLOAD
ADDRESS_HISTORY
CASE_ACTIVITY

The date an address is edited/changed in ROSCO.
The date a case or segment folder is checked into
ROSCO as a completed case.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
SEGMENT
Date_checked_out
Date_created

W ORKLOAD
SEGM ENT
DELIVER_TO_MCS

Date_deliv_to_mcs

TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
CASE_ACTIVITY

The date a segment folder is checked out to an FR.
The date the report is generated.
The date a case is delivered from ROSCO to MCS
(Master Control).

CMFILE_OUT
DELIVER_TO_MCS
RI_W ORKLOAD
Date_fp_loaded
Date_fp_saved
Date_laptop

W ORKLOAD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD

The date FR performance data is loaded.
The date FR performance data is saved.
The laptop cleanup date.

_cleanup
Date_last_modified
Date_last_scheduled

W ORKLOAD
SCHEDULED_JOB

The last modified date.
The date of the last time a scheduled job was run.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Date_lc_fr

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

_correction
Date_lc_results
Date_mcs_ack

The date that listing check FR corrections are
checked in.

INTERVIEW _PERIOD
CASE_ACTIVITY

The date that listing check results are checked in.
The date MCS (Master Control) acknowledges
receipt of a case and sends the FR a file that puts
the “R” (for received) in the laptop Stat column.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
Date_received

W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY

The date this case is received back from an FR and
is processed by the check-in program.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

If a case is checked in when it is received, the Date
Received and the Date Checked In are the same.

REMOTE
_REASSIGNMENTS
RI_CMFILE_IN

If a case goes to supervisory review, the Date
Received is the date the case is put into supv
review, and the Date Checked In is the date the
case is Accepted from supv review.

RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD

Date_recv_by_fr

SUPV_REVIEW ,
W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY

The date the FR picks up a case on the laptop.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Date_recycle_recv

W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD

Date_released

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

_to_field
Date_ri_released

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

The date the input (DAT and ARC) files for a case
recycle from CATI.
The date that FR assignments are released – Xmit
status = R (for ready to transmit).
The date that reinterview assignments are released.

_to_field

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Date_ro_cleanup
Date_ro_closeout
Date_ri_ro_closeout
Date_sent
Date_supv_review

INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
INTERVIEW _PERIOD
LETTER_HISTORY
CMFILE_IN

The date that RO cleanup is run.
The date that RO closeout is run.
The date that reinterview closeout is run.
The date a respondent letter is sent.
The date RO staff accepts, reassigns or eliminates
a case from ROSCO Supervisory Review.

_action

RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW

Date_xmit_to_fr

SUPV_REVIEW
CASE_ACTIVITY

The date the assignment files which included this
case were transmitted to the FR.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_W ORKLOAD
Day_of_issue
Design

W ORKLOAD
PAL_INFO
CMFILE_IN

Date the building permit was issued.
A case’s sample design (90, 00).

CMFILE_OUT
SEGMENT
Display

SUPV_REVIEW
N/A.

Do_code

W ORKLOAD

In 1990, District
Offices (Dos) were
changed to LCOs..

The 1 st two-digits are the RO
code – 21=Bos, 22=NY, etc.

Due_date
Effdate
Employee_type

FR_SURVEY
N/A.
FR_SURVEY

Enabled

SCHEDULED_JOB

W hat a coded table entry will display on ROSCO
screens and reports. For example, 0=No, 1=Yes.
The 4-digit code assigned to 2000 Local Census
Offices. An LCO was a temporary data collection
center that collected decennial census data for an
area. Old construction only.

The assignment due date (pre-ROSCO).
Date a field description becomes effective.
The employee type assigned to each person in the
FR Survey table=F=FR, S=SFR, T=Team Leader,
M=RO M gt, C=Clerk, P=Pseudo FR.
Flag indicating if a scheduled job is enabled:
0=No, job will not run until it is enabled

End_date

1=Yes, job will run at next scheduled time
The last date the FR is on leave. For ROSCO
surveys, the end date is stored in the FR Leave
table.

FR
FR_LEAVE

Eod_date

FR_SURVEY
FR

The date the FR entered on duty

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Eop_date

FR_SURVEY

Ever_cati

W ORKLOAD

The date the FR started working on survey or
program. EOP=entered on program
Indicates if case was ever assigned to CATI:

Expdate
F_name
Failed_reason

0=No, 1=Yes, CATI in at least one prior
interview.
Date a field description expires.
The FR’s first name.
In Supervisory Review (Failed Cases tab), the
reason a case does not check in.

N/A.
FR
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW

False_followup

SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD

Filename
Fips_county_code
Fips_state_code

LETTER_LANGUAGE
CPCAPCS_TEMP
CPCAPCS_TEM P

Fnotes1-5

W ORKLOAD
FALSFICATION_NOTES

Folder_checked

SEGMENT

Fr_code

CONVERTED_TYPE_A

CASE_ACTIVITY

CPCAPFR_TEM P
DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP

CASE_HISTORY
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

1=M issing data

3=Invalid action code

2=Study/CM mismatch

4=Not in workload

Used in reinterview to flag a case for falsification
followup: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Filename assigned to a respondent letter.
A 3-digit code identifying a county.
A 2-digit code identifying a State.
FIPS=Federal Information Processing Standards
Five fields used to store reinterview falsification
notes sent in by SFRs.
Stores a flag indicating if a segment folder was
checked: 0=No, 1=Yes.
RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT

FR

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

FR_INTVPERIOD
FR_LEAVE

RI_W ORKLOAD
SEGMENT

FR_NOTES

SUPP_QC_FR

FR_SURVEY
LETTER_HISTORY

SUPV_REVIEW

MAIL_OUT

TEAM_STATUS_REPORT

PERMANENT

TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
W ORKLOAD

_REASSIGNMENT

3-character code (1- letter, 2-digits) identifying
FRs. FR codes for SFRs and office staff usually
begin with the letter A. The Regional Director‘s
code is usually A01.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

Fr_survey_flag1

FR_SURVEY

Fr_survey_flag2
G_count_1-17

TEAM_STATUS_REPORT

July 2007

DESCRIPTION
Fields in the SFR’s Team Status Report.
1 - # in Assignment
Still on Laptop

The report has a line for each
FR on the team. This includes
the FR code, the 2-digit month
code (g_label) and the data for
the following fields:

2-Not started, 3-Open, 4-Partial, 5-As, 6-Other
In Supervisory Review (ROSCO)
7-Type As, 8-Other
Checked In (to ROSCO)
9-Interviews, 10-Partials, 11-As, 12-Other,
13-LMR (late mail returns) not in NCVS
14-In CATI, 15-Recycles, 16-PVs (personal visit),

G_flag_1-5

CM FILE_IN (flag1,2,3)

17-Tels (telephone)
Five flags that handle variable data:

CM FILE_OUT (flag1,2,3)

G_flag_1=March Hispanic Over Sample flag

SUPV_REVIEW (flag1,2,3)

G_flag_2=Vacation flag

W ORKLOAD

G_flag_3=I/O referral flag (Industry/Occupation)
G_flag_4=SCHIP (B sample) flag

G_ind_1-5

G_flag_5=Not used by NCVS
Five variable indicators.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

G_int_1-5
G_label
G_number_1-3
G_other_name
G_resp_name

SUPV_REVIEW

G_ind_1=Rotation flag, matches the 1 st digit of

W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD,
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN,

a segment number.
Five variable integer indicators.
2-digit month in the Team Status Report table.
Three generic number fields.
Other generic name field.

CMFILE_OUT

RI_W ORKLOAD

RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN

SUPV_REVIEW

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

W ORKLOAD

RI_CMFILE_OUT

Respondent name for a case.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

G_short_1-5
G_timestamp_1-5
G_varchar_1-5
Goal_date

W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
TRANS_GOAL

Goal_Id
Goal_percent
Gq_code

TRANS_GOAL
TRANS_GOAL
CMFILE_IN

Five short generic fields.
Five generic timestamp fields.
Five generic variable character fields.
Transmission date goal entered in ROSCO - Close
Out / Cleanup > Enter Transmittal Goals.
The Id used in the Trans Goal table.
Goal percents keyed into the Trans Goal table.
Code assigned to a group quarters.

CMFILE_OUT

11-8, Listing & Coverage Manual, Appendix F

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

Indicates if case is at a GQ: 0=No, 1=Yes.

GQ_flag

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Gq_name

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

The name of a group quarters. Area and GQ
frames only.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD

Gq_register
_method

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

Grpldr
Grpldr_old_psu
Hour

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CPCAPFR_TEMP
CPCAPCS_TEMP
SCHEDULED_JOB

Hours
House_number

FR_SURVEY
ADDRESS

House_number
_sfx

Indicates if GQ was listed using the register
method. Area and GQ frames only.
0=Register method not used
1=Register method used
FR code of Group Leader.
FR code of Group Leader in old PSU.
Hour part of the time (hour and minute) a
scheduled job will start on the server.
Obsolete field used to store hours before FRED.
The number associated with a housing unit that
uniquely identifies a structure on a street.

_HISTORY
ADDRESS_INFO
CMFILE_IN

House number suffix=An alphabetic or fractional

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FIELD NAME

July 2007

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

CMFILE_OUT

addition to the end of the house number to form a
new house number.

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
How_interviewed

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

Indicates how the FR reported they collected the
data (or most of the data) during the most recent
interview:

CMFILE_OUT

How_to_interview

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

1=Telephone, 2=Personal Visit
Indicates how to interview a case for the current
month:

CMFILE_OUT

Hu_type

1=Telephone, 2=Personal Visit

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

Housing unit type – not used by NCVS.

CMFILE_OUT

--------------HU=Housing Units-------------------

SUPV_REVIEW

01=house, apartment or flat
02=mobile home, no permanent room added
03=mobile home, one or more perm. rooms added
04=in non-transient hotel, motel, etc.
05=permanent in transient hotel, motel
06=in rooming house
07=boat or recreational vehicle
08=tent, cave, or railroad car
09=something other than 01-08 above
---------non-HU – not Housing Units ------------10=rooming or boarding house
11=students quarters in college dormitory
12=unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer or tent
13=unit (not perm.) in transient hotel, motel, etc.

Ident_sample
Ident_segment

14=something other than 10-13 above
Sample of identical segment.
Identical segment number.

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

In_care_of

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

In_reinterview

W ORKLOAD

The recipient of household mail if different than
the household respondent (g_resp_name).
Indicates a case is or was in reinterview:

In_supv_review

RI_W ORKLOAD

Incentive

CMFILE_IN

0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates a case is or was in ROSCO Supervisory
Review: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates whether a respondent will receive a
monetary incentive to participate in CE or SIPP.

CMFILE_OUT

Incoming_flag

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD

Incomplete_address

CMFILE_IN

CE: A-Z (type undefined)
SIPP: 0=No, 1=Yes
Indicates a case is in an incoming rotation:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates that the basic street address is
incomplete: 0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_OUT

Ineligible

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD

Input_received

RI_W ORKLOAD

Inst_cleaned_up
Int_or_reint

STUDIES
CAPI_NOTES

Indicates case was screened out of reinterview and
removed from the ri_workload table. Flag is set
for observed and Type A cases: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if a reinterview case’s input file was
received. An RI case cannot be assigned until the
input file is received: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if instrument was cleaned up.
Indicates if notes are for regular NCVS or
reinterview: I=Interview, R=Reinterview

CONTACTS
Interview_fr

RESTING_NOTES
RI_CMFILE_IN

CAPI FR who completed a regular case that is in
the reinterview workload.

RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Interview_fr_name

RI_W ORKLOAD
RI_CMFILE_IN

Name of the CAPI FR who did the regular case
that is in the reinterview workload.

RI_CMFILE_OUT
Interview_number

RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_CMFILE_IN

Identifies the position of the current interview
within a complete sequence of scheduled
interviews for the sample designation.

RI_CMFILE_OUT
CASE_HISTORY

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

CMFILE_IN

RI_W ORKLOAD

NCVS/SCHIP: 01-08

CMFILE_OUT

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

CEQ: 01-05

CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_CASE_
HISTORY

July 2007

SIPP: 01-13
NCVS: 01-07
TPOPS: 01-04
AHS-MS: 96, 98, 02 all even years hereafter

Interview_outcome

AHS-N: 97, 99, 01 all odd years hereafter
The outcome_code from the regular interview that
is in the reinterview workload..

RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
ADDRESS_HISTORY

REASSIGNM ENT_REVIEW

ADDRESS_INFO

RELOAD

CAPI_NOTES

REMOTE_REASSIGNMENTS

CASE_ACTIVITY

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

CASE_HISTORY

RESTING_CASE_HISTORY

CATI_NOTES

RESTING_INFO

CMFILE_IN

RESTING_NOTES

Jan 2004=200401

CMFILE_OUT

RI_CMFILE_IN

Feb 2004=200402

CONTACTS

RI_CMFILE_OUT

Mar 2004=200403

CONVERTED_TYPE_A

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

DELETE_FROM_LAPTOP

RI_W ORKLOAD

DELIVER_TO_MCS

SEGMENT

FALSIFICATION_NOTES
FR_INTVPERIOD

STUDIES

Interview
_period

For NCVS, a 6-digit
code that identifies
the year and month.
For monthly
surveys:

For M IS-9 a 3 is
added as the 1 st digit
of the month

SUPP_QC_FR

FR_LEAVE
Feb 2004=200432

INTERVIEW_PERIOD

Apr 2004=200334

LETTER_HISTORY

SUPV_REVIEW
TEMPORARY_REASSIGNMENT
TRANS_GOAL

PAL_INFO
Interviewer_code

W ORKLOAD
The CATI interviewer codes used by Tel. Centers.

CASE_HISTORY

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Job_id

OLD_SERVER_JOB

Id for jobs that run on the server.

July 2007

SERVER_JOB
Job_name

USER_JOB_STATUS
OLD_SERVER_JOB

Name of job that runs on the server. Common
jobs run by the RO staff include:

SERVER_JOB
SCHEDULED_JOB

Checkin=to check in completed work

USER_JOB_STATUS

Frassign=a ROSOCO transmission that puts FR
Keep_or_delete

files out on the server
Keep flag for ROSCO mail messages to FRs.

MAIL_MESSAGES

0=Don’t keep (store) message,
Keyed_remarks

PAL_INFO

Kit_date
L_name
Laptop_cleanup

FR_SURVEY
FR
INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Last_trans_date
Last_update
Letter_delivered
Letter_type

FR_INTVPERIOD
CASE_HISTORY
LETTER_HISTORY
LETTER_HISTORY

1=Keep (store) message.
Remarks keyed by PAL FRs that display in
Sample Control > View/Edit Sample > PAL tab
Date kit was installed (no longer used).
The FR’s last name.
The flag indicating an interview period is cleaned
up off the laptop:
0=No, 1=Yes.
The date of the FR’s last transmission.
Is this used for NCVS. It’s empty.???
Letter delivery indicator: 0=No, 1=Yes.
1=1 st month refusal

LETTER_LANGUAGE

2=5 th month refusal
3=8 th month refusal
4=Other refusal
5 - NOH (no one home with FR name
6=NOH (no one home) w/o FR name
7=Thank you
8=Next Month 1st month refusal
9=Next Month other refusal
10=Next Month 5th month refusal

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Limit

RECYCLE_LIM IT

Line_number

CMFILE_IN

Limit on the number of cases an RO can recycle
from ROSCO’s Request a Recycle from CATI
screen.
The line number on the listing sheet where a unit
was listed in Area and GQ segments.

CMFILE_OUT
REPORT_FILE_OUT**

** Team Leader Report (TAL) report line number.

SUPV_REVIEW
Line_text

W ORKLOAD
REPORT_FILE_OUT

List_now

SEGMENT

Lister
Listing_Id

FR
CMFILE_IN

Data line in the Team Leader Report (TAL)
including: FR, Caseid, Control number, Interview
Period, P/T, Outcome code, Stat, Prev FR, Suppl
Stat, Date Received and Place name.
Flag indicating if listing is required at time of
interview. Used in Severe W eather segments not
listed before time of interview: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if FR is a qualified lister: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Listing identifier.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Load_date

W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD

For regular NCVS – The date the case’s DAT and
ARC files are loaded into the database. Field is
blank when only the PIN file is loaded.

W ORKLOAD

Locked

DELIVER_TO_MCS

M_initial
M_name
Maf_Id

FR
FR
W ORKLOAD

Mailflag

RESTING_INFO

For NCVS Reinterview=The date the case’s PIN
file is loaded into the database. The date changes
when the INPUT (DAT & ARC) file is received.
Indicates MCS (Master Control) is locked for a
case: 0=No, 1=Yes.
The FR middle initial.
The FR middle name.
The unique identifier for a record on the MAF
(Census 2000 Master Address File) for all surveys
but NHIS. Blank for additional and extra units.
For NHIS, a sequential # assigned by DSMD.
Determines address printed for respondent letter
labels. Set with radio buttons on Address Info tab
in View/Edit Sample: 1=Sampling address,

W ORKLOAD

2=Mailing address, 3=No good address (no label

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Map_spot
Max_running_time

W ORKLOAD
OLD_SERVER_JOB

Mcs_closeout

SERVER_JOB
INTERVIEW _PERIOD

prints).
The case’s map spot identifier – (2000 sample).
A maximum amount of time a job is allowed to run
on the server.

Message_date
M essage_id
Message_subject
Message_text
Mhouse_number

MAIL_MESSAGES
MAIL_OUT
MAIL_M ESSAGES
MAIL_M ESSAGES
CMFILE_IN

Mhouse_number

CMFILE_OUT

_sfx
Miles
Minute

SUPV_REVIEW
FR_SURVEY
SCHEDULED_JOB

Mis

CPCAPCS_TEMP

Mobile_home

CMFILE_IN

Flag indicating MCS (Master Control) is closed
out for an interview period.
The date an e-mail message is created.
E-mail message identifier code.
Subject used in an e-mail message.
The text of an e-mail message.
The house number and suffix collected as part of
the mailing address at time of interview, if
different from sample house number and suffix.
Field used to store FR miles before FRED.
Minute part of the time (hour and minute) a
scheduled job will start on the server.
Month in sample (same as interview number in
other tables).
Indicates if case is a mobile home: 0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Mplace

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

The place collected as part of the mailing address
at time of interview, if different from the sample
place.

CMFILE_OUT
Mstate

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

The State collected as part of the mailing address
at time of interview, if different from the sample
State.

CMFILE_OUT
Mstreet_name

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

The street name collected as part of the mailing
address at time of interview, if different from the
sample street name.

CMFILE_OUT
Multi_unit

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

Flag indicating if a case is in a multi-unit building:
0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Munit_designation

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

The unit designation collected as part of the

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FIELD NAME
Mzip

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

CMFILE_OUT

mailing address at time of interview, if different
from the sample unit designation.

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

The ZIP Code and ZIP+4 collected as part of the
mailing address at time of interview, if different
from the sample ZIP Code and ZIP+4.

CMFILE_OUT
Mzip4
Name
Nbr_or_ltr
Nbr_type_z

July 2007

SUPV_REVIEW
FR
W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

FR’s last and first name.
All either N or blank in W kld ????
Number of individuals at a sample unit that are
non-interviews (not used for NCVS).

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Never_cati

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

Permanent flag prohibiting CATI selection set on
the View/Adjust CATI, View/Adjust CATI
Available and Select Temp CATI screens. One
can also set and reset this flag on the CATI
Selection Info tab in View/Edit Sample.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

0=OK to consider household for CATI
New_extra

1=never consider household for CATI
Flag indicating an extra unit was added for this
case during the current interview period:

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

0=No, 1=Yes.

SUPV_REVIEW
New_segment

W ORKLOAD
SEGMENT

_folder
New_unit

CMFILE_IN

Flag indicating if the segment folder is new for this
interview period: 0=No, 1=Yes.
A newly identified sample unit that is added to the
HQ database at the end of the interview period.
Both the new and parent units are flagged.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

E=extra added with coverage questions
A=additional added with F4 key

New_unit_trans

The parent flag prohibits
adding more units to the
parent case in future months.
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

P=parent
S=spawn (not used by NCVS)
Flag indicating a new unit was transferred to
another RO. 0=Not transferred, 1=Transferred.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

Next_id

SUPV_REVIEW
SEQUENCE_NO

No_Sunday

CMFILE_IN

July 2007

DESCRIPTION
Id generated internally that assigns the next highest
number to mail messages.
Flag set by FR at end of interview indicating if
Sunday interview is OK:

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT

0=No

Sunday interviewing is OK

1=Yes

No Sunday interviewing

RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Note the double negative (No Sunday-No)
indicates Sunday calls are OK.

RI_W ORKLOAD
Notes

SUPV_REVIEW
FR_NOTES

FR notes from the 15 lines at the end of the
instrument.

PMN_NOTES
Notes_changed

Aren’t PMN notes obsolete????
Flag indicating if Notes have been changed outside
of the instrument: 0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT

Does this mean changed in ROSCO???

RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Notes_flag

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

Flag indicating if there are Notes: 0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Notes_version

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

The notes version number.

RESTING_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Notes1-15

CAPI_NOTES

Up to 15 lines of notes that are entered at the end
of the interview by CAPI FRs or CATI
Interviewers.

CATI_NOTES
Numberlist
Observed

RESTING_NOTES
SYSTEM_IN_LIST
CMFILE_IN

Counter
Flag set in SFR Functions on FR’s laptop
indicating the case was observed by a SFR or
supervisor during the interview period:

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW

0=No, 1=Yes, case is screened out of reinterview.

Old_control

W ORKLOAD
PERMANENT

Control number from a previous sample design.

_number
Old_design_psu
Old_design_segment
Orig_fr
Orig_notes_flag

_REASSIGNMENT
SEGMENT
SEGMENT
CPCAPCS_TEMP
RI_CMFILE_IN

PSU number in previous sample design.
Segment number in previous sample design.
Original FR code.
Flag indicating status of FR notes: O=original

RI_CMFILE_OUT
Original_action

RI_SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

Action code of original case.

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN

.

RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Original_fr

W ORKLOAD
RI_CMFILE_IN

FR code of the original FR.

RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Original_outcome

CMFILE_IN

Outcome code of an original case.

July 2007

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Outcome_code

.

W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY

RI_CMFILE_IN

CMFILE_IN

RI_CMFILE_OUT

CMFILE_OUT

RI_SUPV_REVIEW RI_W ORKLOAD

CMFILE_OUT

SUPV_REVIEW

CONVERTED

W ORKLOAD

_TYPE_A
RESTING_CASE_HISTORY
Pal_line_number

RESTING_INFO
PAL_INFO

Pal_origin_code

PAL_INFO

Code that describes the status of a CAPI interview
case.
Line no. from the Permit Address List (PAL)
listing instrument for a specific permit address.
Code assigned to a Permit Address List (PAL) to
indicate the source of its data. Permit frame only.
O=old (1990) design PAL

Pal_seq_number

PAL_INFO

Parameters

OLD_SERVER_JOB

N=new (2000) design PAL
An id code assigned to each Permit Address List
(PAL) created by DSM D used to control listing
assignments. Permit frame only.
The parameters of a scheduled job. For example,

SCHEDULED_JOB
Parcel_address

SERVER_JOB
FR

Parcel_city
Parcel_state
Parcel_zip

FR
FR
FR

“200403” “A, B, C”=Job runs for this Interview
period and these RO team(s).
The FR’s house number, street name, apt. no., or
P.O.Box where the RO can send a non-USPS
shipment (i.e. Fed Express, UPS).
The place (city) in the FR’s parcel address.
The State in the FR’s parcel address.
The ZIP Code (and Zip+4) for the FR’s parcel
address.

Parcel_zip4

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Permanent_limit

Permit_issuing

July 2007

The limit on the number of cases the RO can put
into CATI as permanent cases. (See Update
CATI Limits Screen.)
Indicates the case is in a permit-issuing block (Old
construction only).

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
SEGMENT

Permit_number

SUPV_REVIEW
PAL_INFO

Permit_year_month

PAL_INFO

Phone_interview_ok

CMFILE_IN

Number that uniquely identifies a permit issued
within a building permit office. Permit frame only.
The year and month (YYYYMM) the permit
issuing authority issued the permit. Permit frame
only.
Indicates whether or not the respondent has agreed
to future interviews by telephone:

CMFILE_OUT

0=No, 1=Yes.

SUPV_REVIEW
Phone_fr

W ORKLOAD
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS

Phone_no

FR

Phonenum
Phone_number_1

CMFILE_IN

Phone_number_1

CMFILE_OUT

_ext
Phone_number_1
_exp

RI_CMFILE_OUT

Phone_number_2

RI_W ORKLOAD

_exp
Phone_type_1
Phone_type_2

Case’s 2 nd phone number, extension(.ext) and
expansion(.exp)

RI_CMFILE_IN

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

Phone_number_2

Case’s primary phone no, extension(.ext) and
expansion(.exp)

RESTING_INFO

Phone_number_2

_ext

FR assigned telephone cases in parameter, if
different from the regular FR.
Used to store FR primary phone numbers –
Phonenum used by NCVS, Phone_no is not used.

Expansion is a place hold for when Area Codes are
expanded to 4 digits.

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD
RI_W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD

1=Home

5=Public pay phone

2=W ork

6=Toll free

3=Cellular or digital

7=Other

4=Beeper, pager, answering service

8=FAX

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Physical_description

ADDRESS _HISTORY

RI_CMFILE_IN

ADDRESS_INFO

Description of a housing unit and/or its location.
May also include rural routes and postal box
numbers.

RI_CMFILE_OUT

CMFILE_IN

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

SUPV_REVIEW
Place

RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
PLACE_ZIP
RI_SUPV_REVIE
W

ADDRESS_HISTORY

The place (city, town) in the address.

ADDRESS_INFO
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**

**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a place to a single FR.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

SUPV_REVIEW
Previous_cati

W ORKLOAD

_outcome
Previous_fr

The CATI outcome from last time the case was
completed in CATI.

CMFILE_IN

The previous FR who completed the case.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Previous_fr_name

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

FR name the last time the case was completed by
an FR.

CMFILE_OUT
Previous_outcome

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

Outcome code the last time the case was
completed by an FR.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Previous_recycle
Priority

W ORKLOAD
W ORKLOAD
OLD_SERVER_JOB

Previous CATI recycle. 0=No, 1=Yes.
A job’s priority on the server.

Psu

SERVER_JOB
ASSIGNM ENT_PARM S

PSU=Primary Sampling Unit

PSU

CPCAPCS_TEM P

SEGMENT

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

W ORKLOAD

PLACE_ZIP

Usually the FIPS state and county codes
combined, 2 and 3 digits respectively, except in
New England.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Psu_Group

PSU

Psu_level

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS

Psu1, Psu2, Psu3

FR_SURVEY

Pv_fr

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS

Qc_outcome

RI_CMFILE_IN

PSUs grouped for reporting purposes (not
currently used by NCVS, TPOPS only).
Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a PSU to a single FR.
The 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd PSUs an FR works in
(obsolete)=ROSCO uses assignment_parms.
FR assigned personal visit cases in parameter, if
different from the regular FR.
Outcome codes set by the reinterview instrument
at the end of a reinterview.

RI_CMFILE_OUT
Click here for a list
of QC Outcomes.
Reassigned

RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Called Disposition Codes by DSMD.

RI_W ORKLOAD
REMOTE

Flag set when case is reassigned to another FR
from View/Reassign or Supv Review. It also
allows a case previously worked on to be opened
at the front of the instrument.

_REASSIGNMENTS
RI_CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_IN

RI_CMFILE_OUT

CMFILE_OUT

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

Reassigned_by

SUPV_REVIEW
REMOTE

Reassigned_from

Records the FR codes by whom the case was
reassigned, from whom it was reassigned, and to
whom it was reassigned.

_REASSIGNMENTS

Reassigned_to
Reassignment

CPCAPCS_TEMP

_code
Reassignment

These are number codes that probably mean
something. Get explanation from TMO.?????

REMOTE

1 - Type A - Refusal Followup

_reason

_REASSIGNMENTS

2 - Other Type A Followup
(NOH, TA, Other)
3 - Emergency (illness, death in family)
4 - Assignment too large for FR
5 - Prod. reasons (segment closer to another FR)
6 - Misclassification of Noninterview
7 - Other

Received_date
Recordnum

8 -Type A Followup - Charge orig FR with A
Date FR received a case.
The record number for a table that contains the

CPCAPCS_TEMP
SURVEY

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FIELD NAME

July 2007

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Recv_date

FR_SURVEY

Recycle

W ORKLOAD

survey abbreviation. The record number is usually
1.
Date cases received (obsolete in ROSCO which
uses Date_received).
Indicates if a CATI recycle was requested:

_requested
Regular_fr

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS

0=No, 1=Yes.
The FR assigned all cases in parameter, if

Reinterview_type

RI_CMFILE_IN

Type A FR, PV FR and Phone FR are blank.
01 - Response Error assigned to CATI

RI_CMFILE_OUT

02 - Response Error assigned to CAPI

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

03 - Quality Control CATI Recycles

RI_W ORKLOAD

04 - Quality Control CAPI
05 - Quality Control CAPI Supplemental

Type 05 cases are included in
the QC response rates.

RO selects FR before releasing
assignments)
06 - Quality Control CAPI Inactive

Type 06 cases are not included
in the QC response rates.
Release_to_field

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Relist_add

CMFILE_IN

releasing assignments)
Indicates monthly assignments were released:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if case was created from relisting a
segment:

CMFILE_OUT

0=No, 1=Yes.

SUPV_REVIEW
Reload_version

Indicates version if
data needs to be
reloaded.
Replacement_hh

Supplemental (RO chooses cases after

W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY

RI_CMFILE_IN

CMFILE_IN

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

CMFILE_OUT

RI_W ORKLOAD

DELIVER_TO_MCS

SUPV_REVIEW

RELOAD
CASE_HISTORY

W ORKLOAD
The last three digits of the control number indicate

CMFILE_OUT

100 - original household
200 - replacement household
300 - 2 nd replacement household, etc

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Report_name
Returning_cati

REPORT_FILE_OUT
W ORKLOAD

For NCVS=TALIST=Team Assignment List.
Indicates if case was in CATI the previous
interview period:

Ri_closeout_files

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

_sent
Ri_cls_file_sent

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Ri_files_sent

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Ri_group

FR_SURVEY

Rr_id

REMOTE

Ri_mcs_closeout

_REASSIGNMENTS
INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Ri_ready_position

FR_SURVEY

Ri_release_to_field

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Ri_ro_closeout

INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Ri_notes1-15

RI_CMFILE_IN

RI_SUPV_REVIE
W
Ro_closeout

RI_CMFILE_OUT
INTERVIEW _PERIOD

Ro_code

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if reinterview closeout file was sent to
mcs (M ASTER CONTROL): 0=No, 1=Yes.
How is this different from the previous
field=ri_closeout_files_sent ?????
Indicates if cases selected for reinterview were
sent to mcs (Master Control), occurs after
assignments are released:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Group each FR is assigned to for reinterview
selections made by HQ-DSMD staff.
Case Id in remote reassignments table.
Indicates when reinterview is closed out in mcs
(Master Control): 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates if FR is ready for reinterview (was set by
RO staff after FR’s 1 st month, but now preset to 1
for all codes for ROSCO): 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates that reinterview assignments are
released: 0=No, 1=Yes.
Indicates RO has closed out reinterview:
0=No, 1=Yes.
Reinterview notes (up to 15 lines) from the end of
the reinterview.
Indicates RO has closed out interview_period – set
when RO “hits activated hand”: 0=No, 1=Yes.
2-digit regional office code:

OLD_SERVER_JOB
RO_CODE

21=Boston, 22=New York, 23=Philadelphia,

SERVER_JOB

24=Detroit, 25=Chicago, 26=Kansas City,

SCHEDULED_JOB

27=Seattle, 28=Charlotte, 29=Atlanta,

USER_JOB_STATUS

30=Dallas, 31=Denver, 32=Los Angeles

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

RO letter

N/A

1 st letter in names of files to and from FRs:
A=Boston, B=NY, C=Philadelphia, D=Detroit,
E=Chicago, F=KC, G=Seattle, H=Charlotte,

Ro_reint

FR_SURVEY

Ro_team

FR_INTVPERIOD

I=Atlanta, J=Dallas, K=Denver, L=LA.
Flag set when RO staff selects an FR for reinterview: 0=No, 1=Yes. Not used by all surveys.
Letter code for RO teams set in FR_survey table
for each FR:

FR_SURVEY

A,B,C=Boston, Denver; E, W =Dallas

INTERVIEW_PERIOD

A,B=All Other ROs

PSU

Teams are used for reporting purposes. Other
groups (PSU group, stratum) not currently used.

RI_W ORKLOAD
Ro_use
Sample

W ORKLOAD
FR_SURVEY
IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

Place for a ROSCO note about an individual FR.
Sample
Survey
Suffix

SEGMENT

A77=A97

CPS

A, B or blank

W ORKLOAD

J23=J29

NCVS

A, B or blank

Y05=Y16

NHIS

A-D or blank

B77=B97

SCHIP

A, B or blank

The sample designation for a
case. Usually a letter and 2
digits, the field can have an
alpha suffix to associate the
sample with a measure. The
suffix is used in Alaska area
frames for CPS, SCHIP,
NCVS, and in NHIS area
frames.

Screener

S04=S17

SIPP

F04, 05, 08 10-13

AHS-M S

F03, 06 , 09, 20-23, 25 AHS-N
Q33-A46, X11-X20

CEQ

D31-D43, E10-E20

CED

R03
RENT
Flag used by some surveys to screen cases=Not
used by NCVS.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

Seen_by_user

Surveys below do not use an alpha suffix.

SUPV_REVIEW
USER_JOB_STATUS

Flag indicating if a user has highlighted a job on
the View Job Status screen and clicked the Seen
button: 0=Not Seen, 1-Seen

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Segment (NCVS)

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**

A 4-digit number that identifies a section of a PSU
that is in sample. Part of the control no.

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

1 st digit=Panel(1-6)

SEGMENT

2 nd digit=Rotation(1-6):

W ORKLOAD

Segment_folders

**Obsolete assignment
parameter setting used to
assign all cases in a segment to
a single FR.
INTERVIEW _PERIOD

07-49

91910 1601 J22 01 100

GQ

55-59

91910 2559 J22 02 100

GQ

60-69

91910 3269 J22 01 100

Permit 70-99

91910 4199 J22 01 100

CPCAPCS_TEM P

Indicates if the segments folders are checked. RO
staff sets this flag by clicking the “Happy Face”
before releasing assignments.
Type of Segment

CMFILE_IN

1=Area (from listings or update block)

CMFILE_OUT

2=Unit (from maf (Master Address File)

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

3=GQ-group quarters (from listings or

_checked
Segment_type

Permit

SEGMENT

update block)

SUPV_REVIEW

4=Permit (new construction from Permit
Address Listings

Seq_nbr

CASE_ACTIVITY

Serial

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

5=Address (not used in NCVS)
Sequence number used to keep track of case
actions (see case activity codes).
Serial no.=the last two digits in the control #
Usually: NCVS=01-15 for all frames

W ORKLOAD

SCHIP=31-45 Unit and Area frames only
Identification code assigned
sequentially to the units within
a basic sample designation.
Serial_no
Serial_sfx

CPCAPCS_TEMP
W ORKLOAD

If added in case mgt (F4), the
additional unit is assigned a
suffix of A, B, C, etc.

March HispanicOver sample:
NCVS=51-65 for all frames
SCHIP=81-95 Unit and Area frames only
Serial number used in this special table.
An extra unit is assigned a control # identical to
the parent with a suffix added to the serial number.
For example, 01A, or 03X.
If added with instrument coverage questions, the
extra unit is assigned a suffix is X, Y, or Z.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Sfr

FR

Indicates if person is an SFR, etc.
0=FR

Sfr_code

Sheet_number

8=Pseudo FR

1=SFR or Supervisor
9 - Clerk
Field supervisor (SFR) assigned to each FR.

FR_SURVEY

SFR=Senior Field Representative or Supervisory
Field Representative.
The page and line number the case came from on
the listing sheet.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW

Sp_unit

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

Indicates if case is a special place: 0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_OUT
Ssn
Ssn_short
Start_date

SUPV_REVIEW
FR
FR
FR_LEAVE**

Stat

FR_SURVEY
FR

State

FR_SURVEY
FR

ADDRESS_HISTO
RY
ADDRESS_INFO
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
State_of_case

The FR’s Social Security No.
The last 4-digits of the FR’s SSN.
The date an FR can start interviewing.
**The date the FR goes on leave.
Obsolete field used for FR status. NCVS uses
Active_Inactive for FR status.

RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

The 2-character US Postal Service abbreviations
for the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
States are in sample, mailing or FR addresses.

RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

State of case used by some surveys.
10=Unreleased

50=Accepted Transfer

20=Released

60=Transfer Out

30=Transfer In

75=Inactive

Status

RI_CMFILE_IN

40=LM R (late mail return)
Is this the status from the instrument????

CMFILE_IN

RI_CMFILE_OUT

I=Interview

CMFILE_OUT

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

O=Open

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Status

SUPV_REVIEW
OLD_SERVER_JOB

A=Type A… etc.
The status of a job on the server.

SERVER_JOB

E=Error

USER_JOB_STATUS

F=Failed

July 2007

I= Incomplete
Stratum

PSU

Street_name

CMFILE_IN

S=Successful
Strata grouped for reporting purposes (not
currently used by NCVS).
The street name in a sample address.

CMFILE_OUT
ADDRESS_HISTORY
ADDRESS_INFO
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
Srtinglist
Structure_type

SUPV_REVIEW
SYSTEM _IN_LIST
CMFILE_IN

FRs collect structure type during the 1 st interview:

CMFILE_OUT

1=1 HU building (detached)

SUPV_REVIEW

2=1 HU building (attached)
3=2+ HU building
4=mobile home (1 HU)
5=mobile home (2+ HU)

Study_action

CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN

01

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

02

SUPV_REVIEW

30

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Study_name

CMFILE_IN

The 3-character survey acronym and 4-character
study name assigned to the monthly NCVS
instrument by Master Control.

CMFILE_OUT
DELIVER_TO_MCS

NCVS_FS01=January

RELOAD

NCVS_FS02=February

RI_CMFILE_IN

NCVS_LM02=February M IS-9

RI_CMFILE_OUT

The study name for reinterview, NCVSQFU0,
doesn’t change.

RI_SUPV_REVIEW
RI_W ORKLOAD
SUPV_REVIEW
Study_outcome

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_SUPV_REVIEW

Supplemental_fr

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

Supplemental

CMFILE_IN

FR who completed the supplement if different
from FR who completed the regular interview.
1=Supp Complete for at least 1 HHM eligible

CMFILE_OUT

2=Type A-at least 1 HHM eligible, supp skipped

_outcome

after 1 st question

SUPV_REVIEW
W ORKLOAD

3=Other Non interview at least 1 HHM eligible
respondent refused at introduction
4= Ineligible - no one in HH elig for supp

Supplemental_qc

FR_INTVPERIOD

Supv_review

CMFILE_IN

5=Eligibility Unknown - labor for incomplete
Flag indicates if FR has been selected from
supplemental QC reinterview=is this working????
RO action choice for case in Supv Review:

RI_CMFILE_IN

A=accept

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

E=eliminate

SUPV_REVIEW

R=reassign

_action

D=?????
Supv_review
_category

I=?????
Identifies what Supv Review screen the case
appears on.

CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_IN

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

D=Duplicate

SUPV_REVIEW

F=Failed

July 2007

N=Noninterview
Supv_review_type

CMFILE_IN

X=Extra
Identifies Supv Review type:

RI_CMFILE_IN

A=Type A

RI_SUPV_REVIEW

B=Type B

SUPV_REVIEW

C=Type C
D=Duplicate
I=Interview

Survey

FR_SURVEY

P=Partial
The survey abbreviation:

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

AHS-M=American Housing Survey=M etro

RECYCLE_LIM IT

AHS-N=American Housing Survey=Ntl

OLD_SERVER_JOB

CED=Consumer Expenditure=Diary

SERVER_JOB

CEQ=Consumer Expenditure=Quarterly

SCHEDULED_JOB

NCVS=Current Population Survey

STUDIES

NHIS=National Health Interview Survey

SURVEY

NCVS=National Crime & Victimization Survey

USER_JOB_STATUS

RENT=Rent & Property Tax Survey
SIPP=Survey of Income & Program
Participation
SCHIP=State Children’s Health Insurance
Program
TPOPS=Telephone Point of Purchase Survey

Survey code

N/A=Not in tables separately,
but usually the 1 st two digits of
control numbers.

CAUS=Community Address Updating System
See survey names in above section.
01=NCVS

05=CEQ

09=TPOPS

02=NCVS

06=AHS-N

10=RENT

03=SIPP

07=AHS-M

11=SCHIP

04=CE

08=NHIS

99=CAUS

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Survey_data_loaded
Survey_id

INTERVIEW _PERIOD
CMFILE_IN

Indicates the interview period is loaded:
Last 4 characters of Study name.

CMFILE_OUT

FS01=January

Table_column

SUPV_REVIEW
SEQUENCE_NO

Team_leader_code

FR_SURVEY

FS02=February
FS03=March
Names of tables for which sequence numbers are
stored: Mail_messages, User_job_status.
Team Leader (SFR) 3-digit code used to generate
team reports (same as FR code for SFRs).

REPORT_FILE_OUT
Temporary_limit

TEAM_STATUS_REPORT
???????

Tie_flag

IDENTICAL_SEGMENT

Time_completed

OLD_SERVER_JOB

The limit on the number of cases the RO can put
into CATI as temporary cases. (See Update CATI
Limits Screen.)
Indicates identical segments came into sample the
same month.
Date and time a job is completed on the server.
For example: 04/04/2003 12:15:20

SERVER_JOB
Time_requested

USER_JOB_STATUS
OLD_SERVER_JOB

Date and time a job is requested on the server. For
example: 04/04/2003 12:15:00

SERVER_JOB
Time_started

USER_JOB_STATUS
OLD_SERVER_JOB

Date and time a job is started on the server. For
example: 04/04/2003 12:15:17

SERVER_JOB
Tnotes1-15

USER_JOB_STATUS
CMFILE_IN

Up to 15 lines of the CATI notes for a case. CATI
notes, that CATI interviewers key at the end of the
interview, are stored in Notes1-15 of the ROSCO
CATI Notes table. These notes are renamed to
keep them separate from CAPI notes as they
transfer between ROSCO and the FR laptops or
Telephone Centers.
A group of blocks for census data collection.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW

Tract

ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**
W ORKLOAD

Trans_date

FR_SURVEY

Trans_goal1-5

FR_INTVPERIOD

LM02=February M IS-9

**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a tract to a single FR.
The date of the FR’s last transmission. How is this
different from Last_trans_date in the
FR_Intvperiod table????
Up to 5 transmission goals set in ROSCO=Close
Out / Cleanup > Enter Transmittal Goals).

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

Trans_status

CMFILE_IN

July 2007

DESCRIPTION

CMFILE_OUT
RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
SUPV_REVIEW
Transfer_flag

RELOAD

Indicates if a case is transferred to another RO:
0=Not Transferred, 1=Transferred.

Transition
_assignment

Used by surveys that transfer cases.
Identifies a case that is to be interviewed for
training purposes only: 0=No, 1=Yes.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
SEGMENT

Type_z_base

SUPV_REVIEW
CMFILE_IN

The base rate used to compute a type Z rate for the
survey.

CMFILE_OUT
SUPV_REVIEW
Typea_fr

W ORKLOAD
ASSIGNM ENT_PARM S

Unit_designation

CPCAPCS_TEM P
ADDRESS_HISTORY

FR assigned Type A cases in parameter, if
different from the regular FR.
The type of unit, such as an apartment, trailer, and
the number or character designation that uniquely
identifies it.

ADDRESS_INFO
CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO

Group Quarters (GQ) units are room #s, bed #s,
resident’s name, or some other designation.

RI_CMFILE_IN
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW
Unit_in_structure

SUPV_REVIEW
PAL_INFO

Urban_rural

CMFILE_IN

Sequence number of a unit in a multi-unit
structure.
Land code used by instrument to select certain
questions:

CMFILE_OUT

1-Urban, 2-Rural.

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

July 2007

DESCRIPTION

SEGMENT
Userid
Version

SUPV_REVIEW
SYSTEM _IN_LIST
CAPI_NOTES

The version of CAPI notes.

RESTING_NOTES
W hy_not_cati

I’m getting numbers from 0=8 in one RO table.
How does the version number get changed????
The reason the FR answered No to CATI OK.

W ORKLOAD

0=CATI Ok
1=No telephone/telephone no.
2= Hard of hearing
3= Language problem (not Spanish)
4= Requested personal visit
W ithin_psu_stratum

SEGMENT

5= Other-specified in notes
A code used to identify a within-PSU stratum. A
stratum is made up of units (unit frame) or
combined blocks (area frame) with similar
characteristics. Not used by NCVS.

SUPV_REVIEW
RESTING_INFO

Case identifier in the W orkload table.

CMFILE_IN
CMFILE_OUT

W orkload_id

RI_W ORKLOAD
Xmit_status

Year_built

W ORKLOAD
CASE_ACTIVITY

Indicates the transmission status of a case:

CMFILE_OUT

Blank=Not ready to transmit

RI_W ORKLOAD

R=Ready to Transmit

W ORKLOAD
CMFILE_IN

SUPV_REVIEW

T=Transmitted
Indicates if unit was built before or after April 1,
2000 (Census Day). Collected in permit issuing
areas to avoid a housing unit have more than 1
chance of being selected for sample.

W ORKLOAD

A=unit built After 04/01/2000

CMFILE_OUT

.

B=unit built Before 04/01/2000

Permit issuing blocks in Area
frames only

N=Not required for non-structures (boats, mobile
homes, etc. and structures where more than 50% of
the space is for commercial use).

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FIELD NAME

TABLE NAME(S)

DESCRIPTION

Zip, Zip4

ADDRESS_HISTORY

ZIP=A code assigned to each postal delivery area
in the US to expedite the sorting and delivery of
mail.

ADDRESS_INFO
ASSIGNMENT_PARMS**
CMFILE_IN

ZIP+4=The last 4 digits of a 9-digit ZIP.
Generally identifies one side of the street segment
or an entire or similar dead end street.

CMFILE_OUT
FR
PLACE_ZIP
RESTING_ADDRESS_INFO
RI_CMFILE_IN,
RI_CMFILE_OUT
RI_SUPV_REVIEW

**Assignment parameter setting used to assign all
cases in a ZIP to a single FR.

ZIP=Zone Improvement Plan

SUPV_REVIEW

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ACTION CODE TABLE
Code
00

Description
Case/listing not started

Code
10

Description
Comp.Interview/listing; to sponsor

01

Case opened; insuff data; stays on laptop

21

Type A; to sup rev

02

Sufficient partial; followup; stays on laptop

31

Type B; to sup rev

04

Sufficient partial; no followup; to sponsor

41

Type C; to sup rev

CODE DESCRIPTIONS
It is helpful to have descriptions of the codes used in a field. You can display code descriptions
for many ROSCO fields by creating a query of the field using the * as a wild card (see below).

Select * from case_activity_code
Code Display

Effdate

01

Reassigned from W orkload

01/01/1960

02

Reassigned from Supervisory Review

01/01/1960

03

Checked-in from FR different than assigned FR

01/01/1960

04

Accepted duplicate

01/01/1960

05

Accepted from FR different than assigned FR

01/01/1960

06

Eliminated from Supervisory Review

01/01/1960

07

Resolved with prior version

01/01/1960

08

Reassigned Mover

01/01/1960

09

Type A - Charged to different FR

01/01/1960

10

Deleted From Supervisory Review

01/01/1960

11

Remote Reassignment

01/01/1960

Expdate

Category

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REINTERVIEW DISPOSITION, OUTCOME and ACTION CODES
SF=Suspected Falsification
NSF=Not Suspected Falsification
SF

NSF

Outcome

n/a

n/a

200

n/a

n/a

All cases expect 200, 201, and 202 go to RI SupvReview

Description

SF

NSF

Outcome

Description

Unopened, Completed and Opened (only) Cases=Action Code 00 and 10
New case, not started (00).
n/a
n/a
202
Accessed case, no interview
or insufficient partial (00).
201
Original interview/ nonint.
verified as correct (10).

Type A Noninterviews=All Action Code 21
105

003

214

067

013

214

068
069
086

014
015
033

216
217
218

Unable to compl., bad phone
#
Unable to locate
No one home (NOH)

087

034

213

Language problem

n/a

035

218

Respondent can’t remember

089

036

215

Insufficient partial

090

037

219

Other Type A

Temporarily absent (TA)
Refused (Ref)

Type B Noninterviews=All Action Code 31
071

017

226

Vacant, regular or seasonal

077

023

228

Unfit, to be demolished

073

019

227

091

038

224

074

020

230

Vacant, storage of HH
furniture

092

039

225

Entire HH under/over age
limit

094

041

233

075

021

231

076

022

234

Convt to temp.
business/storage
Unoccupied tent/trailer site

Temp. occup. by URE
persons
Other Type B

HH institutionalized/temp
inelig

Type C Noninterviews=All Action Code 41
078

024

240

Demolished

n/a

029

249

Sample adjustment

079

025

241

House or trailer moved

083

030

250

Deceased

080

026

243

084

031

251

M oved out of country

081

027

245

Convt to perm.
business/storage

095

042

248

Other Type C

Condemned

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REINTERVIEW DISPOSITION, OUTCOME and ACTION CODES
SF=Suspected Falsification
NSF=Not Suspected Falsification
SF

NSF

Outcome

All cases expect 200, 201, and 202 go to RI SupvReview

Description

SF

NSF

Outcome

Description

Type D Noninterviews=All Action Code 51
085

032

360

HH replaced by new HH since original interview

Misclassified Cases=All Action Code 11
Originally Should have been

Originally Should have been

096

043

301

B

Interview or A

101

048

301

C

B

097

044

301

C

Interview or A

102

049

301

C

D

099

046

301

B

C

103

058

301

100

047

301

B

D

Other misclassification,
specify in notes

064

007

301

Use of ineligible proxy in
original when proxy is
allowed

065

008

301

066

012

301

Other discrepancy, no
suspected falsification

055

312

RDT-Needs PV/not
authorized

Discrepancy Cases=All Action Code 11
061

009

301

Incorrect household roster

062

005

301

Not all questions asked in
original interview

063

006

301

Use of proxy in original when
self-response is required.

W rong unit/person visited in
original interview

RO / HQ Discretion Cases=All Action Code 21
n/a

052

311

n/a

053

312

RDP-Hard to interview
original case

n/a

n/a
056
312
RDT-M ore than 50 miles
HDT-Unresolved laptop or
from nearest FR or no phone
ROSCO problem
n/a
054 312
n/a
057
312
RDT-Original intv. observed
RDT-Other RO discretion
but not flagged by SFR
RDP=RO Discretion Permanent; RDT=RO Discretion Temporary; HDT=HQ Discretion Temporary

Unique Codes for NCVS RE Cases=All Action Code 11
n/a

018

301

Other misclassification,
specify in notes

060

n/a

301

Suspected falsification of a
completed original interview

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SCHEDULED JOB TABLE
*Times listed are Eastern Standard Time
Job Name
Checkin

Time Scheduled*
5:30 and 10:00 am, and 2:00 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
6:30 and 11:00 am, and 3:00 pm
CG, KC, DA,

Description
Checks in work from the IN directory to
W orkload or Supervisory Review.

RO: Check In Status > Run Check In.

7:30 and 12:00 am, and 4:00 pm DN
Copyin

8:30 am, 1:00 and 5:00 pm SE, LA
All ROs
AM 5:20, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Deliver_to_mcs

PM 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
6:30 and 9:00 am BO, NY, PL, DT,
CL, AT

Copies files on the View In screen from the
bottom to the top window. Also runs when
anyone launches a Check In.
Delivers completed work from ROSCO to
MCS (Master Control).

7:30 and 9:00 am CG, KC, DA,
Frassign

9:00 am DN, SE, LA
6:30 and 10:30 am, and 2:30 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
7:30 and 11:30 am, and 3:30 pm
CG, KC, DA,

RO: Cannot run this job.
RO: Transmissions and Utilities > M ake
Transmissions. A Transmit button is also on
the View/Reassign, Supv Review and
Resolve Missing Cases screens.

8:30 and 12:30 am, and 4:30 pm DN
9:30 am, 1:30 and 5:30 pm SE, LA

Laprpts

Puts assigned cases marked “Ready
to Transmit” into the OUT directory.
6:20 and 10:20 am, and 2:20 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
7:20 and 11:20 am, and 3:20 pm CG,
KC, DA
8:20 am, 12:20 and 4:20 pm DN

Mcs_receiver

9:20 am, 1:20 and 5:20 pm SEA, LA
7:45 am, 12:00noon All ROs
1:30 pm, 6:00 pm

All ROs

Creates and transmits the Team Assignment
List and Team Status Report twice daily.
RO: To create an up-to-the-minute TAL and
TSR for all Team Leaders, check the Team
Leader Reports box on the ROSCO
Transmission screen before transmitting.
MCS distributes regular and reinterview files
to ROSCO using scif_loads and
ri_scif_loads.
RO: Cannot run this job.

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Ri_checkin

6:00 and 10:00 am, and 3:00 pm
BO, NY, PL, DT, CL, AT
7:00 and 11:00 am, and 4:00 pm
CG, KC, DA

July 2007

Checks in work from the RI IN directory to
RI Wkld or RI Supv Rev.

RO: Reinterview > Run RI Check In.

8:00 and 12:00 am, and 5:00 pm DN,

Ri_frassign

9:00 and 1:00 am, and 6:00 pm SE,
LA
9:00 am and 4:00 pm BO, NY, PL,
DT, CL, AT
10:00 am and 5:00 pm CG, KC, DA
11:00 and 6:00 pm DN

RO: Transmissions and Utilities > M ake
Transmissions (check the RI box). A
Transmit button is also on the RI View/
Reassign & RI Supv Review screens.

12:00 and 7:00 pm SEA, LA

Xcell_fr_file

Puts assigned cases marked “Ready
to Transmit” into the RI OUT
directory.
Every hour on the hour between
5:00 am and 11:00 pm.

CB User

Copies additions and deletions from the FR
and FR_Survey tables to FTP.

Copies the latest FTP (config.p) file to
PROCESS (config.p) file. W hen this occurs,
added FRs gain access and deleted FRs lose
access to the server.

11:15 am, 3:15 pm, 7:15 pm

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NCVS Outcome Code/Action Codes as displayed in Laptop Case Management:

Description

NCVS CAPI
Outcome Codes

CAPI Action
Codes

New Case - Not yet started/Checked-In

200

00

Completed Interview

201

10

Sufficient partial - no more follow-up needed

203

03

Sufficient partial - follow-up needed

204

02

Type A - Duplicate

211

21

Type A - Language Problems

213

21

Type A - No One Home

216

21

Type A - Temporarily Absent

217

21

Type A - Refused

218

21

Type A - Other occupied

219

21

Type B - Vacant - regular

226

31

Type B - Vacant - storage of HH furniture

227

31

Type B - Temporarily occupied by persons with usual
residence elsewhere (URE)

225

31

Type B - Unfit or to be demolished

228

31

Type B - Under construction, not ready

229

31

Type B - Converted to temporary business or storage

230

31

(no Type Z’s)

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Type B - Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or
tent

231

31

Type B - Permit granted, construction not started

232

31

Type B - Other

233

31

Type C - Demolished

240

41

Type C - House or trailer moved

241

41

Type C - Outside segment

242

41

Type C - Converted to permanent business or storage

243

41

Type C - Merged

244

41

Type C - Condemned

245

41

Type C - Built after April 1, 2000

246

41

Type C - Unused line of listing sheet

247

41

Type C - Other

248

41

Type C - Removed in subsampling

256

41

Type C - Unit already had a chance of selection

257

41

Type C - Case spawned in error

290

41

Deleted - reassigned to another FR

580

76

Bad case - missing data

581

75

Bad case - missing instrument

582

75

Salvaged case

583

77

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JOB NAME DESCRIPTION
Change FR Code
Checkin

Copyin and Copyin_sh

Create_mail
Create_reinterview_files
Create_RI_closeout_files
Deliver_cls
Deliver_to_mcs
FRassign

Completed cases (201) and most Type Bs are checked in
and outcome code displays in ROSCO. Other cases go to
Supervisory Review:
•

Noninterviews - Type As (216-219) , & Type B,
Others (233) Accept to check in. Other possible
actions - Reassign or Eliminate.

•

Duplicates - Accept to check in. Eliminate to delete.

•

Failed Cases - ROSCO sends a file to the laptop that
causes the case to retransmit. If the case fails check
in again, it will display in Supv Review (Failed
Cases) twice, and so forth. Notify TAC if
retransmitted cases fail to check in.

•

Extra Units - Cases added by FRs at Time of
Interview. Accept to check in. Eliminate to delete.

•

Partials - Sufficient partial cases (203s and 205s) are
missing person or supplement data. Accept to check
in. Other possible action - Reassign or Eliminate.

Copies FR files from the CAPI Server (In Directory) to
ROCSO - moves files from the bottom to the top of the
ROSCO View In screen. Runs at the top of the hour or
anytime a ROSCO Checkin is requested.
Creates ROSCO mail files for FRs.
Process that creates the monthly reinterview .pin files once
regular assignments are released.
Creates the CloseOut file for reinterview.
Delivers the monthly CloseOut file to Master Control.
Delivers files of checked in cases to Master Control.
A regular ROSCO transmission that takes cases with a Xmit
Status of “Ready to Transmit” (released or reassigned cases)
and puts them on the telecom server. Once on the server,
the Xmit Status of these cases changes to “Transmitted”.
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JOB NAME DESCRIPTION
FRphone
Laprpts
MCS_acknowledge

MCS_receiver
Populate_FR_perf_data
Process_cls
Process_rea_files

RI_checkin
RI_Frassign
RI_scif_load

Scif_load
TAList
Xcell_fr_file

Creates a team phone list for Team Leaders.
Creates the Team Status Report and Team Assignment List
and puts them on the telecom server daily.
Creates files sent to FRs acknowledging receipt of checked
in work. Once received, the laptop displays a “R” for the
received case.
Processes files between Master Control and ROSCO - scif,
ri_scif and other files.
Saves FR history data
The closeout process that runs after you “Hit the Hand” icon
during regular closeout.
Processes remote reassignment requests once an hour and
puts reassigned cases out on the server at the top of the
hour.
Checks in reinterview cases
A reinterview ROSCO transmission
Loads the reinterview input files after 1:30pm daily (DC
time) from the 1st Monday of CPS week through the day
after regular CloseOut.
Loads the regular CPS montly workloads on the Friday after
the previous month’s closeout.
Job that creates the Team Assignment List (TAL) for Team
Leaders
Copies additions to and deletions from the FR_Survey
tables at the top of every hour.

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Chapter 5. Training and Observations
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.

NCVS Training and Observations

5-2

2.

Adding New Staff to the Database

5-3

3.

Training NCVS Staff

5-5

4.

Purpose and Types of
Observations

5-7

5.

Observer’s Instructions

5-9

6.

Advance Briefing

5-11

7.

Selecting FRs for Observation

5-13

8.

Selecting Observers

5-17

9.

Timing of Special Needs
Observation

5-18

10.

Length of Observation

5-19

11.

FR Notification

5-21

12.

Feedback to the FR

5-22

Appendix 5A -

Notification of
Observation

5-23

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Topic 1 Overview

June 2006

NCVS Training and Observations
The NCVS training program encompasses a
variety of methods. New FRs receive training on
generic survey concepts and procedures, as well as
survey-specific topics via self-studies and
classroom training.
The NCVS observation program provides a
uniform method for assessing the FR’s attitude
toward the job and evaluating his/her capability to
apply NCVS concepts and procedures during
actual work situations. The observation provides
the opportunity to teach the FR interviewing skills
in an on-the-job environment, concepts not
covered during self-study and classroom training,
and practical hands-on success tips that the
observer personally uses. Observation also reveals
information about respondents in a particular area
and the geographic conditions where the FR
works.

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Topic 2 -

June 2006

Adding New Staff to the Database

Overview

Information on FRs working on NCVS in your RO
is necessary for making assignments in ROSCO.
FR data need to be entered and updated on an
ongoing basis. The information keyed into the FR
Operations screens is stored in the FR_Survey and
FR tables.

Edit FR Data

Select the Edit FR Data activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. In
this activity you can add or delete an FR or change
FR codes. This activity manages the information
on all FRs employed at the RO.

Edit FR’s Survey Data

Select the Edit FR’s Survey Data activity from
the Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu.
This activity allows you to add or delete FRs and
edit certain information about the FR at the
survey-level (i.e., for NCVS only). The FR must
be added in this activity before any NCVS cases
can be assigned to him/her.

Edit Team Leaders

Select the Edit Team Leaders activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. This
activity enables you to insert new Assigned Team
Leaders, delete Assigned Team Leaders, and edit
current team leaders and provide substitutes for
the Assigned Team Leaders.

Print FR Labels

Select the Print FR Labels activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. In

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this activity you can select the information you
would like to appear on the FR labels, such as:
9
9
9

FR Code
Address Type (parcel/mailing)
Phone

You can also choose the type and size of label to
produce.
Print FR Roster

Select the Print FR Roster activity from the
Operations menu, FR Operations sub-menu. In
this activity you can choose to print any and all
information about all FRs assigned to a specific
survey. This information includes information
such as:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9

FR Code
Team Leader
PSU
Other Surveys Worked
FR Name
Parcel Address
Street Address
Phone
EOD
Second Phone
RO Use

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Topic 3 Supervisors

June 2006

Training NCVS Staff
The NCVS Supervisor must be proficient in the
survey subject-matter as well as all CAPI aspects
of the survey. In addition, the NCVS Supervisor
must complete the entire initial FR training,
including self-study assignments and classroom
training, prior to administering the training to
others. Further, he or she must also review all
office operations and procedures.
The NCVS Supervisor also must be
knowledgeable about:
9
9
9
9

Clerks

Office operations as outlined in this manual
Laptop and Modem Troubleshooting
The BC-20, Training the Trainer
The 11-55RO, Administrative Handbook for
Regional Office Schedule A Employees

The NCVS clerk has a wide variety of duties on
NCVS, including:
9
9
9
9
9

preparing correspondence
operating ROSCO
preparing assignments
reinterview
monitoring the flow of completed work into
HQ

The clerk must also be able to provide survey
concept support to Field Representatives (FRs) in
the field, using the FR manual as a guide.
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Additionally, the clerk must be able to provide
technical support to FRs and be familiar with the
Remedy software package to send technical
problem referrals to HQ.
The clerk must complete all initial NCVS selfstudy materials and attend the classroom training
session. In addition, the clerk must be trained on
laptop and modem troubleshooting.
The program supervisor must orient new clerks to
the Regional Office’s organization and procedures
and provide computer-based training in such areas
as: electronic mail applications, spreadsheet, and
word processing applications.
Field Representatives

Field Representatives complete classroom training
and/or self-studies in a manner that is determined
by their experience.

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Topic 4 -

June 2006

Purpose and Types of Observations

Purpose of Observations

The main objective of an observation is to help the
FR perform his/her primary activity –
interviewing. Observations provide important
feedback to the FR on his/her strengths and
weaknesses in various interview or noninterview
situations.
The NCVS observation not only provides a
uniform method for evaluating the FR’s ability to
apply the NCVS concepts and procedures during
actual work situations, but also provides an
excellent means for assessing the new FR’s
attitude toward the job. In addition, the observer
can provide the FR training in weak or problem
areas.

Initial Observations
(N–1, and N–2)

Initial observations are an extension of the
classroom training and provide on-the-job training
for FRs new to NCVS. Even experienced FRs
need to be observed when they work on NCVS for
the first time.
The timing for each of these observations is:

Special Needs (SN)
Observation

9

N–1 During 1st Interviewing Assignment

9

N–2, During 2nd Interviewing Assignment

The Special Needs Observation is conducted when
an FR’s performance indicates a possible need for
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June 2006

additional training on any phase of the job (for
example, refusal conversion techniques, problems
meeting deadlines, care of the laptop equipment,
listing procedures, telephone interviewing). The
results of the previous observation may dictate that
the FR must be observed during his/her next
assignment by the NCVS supervisor or program
coordinator.
General Performance
Review (GPR)
Observation

The purpose of the General Performance Review
(GPR) or “systematic” observation is to reinforce
good interviewing practices and to correct any
incorrect procedures the FR may have developed
over time.

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Topic 5 -

June 2006

Observer’s Instructions

11-62, OJT and
Observation Self-Study

Form 11-62, On-the-Job Training and Observation
Self-Study, provides general instructions for
conducting Initial and Special Needs
Observations. Review this guide prior to
conducting the observation.

11-62A, OJT and
Observation Report

In addition to the 11-62 Form 11-62A, On-the-Job
Training and Observation Report, is used for the
observer to evaluate and comment on the
performance of the (S)FR being observed. (See
Topic 6, Advance Briefing, for details.)

NCVS 524, NCVS
Induction Guide

The NCVS 524, NCVS Induction Guide, provides
useful information on Initial, Special Needs, and
GPR Observations. (An updated CAPI version is
currently being developed.)

Reporting Observed
Cases in GUI Case
Management

In order to flag observed cases to make them
ineligible for reinterview, the observer must
perform the following steps in Case Management
on the FR’s laptop before the FR transmits the
observed cases:
9

Click on the F8-View icon.

9

Select All.

9

Highlight the observed case(s).

9

Click on the Actions menu, and select
‘Mark as Observed.’
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Enter the SFR password (i.e., the same password
the SFR uses to access the SFR Functions
application).
Note: An error message is displayed if the cases
have already been transmitted, and you will not be
able to mark the case(s) as observed to prevent
them from falling into the reinterview sample.

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Topic 6 -

June 2006

Advance Briefing

General

For Initial and Special Needs Observations, the
NCVS Supervisor should brief the observer on any
apparent problems, particularly if the supervisor
noticed during training that the FR was having
difficulty using the laptop or performing
transmissions. For Special Needs (SN)
Observations, the supervisor should note the
problem(s) which warranted a SN observation.
Observer briefings may be in writing, by
telephone, through email messages, or in person.

Materials Provided for
Observations

Provide the observer with the following materials:
9
11-62, On-the-Job Training and Observation
Self-Study;
9

11-62A, On-the-Job Training and
Observation Report;

9

Copy of the FR’s current CAPI-35, FR
Assignment List (so observer can prepare
for the observation and make notes about
observed cases) (optional);

9

FR Notification of Observation (copy of
mail message to FR);

9

Summary of FR Performance Reports,
CARMN Reports, etc.;
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Preparation of Form
11-62A, On-the-Job
Training and
Observation Report

June 2006

9

Previous Observation Reports
(Form 11-62A);

9

Specific instructions from the NCVS
Supervisor (optional);

9

Notes/Reports from the administrative or
payroll section about administrative or
payroll problems (optional); and

Prepare an On-the-Job Training and Observation
Report for each scheduled observation.
Fill items 1-10 and 12 on page 1 of Form 11-62A.
Note in item 10 any reference notes for special
attention. The observer will complete the Date
and Time Observed in item 11. For item 12, if the
FR has not worked three months, note any
applicable performance information available.

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Topic 7 -

June 2006

Selecting FRs for Observation

General

Each month, the NCVS Supervisor must review
the performance of the FR staff and the initial
training requirements to select FRs and SFRs for
observation.

Initial Observations

All FRs new to NCVS are required to be observed
during the first day(s) of their assignment. This is
an Initial Observation. Priority should be given to
scheduling new FRs for their N–1, and N–2 initial
observations.

N–1, Initial
Observation

Schedule a one or two day N–1 observation during
the FR’s NCVS assignment. It is up to the RO’s
discretion as to whether the N–1 observation lasts
one or two days. Refer to the NCVS 524, NCVS
Induction Guide, for specific instructions on how
to conduct the N –1 observation. An updated
CAPI version is being developed.

N–2, Initial
Observation

Schedule a 1½ day N–2 observation during the
FR’s second NCVS assignment. The ½ day is
specifically set aside for training on listing
procedures. If the FR is experienced, the NCVS
supervisor may decide to omit the ½ day listing
procedures portion of the N–2 observation. Refer
to the NCVS 524, NCVS Induction Guide, for
specific instructions on how to conduct the N–2
observation. An updated CAPI version is being
developed.

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June 2006

General Performance
Review (GPR)
Observations

The frequency in which an (S)FR is observed and
the content of the observation depends on the
number of surveys the (S)FR works.

Single Survey
(S)FRs

An (S)FR who works only one current survey
should be observed once every other year. This
observation should consist of observing the (S)FR
conduct interviews and give feedback on his/her
performance.

Multi-Survey
(S)FRs

An (S)FR who works multiple current surveys
should be observed once every year. This
observation should consist of observing the (S)FR
conduct interviews on one specific survey and
giving feedback on his/her program performance
on that specific survey. In addition, the
observation should consist of a review of the
(S)FR’s program performance on the other surveys
worked based on feedback from the supervisory
staff of the other surveys.
For example, if an (S)FR works on CPS and the
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS),
he/she should be observed on NCVS the first year
and then CPS the next year (or vice versa). In the
first year, the observer observes the (S)FR conduct
NCVS interviews and gives feedback on the
(S)FR’s performance on NCVS. During that same
observation, the observer discusses the (S)FR’s
program performance on CPS based on feedback
from the CPS supervisor staff.

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Additional
Guidelines

June 2006

As much as possible, RO management must ensure
that observations are equally distributed by survey
so that no one survey is charged the costs of all the
staff observed in one year. Use your RO-specific
planning goals for managing the GPR Observation
program.
New NCVS FRs should receive their GPR
observation 3-5 months after their initial
observation. After allowing for initial
observations, the selection of the remaining FRs
should be based primarily on need. Other factors
to consider are the length of time since the last
observation and clustering observations for the
most efficient use of time and travel.

Special Needs (SN)
Observations

Consider scheduling a special needs observation
for any FR who has:
9

A low response rate;

9

Hours per case or miles per case which
exceed the production rate standards for the
RO;

9

Repeated problems locating addresses;

9

A need for help or training on any aspect of
the job;

9

Received a “Does Not Meet” rating on the
last observation; or

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9

June 2006

Requested help on any part of his/her
assignment.

Note: An FR who was rated a “Does Not Meet”
on his/her last progress review or evaluation must
be observed or retrained during his/her next
assignment.
Special Needs(SN)
Observation Fulfills
GPR Requirements

Schedule FRs and
SFRs for GPR
Observation Once
Each Fiscal Year

The SN observation fulfills the GPR requirement
for the fiscal year. Although it is not required, it is
suggested that FRs who received an SN or N –2
observation be scheduled for their next GPR
observation within six months of the next fiscal
year.
Excluding N–1 and N–2 observations, FRs must
be observed (GPR) at least once each fiscal
year. For FRs used occasionally, the survey
supervisor should determine the type of
observation necessary based on the FRs previous
NCVS experience and performance.
Schedule SFRs for observation once each fiscal
year, if possible. However, at an absolute
minimum, each SFR must be observed at least
once every two fiscal years. If at all possible,
schedule these observations during months when
the SFR has a full (or substitute) assignment.

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Topic 8 -

June 2006

Selecting Observers

General Qualifications

The observer must be a member of the RO
management or supervisory staff, or an NCVS
SFR or Team Leader, or the NCVS lead clerk.
The observer must be qualified to train the FR on
the aspect(s) of the job that necessitated the
observation. The observer must complete the
NCVS home-study before conducting any
observations.

Previous Observation
Results

Attempt to counter any of the FR’s weak areas
with the proven abilities of the observer. The
NCVS Supervisor should analyze any previous
observation reports, noting any changes in the
performance of the observed FR, before making
the final selection of the observer. An effective
and well-documented observation report will
hopefully result in improved post observation FR
performance.

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Topic 9 -

June 2006

Timing of Special Needs Observation

Arranging the
Observation

When arranging the date and time for a Special
Needs Observation, remember that timing is
dependent on the reason for the observation.

Low Production

Schedule the observation at the beginning of the
NCVS interview period so the observer can help
the FR plan an efficient itinerary and determine
whether he/she is keeping an accurate record of
his/her time on the laptop. In addition, stress to
the FR the importance of transmitting payroll data
daily.

Low Response Rate

Schedule the observation at the beginning of the
NCVS interview period so the observer can advise
and help with noninterviews and show the FR how
to reduce Type A’s. Instruct the FR to keep Type
A’s for the observer’s review.

Other Reasons

Schedule the observation at an appropriate time so
the observer can take the most effective preventive
or remedial action. For example, if the FR has
frequent problems with not being able to locate an
address or a map spot on the Automated Listing
and Mapping Instrument (ALMI) Time of
Interview (TOI), the observer should provide
examples of similar situations and suggestions to
help the FR locate the address (such as call the RO
to research or help search publicly available
databases).

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Topic 10 -

June 2006

Length of Observation

General

The main objective of the observation is to help
the FR improve his/her interviewing skills.
Each month, the NCVS Supervisor must review
the performance of the FR staff and the initial
training requirements to select FRs and SFRs for
observation.

Number of Observed
Interviews

There is no specific minimum number of
interviews to be observed for each type of
observation. It is the responsibility of the NCVS
Supervisor to ensure that the number of observed
interviews adequately provides enough varying
situations to accurately rate the FR’s performance
during the observation. Each observation day
should cover six hours or more.

Length of N–1 Initial
Observations

The observer needs to spend two days with the FR
depending on his/her needs and experience. For
new FRs and non-CAPI experienced FRs new to
NCVS, two days of observation is recommended.
A one-day observation is recommended for all
CAPI-experienced FRs new to NCVS, unless the
supervisor feels a second day is necessary. A
minimum of six hours of working time constitutes
a day of observation.
When it is not possible to observe for a minimum
of six hours per day due to situations beyond their
control, the observer should include an

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June 2006

explanation in the observation report to justify the
situation.
Length of N–2 Initial
Observation

However, most N–2 observations will be 1 to 1½
day observations. Schedule the N–2 observation
for two days if the N–1 observation showed
significant problems. If the FR was trained on
“listing” for other surveys, the N–2 observation
can be one day. If it is not possible to observe for
a minimum of six hours, the observer should
include an explanation in the observation report to
justify the situation.

General Performance
Review and Special
Needs Observations

The observer should spend six hours or more with
the FR in most cases. When this is not possible,
the observer should include an explanation on the
observation report to justify the situation.

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Topic 11 -

June 2006

FR Notification

Notify by Electronic
Mail

Notify both the observer and the FR of the
observation via sending a mail message in
ROSCO. Keep a copy of the mail message for
your own use in the RO.

Notify by Memorandum

Alternatively, you have the option of notifying
FRs by means of a more formal memorandum.
Review the text of the memorandum in
Appendix 5A, Notification of Observation, for
compliance to Regional Office policy. If
necessary, change the memorandum text.

Observer Contacts FR

The observer is responsible for contacting the FR
to make arrangements for the observation.

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Topic 12 -

June 2006

Feedback to the FR

Provide Timely
Feedback to the FR

After evaluating the observation results, provide
the FR with timely feedback. Follow the steps
below:
9

Send a copy of the FR’s Summary of
Performance (for the month following the
observation) to the FR.

9

Discuss the observation and subsequent
Summary of Performance with the observer.
Review the FRs strengths and weaknesses.

9

Then discuss the observation and
subsequent Summary of Performance with
the FR. Include strengths and weaknesses,
as well as praise and encouragement, as
appropriate.

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June 2006

Appendix 5A, Notification of Observation
NOTIFICATION OF OBSERVATION
Date
MEMORANDUM FOR

Field Representatives and Observers Listed Below

From:

Regional Director’s Name
Regional Director

Subject:

NCVS Observation Schedule for Month Year

This memorandum is to inform you of the NCVS observations planned for Month Year. We
conduct observations in an effort to provide ongoing training for all Field Representatives (FRs),
evaluate survey procedures and policies, and evaluate staff. This is an additional method for
supervisors to keep in touch with the staff and share information about the survey, interviewing
procedures, and items of particular interest to the FR.
Listed below are the FRs and observers scheduled for NCVS. The observers should contact
the FR well in advance for specific arrangements. Final arrangements are to be made by
the observer. FRs must be prepared to work a minimum of six hours with their observer.
Each FR should have his/her laptop computer, NCVS FR Manual, up-to-date payroll entries on
the laptop, and assignment materials available for review by the observer. FRs should be
prepared to conduct interviews, conduct a backup and data transmission. The preferred site for
the data transmission is the FR’s home.
If you have any questions regarding this observation schedule or your observer has not contacted
you two working days prior to the scheduled observation, please call the NCVS supervisor,
(name), at (telephone number).

Type

Date

PSU

Field Representative

MM/DD/YYYY

PSU

FR Name

Observer
Observer Name

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June 2006

5-24

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

Chapter 6. Assignment Activities
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:

Topic
1.

Field Representative Operations

6-2

2.

Sample Control Operations

6-16

3.

Using Assignment Parameters

6-39

4.

Adjusting Assignments

6-45

5.

Releasing Assignments

6-49

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Topic 1 -

August 2007

Field Representative Operations

Overview

As FRs, SFRs, Team Leaders, Clerks, or
Supervisors are added to your RO’s NCVS staff,
their basic information will need to be added to the
ROSCO database. This involves adding their
information to the database as a whole (using the
Edit FR Data activity), activating them for NCVS
in ROSCO (using the Edit FR’s Survey Data
activity), and when necessary, designating them as
a Team Leader (using the Edit FR Survey screen).

Edit FR Data

Using the Edit FR Data activity sets up a basic
profile for the new staff member in the ROSCO
database. This step must be completed before you
can designate them as a member of your NCVS
staff. To create a new profile:
1.

Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit FR Data.

2.

Check the list of FRs in the FR Primary
Data section at the top of the Edit FR Data
screen. If the staff member you wish to add
is already listed on the Edit FR Data screen
(i.e., they already work on another survey
for which a profile was created in ROSCO),
you do not need to proceed any further on
this screen. You may go directly to the Edit
FR Survey screen to activate the individual
on NCVS.
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Edit FR’s Survey Data

August 2007

3.

If the staff member you wish to add is not
already listed on the Edit FR Data screen,
click on the Insert FR button.

4.

You should now see a blank line at the top
of the list of FRs. Enter the information for
your new employee in all of the fields on
this line and in the FR Secondary Data
section at the bottom of the screen. Make
sure that the spelling of the FR’s name
matches the spelling EXACTLY when
setting up the profile for the FR. You can
designate the employee type as an FR, SFR
or Supervisor, Pseudo FR (Z99, for
example), or Clerk. See the Edit FR Data
screen on the next page.

5.

After you finish entering the information,
click the Save button on the toolbar.

Using the Edit FR’s Survey Data activity allows
you to activate an employee on NCVS who is
listed on the Edit FR Data screen. Only after
completing this operation will the FR be able to
transmit to pick up the latest NCVS software on
his/her laptop. To activate a new employee on
NCVS:
1.

Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit FR’s Survey
Data.

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

2.
3.

4.

August 2007

Click on the Insert FR icon on the Edit FR
Survey Data screen.
Find the employee’s name on the FR List
dialog box, click on it to highlight it, and
then click on OK.

Add the information to the FR Survey
Dialog Window. Required entries include:
•
Entered On Program
•
Employee Type
•
Team Leader (if survey uses TLs)
•
RO Team (if survey uses RO teams)
Use the check boxes to activate the field
labels. When finished, click OK.

Note: Fill the Team Leader field to get this FR’s
data into the team leader reports.

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5.

Other Uses of the
Edit Survey Data
Screen

August 2007

Your new employee should now appear on
the FR Survey Data list. Click the Save
icon to finish activating this employee on
NCVS.

You may also perform the following tasks using
the Edit FR Survey Data screen:
Delete an FR From the Survey: Highlight the
FR you wish to remove from NCVS then click on
the Delete FRs icon on the toolbar. You are
instructed to make an entry in the “End Date for
Current Survey” field in the FR Survey End Date
Selection Dialog Box. Click the Save icon to save
your changes.
Undelete an FR From the Survey: If you went
through the steps to delete an FR but have not yet
saved your changes, you may use the Restore
icon on the toolbar to undelete the FR.
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Mark an FR On Leave: If you would like to
designate an FR as being on leave during certain
dates in an interview period, you can do so using
the Leave Data icon on the toolbar. Use the Insert
icon on the FR Leave Window to create a new
entry, and enter the interview period that the FR
will be on leave and the dates on leave. You will
not be able to assign work to that FR during the
dates designated in the interview period.

Adding FR Codes in the
Telecom Registry

You can begin to assign work in ROSCO to new
FR codes as soon as they are added on the Edit
Survey Data screen. However, you cannot prepare
a laptop for the new FRs until they are in the
telecom registry.
The registration process occurs automatically, as
follows:
9

At the top of every daytime hour, a
temporary file is created from all FR survey
tables that include any changes made to the
tables – FR code adds and changes. This
table will NOT include deleted FR codes.

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Editing FR Survey Data
for Team Leaders (SFRs)

Edit Team Leaders

August 2007

9

Several times a day the CB User job copies
the latest temporary file into the telecom
registry. The registry contains data that
allows FRs and SFRs to transmit for MAIL,
WINFRED (payroll) and their surveys.

9

Once an FR code is in the telecom registry,
RO staff can prepare laptops for the new
FRs.

9

If a person is deleted from the NCVS Edit
Survey Data screen, they are taken off the
telecom registry for NCVS, and can no
longer make a transmission for NCVS work.

Team Leaders (SFRs) are added to FR Survey
Data the same as regular FRs with the following
exceptions:
9

SFRs usually get assigned a FR code that
begins with the letter A.

9

SFRs are assigned an Employee Type of
“Team Leader or SFR”.

9

Once in the telecom registry, SFRs will be
eligible for SFR Functions and reinterview
functions.

Using the Edit Team Leaders activity allows you
to designate staff members as NCVS Team
Leaders, delete Team Leaders from NCVS, and
designate temporary Team Leaders. You must
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August 2007

complete these steps to add a Team Leader before
you can assign FRs to his/her team in the Edit FR
Survey Data screen.
To designate someone as an NCVS Team Leader:
1.

Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations submenu, and Edit Team
Leaders.

2.

Click on the Insert icon.

3.

Select the appropriate individual from the
FR List dialog box, click on his/her name,
and click on OK. (Note: An individual is
only displayed on the FR List screen if they
are designated as a Team Leader or SFR on
the Edit FR Survey Data screen.)

4.

The new Team Leader’s name should now
appear on your Edit Team Leader screen.
Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

Note: You do not need to enter information under
the columns for “Current Team leader Code,”
“Effective Date,” and “Expiration Date.” These
columns are only required when you are
designating a temporary Team Leader, which is
described later in this topic.
Deleting a Team
Leader

Perform the following steps to remove a Team
Leader from ROSCO:
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Designating a Temporary
Team Leader

August 2007

1.

Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit Team
Leaders.

2.

Select the appropriate individual from the
list of Team Leaders and click on his/her
name.

3.

Click on the Delete icon.

4.

Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

5.

Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations sub-menu, and Edit FR’s Survey
Data.

6.

Select the appropriate individual from the
list and click on his/her name.

7.

If the Team Leader was converted to a
regular FR, change the entry in the
“Employee Type” field. If the Team Leader
no longer works on the survey, click on the
Delete FR icon.

8.

Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

To designate a Team Leader to temporarily cover
another Team Leader’s team:

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

1.

Click on the Operations menu, FR
Operations submenu, and Edit Team
Leaders.

2.

Select from the list of Team Leaders the
individual whose team will be covered by
the temporary Team Leader and click on
his/her name.

3.

In the “Current Team Leader Code” column,
select the temporary Team Leader’s code
from the drop-down list.

4.

Click on the “Effective Date” field and enter
the date that the (temporary) Current Team
Leader’s assignment will take effect.

5.

Click on the “Expiration Date” field, and
enter the date that the (temporary) Current
Team Leader’s assignment will end.

6.

Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Print FR Labels

August 2007

To print FR labels, open the FR Labels screen by
going to the Operations menu, FR Operations submenu, and selecting the Print FR Labels activity.
At the “Option Selection List: Print FR Labels”
dialog box, select either Query or All.
Upon making this selection, the FR Labels pop-up
box is displayed where you specify the
information you would like to appear on the label.
The items from which you may select are:
9

FR Code,

9

Address Type (Parcel Address or Mailing
Address), and

9

Phone.

Once the information that you want on the label is
specified, the Label Format Selection pop-up is
displayed to allow you to select how you would
like the labels to be formatted (One label per FR
(default), or one page of labels per FR (you
specify a number of labels per page)).

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August 2007

Once you select the label format, the FR Labels
screen showing the labels to be printed is
displayed.
To give you a better idea of exactly how large the
labels will be, you can turn on horizontal and
vertical rulers. To view the ruler, click the Ruler
checkbox at the top of the FR Labels screen.
To produce labels in a specific order, click on the
Sort icon.

Print FR Roster

To print the FR roster, open the FR Roster screen
by going to the Operations menu, FR Operations
sub-menu, and selecting the Print FR Roster
activity. A box containing the Available Fields for
Print is displayed. The available fields are:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9

FR Code
RO Team (if used)
Team Leader
PSU
Other Surveys Worked
Name (FR name)
Parcel Address (Mailing address)
Street Address (Physical address)
Phone
EOD (Date FR began working at the RO)
Second Phone
RO Use (Special notes about the FR, e.g.,
speaks Spanish)
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August 2007

Use the Add, Add All, Remove and Remove All
buttons to move options between the “Available”
and “Selected” fields. After selecting all items to
include on the roster, click OK. The roster will be
displayed on the screen. Click the Print icon to
begin the print job.
ROSCO Surveys
Overview

The ROSCO Surveys Overview activity can be
found on the Operations menu, directly below the
FR Operations sub-menu. The purpose of this
activity is to display workload information for all
surveys that an (S)FR is currently working on.
You have the option of selecting one or more
(S)FRs from a list, and information displays for
those (S)FRs selected.

FRs On Leave Report

The FRs on Leave Report displays all FRs entered
into the system as being on leave for a specified
period of time. This report is populated by using
the Leave Data icon in the Edit FR’s Survey Data
activity. The information appearing on this report
is:

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

9
9
9
9

Designate an FR on
Leave for the Interview
Period

August 2007

FR Code,
FR Name,
Start Date (when the FR’s leave begins),
and
End Date (when the FR has reported he or
she would return from leave).

To prevent cases from being assigned to FRs who
are ill, on vacation, or unavailable for an
assignment for some other reason, flag the FR as
being on leave for the interview period as follows:
9
9
9
9
9

Select Edit FR’s Survey Data
Select the FR scheduled for leave
Click on the Leave Data icon
If there are no previous leave records for the
FR, click OK in the ROSCO Message box.
Click the insert icon and enter the Survey
Period the FR will be on leave. Enter the
Survey Period in the format shown below:
Format:
Example:

9

yyyy/mm
2004/08

Click Save to save the changes

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Topic 2 Sample Control
Operations

August 2007

Sample Control Operations
ROSCO’s Sample Control operations allows you
to work with some assignment information before
you begin the process of making assignments.
The primary Sample Control activities and reports
include:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9

View/Edit Sample
Customized Respondent Letters (mail merge)
Edit Letter Language
Edit Letter Types
Print Respondent Letters
Tracking Respondent Letters
Print Respondent Labels
Segments with Additional Units
Key Additional Units
Edit PSU
View Historical Resting Data
Sample Count Reports
Identical Segment Folder Report
Respondent Letters Tracking Repor

View/Edit Sample

After the assignment file for the month is loaded,
you can view the cases in your monthly workload
by using the View/Edit Sample option under the
Operations/Sample Control.

Add to View/Edit
Sample

Everything stored in ROSCO about a case can be
accessed through the View/Edit Sample screens.
When you click on the View/Edit Sample menu
pick, a pop-up Options Selection List displays:
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August 2007

9

View/Edit

9

Query - for querying up a single case or
group of cases

9

Incoming cases

9

Incomplete Address - for all cases with an
incomplete address

9

Address Changed - for all cases that have
had address changes

View/Edit displays one case at a time. If you
selected an option that brings up more than one
case, move between the selected cases using the
First, Prior, Next or Last buttons. You can also
use the “Go to Case” button to view a list of all the
cases selected.
The View/Edit Sample screen has the following
tabs for each case:
Tab

Editable Fields

Basic Info

Respondent name, phone
number(s), Best Time to Call

Sample
Control
Info

Year built, mobile home, GQ type
and name

Address
Info

Address label flag, sample and
mailing address label control

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Current
Survey
Info

No editable fields

Status Info

No editable fields

PAL Info

No editable fields

Generic
Fields

No editable fields

August 2007

Clicking the View More button to display the
following additional tabs:
9

Notes - If RO staff adds notes to this tab
before releasing assignments, the notes go
to the Field Representative.

9

Contacts - Contact name and other
information for Type B and C cases

9

Case History - Interview period; FR code
and outcome code or CATI outcome code

9

Letter History - Interview number, letter
type, date sent and letter delivered

9

Case Activity - Current case status and
previous case activity within ROSCO for
the current month. Case Activity can
include:
•
•

Reassigned from Workload
Reassigned from Sup Rev

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NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

•

Checked-in from an FR different than
the assigned FR
Accepted duplicate
Accepted from an FR that is different
from the assigned FR
Eliminated from Sup Rev
Resolved with prior version
Reassigned Mover (not used by
NCVS)
Type A - Charged to different FR
Deleted from Sup Rev
Remote reassignment

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
9

August 2007

Address History - Current and previous
address data

The View More button is accessible from the
Make Adjust Assignment screens, the Supervisory
Review screens and the View/Reassign screens.

Mail Merge (Customized
Respondent Letters)

Edit Letter
Language

In addition to 1st month letters, you can customize
letters for respondents with a Mail Merge feature
that uses merge-tagged letters and ROSCO data.
ROSCO allows users to designate which rich text
format (.RTF) file to use for the various types of
respondent letters (refusal, NOH, etc.) to use for
the cases selected. The user specifies:
9
9
9

Type of letter
Language used in the letter
The file to use for the type of letter.
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August 2007

The user can also modify the:
9
9
9

Type of letter,
Language, and/or
The file to use for the type of letter.

The user can also remove (delete) letters no longer
used. However, a request must be sent to the
TMO Technical Assistance Center to add or delete
from the list of languages.
ROSCO merges information from the database
into the text of the letter such as:
9
9

Respondent name and address
FR name and telephone number

You are also given the option of entering
additional information such as:
9
9

Supervisor name
Office telephone number

If you choose, ROSCO can also keep a record of:
9
9

Cases for which letters were generated
Letters generated for each case

Since ROSCO’s Edit and Print Respondent Letters
activity is most useful for avoiding noninterviews,
you can find detailed use instructions in Chapter 8
of this manual.

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August 2007

Edit Letter Types

The Edit Letter Types activity allows you to view
the different types of letters available for the
Survey and the Regional Office. However, a
request must be sent to the TMO Technical
Assistance Center to add or delete from the list of
letter types.

Print Respondent
Letters

The Print Respondent Letters activity allows the
user to print a letter for 1-to-many Control
Numbers, with the option to merge data from the
database into the letter. The “Merge” feature
requires specific <> in the body of the
letter (see Tags: below), placed in
positions where database data should replace the
tags. This activity allows the user to indicate that
the system should place a record in the Letter
Tracking activity when generating letters.
For this activity, ROSCO displays all Control
Numbers for the Survey and Regional Office,
matching the RO Team(s) and Interview Period(s)
for the current ROSCO session (e.g., specified
during login), and the condition entered by the
user in the Query pop-up window.
CPS staff may find this feature useful in
generating mailing labels for refusal letters and
other letters sent from the RO.
Following are the steps to follow to create and
print respondent labels:

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August 2007

9

Click on Operations ! Sample ! Print
Respondent Labels.

9

From the Option Selection window:
•

Select ‘All’ to generate labels for all
cases in sample that month, or

•

Select ‘Query’ to select specific cases
or a group of cases.

The respondent labels are created with:
9
9
9
9
9

Control Number
FR Code
Interview Period
Respondent Name (uses Current Resident if
name field is blank)
Respondent Address

If there is a mailing address in ROSCO for the
case, it is used on the label, otherwise the sample
address is used.
9

The format of the labels can be changed by
clicking on the field for label type and
selecting a different format.

9

Use the ‘Sort’ or ‘Filter’ buttons to:
•

Change the order in which the names
are displayed, or to

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•

9
Generating Source
Files

August 2007

Change which names are displayed,
respectively.

Click on the Print icon to print the labels.

Use the below path to get to “Generate
Respondent Letters Source File”.

This activity is similar to “Print Respondent
Letters” except that instead of respondent letters
being printed directly from Rosco, an output text
file containing respondent data is created.
The user can then use either WordPerfect or
Microsoft Word to generate respondent letters
using the text file as the data source.
Generate the
Source File

The “Generate Respondent Letters Source File”
activity window opens with the query selection
window (just like “Print Respondent Letters”).
Enter a query criterion and select ‘Ok’. A screen
similar to the following one will appear.

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Selecting
Letter Type

1.

August 2007

Select a “Type of Letter” from the drop
down box. This is required because the user
can elect to save a history of the respondent
letters sent in the Letter_History table. (See
the “Tracking Respondent
Letters”activity.)
2. Click on the control numbers to select (and
highlight) the cases for which you want to
print respondent letters. You can modify
the ‘Name’ under ‘Respondent Information’
if you wish. This change will appear on the
letter, however, the corresponding record in
the Workload table will not be updated with
this correction.
3. Click on the ‘Merge’ menu icon. The
following screen appears.

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Setting Up
the Merge
Tags

August 2007

This “Generate Data Source File” response
window prompts the user for additional
information.
The “Merge Tags (Source = User)” allows the user
to enter information, not contained in Rosco,
which will be the same for all letters derived from
this merge activity. The different merge tag fields
can be left blank. If data is entered it is printed on
letters as is.
Click on the check box for “Print labels for the
cases in this data source file?” if you want print
respondent labels for all the cases selected in this
merge activity.
Click on “Keep a history of the cases in this data
source file?” if you want to keep a record of the
cases for which respondent letters were generated
during this particular merge activity. The records
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August 2007

will be stored to the Letter_History table. (See the
“Tracking Respondent Letters”activity.)
Enter a name for the text file that will contain the
respondent data (Data source file name) by either
clicking on ‘File…’ or typing the full path name of
the file in the input field below the ‘File…’ button.
Clicking on ‘File…’ opens the Windows Save File
dialog window.

Navigate to the folder in which you would like to
save the file. Type in the file name and click on
‘Save’. Note that the file is given an extension of
‘.txt’ by default.
The user is returned to the previous screen and the
‘Data source file name’ input field is populated
with the name of the text file.

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August 2007

Click on ‘Generate File’ to proceed. If the file
name chosen already exists, the user will receive a
warning message and can either enter a new file
name or overwrite the existing file.

Click on ‘Generate File’ to generate the text file.
A message will inform the user that the data
source text file has been successfully generated.
If the user had elected to keep a record of the cases
selected for respondent letters then a message will
alert the user that the Letter_History file was
successfully updated.
If the user had elected to print respondent labels
for the cases in this merge activity, the “Print
Respondent Labels” will automatically open with
labels for the cases selected.
Click on the ‘Print’ menu icon to print the labels.

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August 2007

Close the label window to return to the “Generate
Respondent Letters Source File” window.
Repeat the steps above to produce a text file for a
new set of cases and letter type.
Sample of data source text file created.

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Table of Merge
Tags

Tag
<>

August 2007

The table below lists the merge tags used by
“Generate Respondent Letters Source File”. The
text file contains data for all the merge tags. The
user decides which tags to place on the letters.

Source

Format

<>
<>
<>
<>

Capitalize first letter in both f_name and l_name,
with the rest of each value in lowercase, and
insert a space between the values.
sysdate
Month dd, yyyy. Ex. March 12, 2004.
address_info
First line of address as it appears in the table.
address_info
Second line of address as it appears in the table.
address_info
Third line of address as it appears in the table.
address_info
Fourth line of address as it appears in the table (if
used by the particular address format).
address_info
First line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized.
address_info
Second line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized.
address_info
Third line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized.
address_info
Fourth line of address with the first letter of each
word capitalized (if used by the particular address
format).
workload.g_resp_n If null, print ‘Current Resident’. Print as it
ame
appears in the table.
workload.g_resp_n If null, print ‘Current Resident’. Print with the
ame
first letter of each part of the name capitalized
workload.control_ Formatted using the control number format.
number
phonenum from
substr(phonenum,1,3) substr(phonenum,5,8)
FR
Prompt
Exactly as entered.
Prompt
Exactly as entered.
Prompt
Exactly as entered.
Prompt
Exactly as entered.

<>

Prompt

<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>

<>
<>
<>
<>

f_name, l_name
from FR

Exactly as entered.

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Tags

August 2007

Letters must be typed and saved as .RTF files.
This can be done from any widely used word
processing application, such as Corel Word
Perfect or Microsoft Word. The tag name
should be enclosed in double less than and
greater than signs, as indicated below, and
should be placed in the desired position in the
letter where you would like the
database/prompt data to appear. For example:
Please call your local field representative,
<>, collect at <>,
and they will make every effort to arrange an
interview at your convenience.
Result when printed:
Please call your local field representative,
Jane Doe, collect at (991) 555-3333, and she
will make every effort to arrange an interview
at your convenience.
Note that the “address” tags result in multiple
lines printed in the letter. Therefore, it is
highly recommended that the “address” tags
display on a line all by itself, and it should
only be placed in the far left position of that
line.
Also note that the names supplied when
prompted by the application are displayed as-

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typed in the printed letter (i.e., the application
does not not reformat).
From the
Database

From
“Generate
Data Source
File”

<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>

(1st letter capital letters)

(All capital letters)
(All capital letters)
(1st letter capital letters)
(1st letter capital letters)
(as typed in Window)
(as typed in Window)
(as typed in Window)
(as typed in Window)

Tracking Respondent
Letters

The Tracking Respondent Letters activity
allows the user to track which letters were
sent to cases in their workload. The Print
Respondent Letter activity can automatically
insert records into this screen. In addition, the
user can add records to this screen for cases
that had letters sent/generated outside of
ROSCO. The user can also run the
Respondent Letters Tracking Report to view
this information in a printable format.

Print Respondent Labels

Upon entering the Print Respondent Labels
activity, the Option Selection List: Print
Respondent Labels dialog box displays the
following choices:
9

Query

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9
9

1st Month Labels
5th Month Labels

9
9

Hispanic Oversample Labels
All Labels

The respondent labels are displayed in the
manner in which they will appear when you
print them.
You can turn on horizontal and vertical rulers
to get a better idea of the size of the labels.
To view the ruler:
9

Segments with Additional
Units – Identify Segments
with Additional Units

Click the Ruler checkbox at the top of
the Respondent Labels screen.

The Identify Segments with Additional Units
activity can only be performed for a single
interview period, and will display all PSUSegment-Sample-Segment Type combinations
that are in sample for that interview period
that do not have their segment folders checked
for possible additional units. At the Identify
Segments with Additional Units window, you
can flag any segments that you feel need
additional units keyed. To do this, highlight a
row and select the Flag Segment icon to flag
the segment folder. Once you save your
changes, any segments flagged on this screen
will no longer appear on this screen, but on

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the Check Folder for Identified Segments
screen.
Segments with Additional
Units – Check Folder for
Identified Segments

This activity displays the segments which
need the segment folder checked for possible
additional units. Segment folders that were
flagged on the Identify Segments with
Additional Units screen will be displayed
here. To indicate that a segment folder has
been checked, select the checkbox to insert a
checkmark in the ‘Check Folder’ field for the
appropriate PSU-Segment-Sample-Segment
Type combination. When all rows appearing
on this screen have a checkmark appearing
and you select the Save icon, the Done icon
will become activated.
Note: You must accomplish the task of
inserting a checkmark for all segments
appearing on this screen and selecting the
Done icon before you are able to release
assignments to the field.

Key Additional Units

The Key Additional Units screen contains the
segments that were inserted with a checkmark
in the Check Folders for Identified Segments
activity. These segments may or may not
need additional units keyed. This activity is
where you will be able to add any units that
need to be keyed. On the Key Additional
Units screen, highlight a row that needs
additional units keyed and select the Edit
Sample icon. The Edit/Add Sample Lines
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window is displayed showing the units
already reported within that segment, referred
to as the parent cases. Highlight a row and
select the Add icon. A row is inserted below
the selected row with a Serial Suffix added to
the control number. You can make changes to
House #, Suffix, Street Name, Unit
Designation (the default field for the curser),
Place, State, or Zip. The changes you make
for this case are now displayed in View More,
on the Address History tab under Current
Address Data.
Note: The keying of additional units is not
required by ROSCO before you are able to
release assignments to the field, but it is
highly recommended that you key them
prior to releasing assignments.
Edit PSU

Checking for New
PSUs

You should use the Edit PSU screen to insert
new PSUs and delete old PSUs. You can also
designate the stratum of the PSU by selecting
the Edit Stratum icon and entering the name
you would like the stratum displayed under
and its meaning. If more than one PSU falls
in a single (S)FR’s assignment area, you can
give each of these PSUs the same code and
specify the group name you would like it to
display under by selecting the Edit Group
icon.
Problems result if new PSUs are automatically
added to ROSCO when the assignments are
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loaded. To avoid this, each month you must
check the status of the ROSCO scif_load
program when the assignments for a new
interview period are loaded, before you begin
making the assignments. You do this in
ROSCO by clicking on the Operations menu,
then selecting the Transmissions and Utilities
sub-menu, then View Job Status. Once the
View Job Status screen comes up, you can
filter on job_name = ‘scif_load’. Select the
newest scif_load job entry, and click on the
‘Comments’ button. A pop up screen is
displayed giving more information about the
status of the job. If the comments for your
scif_load job say, “NOTICE: New PSU(s),
PLEASE UPDATE,” then you need to go to
the Edit PSU activity and insert the new
PSUs.
View Historical Resting
Data

The View Historical Resting Data screen
allows you to view data collected in previous
interview periods for a sample case. This
screen is only available for longitudinal
surveys where the same sample returns for
interview multiple times.
In ROSCO go to Operations, Sample Control,
and before the View Historical Resting Data
screen is displayed, the Query dialog box
appears for you to specify the case(s) you
would like to view. Based on the criteria
entered in your query, the following tabs are
displayed:
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9
9
9
9

Resting Information
Tab

Resting Information
Address Information
Case History
CAPI Notes

This tab contains the following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9

Address
Information Tab

August 2007

Control Number
Interview Period
Respondent Name
Phone Number 1
Phone 2
Address Changed
FR Code
Outcome Code

This tab contains two separate areas – Current
Address Data and Previous Address Data.
The Current Address Data area contains the
following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9

Control Number
Interview Period
Address Type
House Number
House Number Suffix
Street Name
Unit Designation
Place

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9
9
9

August 2007

State
Zip Code
Physical Description

The Previous Address Data area contains the
following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9

Date Changed
House Number
House Number Suffix
Street Name
Unit Designation
Place
State
Zip
Zip4

The Previous Address Data area only displays
data if a survey follows movers and has a
returning sample.

Case History Tab

This tab contains the following fields:
9
9
9
9
9
9

Control Number
Interview Period
Interview Number
FR Code
Outcome Code
CATI Outcome

Data that appears on this tab is relevant to the
last time each case was in sample.
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CAPI Notes Tab

August 2007

Click on the Notes Tab to display for the case.

You can also access Notes by clicking on the
View More button at the following screens:
•
•
•
•
•

Sample Count Reports

View/Edit Sample under Sample
Control
Make/Adjust Assignments under
Assignment Operations
View/Reassign Cases under Checkin/Status
Supervisory Review under Check-in
Status
Resolve Missing Cases under
Closeout/Cleanup

Sample Count reports can be a useful tool to
see an overview of your workload for the
month before you make assignments. These
reports provide counts of sample cases by
various combinations of PSU, Tract, ZIP, and

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Place. Follow these steps to produce the
Sample Count reports:

Identical Segment Folder
Report

1.

Click on the Operations menu, Reports
sub-menu, or the Reports icon on the
toolbar.

2.

Double click on Sample Control.

3.

Double click on Sample Counts.

4.

Select from the options for the type of
Sample Counts Report, and double click
on the option you would like.

5.

Use the ‘Sort’ and ‘Filter’ buttons to
change the order of the report rows or to
adjust what information appears on the
report, respectively. (See Chapter 4 for
information on sorts and filters.)

6.

Click on the Print icon to print your
report.

The Identical Segment Folder Reports displays
first-time listings for NCVS that are identical
to an existing or first-time listing in another
sample and/or survey.
For NCVS, the information listed is:
9
9

Sample
PSU
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9
9
9

August 2007

Segment
Serial
Segment Type

The information listed where the identical
segment occurs is:
9
9
9

Survey
Sample
Segment

A “T” in the ‘Tie Flag’ field indicates that the
segment is in sample for the first time for both
samples and/or surveys.
Respondent Letters
Tracking

This report displays the letters sent by control
number for the selected interview period(s).
This report gets populated from the Tracking
Respondent Letters activity. The information
displayed on the Respondent Letters Tracking
Report is:
9
9
9
9

Control Number
FR Code
Date Sent
Type of Letter

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Topic 3 -

August 2007

Using Assignment Parameters

Overview

The assignment parameters are a set of rules that
you set for the ROSCO database to use when it
makes a “first draft” of your monthly assignments.
For example, you can tell ROSCO to assign all
cases in one PSU to a certain FR, while for cases
in another PSU, you can designate one FR for all
cases in one set of tracts, and a different FR for all
cases in another set of tracts. From
Operation/Assignment Operation you first need to
use the Edit Assignment Parameters activity to
define what rules ROSCO should follow in
making assignments. Then choose the Apply
Parameters to Sample activity to have ROSCO go
through all of the new cases for the month and use
your rules to assign FRs.

Defining Assignment
Parameters

Before you can use parameters in making
assignments, you must use the Edit Assignment
Parameters activity to define which FR should be
assigned cases in each geographic area. You
access this activity by clicking on the Operations
menu, Assignment Operations sub-menu, and
selecting Edit Assignment Parameters. You will
then be asked to choose either ‘Display By PSU’
or ‘Display All.’

Display By PSU

Only one PSU is displayed on the screen with the
“Display by PSU” option. You may move
between PSUs using either of the following
methods:
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9

Use the Select PSU drop-down window to
highlight the PSU you want.

9

Use the Next, Prior, First, and Last icons to
move between the PSU pages (which are in
ascending numeric order).

Display All

This option displays a continuous listing of all
records. The Select PSU drop-down window
highlights the desired PSU, and the Next, Prior,
First, and Last icons move you between pages.

Conventions for
the Edit
Assignment
Parameters Screen

Keep in mind the following conventions when
using the Edit Assignment Parameters screen:
9

The first record listed for each PSU is the
PSU-level record. You cannot add any
geographical information to this record,
although you can assign the entire PSU to
one FR using this record. You must insert a
new row to split the PSU into lower levels
of geography.

9

A PSU can be split using Place, ZIP, Tract,
or Block. If you split the PSU by Block,
you must also enter Tract information for
that PSU.

9

There are columns that allow you to assign a
Regular FR, Type A FR, Personal Visit
(PV) FR, and Phone FR for each geographic
level.

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Steps to Assign an
FR to Entire PSU

Steps to Assign
FRs to Portions of
a PSU

August 2007

Following are the steps to assign one FR to
receive all cases in an entire PSU:
1.

On the Edit Assignment Parameters screen,
select the desired PSU-level record by
clicking on it.

2.

Click on the “Regular FR” field.

3.

Select the appropriate FR.

4.

Click the Save icon to save your changes.

Following are the steps to split a PSU into lower
geographic levels and assign FRs to those portions
of the PSU:
1.

On the Edit Assignment Parameters screen,
select the desired PSU-level record by
clicking on it.

2.

Click on the Insert icon to insert a new row
for each lower geographic level you wish to
specify.

3.

In each new row, click in the column for the
level of geography you wish to specify
(Place, ZIP, Tract, or Block).

4.

Key in the information for that column, or
use the drop-down data options.

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Edit Assignment
Parameters

To Remove an FR

To Change an FR
Code

August 2007

5.

For each lower level geography, click on the
“Regular FR” column and either key in the
proper FR code, or select it from the dropdown list.

6.

Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

As you discover ways to make your assignment
parameters more efficient, and as you experience
turnover in your interviewing staff, you will need
to make modifications to your assignment
parameters.
To remove an FR from your assignment
parameters, follow these steps on the Edit
Assignment Parameters screen:
1.

Select the row for the PSU or lower level
geography from which you want to remove
the FR.

2.

Click on the “FR” field, highlighting the FR
code.

3.

Press the backspace or delete key to remove
the FR code, thus leaving the “FR” field
empty.

4.

Click the Save icon to save your changes.

To change an FR code in your assignment

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parameters, follow these steps on the Edit
Assignment Parameters screen:

To Change One
FR Code

1.

Select the row that contains the FR code you
would like to change.

2.

Click on the “FR” field, highlighting the FR
code.

3.

Press the backspace or delete key to remove
the FR code, and enter the new FR code, or
select it from the drop-down list.

4.

Click the Save icon to save your changes.

To replace all current existing assignment
parameters for a given FR with an alternative FR
(for example: Z95 resigned, and you hired Z98 to
replace him/her), follow these steps on the Edit
Assignment Parameters screen:
1.

Click on the Change FR icon in the toolbar.

2.

The Change FR dialog box appears.

3.

Under the “Please select the OLD FR”
section, scroll down and select the FR you
want to replace.

4.

Under the “Please select the NEW FR”
section, scroll and select the code of the
replacement FR, and click OK.

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To Delete a Row
for a Lower Level
Geography

August 2007

5.

Click “Yes” on the pop-up window to
confirm.

6.

Click the Save icon to save your changes.

If you decide that you no longer need to use a
certain lower level geography in your assignment
parameters, you may remove it using the following
steps on the Edit Assignment Parameters screen:
1.

Highlight the lower level geography you
wish to delete.

2.

Click the Delete icon in the toolbar, or
select Delete from the Options menu.

3.

Click “Yes” from the pop-up window to
confirm.

4.

Click the Save icon to save your changes.

Note: You cannot delete the PSU-level record.
Apply Parameters to
Sample

After you have finished creating and modifying
your assignment parameters, and after the
assignment file for the month has been loaded, you
can apply your parameters to the sample. In this
operation, ROSCO assigns all cases that fit a
defined assignment parameter to the FR you
specified. Complete the following steps to apply
the parameters to the sample:

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1.

Click on the Operations menu, Assignment
Operations sub-menu, and Apply
Parameters to Sample activity.

2.

A screen will popup to confirm your action
and ask “Do you which to continue?”, say
yes.

3.

Check the box on the Apply Parameters to
Sample window if you have previous FR
codes, and click OK.

4.

It will take a moment for the operation to
finish then a pop-up window will appear
telling you assignment operations have been
completed with the number of cases left
unassigned.

5.

Click OK to confirm the message and return
to the main window.

Next, you will need to assign the unassigned cases
(those that did not meet any of the criteria listed in
the assignment parameters), and make any
adjustments to the assignments. (See Topic 3 of
this chapter for more information.)

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Topic 4 Overview

August 2007

Adjusting Assignments
One of the most important jobs of the NCVS
Supervisor is deciding how to assign the cases in
your workload to the FR staff, taking into
consideration their different abilities and
availability. After you have applied the
assignment parameters to make initial
assignments, you will need to assign any
unassigned cases, and fine-tune the assignments
made by the parameters to account for the various
workloads and the geography of the current
month’s assignment.
After you have finish adjusting the assignments,
you will need to release the assignments to the
field (See Topic 5 of this chapter).

Assigning the
Unassigned Cases

To see what cases were left unassigned after
applying the assignment parameters, run a
CAPI-5, Unassigned Cases Report, using the
following steps:
1.

Click on the Operations/ Reports, or select
the Reports icon on the toolbar.

2.

On the Report Selections window, click on
Assignments, and then click on Unassigned
Cases Report (CAPI-5).

A listing of all cases currently unassigned is
displayed. To display these cases in the database:
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1.

Click on Operations, Assignment,
Make/Adjust Assignments.

2.

On the Option Selection List, choose
‘Unassigned Cases (All)’ to see all of your
unassigned cases, or ‘Unassigned Cases
(Query)’ to select a subset of your
unassigned cases.

You can then assign these cases displayed on the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen. We’ll discuss
this topic in more detail now.
Adjusting the
Assignments

To see an overview of your assignments so far,
print a Workload Summary Report (CAPI 3):
1.

Click on the Operations/ Report, or select
the Report icon on the toolbar.

2.

On the Report Selections window, click on
Assignments, and then click on Workload
Summary Report (CAPI 3).

3.

Select your preferred type of report: By
PSU, Segment, Place; FRs Without Work;
By PSU.

Although the format of these reports varies
somewhat, you can refer to each of them to get an
idea of the number of cases assigned to each FR,
and where those cases are located. You may then
go into the database to adjust the assignments and
reassign cases using the following steps:
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1.

Click on the Operations/Assignment/
Make/Adjust Assignments.

2.

Select ‘Adjust Assignments (Query)’ on the
Option Selection List.

You can then assign the cases displayed on the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen. You may need
to go through several rounds of adjusting
assignments and printing and reviewing Workload
Summary Reports to get your assignments ready
for release to the field.
Make/Adjust
Assignments

The Make/Adjust Assignments screen is where
you can assign or reassign cases. This screen has
three sections: “Cases to Assign,” “Address
Information,” and “Customizable Field.”
The “Cases to Assign” section lists some basic
information about the cases that are being
reviewed, such as the FR assigned the case, the
control number, the place, and the ZIP code.
The “Address Information” section displays the
basic address data for the case highlighted in the
“Cases to Assign” section.
The “Customizable Fields” section contains
additional data for each case being reviewed. You
can customize which columns appear by clicking
the ‘Custom’ button, selecting the desired
variables, and clicking OK. If you would like the
current customized version of the section to
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remain as your default each time you use this
screen, click on the ‘Store’ button.
If you need to see more information about a case
(like notes), click the View More button.
To assign or reassign cases on the Make/Adjust
Assignments screen:
1.

In the “Cases to Assign” section, highlight
the row or rows you want to assign to a
specific FR.

2.

Click the Assign icon in the toolbar or select
Assign Cases from the Options menu.

3.

Select the FR you want to assign the case to
from the FR Search Dialog Box, and click
OK.

4.

Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

Note: You can only reassign cases using the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen BEFORE
assignments are released. After the assignments
are released, you must use the View/Reassign
Cases screen to reassign cases. (See Chapter 7 for
more information about this in Topic 3 CheckIn/Status Operations, under View/Reassign Cases
screen.)

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Topic 5 -

August 2007

Releasing Assignments

Overview

After you finalize your assignments and the
instrument for the interview period is released, you
must complete certain steps before your field staff
can transmit to pick up their assignments. First,
you must set start and due dates for each FR.
Second, you must release and transmit the
assignments to the field.

Set Assignment Start and
Due Dates

After you assign all of your cases and FR
workloads are balanced as desired, you need to set
start and due dates for the assignments. These
start and due dates appear on the CAPI 35, FR List
of Assigned Cases Report you generate for each
FR.
To access the Start and Due Date Assignment
activity, click on the Operations menu,
Assignment Operations sub-menu, and select the
Set Assignment Start and Due Dates activity. On
this screen, you can either set individual start and
due dates for each FR or set the same start and due
dates for all FRs.

To Set Assignment
Start and Due
Dates

To set individual start and due dates for FRs, from
the Start and Due Date Assignment screen:
1.

Use the scroll bar or First, Prior, Next, and
Last icons to locate the FR whose start and
due dates you are entering.

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To Set the Same
Start and Due Date
for All FRs

Check Segment Folders

August 2007

2.

Click in the “Start Date” field and key in the
appropriate date (format MM/DD/YYYY).

3.

Click in the “Due Date” field and key in the
appropriate date (format MM/DD/YYYY).

4.

Click the Save icon to save your changes.

To set the same start and due dates for all FRs,
from the Start and Due Date Assignment screen:
1.

Click the Assign All icon on the toolbar.

2.

In the dialog box displayed, click in the
“Enter Start Date” field and key in the
appropriate date (format MM/DD/YYYY).

3.

Click in the “Enter Due Date” field and key
in the appropriate date (format
MM/DD/YYYY).

4.

Click OK.

5.

These dates should now be entered for all
FRs on the Start and Due Date Assignment
screen.

6.

Click the Save icon to save your changes.

Every month, RO staff check unit and permit
segments listed on the Check Folders for
Identified Segments screen to determine if they
need to add sample cases.
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9

Review segment folders and add units from
the Key Additional Units screen, if
necessary.

9

Return to the CFIS screen and click the
check boxes next to the segments. Also
click the check boxes for segments that did
not need adds.

Once all check boxes on the CFIS screen are
checked, select Save to activate the Done button.
Double click the Done (Happy Face) button to set
the check folder flag. Until this is done, you
cannot release assignments.
Release and Transmit

When you are ready for the assignments to be
picked up by FRs after the instrument for the
interview period is released, the last operations to
complete are releasing and transmitting the
assignments. To release and transmit assignments:
1.

Click on Operations, Assignment, and
Release Assignments to Field activity.

2.

On the Release Assignments to the Field
screen, click on the row that has the
interview period you wish to release.

3.

Click the Release icon, or select Release
from the Options menu.

4.

The Release Exceptions dialog box is
displayed. This screen allows you to
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uncheck the box under the “Release to
Field” column when you do not want to
release the assignment yet for one or more
FRs. When you have finished customizing
this list, click OK.
5.

The Release to the Field Checklist box is
displayed, which reminds you to select any
FRs for Supplemental QC Reinterview
before releasing assignments. (See
Chapter 10 for more information on
reinterview.) Check the empty box when
you are ready to proceed, and click OK.

6.

Click the Save icon on the Release
Assignments to the Field screen. You will
then see a checkmark under the “Released”
column for the interview period you
selected.

7.

Click the Transmit icon in the toolbar, or
select Transmit from the Options menu.

8.

Click OK on the Transmit Assignments
dialog box.

9.

If the transmission was successful, you will
see a pop-up window with the message,
“Assignment file creation has been
requested.” If you do not receive this
message, try to transmit again.

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10.

August 2007

You can check the Out directory to verify
that the files are ready to be picked up. (See
Chapter 7 for information on viewing the
Out directory.)

Note: Once assignments are released, cases move
from the Assignment screen to the
View/Reassign cases screen. See
View/Reassign Cases section in Chapter 7,
Monitoring Progress, Topic 3, CheckIn/Status Operations.

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Chapter 7. Monitoring Progress
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic

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1.

Transmissions and Utilities

7-2

2.

Check-In Reports

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3.

Check-In/Status Operations

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Appendix 7A -

Schedule of Automatic
Transmissions for CAPI
Interview

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Appendix 7B -

Schedule of Automatic
Check-ins for CAPI
Interview

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Appendix 7C -

Variables in the
Customizable Windows

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Topic 1 -

August 2007

Transmission and Utilities

Overview

ROSCO allows RO users to take an active role in
(S)FRs’ file transmissions. You can see
transmitted files waiting to be checked in using the
View In Directories activity, then check in the
waiting files using the Run Check-In option. You
can send files out for (S)FRs to pick up using the
Make Transmissions activity, then see which files
are waiting to be picked up using View Out
Directory. ROSCO also allows you to write and
send mail messages to a selected FR, a group of
FRs, or all of your field staff. Each of these
features is discussed in more detail in this topic.
When an (S)FR transmits work into HQ, it goes
through two servers before it is checked in. First,
the package of FR files are transmitted to the
Novell CAPI Telecommunications server,
separating the encrypted survey data files from the
mail files. This server is managed by the
Telecommunications staff at HQ.

Encrypting, Decrypting,
Zipping, and Unzipping
Files

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For security reasons, files are encrypted and
decrypted into one file. Files are sent between the
laptop and servers in one encrypted .SA file. After
the files are sent to the CAPI Telecommunications
server, they are decrypted and the survey data files
are separated from any other files that came with it
during the transmission. Files are compressed
(zipped) before being transmitted and
uncompressed (unzipped) once received at their
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destination. The term “zipping” refers to the
process of taking many files and compressing the
files into one file while still retaining their unique
single file identity. The process of zipping saves
on bandwidth and storage allowing for more
efficient data management and faster
transmissions.
Create and Send Mail

RO staff can create and send mail messages to all
field staff, certain pre-set groups of field staff (like
all Team Leaders, or all FRs), or selected field
staff working on NCVS via ROSCO. In addition
to creating new mail messages, the ROSCO Create
Mail Messages function also allows you to open
“saved” copies of previously sent messages to edit
and resend.
A mail message can contain up to 4,000
characters.

Create a New
Message

To create a new mail message:
1.

Access the Mail Activity screen by clicking
on the Mail icon in the toolbar, or by
clicking on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and selecting Create Mail Messages.

2.

Select one of the following in the “To:”
field’s drop-down menu:
•
•

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All NCVS Field Staff
All NCVS FRs
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•
•

All NCVS team leaders
Selected Staff (Displays the Select FR
window where you must click on the
desired FR. Hold down and
press to select multiple FRs.)
Selected Team (Displays the Select
FR window with only team leaders
listed. You must click on the desired
team leader. Hold down and
press to select multiple team
leaders. The selected team leaders’
team members’ names are displayed.)
All Field Staff (Sends the message to
all FRs in the ROSCO database, not
just those listed on NCVS.)

•

•

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3.

Click in the “Subject” field and enter an
appropriate subject for the mail message.

4.

Click in the “Message” field and enter the
text of the mail message. You can copy and
paste text from other email or word
processing documents.

5.

Click on the Save icon.

6.

Choose “Yes” to save a draft copy for future
use or choose “No” to delete the message
after it is sent.

7.

Click on the Transmit icon to send the
message file immediately. Or, access the

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Make Transmissions screen later when you
are ready to send the message.
8.
Send a Previous
Mail Message

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Click on the Close icon to exit the screen.

To modify or send a previous message to the
survey staff:
1.

Access the Mail Activity screen by clicking
on the Mail icon in the toolbar or by
clicking on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and selecting Create Mail Messages.

2.

Click on the Open icon.

3.

Highlight a message in the “Unsent Mail
Messages” or the “Draft Messages” data
window.

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Make Transmissions

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August 2007

4.

Click the ‘Open’ button (to keep all
previous entries in each of the three fields:
“Date,” “Subject,” and “Message”) or the
‘Open as New’ button (to keep only the text
in the “Subject” and “Message” fields).

5.

Make any changes to the message, including
the “Date” field.

6.

Click on the Save icon.

7.

Click OK to the message: “This will replace
the original message,” or choose cancel.

8.

Click on the Transmit icon to send the
message file immediately. Or access the
Make Transmissions screen later when you
are ready to send the message.

9.

Click on the Close icon to exit the screen.

ROSCO prepares files to be placed on the server
for (S)FRs to transmit and pick up each time a
transmission is made in ROSCO. The Make
Transmissions activity gives you the option to
send any of the following items to the field:
9

Regular Assignments – To send recently
released or reassigned cases.

9

Mail – To send newly created mail
messages.

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9

Team Leader Reports – To send a file to
update the information displayed in the
Laptop Status Report on the survey Team
Leaders’ laptops.

9

Team Leader Telephone List – To send an
updated telephone number list to the Team
Leaders.

9

Reinterview Assignments – To send
released reinterview cases that have
received input files.

Many ROSCO screens include a Transmit icon on
the toolbar. Clicking on this icon allows you to
make a transmission for cases reassigned or
messages created. If you choose not to use the
Transmit icon, you can also make a transmission
following these steps:

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1.

Click on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and select Make Transmissions.

2.

To transmit an item, click in the box under
the “Transmit Item” heading. A check mark
is displayed in the box for the item(s) you
selected for transmission.

3.

Click on the Transmit icon on the toolbar.

4.

If Regular Assignments, Reinterview
Assignments, or Team Leader Report(s) are
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selected, an Interview Period Confirmation
Dialog Box will be displayed. Click “Yes”
to confirm the correct interview period.

5.

Click on the Close icon when you’re done.

Although you can make a transmission at any time
following these steps, ROSCO is programmed to
make transmissions automatically throughout the
day. Refer to Appendix 7A, Schedule of
Automatic Transmissions for CAPI Interview, at
the end of this chapter for the daily schedule of
automatic transmissions.
View In Directories

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The View In Directories activity displays a screen
divided in half. The top half contains files waiting
for the check-in process. The bottom half contains
files waiting to be copied from the Telecommunications server. Copy-ins that move files from
bottom to the top of this display run hourly at the
top of the hour.
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To view the In Directory:
1.

Click on the Operations menu,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu, and
select View In Directories.

2.

On the Selection List View In box, select
either Interview or Reinterview and click
OK.

3.

A DOS program runs while the list of files
is generated.

4.

The ROSCO View In window appears with
the lists of files, including filename, FR
Code, Size, and Date/Time.
The filename identifies the FR that
transmitted the file. For example, file
“XZ990071.ZPI.ENT”, where:
X - RO code
Z99 - the FR code
0071 - a sequence # that increases by one
with each new transmission
ZPI.ENT - a zipped Entrust encrypted file
The double-suffixes for files in In and Out
Directories are ZPI.ENT and ZPO.ENT,
respectively. Both file types are Entrust
encrypted.

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5.

View Out Directory

August 2007

Click on the Close icon or the X in the
upper-right corner of the ROSCO View In
window to exit the screen.

The Novell CAPI Telecommunications server
holds files in the OUT directory which are ready to
be picked up by an (S)FR. When an (S)FR
transmits in, this is the server with which they
connect.
Files with a .ZPO.ENT extension are on this
server. These .ZPO.ENT files are the encrypted
files for any work that has been assigned to the
FR. Mail messages are also included in this
encrypted file. When a laptop transmission is
picked up by the (S)FR, the file no longer appears
in the Out Directory.
The View Out Directory screen allows you to look
at files that were transmitted to (S)FRs and are
waiting for the (S)FR to pick up.
To view the Out Directory:

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1.

Click on the Operations menu ,
Transmissions and Utilities sub-menu ,
and select View Out Directory.

2.

On the Selection List View Out box, select
Interview, Reinterview, or SFR Files, and
click OK.

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View Job Status

August 2007

3.

A DOS window is displayed while the list
of files is generated.

4.

The ROSCO View Out window is displayed
listing filename, FR Code, Size, and
Date/Time.

5.

Click the Close icon to exit the screen.

When cases are assigned or reassigned by the RO
and/or mail messages or FR lists are created for
one or more FRs, the RO must initiate a process to
create the files and place them on the
telecommunications server for FRs to pick up.
The actual file creation and transmission occurs
almost immediately. A process that runs
continuously on the central database system looks
for any records in a table that contain your request
for a transmission and starts the program to create
the FR’s files.
The program looks for any cases that are flagged
“Ready to Transmit” in the Xmit Status column
and creates the files for the FR.
If you checked the box to “Include mail message”
when you requested a transmission, the process
next looks for any mail messages and creates the
files, if necessary.
When the program completes, you are notified via
ROSCO as to the status. You may verify the

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status (success or failure) of a transmission by
going to the Operations menu , Transmissions
and Utilities sub-menu , and selecting the View
Job Status activity.
In the top half of the View Job Status screen called
New Jobs, the status of the jobs and programs that
ran is displayed. An “S” displayed in the “Status”
column indicates a successful program run. An
“F” displayed in the “Status” column indicates a
failed run.
To see any comments associated with the job or
program that ran, highlight the row of the job or
program and click on the Comments icon on the
toolbar. These comments may help clarify the
situation if a failure occurs.
Once you review the job status, you may mark it as
seen by highlighting the row and selecting the
Seen icon. Once you select Save, the jobs are
moved to the lower half of the View Job Status
screen, called Seen Jobs.
After viewing a job status, you may want to delete
it. Highlight the row and select the Delete icon.
The row disappears from the screen but is
displayed again unless you save the changes. It is
advisable to view the comments for the record
before deleting it. If problems are indicated,
notify HQ.

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Topic 2 Overview

August 2007

Check-In Reports
ROSCO includes many reports available for RO
staff to use in measuring (S)FR progress toward
completing assignments. By clicking on the
Operations menu and Reports sub-menu, or by
clicking on the Reports icon and then selecting
Check-in, you can access any of the reports
described in this topic.
Before generating any check-in reports, run a
check-in to clear all files from the In Directory.
You may also want to act on cases in Supervisory
Review, as these cases are not yet checked-in.

Description of Check-In
Reports

Team Leader
Status Report

Each of the check-in reports contains information
to help you manage your field staff’s progress
throughout the interview period.
The Team Leader Status Report lists the survey
status by Team Leader. This report contains the
same information as the Team Leader Report that
appears on the Team Leader’s Laptop computer
under the SFR Functions application. The report
lists progress of each FR on the Team Leader’s
team, including counts of cases by outcome
categories still on the laptop, in Supervisory
Review, checked-in, and number in assignment.
This report runs automatically twice a day at
10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET. Once it runs, the
Team Leader Reports are available on the telecom
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server for the team leaders to pick up with their
next transmission. You can run these reports at
other times by checking the Team Leader Reports
check box and making an RO transmission from
the Transmission screen.
Daily Laptop
Report (CAPI 2)

The Daily Laptop Report (CAPI 2) allows you to
view the status of cases still on the FR’s laptop.
The report lists FR information, workload, cases
not checked-in, and Team Leader assigned to the
FR. Run this report daily.

Control Numbers
Assigned But Not
On Laptop Report

The Control Numbers Assigned But Not On
Laptop Report lists cases that were assigned but
not picked up by the FR. Verify that a file is
awaiting pickup in the Out Directory for the FR,
then remind them to make a transmission to pick
up the file. Run this report daily.

Daily Receipt
Report (CAPI 1)

The Daily Receipt Report (CAPI 1) is one of your
most important tools for monitoring FR progress
each day. ROSCO allows you to generate this
report sorted by FR Code, Team Leader Code, or
FR Name. This report displays each FR’s
workload and counts of cases received and not
received, calculates the percentage received, and
lists counts of interviews and noninterviews.
Totals appear at the bottom of the report. When
the report is generated by Team Leader Code,
subtotals by each SFR team are also listed. Run
run this report each day.

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NOTE: The Daily Receipt Report also displays the
date of the last transmission for each FR.
Cases Not
Checked-in Report
(CAPI 4)

The Cases Not Checked-In Report (CAPI 4)
provides a listing of all cases for the selected
interview period that have not been checked-in,
including cases waiting for action in Supervisory
Review. ROSCO allows you to generate this
report sorted by FR Code or FR Name. This
report is especially useful as closeout draws
near, at which point you will want to run this
report each day or multiple times on closeout
day. Do not create this report early in the
interview period because it will contain your entire
workload. This report contains contact data on the
Control Number, a flag if the case is in
Supervisory Review, Transmission Status, address
information for the case, Tract, Block, and last FR
assigned the case.

Segment Folders
Not Checked In
Report

The Segment Folders Not Checked In Report
provides a listing of all segment folders checked
out but not yet checked back in. This report
contains data on FR Code, FR Name, PSU,
Segment/Segment Suffix, Segment Type, and Date
Checked Out.

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Topic 3 -

August 2007

Check-In/Status Operations

Overview

As you monitor survey progress each day during
the interview period, you will use several
functions under the Operations menu and Checkin/Status sub-menu. The Check-In/Status submenu includes Supervisory Review,
View/Reassign Cases, Run Check-in, CheckOut/Check-In Segment Folders, and Request
Blaise Data. This topic discusses each of these
activities.

Supervisory Review:
General

As files are checked-in, cases with certain
outcome codes and action codes are held in
Supervisory Review instead of completing the
check-in process. The NCVS supervisor must
review these cases and decide to accept, reassign,
or eliminate each of them. It is important that
the supervisor do this each day since the cases
will not check-in until acted upon.
To access Supervisory Review, click on the
Operations menu , Check-in/Status sub-menu ,
and select Supervisory Review.
When a case comes into Supervisory Review, it
falls into one of four groupings: Non Interviews,
Duplicates, Failed Cases, Extra Units or Partial.
You should check each of these categories daily to
act on all of your cases held in Supervisory
Review.

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Supervisory Review:
Non Interviews
The Address
Information
Window

August 2007

Selecting Non Interviews on the Option Selection
List produces the following screen:
The “Non Interviews” section of this screen
contains a list of all noninterview cases currently
being held in Supervisory Review. This includes:
9

All Type A noninterviews

9

All Type C noninterviews

9

Type B, Other noninterviews (outcome
code 233)

Some Type B cases check-in without stopping in
Supervisory Review while others go straight to
Supervisory Review.
The “Address Information” section displays the
address information for the case selected in the
Noninterviews section.
The Customized
Window

The “Custom Supervisory Review Noninterview
Data” section contains additional information
about the selected case. You can customize which
variables appear in this section using the ‘Custom’
button on the right. If you decide you would like
to use your customized arrangement as the default
each time you access this screen:
1.

Click the Custom button to display the
‘Dynamic Data Window Customization’
screen.
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2.

Select the columns you want to display from
the Available Columns window.

3.

Click the Add button to move your choices
into the Selected Columns window.

4.

Click OK to close the Dynamic window.

5.

Click the Store button in the Custom
Supervisory Review window.

See Appendix 7C for a complete list of the
variables in the Customized Window.
To see more information about the selected case,
including the case notes, click on the View More
icon on the toolbar.
The View More
Sections

In Supervisory Review, the View More screen
contains tabs for Case History, Case Activity,
Address History, Contacts, Letter History, CAPI
Notes, HH Roster (not shown), and Supv Review
Notes. The Supv Review Notes are displayed
initially as the default. Most of these tabs are selfexplanatory, but it is especially important to
understand the uses of the Case Activity tab.
The Case Activity tab displays both the current
status of the case and any previous activity with
the case. For example, if you reassigned a case
previously from FR Z97 to X01, and then Z97
completed an interview of the case, the current

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status would show the case checked-in as an
interview credited to Z97.
To exit the View More window and return to the
Supervisory Review screen, click on the ‘Close’
button.
Reassigning a
Noninterview

To reassign a Supervisory Review Noninterview
case:
1.

Select one or more cases.

2.

Click on the Reassign icon on the toolbar,
or select Reassign from the Options menu.

3.

If one or more of the cases you select was
already checked-in, the Cases Checked-In
Warning box is displayed. If necessary,
check the appropriate boxes, and click OK.

4.

If one or more of the cases you select is a
Type A, the Type A Reassign dialog box is
displayed. Mark whether or not you would
like the current FR to be charged with a
Type A if the case is converted, and click
OK.

5.

On the FR Search dialog box, select the
appropriate FR code and check the box if
you would like to delete the case from the
original FR’s laptop, then click OK.

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Accepting a
Noninterview

August 2007

6.

An “R” is displayed in the “Supv Action”
field to denote the case was reassigned.

7.

Click the Save icon on the toolbar to save
the changes. Then click the Transmit icon
to immediately send the file for the new FR
to pick up.

To accept a noninterview in Supervisory Review:
1.

Select one or more cases that you want to
accept.

2.

Click on the Accept icon or select Accept
from the Options menu.

3.

If you accept Type B or Type C cases, an
“A” is displayed in the “Supv Action” field
to denote the case has been accepted. If you
accept a Type A, you will then see the
Type A º Accept dialog box.
Select the FR to Charge With Type A from
the drop-down menu, or key in a different
FR code (be sure the alpha portion of the FR
code is capitalized). Then, you may also
designate the case as a Confirmed Refusal
or Congressional refusal (see Chapter 8,
Noninterviews, Topic 2, Office Control of
Type A Noninterviews, for more
information). Click on OK when you have
finished. An A is then displayed in the
Supv Action field to indicate the case was
accepted.
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4.
Eliminating a
Noninterview

Changing a
Noninterview
Outcome Code

August 2007

Click on the Save icon to save the changes.

To eliminate a Supervisory Review Noninterview
case:
1.

Select one or more cases.

2.

Click on the Eliminate icon on the toolbar,
or select Eliminate from the Options menu.

3.

A pop-up window displays the message:
“Eliminate the data for these cases now?”
Click OK to confirm the elimination.

4.

An “E” appears in the “Supv Action” field
to denote the case has been eliminated.

5.

Click the Save icon on the toolbar to save
the changes.

ROSCO allows users to change the outcome code
for noninterview cases in Supervisory Review.
However, you can only change the outcome code
to another outcome code with the same
noninterview Type (A or B), and you must change
it before accepting the case. Changing the
outcome code in Supervisory Review only
changes it for FR performance reasons in the
ROSCO database – it does not change the data in
the case that is sent to the sponsor to be analyzed.
Because of this, you should not change the
outcome for Type C noninterviews. Instead,

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reassign the case to a laptop to be assigned the
correct outcome code.
To change the outcome code for a Type A or
Type B noninterview on the Supervisory Review
Noninterviews screen:

Supervisory Review:
Duplicates

1.

Select a case.

2.

Click the Chg Outcome icon on the toolbar,
or select Change Outcome from the Options
menu.

3.

The Change Outcome Code window
appears. Click the drop-down arrow on the
New Outcome Code column to select a
different code from the list.

4.

Click OK.

5.

Click “Yes” to the message: “Are you sure
that you want to change the outcome code
of [control number of the selected case]?”

6.

Click the Save icon on the toolbar to save
your changes.

Cases appear on the Supervisory Review
Duplicates screen if a case is sent in after a
previous version of the case was checked-in. The
RO staff must review the outcome codes and case
notes of the duplicate to determine which version
of the case should be accepted. For example, if
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the first version of the case is an accepted Type A
Noninterview, and the second version is a
completed case (outcome code 201), you will want
to accept the completed interview.
This screen contains features very similar to the
Supervisory Review Non Interviews screen
described earlier in this topic, but there are some
important differences. The section with the list of
duplicate cases shows the FR, Outcome Code, and
Date Recv’d for both the duplicate case and the
checked-in case.
Accept or Eliminate a
Duplicate Case

Accepting or eliminating the case acts on the
duplicate case, not the checked-in case.
Therefore, if you want to keep the checked-in
version of the case and not the duplicate, you
would eliminate the duplicate case in Supervisory
Review. If you want to keep the duplicate instead
of the checked-in case, accept the duplicate case in
Supervisory Review.
Double check that you want to accept or eliminate
the duplicate before acting on the case. HQ
accepts the last copy of the case it receives.
Therefore, if you accept an incorrect version of a
case after the correct version of the case was
received by HQ, the last version of the case
accepted overwrites the earlier (checked-in)
version.
If the incorrect version of the case was accepted,
there are two ways to correct this:
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Supervisory Review:
Failed Cases

August 2007

9

The correct version of the completed case
could be re-transmitted by the FR and you
can accept that duplicate, or

9

You can use the Resolve Missing Cases
activity as follows:
1.

Click on Operations, then
Closeout/Cleanup, and select Resolve
Missing Cases/Closeout.

2.

Click on the Cases Not Checked In
and Not In Supervisory Review tab,
and click on the case you want to
reassign.

3.

Press the Resolve icon.

4.

Click on the entry for the case that
shows the correct outcome code and
FR code, then click OK.

5.

Click on the “No” button in response
to the window: “Do you want to
change the outcome?” to accept the
case with the outcome code you
selected in step 4.

6.

Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

Selecting Failed Cases on the Supervisory Review
Option Selection List produces a screen that
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displays cases which failed to be checked-in for
any of the following reasons:

At First, No Action is
Required for Failed Edit
Cases

G

There is missing data.

G

The outcome code and action code in the
database do not match the outcome code
and action code in the study.

G

The action code for the case is not on the
list of possible action codes.

G

The case is not in the workload.

You don’t have to Accept, Eliminate, or Reassign
anything from the Failed Cases screen. Cases on
the Failed Cases screen cannot check in and must
be retransmitted.
ROSCO automatically puts a “resend” file in the
Out Directory for the FR. When the FR picks up
the “resend” file, the file causes the laptop to
“resend” the case with the next transmission.
Usually the resent file checks in and the case
disappears from the Failed Cases screen.

When Failed Edit Cases
Require a Remedy Ticket

If the resent file does not check in, it is displayed
twice on the Failed Cases screen. If this occurs,
submit a ticket to the Remedy Help Desk with this
problem. A Remedy technician contacts the FR
and help them get the case to check in.

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Following is an example of a remedy ticket.
Select the “High” option for Urgency on Close
Out day only.

When you select the Item “Laptop”, a pop-up
‘Script” will prompt you for RO code, FR name,
code and phone number, and best time to call.
There is also room to enter a problem description
below these items.

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Supervisory Review:
Extra Units

August 2007

The Supervisory Review Extra Units screen
displays cases in which an extra unit was found at
an address and collected in the instrument during
interview. Extra units are unlisted living quarters
associated with a sample unit that are discovered
by chance during the interview or when asking the
household coverage questions. The extra unit
must come from the original unit (e.g., a basement
or attic of a sample unit being rented as a separate
living quarters).

Inserting an Extra
Unit

If you believe that the case in Supervisory Review
Extra Units is a legitimate extra unit that needs to
be added to the workload sample, select the Insert
icon. This case is then displayed as another case
in the FR’s assignment. An “I” is displayed in the
‘Supv Action’ field.

Deleting an Extra
Unit

If you believe that the case in Supervisory Review
Extra Units is NOT a legitimate unit that should
not be added to the workload sample, select the
Delete icon. The extra unit is not displayed in the
FR’s assignment. A “D” is displayed in the ‘Supv
Action’ field.

View/Reassign Cases

The View/Reassign Cases activity is fundamental
to your efforts to monitor progress during the
interview period. The View/Reassign Cases
screen allows you to query any subset of your
workload and see the current status, outcome,
notes, and other data for the case. You also use
this screen to reassign cases from one (S)FR to
another. Once assignments are released, you
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cannot adjust who is assigned a case from the
Make/Adjust Assignments screen. You must
use the View/Reassign Cases screen instead.
To access the View/Reassign Cases screen:
1.

Click on the Operations/ Check-in/Status/
View/Reassign Cases.

2.

The Query dialog box is displayed where
you designate which cases to display on the
View/Reassign Cases screen. See Chapter 4
for more information about using Queries.

3.

The View/Reassign Cases screen is
displayed with the results from your query.

The “Cases to Reassign” section displays the
Control Number, FR, Outcome Code, Action
Code, Interview Period, and Checked-in (Y/N)
status for each case. The “Address Information”
section displays the address information for the
highlighted case. The “Custom View Reassign
Data” section displays the workload data which
you can customize by using the ‘Custom’ button
on the right-side.
A complete list of the variables in the Customized
Window is in Appendix 7C.
In View/Reassign Cases, click the View More icon
to see tabs for Case History, Case Activity,

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Address History, Contacts, Letter History, CAPI
Notes, and HH Roster.
Reassigning a
Case on the
View/Reassign
Screen

To reassign a case to a different (S)FR using the
the View/Reassign Cases screen:
1.

Select one or more cases.

2.

Click the Reassign icon on the toolbar, or
select Reassign from the Options menu.

3.

Select the desired FR from the FR Search
dialog box, and select the desired Case
Options. The different case options
available are:
9

“Delete cases from original FR’s
laptop” is displayed on the reassigned
FR’s laptop when he/she transmits to
pick it up. The case is removed from
the original FR’s laptop on the
original FR’s next transmission.

9

“Make reassignment permanent”
makes this case a permanent
reassignment to the designated
reassigned FR in the assignment
parameters.

9

“Send Original Data” removes all
data collected on the case to date and
sets the outcome code to ‘200' (new

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case, not started) on the reassigned
FR’s laptop.
9

“Review reassignment later” allows
the RO to review the case in
subsequent months before
automatically assigning it to the
reassigned FR by using the
assignment parameters.

4.

Click on the Save icon to save your
changes.

5.

If the case selected was already checked-in,
the Cases Checked-In Warning dialog box
is displayed. Check the boxes for cases you
are sure you would like to reassign, and
click OK.

6.

Click on the Transmit icon on the toolbar to
immediately send the file to be picked up.

The outcome of the reassigned cases is 200 and
the date checked in is blank.
Run Check-In

Running check-in places incoming FRs’ work in
the appropriate tables and databases so ROSCO
reflects the most recent changes in the FRs’
assignments (number of cases complete, number
of noninterviews, etc.). Check-in runs
automatically two times each day. See
Appendix 7B, Schedule of Automatic Check-ins
by RO, at the end of this chapter.
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ROSCO allows RO users to request additional
check-ins at anytime by using the Run Check-in
activity as follows:

1.

Click on the Operations menu, Checkin/Status sub-menu, and select Run
Check-in.

2.

Click “Yes” on the Check-In Dialog Box,
verifying that you are sure you would like to
run check-in.

3.

A message box is displayed informing you
that “Check-In has been requested.”

4.

After a few moments, you should be able to
verify in the View In Directories screen that
the files are no longer listed and have been
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checked-in, or you can check the View Job
Status screen to make sure it was successful.
Note: Go to the Operations menu, Reinterview
submenu, to execute a check-in for reinterview.
See Chapter 10 for more information.
Check-Out/Check-In
Segment Folders

Assigning and
Checking-out
Segment Folders

If you have segment folders to send to (S)FRs, you
need to assign and check them out through
ROSCO. This activity must be performed before
assignments are released. You can do this by
going to the Operations menu , Check-in/Status
sub-menu , and selecting the Check-Out/CheckIn Segment Folders activity.
You can select segments that need to be assigned
and checked out by keying the PSU and Segment
number which causes the matching PSU-Segment
number combination to be highlighted when you
press . You can also click on a row to
highlight it. To un-highlight a row, click on it
again.
Once you select the row(s) you would like to
assign and check out to a particular FR, select the
Assign icon. A window is displayed that enables
you to select an FR. After you select the FR and
click OK, the following message is displayed:
If this is the FR you would like to assign the
segment folder(s) to, select ‘Yes.’ The “FR Code”
and “Date Checked-Out” fields are filled with the

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FR selected and the current date. This data is
saved automatically.

Checking-in Segment
Folders

Once the FR has completed his/her assignment
with the segment folder, you need to check it back
in to ROSCO. At the Check-Out/Check-In
Segment Folders screen, select the PSU-Segment
number combination as you did when assigning
the segment folder, and when it becomes
highlighted, select the Check-In icon.
Note: You cannot perform the Check-In activity
unless the “FR Code” and “Date Checked-Out”
fields are filled.
The following message is displayed:
If this is correct, select ‘Yes.’ The “Date
Checked-In” field is filled with the current date.
This data is saved automatically.

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Requesting Keystroke
Files

August 2007

ROSCO is programmed to allow users to request
their own keystroke files using the Request
Keystroke File on the Check-in/Status sub-menu.
At the Request Keystroke File screen, select a case
by keying a control number or caseid OR use sort,
filter, or scroll down the list to find the case.
Highlight the row and select OK. The following
message is displayed:

Select “Yes” if this is the correct control number
and you wish to continue.
The caseid is displayed as a .adt file in the
WordPad titlebar. You can save this trace file to
it’s default name or change the name. You can also
print the trace file from WordPad. The number at
the end of the first line of the trace file is the
caseid. The control number is not on the trace file.

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Appendix 7A - Schedule of Automatic Transmissions by RO
Automatic transmissions are scheduled ROSCO jobs that place any recently
released or reassigned cases, reports, or mail messages onto the Out Directory that
the FRs will pick up with their next transmission. The ROSCO job name for
transmissions is “frassign”.
Regional
Office

Automatic Transmission Times

RO 21

6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm

RO 22

6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm

RO 23

6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm

RO 24

6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm

RO 25

7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm

RO 26

7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm

RO 27

7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm

RO 28

6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm

RO 29

6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm

RO 30

7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm

RO 31

7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm

RO 32

7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm

(all times are Washington DC times)

No automatic reinterview ROSCO transmissions are currently enabled for NCVS.

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Appendix 7B - Schedule of Automatic Check-ins by RO
Automatic check-ins are scheduled ROSCO jobs that send any files transmitted in
from FRs that are waiting on the In Directory into the ROSCO database. The
ROSCO job name for check-ins is “checkin”.
Regional Office

Automatic Check-In Times
(all times are Washington DC times)

RO 21

5:30am, 10am, 2pm

RO 22

5:30am, 10am, 2pm

RO 23

5:30am, 10am, 2pm

RO 24

5:30am, 10am, 2pm

RO 25

6:30am, 11am, 3pm

RO 26

6:30am, 11am, 3pm

RO 27

6:30am, 11am, 3pm

RO 28

5:30am, 10am, 2pm

RO 29

5:30am, 10am, 2pm

RO 30

6:30am, 11am, 3pm

RO 31

6:30am, 11am, 3pm

RO 32

6:30am, 11am, 3pm

*Reinterview check-ins (ri_checkin) in ROSCO run automatically at 6am, 10am
and 3pm local time for Eastern Time Zone ROs, and at 7 am, 11am and 4pm for
other ROs. All times are Washington, DC times.

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Appendix 7C - Variables in the Customizable Windows
The following variables are displayed in the customizable windows available on
the Assignment, Supervisory Review, and View/Reassign screens. See
Appendix 4B for descriptions of the variables (fields).
PSU
Tract
Block
Addr Chg
Best Tim e
Best Tim e Specified
Callback Notes
Caseid
Mode (Collection)
Conf Ref
County Nam e
Date Assg
Date Recv by FR
Date Xm it to FR
Date Case Com p
Date Chckd In
Date Deliv to MCS
Date MCS Ack
Date Recvd
P/T
How Intrvd
# In Supv Review
Intvrw #
Listing ID
Load Date
Nbr Type Z
No Sunday
Notes Chgd
Observed
Phone Intvw OK
Phone Nbr 1
Phone Ext 1
Phone Nbr 2
Phone Ext 2
Prev FR

Prev Outcom e
Prev Type A
In Reinterview
Version
RO Team
Study Nam e
Xm it Status
Rotation
HH Resp Nam e
March Hispanic
Vacation
I/O Referral
Address Size
Census ID
DO Code
FIPS State Code
GQ Code
GQ Flag
GQ Nam e
GQ Register Method
Incm p Addr
Sheet #
Line #
Mobile Hom e
Multi Unit
Nbr or Ltr
New Extra
New Unit
Relist Add
Sam ple
Segm ent
Serial
Serial Sfx
Year Built
CATI Outcom e

CATI Recycle
Date Recycle Recv
Prev CATI Outcom e
CATI Eligible
CATI Eligible PSU
CATI OK
CATI Possible
CATI Selected
CATI Ever
Never CATI
Prev Recycle
Recycle Req
Returning CATI
W hy Not CATI
Trans Assgn
Date Last Modified
Phone Type 1
Phone Type 2
State of Case
W kld Type Z base
Incentive
Incom ing Flag
Map Spot
MAF ID
Mail Flag
Link ID
GQ Type
Institutional
ACS Dup Flag
NHIS Dup Flag
Seq Nbr Bsa
AIANHH
W orkload ID

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Chapter 8. Noninterviews
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.

Types of Noninterviews

8-2

2.

Office Control of Type A
Noninterviews2

8-8

3.

Procedures for Type B
Noninterviews

8-17

4.

Procedures for Type C
Noninterviews

8-18

5.

Procedures for Type Z
Noninterviews

8-19

6.

Denial of Access to Multi-Unit
Buildings

8-23

7.

Using ROSCO to Print Respondent
Letters

8-24

Appendix A

Refusal Letter

8-29

Appendix B

Letter to Manager of
Multi-Unit Structure

8-31

Appendix C

Confidentiality

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Topic 1 -

August 2007

Types of Noninterviews

Overview

This chapter presents procedures for the NCVS
RO staff to implement in noninterview situations.
The RO staff should expect to encounter these
different situations during the course of field
operations. The specifics for each noninterview
category are described throughout this chapter.

Introduction to
Noninterviews

Circumstances sometimes prevent obtaining an
interview at an address on your case list. We
divide noninterview cases into Type A, Type B,
Type C, and Type Z (see list on pages 4-88 & 89).

Type A Noninterviews

Type A noninterview refers to households in
which household members refuse to be
interviewed or are not available for an interview
(temporarily absent or no one home), other
occupied, or there is a language problem which
prohibits gaining the interview.
FRs should not transmit a case as a Type A
noninterview without supervisory approval first.
Supervisors need to ensure that the FR makes
every reasonable effort to “convert” the
noninterview before the FR transmits the case as a
Type A noninterview.
After the FR specifies the kind of Type A, the
instrument displays a series of questions about the
demographics of the household. The FR should

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enter his/her best guess for the race and sex of the
reference person, the number of people living in
the household, and the tenure. Upon completion
of the demographic noninterview questions, the
FR is prompted to enter brief notes about the case.
The NCVS Supervisor should review the current
FR notes for each Type A noninterview.
Type A Noninterviews ARE reassigned in
subsequent interview periods.
Type A Categories

Type A - Other

The control numbers and outcome codes of
Type A cases received are displayed on the
Supervisory Review screen for noninterviews.
There are four Type A noninterview categories for
units occupied by persons eligible for interview
but could not be interviewed. These Type A
categories and outcome codes are listed below:
Type A Categories

Outcome Code

No one home (NOH)

216

Temporarily absent (TA)

217

Refused (REF)

218

Type A - Other Occupied

219

When you cannot interview at a unit occupied by
persons eligible for interview, and the reasons “No
one home,” “Temporarily absent,” or “Refused”
do not apply, enter “Other-Occ.” Specify the
reason, such as:
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Type B Noninterviews

9

“Death in family”

9

“Household quarantined”

9

“Roads impassable”

August 2007

Type B noninterview refers to households which
are not eligible for interview.
Type B Noninterviews are not reassigned in
subsequent interview periods.

Type B Categories

The control numbers and outcome codes of
Type B cases received are displayed on the
Supervisory Review screen for noninterviews.
The Type B categories and outcome codes are
listed in the following table:

Type B Categories

Outcome Code

Temporarily occupied by
URE

225

Vacant - Regular

226

Vacant - Storage of HH
Furniture

227

Unfit or to be demolished

228

Under Construction, Not
ready

229

Converted to Temporary
Business or Storage

230

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Type B - Other

August 2007

Unoccupied Tent or Trailer
Site

231

Permit Granted, Construction
Not Started

232

Type B - Other

233

The "Type B - Other" classification is used for a
housing unit that is likely to be uninhabitable
and/or the residents are likely to have evacuated to
unknown locations, but because of a severe
disaster (flood, earthquake, tornado, fires, etc.),
the FR is unable to access and confirm (in person
or by telephone) the correct status during the
interview period.
Type B - Other cases are the only Type B cases
that are stopped in the noninterview section of
Supervisory Review. This allows RO staff to
verify that the Type B - Other cases are coded
correctly before accepting them.
In cases of natural disasters, HQ notifies the ROs
and TCs when it is acceptable to code cases as
Type B - Other.

Type C Noninterviews

Type C noninterview refers to households that will
never be eligible for an interview. Type C
noninterviews are not reassigned in subsequent
interview periods.

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When the FR determines that the case is a Type C
noninterview and codes it as such, the instrument
prompts the FR to enter notes about the case. The
NCVS Supervisor should review the current FR
notes for each Type C noninterview. These notes
assist the supervisor during supervisory review in
determining whether to accept or reassign the case.
Type C Categories

The control numbers and outcome codes of
Type C cases received are displayed on the
Supervisory Review screen for noninterviews.
The Type C categories and outcome codes are
listed in the following table:

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Type C Categories

Type C - Other

August 2007

Outcome Code

Demolished

240

House or Trailer Moved

241

Outside Segment

242

Converted to Permanent
Business or Storage

243

Merged

244

Condemned (and
Unoccupied)

245

Unused Serial Number of
Listing Sheet

247

Removed during
Subsampling

256

Unit already had a chance of
selection

257

Type C - Other

248

The “Type C - Other” is used for a housing unit
that cannot be classified in any of the above
categories. Some examples might be “duplicate
listing,” “never living quarters,” or “permit
abandoned” (permit segments ONLY). This
should be used for “Built after April 1, 1990"
(final code 246). The instrument displays a
specific question to determine this based on the
segment type for the case.
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Topic 2 Overview

August 2007

Office Control of Type A Noninterviews
The number of Type A Noninterviews can
influence the degree to which the NCVS data are
representative of the entire population. People
who are difficult to find at home or who resist
being interviewed may have different employment
characteristics from those who are readily
interviewed. Failure to obtain interviews from
such people may introduce serious bias into the
survey results. Therefore, it is absolutely critical to
minimize Type A Noninterviews.
Past experience shows that trying to minimize
nonresponse rates has proven to be one of the most
challenging aspects of the supervisor’s
responsibilities. There is no formula for keeping
Type A Noninterviews to a minimum. It involves
the FR's ability to enlist cooperation from different
people and to plan visits when people are most
likely to be home. Experience shows that Type A
noninterview rates fluctuate by area and by season.
For example, you may know the people who live
in your region and when they will be most
receptive to a personal visit; therefore, you can
help determine the best time to conduct the
interview. Be aware of ethnic and religious
sensitivities. Consistently high response rates in
some areas can be a tribute to the extra effort of
the office staff and (S)FRs.
The RO Supervisors and SFRs also play a key role
in minimizing Type A Noninterviews by planning
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the follow-up or by personally attempting to
convert refusals. He or she must do everything
possible to help FRs reduce Type A
Noninterviews. The supervisor should also
suggest ways to obtain an interview in each Type
A situation reported and make certain that sample
units reported as Type A Noninterviews are
classified correctly.
Below are some suggestions that the supervisor
can give the FR for handling cases which are
tentatively classified as Type A noninterview.
Also consider that any noninterview case can be
reassigned to another FR or SFR as the supervisor
considers necessary.
Manage the Number of
Type A Noninterviews in
Supervisory Review

All Type As will show up in the noninterview
section of Supervisory Review. Type As do not
get counted in the reports until the RO staff
“Accept” them in the noninterview section of
Supervisory Review. Therefore, before accepting
a Type A, discuss the case with the FR (and SFR,
if necessary) and determine the best way to
convert the case to a completed interview. Decide
whether to:
9

Send a Type A letter to the respondent

9

Reassign the case to the same FR

9

Reassign the case to the SFR

9

Reassign the case to another FR
experienced in converting refusals
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Do not accept Type As until all attempts to
convert them are unsuccessful.
No One Home (NOH)

NOH noninterviews need to be closely monitored
and should be a primary concern for supervisors.
There should be few NOH cases. Remind the FRs
to:
9

Ask neighbors, janitors, etc., when
occupants are most likely to be home and
schedule callbacks accordingly (an inquiry
on first call can avoid unproductive
callbacks when a household is temporarily
absent). Get the name(s) of the occupants
(during the first visit) from a mailbox if the
name is visible on the outside (never open
someones mailbox) or by asking neighbors.
Remember not to mention the name of the
survey, just that you are from the Census
Bureau.

9

Make additional callbacks when driving
near the unit on the way to or from other
assigned cases.

9

Consider leaving a Request for
Appointment form/card in the door or on the
door knob (not in the mailbox) on the first
visit to a unit. Leave a telephone number
where the respondent can contact either the
RO or the FR.

9

Request the RO to send a No One Home
(NOH) letter, (see Appendix 8B, No One
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Home (NOH) Sample Letter) at the end of
this chapter.
Temporarily Absent
(TA)

It is especially important for the FR to find out
from neighbors, relatives, or friends when a
sample household that is temporarily absent is
expected to return. Although the household may
not return until after closeout, instruct the FR to:
9

Continue to make periodic attempts to
contact the household.

9

Try to find an address or telephone number
where the household can be reached and
conduct an interview at the other number, if
appropriate.

9

Interview the household when they return, if
they are expected to return before closeout.

The office should consider sending a NOH letter
to the address.
Refusals (Ref)

Monitor the number of refusals turned in by each
FR daily, particularly the new inexperienced FRs.
If an FR turns in too many refusals, he or she may
be giving up too easily or may not be adequately
explaining the survey to respondents. The RO
supervisor should:
9

Call the FR and discuss his or her refusals
(see section below on discussing refusals).

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9

Have the SFR contact the FR immediately
and discuss strategies to convert the refusal
cases.

9

Consider reassigning refusal cases to the
SFR or another FR that has experience
converting refusals.

9

Schedule a Special Needs Observation with
the FR, if necessary.

Type A - Other

Don’t accept Type A - Other refusals without an
acceptable explanation from the FR and SFR.
Make sure the FR classified the case correctly
before accepting a Type A - Other.

Discuss Refusals and
Offer Suggestions

When discussing refusals with the FR, review the
FR’s approach during the initial contact with
respondents. Address specific respondent
objections that the FR encountered and how the
FR countered the respondent’s objection.
Discuss with the FR the suggestions below:
9

Explain clearly to the respondent the
importance of the survey, the need for
subsequent interviews, and the
confidentiality of the data.

9

Introduce yourself and explain the survey to
local authorities who may receive calls from
respondents inquiring about the NCVS.

9

Get as much information as possible about
the refusal person(s) and household, i.e.,
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names, age, race, income, children in the
household, etc. This information will be
valuable when assigning Type A follow-up
or in tailoring a letter.
Effective refusal conversion requires careful and
immediate supervisory planning. Each refusal is
different and each attempt to convert a refusal
requires careful consideration of a variety of
techniques. Remember, if refusals are reported on
a timely basis, ample time still exists to effectively
plan and conduct successful follow-up activities.
Send Refusal Letters

FRs may encounter respondents who offer
resistance or do not wish to cooperate in the
NCVS. In most instances, the FR can explain the
purpose of NCVS sufficiently so that he or she
gains the respondent’s cooperation. There are
cases, however, when the FR may request a letter
be sent to a reluctant respondent. Send a letter to
the respondent as soon as a new refusal is
reported. Refusal letters must include information
required by the Privacy Act of 1974. It is the
Regional Office’s discretion as to whether the
letter is signed by the NCVS Supervisor or by a
member of the Regional Office’s management
staff.
Consider tailoring the letter to counter the specific
objection of the respondent, the type of
respondent, or the income category of the
respondent. Examples of different kinds of refusal
letters are provided for your information in
Appendices C through G at the end of this
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chapter. You can use these letters as templates to
develop your own letters.
If your RO develops a letter which is different
from the templates, please send a copy of the letter
to Field Division, Attn: Labor and Crime Surveys
Branch.
Depending upon the Type A circumstances and
location of the FR, you also may consider
immediately telephoning the respondent to explain
the survey and arrange an appointment for the FR.
Personal visits require close coordination with
ongoing work on other surveys to minimize
expenses. Supervisors or SFRs should generally
plan to visit refusals located within a reasonable
distance from where they are working. Consult
with the program coordinator when arranging
personal visit follow-ups which will incur
excessive time and money.
Provide Other Assistance

In multi-FR PSUs, consider reassigning refusal
cases to another FR or SFR in the area. This is
especially important when the FR who originally
received the refusal is inexperienced. However,
competence in converting refusals is best gained
by experience, so make sure the inexperienced FR
has attempted to convert the refusal before
reassigning the case to another FR/SFR.
For particularly difficult cases, consider
reassigning the case to the RO for follow-up.
When a supervisor or SFR travels to an area for
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any reason, he or she should, if possible, take
active refusal cases in that area and attempt to
convert them.
Confirmed Refusals

Generally, refusals may be confirmed only by the
NCVS Supervisor, provided that:
9

A supervisor, SFR, or another FR assigned
by the NCVS Supervisor has attempted to
convert the refusal;

9

The (S)FR incurring the refusal has
discussed with the NCVS Supervisor the
results of his/her conversion attempts made
after a refusal letter has been sent; or

9

Headquarters, the Regional Director, or the
Assistant Regional Director instructs you to
discontinue interview attempts.

Once the refusal is confirmed, instruct the FR to
discontinue interview attempts to the household.
In subsequent panels, the FR is to only verify
occupancy.
See the Chapter 7, Monitoring Progress, Topic 3,
Accepting a Noninterview, for details on how to
mark a confirmed refusal in ROSCO.
Once a case is flagged as a confirmed refusal, it is
flagged in case management on the FR’s laptop for
all subsequent interviews. You must submit a
Remedy Ticket to remove a confirmed refusal flag.

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Charging Duplicate and
Confirmed Refusals or
Congressional Referrals

Other Occupied - specify

August 2007

Charge refusals to the FR code your office uses
for:
9

Duplicates - when the refusal is at a sample
address that is in another survey (ACS or
NHIS)

9

Confirmed Refusals or Congressional
Referrals - when Headquarters, the
Regional Director or Assistant Regional
Director instructs you stop the FR from
trying to interview at the sample address.

For other reasons such as impassable roads,
sickness or quarantined households, etc., instruct
the FR to contact the household later in the
interview period if a telephone interview is not
possible. Otherwise the case must be reported as a
Type A - Other.

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Topic 3 -

August 2007

Procedures for Type B Noninterviews
When a unit is reported as a Type B noninterview,
review the case notes. Be sure the FR marked the
classification correctly. (Refer to the NCVS
Interviewing Manual for specific instructions for
marking each category.)

The Only Type B in
Supervisory Review

All Type B Noninterviews, except for Type B Other, are sent directly into the ROSCO database
without stopping in Supervisory Review when a
check-in is executed. You must verify Type B Other Noninterviews in Supervisory Review and
determine whether to accept, eliminate, or reassign
the case.

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Topic 4 -

August 2007

Procedures for Type C Noninterviews
Type C Noninterviews are those households which
are ineligible for sample. Once a case is accepted
as a Type C noninterview, it will not return to
sample.

All Type Cs Stop in
Supervisory Review

All Type C Noninterviews stop in Supervisory
Review where you determine to accept, eliminate,
or reassign them.

Reinstating Type Cs

Notify your survey liaison at FLD HQ - Labor and
Crime Surveys Branch if it is determined that a
Type C noninterview case was deleted in error.
The Demographic Statistical Methods Division
(DSMD) can reinstate a Type C for future
interview periods.
A reinstated case is displayed as a new case and
will not have any dependent data previously
collected for the case.

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Topic 5 -

August 2007

Procedures for Type Z Noninterviews

Type Z Noninterviews

Person-level noninterviews are classified as Type
Z Noninterviews.
For Type Z Noninterviews, see that the line
number of the person for whom an interview was
not obtained is coded as Type Z reason code 203.
You will classify an eligible household member as
a Type Z noninterview when you are unable to
interview an eligible household member and the
household member is not the household
respondent.
Unlike Type A, B, and C noninterviews, a Type Z
noninterview relates to an eligible household
member (other than the household respondent)
and does not relate to the entire sample household.
Another difference is that a personal visit is not
required prior to classifying a person as a Type Z
noninterview.
However, if you are unable to interview the
household respondent, the entire sample
household will classify as a Type A noninterview
because:
X

You must interview the household respondent
before interviewing anyone else in the
household.
AND
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X

Minimizing
Noninterviews

August 2007

You cannot classify a household respondent
as a Type Z noninterview person.

It is important to keep both Type A and Type Z
noninterviews to a minimum, so that:
C

Your response rate does not suffer and

C

The sample data you collect is truly
representative of the entire U.S. population.

Individuals who are difficult to find at home or
who resist being interviewed may have different
victimization experiences than persons who are
readily available for interviews. Therefore, failure
to get interviews from all eligible household
members could introduce a serious bias into the
survey results.
It is important that we try to obtain an interview
for each eligible household member. When the FR
does not complete an interview for an eligible
household member, the instrument will prompt the
FR to attempt to set up a callback appointment to
complete the case. Interviews must be completed
by self-response or if specific criteria are met a
proxy interview may be completed. The screener
interview CAN be completed by proxy. (For more
information on proxy interviews refer to Chapter
2, Part A, Topic 3 of your CAPI Interviewing
Manual for Field Representivies)

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As with Type A noninterviews, verify that the
FR is following the correct procedures in
minimizing these noninterviews. Basically,
make sure that each FR is making every effort
to locate and interview self-respondents.

Procedures for Type Z
Noninterviews

A Type Z noninterview indicates that you
completed interviews with at least the household
respondent but were unable to complete an
interview with one or more eligible members.
If the household contains any members who have
not been interviewed, either because they refused,
had a partial interview, were never available
despite repeated attempts to interview them, they
were temporarily absent and no proxy was
available, you must specify the Type Z
noninterview reason for every noninterview
person in the household before you can transmit
the case.
This process can only be done at the time you are
ready to transmit the case, so it is important that
you identify any eligible household members as
noninterviews early in the interview period, and
annotate the reason(s) in the CAPI notes so you
don’t forget them when you are ready to transmit
the case later.

Designating household
members as Type Z
noninterviews

Enter the case and click on the household roster
(HH Roster) tab on the toolbar to check the
interview status of eligible household members.
You must designate a Type Z noninterview reason
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for all those whose interview status is “Need self,”
“Need proxy,” “Partial int,” or “Refused.”
Proceed as follows:
Click on the “Main” tab to go to the START_CP
screen and enter Precode (5), “Ready to transmit
case - no more followup.” A pop-up screen
appears that says, “Case not ready for
transmission.” Click the “suppress” button. The
TYPEZ screen appears: “No survey data were
collected for (NAME). Enter the reason that best
describes why (NAME)’s survey data were not
collected.” There are five options:
1. Never available
2. Refused
3. Physically/Mentally Unable
4. TA - No proxy available
5. Other
Enter the applicable reason, then exit the case.
Note that the case is automatically removed from
the main Case List.

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Topic 6 -

August 2007

Denial of Access to Multi-Unit Buildings
There are cases in which FRs are denied access to
an apartment building by the building manager
while attempting to conduct Census Bureau
surveys. Title 13 of the U.S. Code authorizes the
Census Bureau to conduct NCVS interviews. In
addition, Section 223 of Title 13 forbids anyone,
under penalty of fine, to deny an FR access to a
building.
Appendix B, Letter to Manager of Multi-Unit
Structure, illustrates an example of a letter to send
to apartment managers who refuse access to an
NCVS FR. If you encounter a case of denial of
access to an NCVS FR, use one of the letters
provided, or your own rewording, as you prefer.
Excerpts from Title 13 are provided for your use in
Appendix I, Citations from Title 13.

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Topic 7 -

August 2007

Using ROSCO to Print Respondent Letters

Overview

ROSCO can be used to generate letters for
respondents by using letter templates that you
provide and inserting control numbers, respondent
names, addresses, FR names, and telephone
numbers from the database. This replaces the need
for RO staff to use the merged file option in a
word processing application and saves time by
automatically filling in many of the fields in the
letter with information from the database. The
other benefit of this feature is that it maintains a
record of each letter sent on the Tracking
Respondent Letters screen.
Before you can use the Print Respondent Letters
function, you must create a file for the letter in .rtf
format and set up that letter type in ROSCO.

Create the Letter File in
.RTF Format

Create the letter using Microsoft Word, Corel
WordPerfect, or Microsoft WordPad. You can use
special merge tags in the letter that tell ROSCO to
automatically insert information from the
database.
For example, inserting the merge tag
<> in the letter instructs ROSCO
to automatically fill the respondent's name from
the database for the case selected or "Current
Resident" if there is no respondent name entered
yet for the case. A summary of the merge tags you
can insert into the document appears in the
following table:
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Summary of ROSCO Merge Tags
Tag

Source/Format

<>

Respondent's name or "Current Resident" if
none entered in the table for the selected
case.

<>

First and last name of the FR currently
assigned to the case in the database

<>

Telephone number listed for the currently
assigned FR as listed in the "Edit FR Data"
screen

<>

Control number from the workload table

<>

System date set on the computer used to
generate the letters

<>

Address as entered for the case in the
workload table

<>

System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered

<>

System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered

<>

System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered

<>

System prompts user to enter manually;
name is displayed exactly as entered

<>

System prompts user to enter manually;
number is displayed exactly as entered

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Once you create the letter with any desired merge
tags included, save the document in .rtf format.
Word and WordPerfect allow you to select this
format on the "Save As" window. Be sure to save
the file in a location that all ROSCO users access
since you will only be able to select one location
of the file for ROSCO to point to when generating
the letter.
Set Up the Letter in
ROSCO

Print Respondent Letters

After you save a version of the letter in .rtf format,
you need to set up the letter in ROSCO. To do
this:
1.

Click on the Operations menu, Sample
Control sub-menu, and select Edit Letter
Language.

2.

On the Edit Letter Language screen, click on
the Insert icon.

3.

Select the letter type and language from the
drop-down menus. Click on the 'File' button
to designate the location of your saved letter
in the Filename field.

4.

Click the Save icon.

After you create a letter template and set up the
letter type in ROSCO, you can print the
respondent letter by following these steps:

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1.

Click on the Operations menu , Sample
Control sub-menu , and select Print
Respondent Letters.

2.

On the Query box pop-up, either enter the
control number of the case that needs the
letter, or enter 0=0 to retrieve a list of all
cases in this interview period on the Print
Respondent Letters screen.
Select the desired control number from the
Control Number List or type it into the
Control Number Finder field. The name and
address of the selected case is displayed in the
Respondent Information window.
Click on the Merge icon to generate and print
the letter.

3.

4.

5.

If your letter template included any merge
tags that require manual entry by the user, a
dialog box is displayed for you to type in the

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names and/or numbers required. After filling
in the tags, click OK to print the letter.

Sample Letter Templates

6.

Once the letter prints, use the Query icon to
select another case to create a letter.

7.

After you generate letters, click the Close
icon to exit. You are asked, "Do you want to
keep a history of the respondent letters you
have sent?" If you select "Yes," a record is
added to the Tracking Respondent Letters
screen for each letter that was printed.

Appendix A and Appendix B contain sample letter
templates with merged tags inserted that you may
use in generating respondent letters in ROSCO.
Feel free to modify any of the letter templates for
your ROs use.

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Appendix A: Example of the Refusal Letter
91910 14999 J22 01 100
July 12, 2006
Current Resident
112 Main Blvd
Any town, MN 99997
Dear Resident:
Recently, Ms. Suzi Bleau, a representative from the U. S. Census Bureau, called upon your household asking
for your participation in the National Crime Victimization Survey. She indicated that you were reluctant to
cooperate. Perhaps, if we explained more about this survey and the importance of your participation you
might reconsider and participate.
We assure you that the National Crime Victimization Survey is a necessary and valuable program. This
survey collects important information about persons victimized by crime in this country. The Bureau of
Justice Statistics of the U. S. Department of Justice is sponsoring this survey to help law enforcement,
judicial and correctional agencies throughout the country improve their effectiveness by providing
information about amounts of crime, where and when it occurs. Although other crime statistics are
published, they are based on crimes reported to the police. However, studies have shown that many crimes
are not actually reported to the police. The information that the Census Bureau collects in this survey
overcomes this deficiency.
The Census Bureau is conducting the survey under the authority of Title 42, United States Code, Section
3732. The information provided is held strictly confidential under the authority of Title 42, United States
Code, Section 3771, and is used only for statistical purposes. The statistics will provide a truer picture of
crime in this country and will permit the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, to make realistic
plans for coping with the problem. Because this is a sample survey, each sample address, whether
victimized or not, represents hundreds of other households across the country. For this reason, your
participation in this survey is extremely important to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the final
results. Although there are no penalties for failure to answer any question, each unanswered question
substantially lessens the accuracy of the final data.
We hope you will reconsider your decision and be able to cooperate with our request for information. An
interviewing member of my staff will contact you again during the next few days, or you may call
Washington at 991-555-6789, collect if necessary, to schedule an interview, or phone the Anytown Regional
Office at 911-555-1234 extension 011 upon receipt of this letter. Any further questions you may have will
gladly be answered for you at that time. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Jean Doe
Regional Director

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Appendix B: Sample of the Letter to the Manager of a Multi-Unit Structure
91910 1499 J33 02 100
July 1, 2006
Attn: Individuo, Property Manager
Habitante Apartments
113 Elm Lane
Anytown, IL 99997
Dear Property Manager:
Certain units in the Habitante Apartments are in sample for a survey conducted by the U.S. Census
Bureau, as authorized by Title 13, United States Code, and Title 29, United States Code. The Census
Bureau conducts a variety of surveys each month to provide statistics on topics such as employment,
expenditures, crime, health, and housing throughout the nation. The published statistics are used by the
President and by Congress in determining the well-being of the nation. The Census Bureau collects
statistics which produce the monthly national unemployment rates, the consumer price index, the index
of economic indicators, and variety of other figures used extensively by federal, state, local and private
researchers.
Information is collected for these surveys by scientifically selecting living quarters throughout the
country and interviewing the occupants. To keep the cost of the survey down and to increase reliability,
we contact sampled addresses several times, according to the individual survey’s schedule. The persons
who do the interviewing are official representatives of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census
Bureau. They have official identification cards which they are instructed to show to each person from
whom they request census information. By law, (Title 13, U.S. code) all information collected by our
field representatives is confidential. It may be seen only by authorized, sworn Census Bureau employees,
and may only be used for statistical purposes. No person or household can be identified from the
resulting statistical tabulations. The statistical summaries are available to all who are interested in them.
You requested the legal authority by which our field representative can contact residents of the units in
Habitante Apartments.. Congress has considered this to be one of the most important surveys conducted
by the Federal Government, and has included in the Census Law (title 13, Section223) an Amendment
which addresses unimpeded access to selected units, and assistance to Census employees by owners,
managers, etc.
Our field representative will be required to conduct interviews with sample households each month until
there are no more scheduled interviews. I thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Jean Doe
Regional Director

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Appendix C - Title 13 - Confidentiality
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, that Title 13 of the United States Code, entitled “Census”, is revised,
codified, and enacted into law, and may be cited in part as “Title 13, United States Code, section
as follows:
UNITED STATES CODE
TITLE 13 – CENSUS

CHAPTER 5 – CENSUSES
*********
SUBCHAPTER II – POPULATION, HOUSING, AGRICULTURE, IRRIGATION, AND
UNEMPLOYMENT
Sec. 141. Population and other census information
(a) The Secretary shall, in the year 1980 and every 10 years thereafter, take a decennial census
of population as of the first day of April of such year, which date shall be known as the
“decennial census date”, in such from and content as he may determine, including the use of
sampling procedures and special surveys. In connection with any such census, the Secretary is
authorized to obtain such other census information as necessary.
(g) As used in this section, “census of population” means a census of population, housing, and
matters relating to population and housing.
***********
SUBCHAPTER IV – INTERIM CURRENT DATA
Sec. 182. Surveys
The Secretary may make surveys deemed necessary to furnish annual and other interim current
data on the subjects covered by the censuses provided for in this title.

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UNITED STATES CODE
TITLE 13 – CENSUS

CHAPTER 7 – OFFENSES AND PENALTIES
**********
SUBCHAPTER II – OTHER PERSONS
Sec. 223. Refusal, by owners, proprietors, etc., to assist census employees
Whoever, being the owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or agent of any hotel, apartment house,
boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by
the Secretary or by any other officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency
thereof, acting under the instructions of the Secretary, to furnish names of the occupants of such
premises, or to give free ingress thereto and egress therefrom to any duly accredited representative of
such Department or bureau or agency thereof, so as to permit the collection of statistics with respect to
any census provided for in subchapters I and II of chapter 5 of this title, or any survey authorized by
subchapter IV or V of such chapter insofar as such survey relates to any of the subjects for which
censuses are provided by such subchapters I and II,
including, when relevant when relevant to the census or survey being taken or made, the proper and
correct enumeration of all persons having their usual place of abode in such premisses, shall be fined not
more than $500.

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Chapter 9. End of the Survey Cycle Operations
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.

Overview

9-2

2.

Reviewing Type A Noninterviews

9-3

3.

Resolving Missing Cases/Closeout

9-6

4.

Closeout/Clean-Up Reports

9-12

5.

Populating the FR Performance
Table

9-14

6.

Clean Up the Interview Period

9-16

7.

Clean Up the Laptops

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Topic 1 Overview

August 2007

Overview
There are a number of separate operations that
must occur for you to properly conclude activities
at the end of the survey cycle. By closeout time,
ALL cases must be transmitted in and received,
and all cases must be resolved in Supervisory
Review. This chapter provides a review of the
closeout process.

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Topic 2 -

August 2007

Reviewing Type A Noninterviews

‘
Overview

Review/Charge Type A
Nointerviews

Before you close out an interview period, you
have the opportunity to review your Type A cases
and adjust which (S)FR is charged for each one.
The Review/Charge Type As screen allows you to
do this for cases checked-in as Type As, while the
Review Converted Type As screen allows you to
do this for cases that were once transmitted as a
Type A, but were reassigned for follow-up and are
no longer Type A cases.
To access the Review/Charge Type As screen,
click on the Operations , Closeout/Cleanup ,
then click on Review/Charge Type As from the
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu. The Review/Charge
Type As screen lists all Type A noninterviews for
the month and provides the FR code to which the
Type A is currently being charged. RO staff may
review this screen and make adjustments to the FR
code as appropriate. After each change, click on
the Save icon to save the change.
Generate a Final Outcome Code Summary Report
to review the totals of each outcome code either by
FR or for the entire region.
To see additional information about a highlighted
case, click on the View More icon on the Tool bar.
You may change who is charged with a Type A
case by using the FR Code column. Clicking on
the drop-down window in the FR Code column
displays the Case Activity, assigned FR, Checked9-3
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August 2007

In status, Outcome Code, and Dates Assigned and
Received for previous versions of the case. You
may click on an FR code displayed in the dropdown window, or type in another FR code.
You can also use the Chg Outcome activity on the
tool bar to change the outcome code of the
highlighted case to another Type A outcome.
Review Converted
Type A Noninterviews

Select Review Converted Type As from the
Closeout/Cleanup activity before Populating FR
Performance data. The Review Converted
Type As screen lists all cases that meet the
following criteria:
9

The case appeared in Supervisory Review as
a Type A.

9

The case was reassigned for follow-up, and
the person who reassigned the case marked
the box to charge the current FR with a
Type A if the case is converted.

9

The case was later accepted as something
other than a Type A noninterview.

The RO staff has several options:
9

Click on Delete to remove the case from the
list. If Delete is selected, no FR will be
charged with a Type A noninterview.

9

Click on Insert to add a case that is not on
the list. The Control Number Search
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August 2007

window will appear. Scroll down the list to
find and highlight the desired case. Use the
Case Activity button to verify that the case
was reassigned. Click on OK to add the
case to the Review Converted Type As
screen. Then select the FR code to be
charged with the Type A for the case, or
type in the FR code. Finally, click on the
Save icon to save your changes.
9

Click on View More to see more
information about the case.

The purpose of charging a Type A to a specific FR
is to reflect a negative outcome for the case on the
FR’s performance. This function is optional – you
and RO management may choose whether or not
to use it. Note that cases listed on this screen do
not negatively affect your overall response rate,
and the FR who converted and completed an
interview for the case still receives credit for the
interview. The only change to the database is the
addition of the Type A to the individual
performance data of the FR charged.

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Topic 3 Overview

August 2007

Resolving Missing Cases/Closeout
Closing out an interview period is a critical part of
the NCVS RO staff's duties. The RO staff must
follow up on any outstanding cases, handle lastminute technical problems, properly resolve any
cases in Supervisory Review, and review charges
for Type A Noninterviews and converted Type A
cases (see Topic 2 of this chapter). All of these
activities must be completed before you can
closeout.
Use the Resolve Missing Cases screen, the Daily
Receipts Report, and the Cases Not Checked-In
Report to ensure that all cases are checked in and
cleared from Supervisory Review before you can
closeout. Once you account for all of your cases,
notify your NCVS liaison. You must indicate that
your RO has closed out and the time of closeout.
Check your NCVS monthly activities calendar for
details about NCVS closeout. You must closeout
out by the time indicated in order to receive credit
for an on-time closeout.

Check-In Reports

Regularly review the Daily Receipt Reports from
the Reports activity (Check-In) to identify FRs
who:
9

are not sending in work on a flow basis;

9

have several cases outstanding, or

9

have a high Type A rate as closeout day
approaches.
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Review the Cases Not Checked-In Report from the
Reports activity (Check-In) for details about cases
not yet checked-in. This report is especially useful
as closeout day approaches.
FRs Make Final
Transmission

The FRs should make their final transmission the
night before closeout day. For example, for a
Tuesday closeout day, FRs must make a final
(preset) transmission on Monday night.

Resolve Missing Cases
Screen

The Resolve Missing Cases Screen allows you to
review cases that are still outstanding and take
action to get them resolved. Although you can
access this screen anytime during the interview
period after assignments have been released, the
number of cases appearing on this screen early in
the interview period may be too large to be useful.
To access this screen, click on the Operations
menu, select Closeout/Cleanup , Resolve
Missing Cases/Closeout. The Resolve Missing
Cases screen consists of six tabs:

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Cases Not
Checked-In And
Not In Supv
Review Tab

August 2007

Cases on this tab are not in Supervisory Review
and were not checked into the database. Each of
these cases must be resolved before you can
closeout. Use the following activities on the tool
bar to act on these cases:
9

Reassign – Use this activity to reassign
case(s) to another FR to resolve the case and
transmit it in.

9

Transmit – Use this activity to immediately
transmit reassigned cases to be picked up by
(S)FRs.

9

Resolve – Use this activity to accept the
previously received version of a case – if
you had previously reassigned the case after
it was checked-in using the View/Reassign
Cases screen, or if you reassigned the case
from Supervisory Review.

Cases Not
Checked In But In
Supv Review Tab

Cases on this tab were not checked into the
database because they are in Supervisory Review.
Each of these cases must be resolved before you
can closeout. However, you cannot resolve the
cases from this tab – you must resolve them on the
appropriate Supervisory Review screen.

Cases Not in MCS
Tab

Cases on this tab were delivered to the Master
Control System (MCS) but receipt of the cases
was not been acknowledged by the MCS.
Presumably, cases on this tab are in ROSCO, but
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never made it to the MCS, so the RO should first
try to resend the case rather than having the FR
retransmit or reassign the case. You may closeout
even if there are cases on this tab.
Use the following activities on the tool bar to act
on these missing cases:
9

Redeliver – Use this icon to resend the last
checked-in version of the case to the MCS.

9

Resolve – Use this icon to send a previous
version of the case to the MCS.

Cases Pending
MCS Processing
Tab

Cases on this tab were checked-in and are waiting
to be delivered to the MCS. You may closeout
even if there are cases on this tab. No action is
necessary on your part to resolve these cases.

Spawned Cases on
Laptop Only

Cases on this tab are replacement households that
are on the laptop, but have not been checked in as
complete.

Potentially
Dangerous Cases
Not Submitted to
DAD

Cases on this tab have been “Flagged as
Potentially Dangerous and not Submitted to
DAD”.
Instructions for submitting a case to DAD from the
View/Reassign screen in ROSCO are in Chapter 2,
Section 2.1 of the DAD RO Manual.
Note: A case must be checked-in to ROSCO
before you can submit it to DAD for approval.

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Closeout Time

The monthly closeout date and time are listed in
the monthly NCVS Office Memo and Calendar.
In most months, closeout is at Noon on the last
working day of the Interview month.

The Closeout Hand

Once there are no more cases listed on the “Cases
Not Checked In And Not In Supervisory Review”
tab AND on the “Cases Not Checked In But In
Supervisory Review” tab, the Closeout Hand
button is activated. Prior to being activated, the
inactive button will appear “grayed-out.”
Click the activated Closeout Hand button to
closeout. Clicking the closeout button
immediately creates a closeout file that is sent
directly to the MCS. The system time when the
closeout file is created becomes your closeout
time. When MCS receives the closeout file, it
automatically checks to make sure all cases are
accounted for.

Closeout Confirmation

Call or e-mail HQ (FLD-LCSB) as soon as you
closeout (“Hit the hand”).
9

Reopening for Late
Arriving Cases

If the MCS file indicates that one or more
cases is not accounted for, FLD LCSB
notifies RO that closeout is NOT complete.
TMO Support staff may be able to find the
missing case(s) in the system OR you may
have to have one or more FRs retransmit the
missing cases.

If FRs call on closeout day to indicate that they
have more completed interviews to send in after
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you have closed out, you can reopen ROSCO to
accept the late arriving cases. To reopen:
9

Call HQ (FLD-LCSB) to request a
“reopen.”

9

FLD-LSCB notifies TMO Support staff to
reopen the office. This takes only a few
minutes.

9

After you check in the late arriving cases,
click the Closeout Hand button.

9

If the Closeout Hand button is not activated,
check Supervisory Review. When you
checked in the late arriving cases, you may
have also checked in some additional cases
that may be in the “Noninterviews” or
“Duplicates” part of Supervisory Review.

9

Notify FLD-LCSB that you closed out
again.

The time of your last closeout becomes the
closeout time.

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Topic 4 -

August 2007

Closeout/Clean-Up Reports

Overview

Many reports are available in ROSCO for RO staff
to use in evaluating performance for an interview
period after closeout. By clicking on the
Operations , and Reports (or by clicking on the
Reports activity), then , Closeout/Clean-Up, you
can access any of the reports described in this
topic. Once you generate the report, use the Print
activity to print the reports, or use the Sort and
Filter activity to customize your reports as
described in Chapter 4 of this manual.

Description of Reports

Each of the different closeout/cleanup reports
contains slightly different information to evaluate
performance for the interview period. You can
experiment with the different reports to determine
which ones work best for you.

Report Converted Cases
by FR Code

The Converted Cases by FR Code report lists all
cases during the interview period that were once
Type A Noninterviews but were later converted.
This report displays the Control Number, Final FR
Code, Final Outcome, Type A FR Code, Type A
Outcome, and Type A Description for each case.

Report - Final
Status (CAPI 7)

The Final Status report provides a summary of
results of each (S)FR’s assignment. You can
generate this report sorted by FR Code or Team
Leader Code. This report has a line for each
(S)FR who completed work during the interview
period and lists the FR Code, FR Name,
Assignment Workload, # of Noninterviews, %
Noninterviews, Type As, % Type As, Response
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Rate, # of Type Bs, % Type Bs, # of Type Cs, and
% Type Cs for each.
Report - Final
Outcome Code
(CAPI 8) – RO
Totals

The Final Outcome Code – RO Totals report
provides a summary of counts of cases with each
outcome code. The report columns display
Outcome, Action, and Count.

Report - Final
Outcome Code
(CAPI 8) – FR
Totals

The Final Outcome Code – FR Totals report
provides a summary of counts of cases with each
outcome code for each FR. The report columns
display FR Code, FR Name, Outcome, Action, and
Count.

Type A, and Z
Report (CAPI 6)

The Type A, and Z Reports provides a listing of
all Type A, and Z cases, sorted by FR, with
subtotals for each. The columns display FR Code,
FR Name, Control Number, Type A Outcome, and
Number of Z’s.

Type C Report

The Type Cs Report provides a listing of the
Control Number, Outcome Code, and Description
of each Type C case accepted during the selected
interview period.

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Topic 5 Overview

August 2007

Populating the FR Performance Table
After closing out the reinterview period for both
regular interviewing and reinterview, RO staff
must save the performance information for each
interview period by populating the FR
Performance Table. This saves the performance
data for the month so that it can be accessed for
performance reports, even after cleaning up the
interview period (see Topic 6, Clean Up the
Interview Period, of this chapter for more
information on cleanup).
This ROSCO function must be done before you
can begin further steps to generate performance
reports in SPAM as described in Chapter 11 of this
manual. If, however, you want to enter
transmission goals, you must do so before
populating the FR Performance Table.

Populate the FR
Performance Table

You may only populate the performance table
once for each interview period. Follow the steps
below to perform this operation:
1.

Verify that you have the correct interview
period selected. Only one interview period
may be selected at a time.

2.

Click on the Operations menu,
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu, and select
Populate FR Performance Table.

3.

The message “Do you want to continue?” is
displayed. Click Yes.
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4.

August 2007

A message is displayed to indicate whether
the request to begin loading the
performance data was successful, and
advises that the process may take a few
minutes. Click OK. (Note: There will be no
message to inform you when the process is
complete, so allow several minutes.)

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Topic 6 -

August 2007

Clean Up the Interview Period

Overview

In the Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu of the
Operations menu is an option for Clean-Up
Interview Period. However, in ROSCO, you
cannot execute the option to clean up an interview
period until 90 days after you closeout
Reinterview for that interview period. The
monthly office memo and calendar include
reminders to clean up interview periods.
You will no longer have access to any ROSCO
information for cases from this interview period.

Clean Up Interview
Period

The ROSCO database is created to contain
adequate storage space for about three interview
periods. Each month you must verify which
interview periods are stored in your system by
clicking on the Period icon on the Tool bar, and
then cleaning up the oldest interview period as
follows:
1.

Click on the Operations menu,
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu, and select
Clean-Up Interview Period.

2.

Click “Yes” on the message box asking if
you want to continue.

3.

A message box appears reading “Request to
clean-up interview period successful.”

When these processes are complete, you will no
longer be able to access the interview period that
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was cleaned-up in the database, but your
performance data will still reflect the results from
the interview period.
Cleanup Instrument on
the Laptops

When the RO runs the Cleanup Interview Period
for ROSCO, Cleanup Instrument (.clns) files are
put on the server that will remove the Instrument
from the laptops when the FRs pick up the .clns
files. See details in Topic 7 below.
Since RO Cleanup cannot be run until 90 days
after reinterview closeout for the month, the
instrument file stays on the laptop about three
months longer than the cases.
For example, the Cleanup Cases (.clnp) files for
June are put out a few days after June reinterview
closeout (the 2nd week in July).
The Cleanup Instrument (.clns) files for June are
put out in October (90 days after June reinterview
closeout).

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Topic 7 -

August 2007

Clean Up the Laptops

Overview

In the Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu of the
Operations menu is an option for Clean-Up Laptop
that removes the monthly cases from the laptops.

Cleanup Monthly Cases
on Laptops

The monthly office memo and calendar include
reminders to run Clean-Up Laptop a few days after
the monthly reinterview closeout.
1.

Click on the Operations menu,
Closeout/Cleanup sub-menu, and select
Clean-Up Laptop.

2.

Click “Yes” on the message box indicating
that this will delete all cases from the FR’s
laptops if you continue.

This puts a Cleanup Cases (.clnp) file for the
Interview Period on the server for every FR.
When an FR picks up the .clnp file, their laptop
computer cleans up cases and puts a message in
the Tranlog file indicating cases for the Interview
Period were cleaned up.
Cleanup Monthly
Instrument on Laptops

When the RO runs an RO Cleanup an Interview
Period, a Cleanup Instrument (.clns) file for the
Interview Period is put on the server for every FR.
When an FR picks up the .clns file, their laptop
cleans up the instrument and puts a message in the
Translog file indicating the instrument for the
Interview Period was cleaned up.

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August 2007

Chapter 10. Reinterview
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.

Overview of NCVS Reinterview

10-2

2.

Sample Selection

10-4

3.

Supervisor’s Responsibilities

10-8

4.

Reinterview Assignment
Activities

10-10

5.

Focused and Supplemental
Quality Control Reinterview

10-15

6.

Monitoring Reinterview Progress

10-18

7.

Suspected Falsification, FollowUp, and Feedback

10-22

8.

Reinterview Outcome Codes

10-31

9.

Reinterview Closeout Operations

10-32

Appendix 10A -

Quality Control and
Response Error
Outcome and Action
Codes

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August 2007

Topic 1 -Overview of NCVS Reinterview
Overview

This chapter provides an outline of the NCVS
CAPI Reinterview (RI) program and general
instructions for the office operations associated
with RI. Additional details on NCVS-specific RI
procedures for SFRs are provided in NCVS-546,
the NCVS Reinterviewer’s Manual.

Purpose of NCVS
Reinterview

The primary objective of the NCVS RI program is
to identify FRs who falsify interviews and/or
misclassify noninterviews. This is a method
known as Quality Control (QC) RI. A secondary
objective is to collect data to evaluate questions, a
practice which is called Response Error (RE) RI.
Reinterview is a significant part of FR quality
control. It allows us to measure error in coverage
of the population arising out of failure to conduct
interviews at the correct household, noninterview
misclassification, missed units, or incorrect
application of definitions of housing units and
household membership. Reinterview also prevents
and identifies instances of data falsification.
It is extremely important that reinterviewers and
office staff understand the importance of keeping
confidential the names of selected FRs and the
control numbers of selected cases. Reinterview is
compromised if the FR has advance knowledge
that any of his or her cases will be reinterviewed.
NCVS RI is conducted by a program supervisors,
supervisory survey clerks, and SFRs trained on
NCVS, or a member of RO management staff. The
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reinterviewer must be trained on the NCVS Survey
and be familiar with NCVS RI procedures.
Note that neither a supervisory survey clerk nor an
SFR may reinterview another supervisory survey
clerk or SFR. Only a supervisor or a member of
RO management may reinterview supervisory
survey clerks or SFRs.
Timing of NCVS
Reinterview

Reinterview cases should be assigned as soon as
possible. Reinterviews should be completed
within two weeks of the original interview.

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Topic 2 -Sample Selection
Types of CAPI
Reinterview

Reinterview is conducted on about 2 percent of the
NCVS workload. The primary goal of QC
reinterview is to detect and discourage FR data
falsification. The Response Error (RE) portion of
the QC reinterview is designed to evaluate the
response error of specific questions asked during
the interview. The reinterview sample is selected
at HQ right after assignments are released. The
reinterview sample person, about whom the RE
questions are asked, is chosen as complete original
cases are processed at HQ.
There are two other types of reinterview:
supplemental QC reinterview and focused
reinterview. Supplemental QC reinterview allows
the RO staff to add FRs to the QC reinterview.
Focused reinterview allows Headquarters to add
specific cases for FRs to the QC reinterview.

The QC Sample

The QC reinterview uses a modified generic
reinterview instrument. It uses a few questions to
verify that the FR visited the household, and then
it asks questions about the crimes that happened to
the reinterview sample person.
Groups of FRs are selected for QC reinterview
every month in a way that results in FRs being
selected for QC reinterview several times a year.
HQ send a monthly list of the FRs selected for QC
reinterview to the ROs prior to NCVS Interview
Week. See the NCVS Monthly Calendar for the
date. The number of cases selected for each FR is
determined by their interview experience.

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9

FRs with less than five years of experience,
as measured from their EOD (entered on
duty) date, are considered “inexperienced ”
FRs with five or more years of experience
are considered “experienced. ”

9

Four reinterview cases are selected for each
inexperienced FR.

9

Seven reinterview cases are selected for
each experienced FR.

9

Inexperienced FR groups are selected for
reinterview twice a year. Experienced FR
groups are selected for reinterview once a
year.

The reinterview sample includes interviewed cases
as well as Type B and Type C noninterviews.
Some selected cases become ineligible during the
interview process. Ineligible cases include:
9

Type A noninterviews

9

Observed cases (if the flag is set properly see Topic 5, Observer’s Instructions, in
Chapter 5, Training and Observations)

9

Cases that were reassigned to a different
RO.

As cases are screened from reinterview during the
month, you will see the reinterview workload
decline in the QC and RE progress reports.

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Reinterview
Sample Person

August 2007

The reinterview rephrases seven crime and
vandalism questions from the original interview to
re-ask questions about crime affecting the
reinterview sample person. This is necessary to
evaluate the individual questions for response
error.
The reinterview sample person is randomly chosen
from eligible household members of in the
reinterview sample. Household members are
eligible for reinterview if they are at least 12 years
of age and have complete interviews. The RE
analysis evaluates how specific NCVS questions
are answered.

The Supplemental QC
Sample

The supplemental QC reinterview is conducted
with the NCVS reinterview instrument.
Supplemental QC reinterview allows the RO staff
to “add” QC cases for specific FRs that are not
already in QC reinterview. Additions can be made
during two time frames.

The Focused
Reinterview Sample

9

FRs added to supplemental QC reinterview
BEFORE you release assignments – cases
are selected along with regular QC and RI
cases by HQ.

9

FRs added to supplemental QC reinterview
AFTER you release assignments – RO staff
select the cases.

The focused reinterview is conducted with the
NCVS reinterview instrument.

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Focused reinterview allows Headquarters staff to
“add” QC cases for specific FRs when there are
unusual performance and/or data characteristics.
Additions are made weekly, as Headquarters staff
review performance and data characteristics.
Since cases selected for focused reinterview have
unusual characteristics, it is necessary that those
cases be reinterviewed.
Reinterview Types

There are four types of reinterview cases for the
NCVS:
Types of Reinterview Cases
04
05

06

QC - Quality Control CAPI cases
Supplemental QC cases (when RO
selects extra FRs before releasing
assignments)
Supplemental QC cases (when RO
activates cases after releasing
assignments)

The random reinterview cases are reinterview
sample type 04. The focused reinterview cases are
06s.

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Topic 3 -Supervisor’s Responsibilities
It is the NCVS program supervisor’s responsibility
to ensure that all eligible RI cases are:
9

Assigned to a reinterviewer as soon as
possible (except inactive cases that the
supervisor does not wish to activate, unless
Headquarters requests that the cases be
activated);

9

Transmitted to a reinterviewer as the RI
Input files are received;

9

Reinterviewed; and

9

Checked into ROSCO as they are completed
prior to the scheduled due date.

In addition, the supervisor must:
9

Follow-up and resolve all cases of suspected
falsification;

9

Flag FRs for supplemental RI and/or
activate supplemental QC cases when
necessary;

9

Run the Missing RI Input for RI Cases
Report regularly throughout the month, and
notify FLD Labor and Crime Surveys of any
potential problems;

9

Review weekly reinterview progress reports
issued by FLD Labor and Crime Surveys,

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ensuring that the reinterview workload is
being completed in a timely manner; and
9

Close out RI in ROSCO according to the
date provided on the NCVS Monthly
Activities Calendar.

The reinterviewer may provide positive feedback
to the FR/SFR if there are no errors or problems
discovered during reinterview. If there are minor
errors or problems, the reinterviewer may call the
FR/SFR and discuss the errors. The reinterviewer
may offer suggestions to assist in correcting faulty
techniques or concepts.

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Topic 4 -Reinterview Assignment Activities
Before SFRs Can
Receive RI Cases

The RI PIN (pre-input) file for each Interview
Period is loaded into ROSCO before the interview
period begins. Once loaded, RO staff can begin to
make RI assignments. However, unlike regular
NCVS, the SCIF (sample control input file) files
do not load for reinterview all at the same time.
RI SCIF files load on a flow basis.
The RI SCIF file for a specific reinterview case
usually loads into ROSCO the day after the case
has been checked into regular NCVS. Before a
reinterview case can be picked up by an SFR:
9

The case must be assigned to an SFR

9

The SCIF file for the case must be loaded
into ROSCO

9

ROSCO must have put the case out on the
telecom server.

Usually, RI SCIF files are received just before
noon for regular NCVS cases that were checked in
on the previous day. A scheduled job(ri_frassign)
runs at 4:00 p.m. ET that puts those cases on the
telecom server for the SFRs to pick up with their
next transmission.
RI SCIF files are not created for Type A
noninterviews, observed and reassigned cases
because they are ineligible for reinterview.

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Make Reinterview
Assignments

August 2007

To assign RI cases:
1.

Click on the Operations , Reinterview and
, Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments.

2.

Click on Unassigned Cases (All) on the
Option Selection List, then click OK.

3.

The Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments
Screen is displayed with all of the selected
RI cases for the interview period.

4.

Assign a reinterviewer by highlighting a
row and either keying in the SFR code in
the Reint FR column, or by highlighting the
row and click on the Assign activity on the
Tool bar and select the SFR from the SFR
Search window. Hold down and
press to highlight and assign
multiple rows.

5.

Click on the Save icon to save the
assignment.
NOTE: When the RI assignments are first
loaded into ROSCO, the interview outcome
for the cases is blank since the original case
has not yet have been completed. When you
assign an RI case that has an entry in the
interview outcome field (which means the
interview was completed), you may
immediately send it to the field by clicking
on the Release and Transmit activity on the
tool bar.

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Release Reinterview
Assignments

Highlight all of the assigned cases and click the on
the Release activity to release the assignments
after you make your initial RI assignments. RI
cases are then automatically released and
transmitted to the field each day as input files are
created and received. However, you should also
check regularly throughout the interview period
for unreleased and unassigned cases (see sub-topic
“When RI Cases Become Unassigned” below).

Reassign a Reinterview
Case

The ROSCO menu you must use to reassign a RI
case is dependent upon whether or not the case
was released to the field. If the case in question
does not yet have an input file and has not been
released to the reinterviewer, it is displayed on the
Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments screen.
Select either Unreleased Cases (All) or Adjust
Assignments (Query) to reassign the case.
If an input file for the case was received and the
case was released to the reinterviewer, access the
View/Reassign Reinterview Cases screen (see
Topic 6 of this chapter) to reassign the case.

When Reinterview Cases
Become Unassigned

The reinterview cases are assigned by the RO staff
like regular interview assignments. Reinterview
cases, however, can become “unassigned” if one
of the following conditions is met:
9

The SFR assigned to the reinterview case is
the same person who completed the original
interview. The FR code field is
automatically changed to blank for that
case. The case is then displayed as
unassigned in the Make/Adjust Reinterview
Assignments–Unassigned Cases (All)
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option in ROSCO. This occurs because an
interviewer may not reinterview a case for
which he or she completed a regular
interview.
9

The person who completed the original
interview has an “employee_type” of SFR
(S), Team Leader (T), or RO Management
(M) as displayed on the Edit FR Survey
Data Screen in ROSCO. In this case, the FR
code field that indicates which FR is
assigned to conduct the interview is
automatically changed to blank. The case is
then displayed as unassigned in the
Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments –
Unassigned Cases (All) option ROSCO.
This occurs because cases where
employee_type equals M, S, or T are
considered “difficult” cases that should be
reviewed and assigned personally by the RO
staff.

Cases in these situations must be assigned
manually by the RO staff. Since RI cases may
become unassigned on a flow basis as input files
are received, the NCVS supervisor should
regularly check ROSCO for unassigned cases and
assign them to a proper reinterviewer using the
Make/Adjust RI Assignments screen.
Reinterview Assignment
Reports

The reinterviewer’s laptop does not indicate
whether he or she will receive an RI assignment
that month until the first RI case appears in the
reinterviewer’s case management. Therefore, it is
important to send reinterviewers an email message
notifying them about their assignments, and, if
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appropriate, send them a paper assignment listing
(CAPI-35).
To print a CAPI-35:
1.

Click on Operations , Reports or click on
the Reports activity on the toolbar.

2.

Double-click on Reinterview.

3.

Double-click on RI List of Assigned Cases
(CAPI-35).

4.

Click on the Print activity.

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Topic 5 -Focused and Supplemental Quality Control
Reinterviews
Overview

If Headquarters staff determines there is sufficient
reason to conduct reinterview of specific cases for
specific FRs (unusual performance or data
characteristics), Headquarters will instruct you to
activate specific inactive supplemental reinterview
cases. Activation of these cases is not optional.
Once activated, they must be completed.
If you believe that there is sufficient reason to
conduct additional RI of an FR’s work (for
example, if there are indications of falsification),
you may activate additional cases in ROSCO by
accessing the Assign Supplemental QC Cases
function. The supervisor may only activate a
supplemental RI case after the original interview is
checked-in and an RI input file is received. The
supervisor has the option of assigning the
activated cases to another reinterviewer or to
him/herself. Although activating any
supplemental QC cases is optional, once activated,
the cases must be completed.
You also have the option to place an FR into
supplemental QC RI for the next interview period
by accessing the Select Supplemental QC FRs
activity in ROSCO. When this is done, HQ
automatically selects a subset of the FR’s
assignment during the next interview period.

Procedure for Activating
Inactive Supplemental
QC Cases

Follow the steps below to activate and assign an
inactive RI case during the current interview
period:
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1.

Click on the Operations , Reinterview ,
and Assign Supplemental QC Cases.

2.

Select the FR who completed the original
interview from the FR search window, then
click OK.

3.

Select the case you wish to activate, and
click on the Assign activity on the tool bar.
Remember that only checked-in cases are
displayed here.

4.

Select the person who will conduct the
reinterview from the FR Search window,
then click OK.

5.

Click on the Save activity to save your
assignment.

6.

Click on the Release activity then the
Transmit activity to transmit the case to the
assigned reinterviewer. The case is picked
up during the reinterviewer’s next
transmission. (These cases are assigned a
RI Type Code 06 – see Topic 2.)

Activated inactive cases become eligible for
reinterview again using the same rules as regular
reinterview cases. The remaining inactive cases,
which were not activated, are cleared from the
central database when reinterview closes out.
Procedure for Selecting
Supplemental QC FRs

To select an FR for a supplemental QC RI
assignment in a future interview period, follow
these steps before releasing regular interview

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assignments to the field for that interview
period:
1.

Click on Operations , Reinterview ,
Supplemental QC FRs.

2.

Click on the Insert FR activity on the
toolbar.

3.

Key in the interview period (YYYY/MM).

4.

Click on the Save activity to save your
changes, or click on the Delete FR activity
to remove the FR from supplemental QC RI.

HQ selects a sample of that FR’s assignment for
QC RI during the interview period selected. You
assign these cases by accessing the Make/Adjust
Reinterview Assignments screen. (These cases are
assigned a RI Type Code 05.)

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Topic 6 -Monitoring Reinterview Progress
Overview

Many of the activities you perform to monitor RI
progress are similar to the activities for monitoring
progress and checking in work for regular NCVS
assignments. See Chapter 2 of this manual for an
overview of these activities.

Transmissions and
Utilities for Reinterview

The process to view the In and Out Directories and
to make transmissions for RI works very similarly
to the way these operations are executed for
regular NCVS cases, as described in Chapter 7 of
this manual. For each of these functions, select
Reinterview instead of Interview on the dialog
box.

Reinterview Check-In

The check-in process for RI is completed
somewhat differently from regular NCVS
interviewing. To run RI check-in:
1.

Click on Operations , Reinterview.

2.

Select Run Reinterview Check-In.

3.

Click “Yes” at the confirmation question
dialog box.

Check the In Directory for RI to verify that the RI
files checked-in properly. Automatic RI check-ins
run daily.
Reinterview Progress
Reports in ROSCO

There are two reports available in ROSCO to help
you monitor progress with your RI workload. To
access these reports, click on the Reports activity

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or click on Operations , Reports from the dropdown menu.
At the Reports screen, click on Reinterview to
view the various RI reports that are available.
9

QC Reinterview Daily Receipts Report –
provides information on cases received for
each reinterviewer

9

Missing RI Input for Reinterview Cases
Report – provides a list of RI cases that
were checked-in and are missing input files.

Use these two reports to monitor progress on the
RI workload.
Reinterview Supervisory
Review

Supervisory Review for RI functions very much
like Supervisory Review for regular NCVS
interviewing. See Chapter 7 for additional
information about NCVS interview Supervisory
Review.
To access RI Supervisory Review, click ,
Operations , Reinterview , Reinterview
Supervisory Review.
One additional feature available on the Option
Selection list for RI Supervisory Review is the
Suspected Falsification option. Accessing this
option displays a screen that lists all RI cases for
which the reinterviewer indicated in the case that
falsification was suspected. The supervisor may
accept, reassign, or eliminate the case, just as
he/she can with the other Supervisory Review
options. When the supervisor accepts a suspected
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falsification case, a pop-up window is displayed
requesting notes to explain the case. Topic 7 of
this chapter contains more information on the
11-163 and what to enter in this notes field.
Remember, you must resolve any cases in RI
Supervisory Review prior to closeout, which may
often occur before you finalize the investigation
of a case.
View/Reassign
Reinterview Cases

The View/Reassign Reinterview Cases screen
functions in the same way as the View/Reassign
Cases screen for regular NCVS interviewing.
Access this screen by clicking Operations ,
Reinterview , and View/Reassign Reinterview
Cases. RI cases with input files and were sent to
the field are accessible on the View/Reassign
Reinterview Cases screen. RI cases without input
files can only be reassigned by accessing the
Make/Adjust Reinterview Assignments screen.
For more information on the features of the
View/Reassign cases screen for regular NCVS
interview, see Chapter 7 of this manual.

Flagging Observed
Cases

Observed cases are not eligible to be selected for
RI, as discussed in Topic 2 of this chapter.
Instruct observers to flag cases as observed on the
(S)FR’s laptop at the time of the interview and
observation, but before the (S)FR transmits the
case. Flagging observed cases on the interviewing
(S)FR’s laptop (not on the reinterviewer’s laptop)
marks those cases ineligible for RI. This ensures
that RI input files are not created for these cases
(and thus are not be sent out to be reinterviewed ).

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It is important for an observer to remember to flag
an observed case. If the observer overlooks
marking the case as observed, then it may be
selected for RI. Once a case is selected for RI, it
cannot be eliminated from your RO’s RI workload.
At that point the supervisor must decide whether
to complete the RI case or mark it as a Type A RO Discretion noninterview.
See Topic 5, Observer’s Instructions (in Chapter 5,
Training and Observations) for details on flagging
an observed case.

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Topic 7 -Suspected Falsification, Follow-Up, and
Feedback
Falsification

Reinterview is the most frequent method of
identifying suspected data falsification.
Discrepancies detected during reinterview may be
the result of respondent errors, FR errors, or
falsification. Falsification is knowing deviation
from current interviewing procedures to avoid
interviewing or properly classifying units.
Falsification includes not only making up
information, but accepting proxy information from
a non-eligible person or in cases requiring selfresponse. The acceptance of proxy information in
this instance is considered falsification when the
field representative knowingly deviates from the
correct procedure and attempts to conceal that he
or she has done so.
When falsification is suspected as a result of
reinterviewing, there are specific procedures that
must be followed.

Reinterview
Discrepancies

Discrepancies detected in the reinterview may be
the result of respondent errors, FR errors, or
falsification. The reinterviewer and Program
Supervisor must determine the cause of
discrepancies and take appropriate action.

Quality Control
Reinterview

Discrepancies the generic QC reinterview might
detect include:
9

Roster errors

9

Misclassified noninterviews
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August 2007

-

eligible units misclassified as
ineligible (for example, an occupied
unit misclassified as vacant).

-

ineligible units misclassified as a
different type of ineligible (for
example, a type C Noninterview
misclassified as a type B).

Wrong unit interviewed. Sometimes the
reinterviewer may determine that the FR
interviewed an incorrect unit, rather than the
designated sample unit.

If the reinterviewer suspects that discrepancies are
caused by FR falsification, he or she should contact the Program Supervisor immediately. The
reinterviewer should not contact the FR. The
Program Supervisor must discuss the situation
with the appropriate subject matter branch or FLD
Team at Field Division, Headquarters.
If the discrepancies are the result of errors rather
than falsification, the reinterviewer or the Program
Supervisor should give the FR feedback about the
errors.
Supervisory Review

The Program Supervisor must examine in
Supervisory Review each case with a reinterview
action code ending in “1” (see Topic 8 for
technical details). These cases include:
9

Suspected falsification.

9

Eligible unit misclassified as a
Noninterview.
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Falsification Suspected

August 2007

9

Wrong unit interviewed.

9

Cases with other discrepancies (e.g.,
accepting proxy information, not asking
specified questions).

For the “suspected falsification” cases, the
Suspected Falsification Follow-up Screen is
displayed in Supervisory Review. The Program
Supervisor should review the original interview
notes and the reinterviewer notes to determine
whether he or she agrees that falsification should
be suspected.
If the Program Supervisor agrees that falsification
is suspected, or if he cannot conclusively
determine that no falsification occurred, then
falsification is suspected and the supervisor must
prepare a Field Representative Data Falsification
Follow-up Form 11-163. Supervisors must also
indicate in the Suspected Falsification Follow-up
Screen that they will prepare a Form 11-163.
Note: If the supervisor considers the reinterview
evidence to be inconclusive, the supervisor
must treat the case as suspected
falsification. For example, if no one in the
household remembers the FR’s contact or if
they are unsure of whether the FR
conducted the interview, the case is
inconclusive. The supervisor should
complete Form 11-163 and carry out a
thorough investigation of the current
assignment.

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If the supervisor places the FR in supplemental
reinterview for a subsequent assignment and the
supplemental reinterview also finds cases of
suspected falsification, then the supervisor must
complete a separate Form 11-163 for that
assignment.
Follow up in
Current
Assignment

The supervisor must investigate additional cases in
the current assignment to confirm the falsification
or clear the FR.

Complete Form
11-163

The Program Supervisor must complete Form
11-163, Field Representative Data Falsification
Follow-up Form, every time there is an
assignment where an FR is suspected of falsifying
data.

Send Yellow
Cover Page to
Headquarters

Within two weeks of suspected falsification,
complete page 1 of the Form 11-163, remove the
top copy of page 1 (yellow cover-page) and send it
to the Headquarters office listed below.
Via postal mail:
Chief, Field Division/MRB
U.S. Census Bureau
4700 Silver Hill Road
Room 1784/FOB-3, Mail Stop #5700
Washington, DC 20233
Via express delivery:
Chief, Field Division/MRB
U.S. Census Bureau
4700 Silver Hill Road
Room 1784/FOB-3
Suitland, MD 20746

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Focused Reinterview
Cases

August 2007

Complete and send Forms 11-163 for focused
reinterview cases to Method and Performance
Evaluation Branch, just as you would any other
Form 11-163.
To clearly identify falsification detected in the
focused reinterview, complete items 1 and 2 of
Section II on page 1 of the Form 11-163 as
follows:

Complete the
Remainder of
Form 11-163

Item 1 -

Mark box a, ‘Reinterview results.’

Item 2 -

Mark box b, ‘Focused Reinterview.’

Item 3 -

Mark all that apply in item 3.

Complete the remainder of the form after the
investigation is complete and a decision on the
action the RO plans to take is made. If possible,
the final form should be sent to HQ within two
months of sending the yellow copy.
For all cases, make certain that the situation has
been thoroughly investigated before completing
Sections III, IV, and V -- even if this delays full
completion of the Form 11-163 for several
months. Do not send the original form to
Headquarters until Section IV has been
completed.

Additional Requirements
for Follow-up of
Suspected Falsification

If the reinterview results suggest that an FR
falsified one or more cases, also follow the
requirements specified in the Regional Office
Administrative Manual and in the memorandum
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from the Field Division Chief to all Regional
Directors concerning data falsification.
If the reinterviewer suspects falsification and
needs additional information about the original
interview to investigate the current assignment, the
RO may request original interview responses from
the appropriate Field Division subject matter
branch at Headquarters.
Contact Subject
Matter Branch at
Headquarters

If you suspect a FR has falsified data, immediately
discuss what action to take with the FLD Team or
appropriate subject matter branch of Field
Division. We also suggest assigning supplemental
reinterview cases for the FR.

Do Not Take Any
Administrative
Action until
Notified

In all circumstances, do not take any
administrative action (i.e., termination) until
Management Services Branch, Field Division
notifies you to do so.

Falsification Not
Suspected

The supervisor may respond on the Follow-up
Screen that no falsification occurred only for cases
where he or she is confident no falsification
occurred.
When the supervisor determines no falsification
occurred he or she must:
C

Respond “No” to the question, “Do you plan
to prepare a Field Representative Data
Falsification Follow-up Form 11-163?”

C

Provide a complete, conclusive explanation
in the Follow-up Screen why falsification is
not suspected. Simply entering
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“Falsification not suspected” is not an
adequate explanation for not completing and
sending a Form 11-163 (see examples of
adequate reasons in Table 1).
The only time discrepancies between the original
interview and the reinterview should not be
considered suspected falsification is when an error
caused the discrepancy. For example:
9

an instrument error,

9

a reinterviewer error,

9

a respondent error, or

9

a good faith error by the field
representative.

In these situations, the supervisor need not
complete a form 11-163. Remember, if the
supervisor cannot conclusively determine that an
error caused the discrepancy, the case must be
considered suspected falsification.
Detailed Instructions for
Completion of the
Form 11-163

Refer to pages 9 through 11 of the Form 11-163,
Field Representative Data Falsification Follow-up
Form for detailed instructions for completion of
the Form 11-163.

Frequently Asked
Questions for
Completion of
Form 11-163

Refer to pages 7 and 8 of the Form 11-163 a list of
questions and answers about completing the
11-163.

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Table 1. Reasons for Not Filling out a Form 11-63, Field Representative
Data Falsification Form
Instrument error The respondent remembers talking to an FR, but no data
that the respondent reported shows up in the reinterview
instrument. The original FR made no notes in the INOTES
section about any problems with the case. This discrepancy
could be caused by a problem in the original instrument, in
CAPI Control, or in the reinterview instrument.
The SFR should talk to the FR to clarify the situation and
determine whether the problem occurred in the original
instrument. If so, the SFR should remind the FR to
document any problems in the INOTES section.
Reinterviewer
error

The FR completed an interview, but the respondent moved
out of the unit before the reinterview. The reinterviewer
thought that the unit was vacant at the time of the original
interview and misclassified the case as suspected
falsification.

Respondent
error

The respondent remembered talking to the FR, but did not
think it was during the interview period. The reinterviewer
noted that the respondent seemed confused and may not be
reliable. The Supervisor is confident that the respondent
error caused the discrepancy.
Note: In cases such as this example, it is still a good idea
to place the FR in supplemental reinterview for the next
assignment.

Good faith FR
error

An FR misclassified an AHS case as Vacant, rather than
URE occupied.
The Program Supervisor’s investigation showed that unit
was rented for varying periods around the time of the
original interview. The Program Supervisor felt that the FR

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Feedback

August 2007

If the reinterview finds no discrepancies from the
original interview, the reinterviewer should
contact the FR to commend him or her on a job
well done.
If the reinterview finds discrepancies that resulted
from FR errors, the FR should receive feedback
about these errors.

Minor Errors

The reinterviewer or the Program Supervisor
should call the FR to discuss minor errors. The
reinterviewer should offer suggestions for
correcting faulty techniques or erroneous
concepts.

Serious Errors

If the discrepancies indicate serious errors or
possible falsification, the reinterviewer should not
call the FR regarding the reinterview, nor mention
to the FR that they were in the reinterview. The
Program Supervisor should discuss the reinterview
with the FR. The Program Supervisor may
decide to put the FR in supplemental reinterview
to resolve any questions about the quality of the
FR’s work.
The Program Supervisor, in consultation with his
or her coordinator, may elect to retrain FRs whose
reinterviews indicate they are having serious
problems with the survey concepts, procedures, or
interviews. This may be done by a phone
discussion, by special needs observation, or by
having the FR attend all or part of initial training
again.

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Topic 8 -Reinterview Outcome Codes
Reinterview vs.
Interview Outcome
Codes

The reinterview outcome codes listed in the table
in Appendix 10A refer to the outcome of the
reinterview, not the original interview outcome
code as shown in Appendix 8A, CAPI Outcome
and Action Codes, of Chapter 8, Noninterviews.
These reinterview outcome codes are applicable to
all CAPI reinterviews. Many of the RI outcome
codes correspond to their equivalent in the original
interview. However, some do not. Also, there are
some original outcome codes that are not listed as
possible RI outcome codes because they are not
realistic outcomes for reinterview. However, there
are some reinterview outcome codes that are not
original outcome codes.

Assignment of Codes

The reinterview instrument sets the QC outcome
(reinterview disposition) and RI outcome codes
based on the entries to the reinterview questions.
Case Management assigns the action code based
on the RI outcome code.

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Topic 9 -Reinterview Closeout Operations
Overview

In order to closeout NCVS RI each month, RO
staff must follow-up on any outstanding cases,
resolve last minute technical problems, and
resolve any cases in RI Supervisory Review. The
primary tool to close out RI is the Resolve Missing
Reinterview Cases screen.

Resolve Missing
Reinterview Cases
Screen

The Resolve Missing Reinterview Cases screen
allows you to review RO cases that are still
outstanding and take action to get them resolved.
To access this screen, click on Operations ,
Reinterview , Resolve Missing Reinterview
Cases.
The screen is very similar to the Resolve Missing
Cases screen for regular NCVS interviewing,
discussed in Chapter 9 of this manual. Refer to
Chapter 9 to review the general features of that
screen. Note there is one tab page on the Resolve
Missing Reinterview Cases screen that is not on
the Resolve Missing Cases screen. This screen is
titled Cases With No Input Received. This tab
lists all cases for which RI input has not been
received. This list becomes smaller over the
course of the RI period as RI input files are
created. You will not be able to closeout RI if
cases remain on this tab. Check the column
“Intv Checked In” to see whether the
corresponding original NCVS case was received.
If a “Y” is displayed in this column, then the
original case was received and an input file should
have been created. In this situation, submit a
remedy ticket AND notify your FLD Labor and
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Crime Surveys. Review the Missing RI Input for
RI Cases report throughout the RI cycle to
prevent problems at closeout due to cases
appearing on this tab.
Reinterview Close Out

Once all cases from the Resolve Missing
Reinterview Cases screen are accounted for, the
Closeout activity displays the image of a hand.
Before you click on the Closeout activity, you
must make sure that all cases are resolved. Click
the Closeout activity on or before the date
specified on your NCVS Monthly Activities
Calendar.
The date that you closeout reinterview is used to
determine when an Interview Period can be
Cleaned Up. You cannot Clean Up an Interview
Period in ROSCO until 90 days after the date of
Reinterview Closeout. If you try to clean up
sooner, an error message reminding you of the 90
day rule is displayed.

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Appendix 10A - Quality Control and Response Error Outcome
and Action Codes
Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1

Disposition

2

Outcome

Action

Description

No Suspected Falsification
N/A

200

00

New case, not started

N/A

202

01

Accessed instrument, no interview or insufficient
partial

001

201

10

Original interview or noninterview verified as correct

Type A Noninterviews
003

214

21

Unable to complete, bad telephone number

013

214

21

Unable to locate

014

216

21

No one home

015

217

21

Temporarily absent

033

218

21

Refused

034

213

21

Language problem

035

218

21

Respondent can’t remember

036

215

21

Insufficient partial

037

219

21

Other Type A

Type B Noninterviews
017

226

31

Vacant, regular

019

227

31

Vacant, storage of household furniture

020

230

31

Converted to temporary business or storage

021

231

31

Unoccupied mobile home, trailer, or tent site

022

234

31

HH institutionalized or temporarily ineligible

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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1

Disposition

2

Outcome

Action

Description

023

228

31

Unfit, to be demolished

038

224

31

Entire HH under or over age limit

039

225

31

Temporarily occupied by persons with URE – regular

041

233

31

Other Type B

Type C Noninterviews
024

240

41

Demolished

025

241

41

House or trailer moved

026

243

41

Converted to permanent business or storage

027

245

41

Condemned

030

250

41

Deceased

031

251

41

Moved out of country

042

248

41

Other Type C

Misclassified Cases
043

301

11

Originally classified as a B, should have been an
Interview or Type A

044

301

11

Originally classified as a C, should have been an
Interview or Type A

046

301

11

Originally classified as a B, should have been a C

048

301

11

Originally classified as a C, should have been a B

058

301

11

Other misclassification – specify in the notes

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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1

Disposition

2

Outcome

Action

Description

Discrepancy Cases
004

301

11

Discrepancy – laptop not used

005

301

11

Discrepancy – not all questions asked in original
interview

006

301

11

Discrepancy - use of proxy in original when self
response is required

007

301

11

Discrepancy - use of ineligible proxy in original when
proxy is allowed

009

301

11

Discrepancy - incorrect HH roster

011

301

11

Discrepancy - telephone interview when personal visit
required

012

301

11

Other discrepancy – no suspected Falsification

RO/HQ Discretion
029

312

21

HQ discretion – permanent (sample adjustment)

052

311

21

RO discretion – permanent (hard to interview original
case)

053

312

21

RO discretion – temporary (more than 50 miles from
nearest reinterviewer and no telephone number)

21

RO discretion – temporary (observed during the
original interview)

054

312

055

312

21

RO discretion – temporary (personal visit needed, but
not authorized)

056

312

21

HQ discretion – temporary (case management, CAPI
control problems)

057

312

21

RO discretion – temporary (other)

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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1

Disposition

2

Outcome

Action

Description

Suspected Falsification
060

301

11

Suspected falsification of a case turned in as an
interview

Type A Noninterviews
105

214

21

Unable to complete, bad telephone number

067

214

21

Unable to locate

068

216

21

No one home

069

217

21

Temporarily absent

086

218

21

Refused

087

213

21

Language problem

089

215

21

Insufficient partial

090

219

21

Other Type A

Type B Noninterviews
071

226

31

Vacant, regular

072

326

31

Vacant, seasonal

073

227

31

Vacant, storage of household furniture

074

230

31

Converted to temporary business or storage

075

231

31

Unoccupied tent or trailer site

076

234

31

HH institutionalized or temporarily ineligible

077

228

31

Unfit, to be demolished

091

224

31

Entire HH under or over age limit

092

225

31

Temporarily occupied by persons with URE – regular

093

225

31

Temporarily occupied by persons with URE - seasonal

094

233

31

Other Type B
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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1

Disposition

2

Outcome

Action

Description

Type C Noninterviews
078

240

41

Demolished

079

241

41

House or trailer moved

080

243

41

Converted to permanent business or storage

081

245

41

Condemned

083

250

41

Deceased

084

251

41

Moved out of country

095

248

41

Other Type C

Misclassified Cases
096

301

11

Originally classified as a B, should have been an
Interview or Type A

097

301

11

Originally classified as a C, should have been an
Interview or Type A

099

301

11

Originally classified as a B, should have been a C

101

301

11

Originally classified as a C, should have been a B

103

301

11

Other misclassification – specify in the notes

Discrepancy Cases
061

301

11

Discrepancy – incorrect HH roster

062

301

11

Discrepancy – not all questions asked in interview

301

11

Discrepancy - use of proxy in original when self
response is required

301

11

Discrepancy - use of ineligible proxy in original when
proxy is allowed

065

301

11

Wrong unit/person visited originally

066

301

11

Other discrepancy - suspected falsification

063
064

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Quality Control and Response Error Outcome and Action Codes
1

Disposition

2

Outcome

Action

Description

111

301

11

Discrepancy - telephone interview when personal visit
required

112

301

11

Discrepancy – laptop not used (RESERVE)

1.Disposition of Quality Control Outcome Code:
001-059 = no suspected falsification
060+ = suspected falsification
2.All cases excepted outcome codes 200, 202, and 201 to go Supervisory Review.

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Chapter 11. Performance of the NCVS Staff
Chapter Contents

This chapter covers the following topics:
Topic
1.

Overview

11-2

2.

Monitoring Monthly Performance

11-4

3.

Generating the 11-39, Summary of
FR Performance

11-7

4.

Conducting Performance Appraisal

11-9

5.

Evaluating Clerical Performance

11-11

Appendix 11A Performance
Statistics

11-13

11-1

Performance of the NCVS Staff

NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Topic 1 -

August 2007

Overview

Responsibility for
Employee Development

The RO Supervisors are responsible for
developing each employee to his or her fullest
potential. Employee development can only be
accomplished by providing meaningful feedback
on a continuing basis.
By acknowledging strong points and highlighting
areas for improvement, the RO supervisors can
monitor employee progress and take appropriate
steps toward improvement in weak areas.
The requirements for the FR and clerical positions
must be mutually understood by the employee and
the supervisor at the time of recruitment.
Additional information is provided to the
employee through training, observations,
memoranda, and supervisory instruction.

Measuring FR
Performance

Field Representative performance is measured by
a combination of:
9

response and production rates;

9

transmission rates;

9

reinterview and observation results;

9

timely submission of payrolls;

9

attendance at training sessions;

9

meeting deadlines; and

9

reporting to team leaders as appropriate.

Provide FRs feedback on their performance
throughout the survey period. In addition, provide
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August 2007

input on the FR’s performance during progress
reviews and annual performance ratings.
For more information about how to develop
performance standards for your NCVS FRs see
Appendix 11A Performance Statistics at the end of
this chapter.

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August 2007

Topic 2. Monitoring Monthly Performance
Performance Feedback

It is important that the Supervisors provide regular
performance feedback to the FRs. The feedback
should include written reports, but may also
include informal verbal or email communication.

FR Performance Folders

Prepare an FR performance folder for each FR.
This folder can contain 11-39 Summary of FR
Performances, observation reports, and copies of
mail messages that contain information pertinent
to performance as well as any additional materials
deemed appropriate by your Regional Office.

Monitoring FR
Performance

FR performance is determined by response rates,
production guidelines, availability for
assignments, reinterview and observation results,
and administrative matters such as submission of
timely and accurate payrolls. Use the tools
described below to monitor and provide feedback
on FR performance. For more information about
how to develop performance standards for your
NCVS FRs see Appendix 11A Performance
Statistics at the end of this chapter.

Form 11-39, Summary of
FR Performance

One useful tool for evaluating FR performance is
the 11-39, Summary of FR Performance, produced
using the Survey Performance Management
System (SPAM). The 11-39s are generated
monthly for any range of months and provide
information on:
9

response rates

9

Type A rates

9

production rates

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9

August 2007

observation and reinterview results

See Topic 3 of this chapter for more information
on SPAM and the 11-39.
Response and Production
Standards

The Methods Research Branch at Headquarters
provides guidelines to ROs for developing FR
performance standards for national response and
production rates. (For a copy of these guidelines,
contact your HQ liaison.) The ROs have the
option of using the guidelines, modifying them, or
establishing a different set of standards. If the RO
establishes a different set of standards, they must
contact the HQ liaison to provide information on
the criteria used to establish the rates. Also, the
RO must notify the FRs of the standards 60 days
prior to their implementation.
You can calculate Response and Type A rates as
follows:
Response Rate =
(Interviews+Partials)/(Interviews+Partials+Type As)

Type A Rate =
(Interviews+Partials+Type As)/Type As

Transmission Rates

The ROSCO system improves your ability to
monitor transmission rates. Review the CAPI-1A,
Daily Receipts Report, on a daily basis to monitor
the progress of your FRs.

Observation Reports

Send the FR a copy of the front and back pages of
the 11-62A, Observation Report. If, in the
program supervisor's opinion, a copy of the
observation report should not be sent to the FR,
send a memorandum from the Regional Director
advising the FR of the observation results.
Detailed guidelines are provided in Chapter 5 of
this manual.

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Reinterview Results

August 2007

The main purpose of reinterview (RI) is to detect
falsification. Therefore, RI results cannot be used
to evaluate FRs other than for data falsification. RI
consists of a quality control check and response
error. For more information on RI, refer to
Chapter 10 of this manual.
When falsification is suspected as a result of
reinterviewing, there are specific procedures that
must be followed. Refer to Chapter 9 of the
GENCAPI-256, Generic CAPI Operations Manual
for details on falsification follow-up procedures
and FR feedback.

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August 2007

Topic 3. Generating the 11-39, Summary of FR Performance
Overview

The ROSCO system can feed performance data
into the SPAM system to create an automated
11-39, Summary of FR Performance Report. This
process involves a number of steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Populate the FR performance table in
ROSCO
Update the FR data in SPAM
Load the performance data into SPAM
Key hours and miles into SPAM
Modify any performance data in SPAM (if
necessary)
Print the 11-39s using SPAM

It is important that these steps be completed in the
order listed. This manual provides detailed
instructions on the ROSCO steps in the process,
but will provide only a general overview of the
steps taken in SPAM. For more detailed
information about the SPAM system, consult the
SPAM User’s Guide.
Populate the FR
Performance Table

The steps to populate the performance table are
described in Chapter 9 of this manual. Be sure to
complete this operation only after closing out the
regular interviews and reinterview for the
interview period, and after reviewing Type As, as
described in Chapter 9.

Update the FR Data in
SPAM

Before loading the performance data for the
interview period into SPAM, you must ensure that
the SPAM database is updated to reflect the FRs
who worked on NCVS during that interview
period. You need to add any new FRs to the
Survey using the “Add new Employee” or “Add
New Low-Level Assignment” features in SPAM.

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Load the Performance
Data in SPAM

With the FR history file created in ROSCO and the
FR data updated in SPAM, you can now load the
performance data for the interview period into
SPAM. To do this for NCVS, use SPAM’s
Utilities menu, select CAPI Data Loading, and
select NCVS. The file to be loaded for the current
month will appear in the bottom window. If you
don’t see the file for the desired interview period,
recreate the FR history file in ROSCO. See
chapter 5 of the SPAM User’s Guide for more
information on loading the performance data into
SPAM.

Key Hours and Miles
Into SPAM

You need to manually key in the hours and miles
data for each FR into SPAM from the Task Code
523 hours and miles information available in
CARMN (or, if CARMN data is unavailable, from
FR payrolls). In SPAM, enter the Hours/Miles
screen through the Management menu. See
Chapter 3, Topic 10 of the SPAM User’s Guide
for more information.

Modify Performance
Data

If you need to manually modify any performance
data in SPAM that appears on the 11-39 (for
example incorrectly charged Type As), you may
do so by accessing the All FR Data or Cases
Received or Transmitted screen through the
Management menu. See Chapter 3, Topic 10 of
the SPAM User’s Guide for more information
about modifying the performance data in SPAM.

Print the 11-39s

To generate the 11-39s, select 11-39s through the
Management menu in SPAM. Note that on the
parameters screen, you can select the starting
month and year to appear on the report. See
Chapter 3, Topic 8 of the SPAM User’s Guide for
more information about printing the 11-39s.

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August 2007

Topic 4. Conducting Performance Appraisal
The Performance
Appraisal System

Information on the Performance Appraisal System
is in Chapter 8 of the Form 11-55, Administrative
Handbook, and in Chapter 11 of the Field
Administrative Manual (FAM).
Refer to Chapter 11 of the FAM for information
on the appraisal system, record-keeping
requirements, and instructions for conducting and
completing progress reviews, annual ratings, and
performance awards.

Supervisory Adjustments

When determining your FRs performance,
consider extenuating circumstances such as:
9

unusual weather conditions such as floods
or blizzards;

9

extreme distances between sample units, or
an assignment area that covers multiple
counties;

9

large number of inherited or confirmed
refusals;

9

working part of another FR's assignment
area;

9

a large proportion of high security buildings
or communities;

9

an inordinate number of Temporarily
Absent cases;

9

a high percentage of Type B or C
noninterviews that decrease the base for
response rate;

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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

Unsatisfactory
Performance

August 2007

9

laptop or transmission problems that
delayed interviewing or receipt of
completed work;

9

other substantial changes in normal
assignment conditions; and

9

language and/or cultural barriers.

When the performance of an employee is at the
unsatisfactory level over any period (usually 90
days), he or she may be placed in a Performance
Improvement Period (PIP) for 30 to 90 days.
Refer to your regional office guidelines
concerning PIP letters, and, if applicable, work
with your office’s assigned Employee Relations
representative in the Human Resources Division at
HQ.

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August 2007

Topic 5. Evaluating Clerical Performance
Consider the following criteria when evaluating your clerical staff:
9

accuracy in preparatory work such as training and observation

9

meeting time schedules, such as sending FR assignments and preparing
reports for HQ

9

willingness to accept work assignments

9

ability to conduct telephone follow-up and to use all available resources to
locate respondents

9

adherence to regional office policies

9

degree of cooperativeness, tact, consideration and effectiveness in working
with field and office staff

9

knowledge of computer operations (ROSCO, laptop functions, and the
Interactive on-line databases, CARMN and SPAM systems) to perform
everyday operations and troubleshoot computer problems

Provide clerical staff performance feedback on a continuing basis, highlighting
accomplishments as well as discussing deficiencies.

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August 2007

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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

Appendix 11A - Performance Statistics

METHODS RESEARCH BRANCH MEMORANDUM NO. 03-03
NCVS OFFICE MEMORANDUM NO. 03-13

MEMORANDUM FOR

All Regional Directors

From:

Chief, Field Division

Subject:

Distribution of National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Field Representative (FR) Performance Statistics

Action:

Review the attached distribution and develop performance
standards for your NCVS FRs
Once standards are set, advise the Method Research Branch (MRB)
of the standards you will use to evaluate the performance of your
NCVS FRs.

Summary:

This memorandum provides distributions of response and
production rates, in an effort to help you establish data-based
NCVS FR performance standards and expectations.

MRB has prepared the attached tables to assist you in developing NCVS FR performance
standards for your regional office. Consistent with the move to a two-tier rating system in
October 1998, the attached tables show percentile values, means and standard deviations (SD) for
FR response and production rates. Distributions for response are shown nationally as well as by
regional office. Distributions for production rates also are shown nationally as well as by
regional office.
These tables were prepared using NCVS FR data from the Survey Performance Management
System (SPAM) from fiscal year 2002 data for 10 of the 12 regions. RO 4 SPAM data was
unavailable, but complete FR performance data was sent to MRB as an Excel file and these data
were included in the analysis. FR performance data was not available for the RO 9 and they are
not included in the analysis.

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August 2007

SFRs and regional supervisors were excluded from the computations. FRs with fewer than 4
assignments, or who had fewer than 8 cases throughout the fiscal year, were also excluded from
the analysis.
Formulas for calculating response and production rates (available in the SPAM Manual) are as
follows:
Response Rate = (# of Interviewed Units / (# of Type A Units + # of Interviewed Units)) * 100
Production Rate =
Total # of Hours__________________________
(Total # of interviewed Units + # of Type A + # of Type B + # of Type C)
The values in the percentile column of each table show what percentage of FRs are performing at
or below a given rate. For example, the table in Attachment 1 shows response rates by regional
office. The 80th percentile for RO 1 is 94.4. This means that 80 percent of the RO 1 FRs had a
response rate at or below 94.4 (or 20% of the FRs had a response rate above 94.4). Similarly,
the 30th percentile for RO 1 is 88.7. Therefore, 30 percent of RO 1 FRs had a response rate at or
below 88.7 (70% of FRs had a response rate above 88.7).
Each region has full discretion in determining it’s own FR performance guidelines for NCVS.
MRB tries to keep on file updated records of performance standards being used in the regions
and once you have developed performance guidelines for your region, please send a copy of your
final standards, via electronic mail, to FLD MRB. If you have any questions regarding this
memorandum, contact MRB.

EXPLANATION OF TABLES

1.

Response Rates by Regional Office - Attachment 1
The distributions of response rates are provided at the national level and by regional office.

2.

Production Rates by Regional Office - Attachment 2
The distributions of production rates are provided at the national level and by regional
office.

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August 2007

NCVS FR RESPONSE RATES BY REGIONAL OFFICE

Attachment 1
Percentile

NATIONAL

RO 1

RO 2

RO 3

RO 4

RO 5

RO 6

RO 7

RO 8

RO 10

RO 11

RO 12

99

100.0

96.9

95.7

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

99.6

100.0

100.0

100.0

98

100.0

96.9

95.7

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

99.6

100.0

100.0

100.0

96

100.0

96.4

94.7

98.2

100.0

100.0

100.0

98.1

99.4

100.0

98.9

98.9

94

99.3

96.4

94.0

98.2

100.0

100.0

100.0

97.3

98.7

100.0

98.9

96.9

92

99.0

96.1

94.0

98.2

99.2

99.2

100.0

97.3

98.2

99.2

98.7

96.9

90

98.7

95.7

93.9

98.1

99.2

99.0

100.0

97.1

97.7

98.9

98.7

96.9

88

98.3

95.7

92.2

97.7

98.5

98.9

100.0

96.7

97.5

98.9

98.3

96.1

86

98.0

95.3

92.2

97.7

98.5

97.6

100.0

96.4

96.9

98.8

98.3

96.1

85

97.7

95.3

91.7

97.1

98.0

97.5

99.9

96.4

96.9

98.8

98.3

95.5

80

96.9

94.4

91.5

95.6

97.7

96.9

99.6

96.0

96.8

98.6

97.9

95.1

75

96.2

93.6

90.9

95.2

96.1

96.3

99.3

95.3

95.7

97.4

97.4

95.0

70

95.5

93.4

88.5

94.4

94.8

94.7

99.1

95.0

95.1

97.1

95.8

93.5

65

94.9

93.1

88.5

93.8

94.6

93.4

99.0

94.9

94.3

96.5

95.5

91.8

60

94.4

92.8

87.4

93.6

93.8

93.0

98.6

94.6

93.7

96.0

94.4

90.3

55

93.8

91.6

85.2

93.3

93.1

91.8

98.1

94.2

93.5

95.7

93.9

88.9

50

93.1

90.6

84.0

93.1

92.4

90.9

97.4

94.1

92.9

95.6

91.7

88.8

45

92.3

89.9

82.6

92.2

92.2

90.0

97.1

93.8

92.8

95.4

90.8

88.3

40

91.3

89.5

82.1

91.9

91.9

88.9

96.9

93.1

91.4

94.9

90.4

87.3

35

90.4

89.3

81.3

91.2

89.0

87.3

96.5

93.0

91.0

94.6

89.9

87.0

30

89.3

89.3

81.0

90.1

88.9

86.7

96.4

93.0

90.7

94.4

89.4

86.4

25

88.3

87.9

79.4

89.4

87.9

85.3

96.0

92.2

90.0

93.6

88.1

83.9

20

87.1

87.4

78.0

89.3

86.2

84.2

95.0

91.4

87.7

92.8

87.4

83.3

15

85.1

82.9

76.8

89.1

84.7

81.3

94.2

90.9

87.3

90.9

86.2

82.6

10

82.5

81.5

75.4

88.9

82.9

79.5

93.7

87.9

83.7

87.9

85.1

78.6

5

78.6

77.7

74.0

85.7

80.2

77.1

89.8

87.5

82.3

85.3

84.8

75.0

MEAN

93.6

91.6

86.8

94.1

93.6

92.4

97.9

94.6

93.7

96.1

94.0

90.9

SD

5.8

5.1

6.9

4.0

5.9

7.0

2.6

3.2

4.8

3.8

5.1

6.8

N

410

31

34

35

28

54

40

37

43

45

28

35

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NCVS 570 National Crime Victimization Survey Regional Office Manual

August 2007

NCVS FR PRODUCTION RATES BY REGIONAL OFFICE

Attachment 2
Percentile

NATIONAL

RO 1

RO 2

RO 3

RO 4

RO 5

RO 6

RO 7

RO 8

RO 10

RO 11

RO 12

99

1.0

0.9

1.0

0.9

0.9

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.0

1.0

0.8

1.3

98

1.2

1.0

1.2

1.1

1.1

1.3

1.1

1.3

1.2

1.4

0.9

1.3

96

1.3

1.1

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.4

1.2

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.0

1.4

94

1.4

1.2

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.6

1.4

1.6

1.7

1.5

1.1

1.4

92

1.5

1.2

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.6

1.5

1.7

1.8

1.5

1.2

1.5

90

1.6

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.4

1.7

1.7

2.0

1.8

1.6

1.3

1.5

88

1.6

1.4

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.7

1.7

2.1

1.9

1.6

1.3

1.7

86

1.7

1.4

1.7

1.6

1.6

1.8

1.8

2.2

1.9

1.6

1.5

1.7

85

1.8

1.5

1.7

1.6

1.6

1.9

1.8

2.3

2.0

1.7

1.6

1.8

80

1.9

1.5

1.9

1.7

1.7

2.0

1.9

2.4

2.0

1.8

1.7

2.0

75

2.0

1.6

2.0

1.7

1.8

2.2

2.0

2.6

2.0

1.9

1.8

2.0

70

2.0

1.7

2.1

1.8

1.8

2.3

2.0

2.7

2.5

2.0

1.8

2.2

65

2.2

1.8

2.1

1.9

2.0

2.5

2.1

2.7

2.5

2.0

1.9

2.4

60

2.3

1.8

2.2

2.0

2.1

2.5

2.4

2.8

2.8

2.1

2.0

2.7

55

2.5

2.0

2.4

2.1

2.1

2.6

2.5

2.8

3.5

2.2

2.2

2.9

50

2.7

2.6

2.6

2.1

2.8

2.8

2.6

2.9

3.6

2.3

2.3

3.1

45

2.8

2.7

2.8

2.2

3.0

3.1

2.6

3.1

3.8

2.4

2.3

3.3

40

2.9

2.7

2.8

2.2

3.2

3.1

2.6

3.1

3.8

2.4

2.5

3.3

35

3.1

2.8

2.9

2.2

3.2

3.2

2.6

3.3

3.9

2.6

2.5

3.4

30

3.2

2.8

3.0

2.3

3.5

3.2

2.6

3.5

4.1

2.7

2.5

3.7

25

3.4

2.9

3.1

2.6

3.5

3.4

2.6

3.6

4.2

2.8

2.5

4.0

20

3.7

3.4

3.7

2.6

4.1

3.4

2.9

3.6

4.4

2.9

2.7

4.0

15

3.9

3.4

3.7

2.7

4.1

3.6

3.0

4.5

4.8

3.9

2.7

5.0

10

4.5

3.7

4.9

3.3

5.4

4.3

3.8

5.1

6.5

4.0

3.7

5.5

5

5.0

3.7

4.9

3.3

5.4

5.0

3.8

5.1

6.5

4.0

3.7

5.5

MEAN

2.4

2.1

2.4

2.0

2.5

2.5

2.2

2.8

3.0

2.2

2.0

2.7

SD

1.1

0.9

1.1

0.6

1.3

1.0

0.7

1.1

1.5

0.8

0.8

1.3

N

421

32

40

35

28

57

40

37

43

45

28

36

11-1

Performance of the NCVS Staff