Section 3001 of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides "Assistance Eligible
Individuals" with the right to pay reduced COBRA premiums for up to
9 months. If individuals request treatment as an assistance
eligible individual and are denied such treatment because of their
ineligibility for COBRA continuation coverage, ARRA section
3001(a)(5) requires the Secretary of Labor to provide for expedited
review of the denial upon application to the Secretary in the form
and manner the Secretary provides. The Secretary of Labor is
required to act in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury
and must make a determination within 15 business days after receipt
of an individual's application for review. The "Application to the
Department of Labor for Expedited Review of Denial of COBRA Premium
Reduction" (the "Application") is the form used by individuals to
file their expedited review appeals. Such individuals must complete
all information requested on the Application in order to file their
review requests with the Department's Employee Benefits Security
Administration (EBSA). The ICR relates to the Application.
The previous submission of this
ICR reflected the Department's best efforts to estimate the hour
and cost burden associated with it. The Department's current
estimate is based on actual program usage data, which, as discussed
in detail above, show a steady decline in the number of
applications received by the Department. This has led to a
reduction in the hour and cost burden estimate for this ICR.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.