Note to Reviewer (NVMweb)

December 11, 2012

MEMORANDUM FOR: Reviewer of 1220-0032

FROM: RICHARD L. CLAYTON, Chief

Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover

Bureau of Labor Statistics

SUBJECT: Additional Web Collection Option
for the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)

On December 20, 2010, the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) was approved by OMB with clearance expiring on December 31, 2013. The purpose of the ARS is to review private sector employers' North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes and geographic codes.

The ARS remains largely a mail survey, although steps have been taken to reduce the amount of mail. Most recently, OMB approved a new reporting option for the BLS 3023-NVS form that is mailed to employers that have a single worksite within a State. Respondents can now provide their information via a secure website, ARSweb. Respondents are still able to mail their returns if they so desire or they can call the Touchtone Response System toll-free if eligible and if they have no changes to report. Respondents are asked to furnish the same information as they have in the past; we simply offer them the opportunity to respond electronically. In fact, more than 131,000 respondents have already used ARSweb since October 2012.

The BLS has distinct ARS forms to verify and to collect specific information concerning the employer's industrial activity, geographic location, business mailing address, and physical location address. The BLS 3023-NVM form is for employers that have multiple worksites within a given State. Thus, BLS would like to add another reporting option, NVMweb, for employers with multiple locations within a State to report their information electronically. NVMweb would offer ARS respondents, who are also MWRweb respondents, the chance to provide their 3023-NVM information online while simultaneously supplying their quarterly employment and wages data. Consequently, respondents would have the option to provide the same information that they have been providing on paper forms online. We do not expect that the NVMweb option will have any significant effect on respondent burden. Respondents will be given the choice of reporting information via the website or by paper form — whichever they find most convenient.

There are no real differences in the information BLS is seeking to obtain via ARSweb and NVMweb. ARSweb is for single-establishment employers; NVMweb is for multi-establishment employers. BLS plans to test NVMweb in the following States: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The NVMweb collection screenshots are attached. If you have any questions about this request, please contact Richard L. Clayton at 202-691-6515 or e-mail at [email protected] or Emily Thomas at 202-691-6441 or e-mail at [email protected].