Appendix E--60-Day FRN

Evaluation of the UC Provisions of ARRA

Mathematica Policy Research

APPENDIX E
60-DAY FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 238 / Monday, December 12, 2011 / Notices

according to DOL needs. Upon
completion of the pilot, a report will be
written so that final results will be
clearly outlined.
Using results from the first two tasks,
the contractor developed a modularized
survey questionnaire that is
approximately 18 minutes in length.
The questionnaire begins with a core set
of questions about the DOL voice
definition. These questions will be the
crux of the voice survey and will
provide DOL with an index for each
respondent or a voice ‘‘score.’’ This
score will be applicable across agencies
and is expected to be used in other
research being undertaken with the
Department. The second part of the
instrument is two rotating modules, one
each for OSHA and for WHD, in which
specific questions can be directed to
respondents about each agency. Each
respondent will be directed to just one
module (i.e., no respondent will get
both the OSHA and the WHD modules).
Each module will focus on knowledge,
voice, and perceived noncompliance for
the given agency, providing a second
gauge of a voice measure—one that has
more granularities around the topics.
For example, knowledge of specific laws
will be tested for each agency as well as
more detail on noncompliance. A final

section will query how worker rights are
being communicated. In the knowledge
section, respondents will be asked about
worker rights (corresponding to agency
specifics) and a knowledge score will be
derived to assess a knowledge index
score for each respondent. This
knowledge index will then play into a
second overall actual voice score that is
calculated for each respondent. The
survey will be conducted in both
Spanish and English, and will be
administered only to people who,
according to the CPS, say they are
currently employed.
2. Desired Focus of Comments:
Currently, the Department of Labor is
soliciting comments concerning the
above data collection. Comments are
requested that:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;

Number of
respondents

Type of respondent

Form name

General Working Population .............
General Working Population .............

Pilot Voice Study ..............................
Full Voice Study ...............................

Comments submitted in response to
this request will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval; they will also become a matter
of public record.
Signed: at Washington, DC, this 6th day of
December, 2011.
William E. Spriggs,
Assistant Secretary, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011–31821 Filed 12–9–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–22–P

Proposed Information Collection
Request (ICR) for the Evaluation of the
Unemployment Compensation
Provisions of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009;
Comment Request
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Administration and
Management, Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

The Department of Labor
(DOL or the Department), as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, conducts a
preclearance consultation program to
provide the general public and Federal
agencies with an opportunity to
comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) [44 U.S.C.

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Number of
responses
per
respondent

800
4,000

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SUMMARY:

• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Minimize the burden of the
information collection on those who are
to respond, including the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
3. Current Actions: Pursuant to the
PRA implementing regulations at 5 CFR
1320.8(d)(1), this notice requests
comments on the proposed information
collection request discussed above in
the Background section of this notice.
Interested parties are encouraged to
provide comments to the individual list
in the ADDRESSES section above.
Agency: Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Policy.
Type of Review: New Collection
Title of Collection: Voice in the
Workplace Survey.
OMB Control Number: [Insert OMB
Control Number].
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Two survey undertakings will be
completed, the first being the pilot with
800 respondents and the second being
the full study with 4,000 respondents.

Average
burden per
response
(in hours)
1
1

18/60
18/60

Total
burden
hours
240
1,200

3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that required data can be
provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial
resources) is minimized, collection
instruments are clearly understood, and
the impact of collection requirements on
respondents can be properly assessed.
The Department notes that a Federal
agency cannot conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it is
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) under the PRA and
the related materials display a currently
valid OMB control number. Also,
notwithstanding any other provisions of
law, no person shall be subject to
penalty for failing to comply with a
collection of information if the related
materials do not display a currently
valid OMB control number. See 5 CFR
1320.5(a) and 1320.6.
A copy of the proposed ICR can be
obtained by contacting the office listed

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 238 / Monday, December 12, 2011 / Notices

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below in the addressee section of this
notice or by accessing http://
www.doleta.gov/OMBCN/
OMBControlNumber.cfm.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
addressee section below on or before
February 10, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Jonathan
Simonetta, U.S. Department of Labor,
Office of the Chief Evaluation Officer,
200 Constitution Avenue NW., Frances
Perkins Bldg., Room S2316,
Washington, DC 20210, telephone
number (202) 693–5959 (this is not a
toll-free number). His email address is
[email protected] and fax number
is (202) 693–6061.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The recession that began in late 2007
posed major challenges for the U.S.
system of unemployment compensation
(UC). For example, sharply increasing
lengths of unemployment spells
prompted Federal legislation that
extended the potential duration of UC
benefits to unprecedented levels and led
to the adoption of changes to the ways
those benefits are financed.
To determine the effectiveness of the
most significant UC policy initiatives
undertaken in response to these
challenges—those included in the
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (ARRA) and related
extended UC provisions included in the
Emergency Unemployment
Compensation Act of 2008 (EUC08)—
the Department is undertaking the
Evaluation of the Unemployment
Compensation Provisions of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009. The evaluation includes
examinations of the UC-related
components of ARRA associated with
(1) The provision of extended UC
benefits through the Extended Benefits
(EB) and EUC08 programs, (2) the
incentives designed to encourage states
to modernize certain aspects of their UC
systems, and (3) additional assistance
provided to unemployed workers and
states to help them weather the effects
of the recession. This latter assistance
includes the Federal Additional
Compensation program and an
exemption of the taxation of some UC
benefits—approaches to help
unemployed workers—and suspension
of interest payment provisions to help
states. DOL has contracted with
Mathematica Policy Research and its
subcontractor, Urban Institute, to
conduct this evaluation.
The evaluation will address the
following research questions:

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1. What factors are related to states’
decisions on whether to adopt ARRA
modernization provisions and the Total
Unemployment Rate trigger for EB?
What are the economic and political
factors related to states’ decisions? What
do states’ experiences imply for future
roll-outs of modifications to the UC
system?
2. What are states’ experiences
implementing each of the UC-related
ARRA provisions? What factors shape
states’ implementation experiences?
What are the effects of enacting
provisions? What are the costs of
implementation? How have states used
the incentive payments?
3. What are the demographic and
economic characteristics of UC
recipients? What are their post-UC labor
market outcomes?
4. What are the impacts of UC ARRA
provisions on recipients’ outcomes,
such as their unemployment durations
and reemployment rates?
5. How well did EUC08 and related
programs help to stabilize the economy?
To what extent were extended benefits
timed to mitigate the effects of the
economic downturn? How effective
were EB and EUC08 triggers in targeting
benefits to states with the most severe
unemployment?
In addition to using published and
administrative data, the analysis will
rely on high-quality data collected from
three major sources.
1. UI Recipient Survey. From 20 states
that were randomly selected to
represent the nation as a whole, 3,000
recipients will be sampled and asked to
complete the UI recipient survey. This
sample is expected to lead to 2,400
completed surveys based on an
expected response rate of 80 percent.
The survey will collect information
such as the recipients’ demographic and
economic characteristics; preunemployment earnings, occupation,
and industry; length of unemployment
and time to reemployment; UI benefits
accessed; other government support
(such as Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families and food stamps);
household income and assets; the effects
of reduced income; training received
and completed; coverage by health
insurance; reemployment earnings; and
other characteristics of post-UI jobs,
such as fringe benefits, industry, and
occupation.
2. Survey of UI Administrators. A
survey of administrators from the 50
states and the District of Columbia will
ask about three main study topics,
including (1) The decision to adopt UI
modernization provisions, (2) general

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implementation issues, and (3) use of
ARRA incentive funds.
3. Site Visits. On-site visits conducted
in 20 purposively selected states
facilitate the collection of detailed
information about why states decided
whether to implement certain
modernization and EB provisions, as
well as states’ successes and challenges
in implementing the modernization
provisions, EUC08, EB, and the Federal
Additional Compensation program; an
exemption of the taxation of UC
benefits; and/or interest payment
provisions allowed under ARRA. Onsite visits will be supplemented by a
Data Systems Survey provided to statelevel staff in advance of the in-person
visits but discussed during the visits.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
Currently, the Department is soliciting
comments concerning the above data
collection for the Evaluation of the
Unemployment Compensation
Provisions of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Comments are requested to:
• Evaluate whether the proposed ICR
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed ICR, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the ICR
• Minimize the burden of the ICR on
those who are to respond, including the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
for example, permitting electronic
submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions
At this time, DOL is requesting
clearance for the UI Recipient Survey,
the Survey of UI Administrators, and
the site visit data collection materials
(which include the protocol and the
Data Systems Survey).
Type of Review: New ICR.
OMB Number: XXXX–XXXX.
Affected Public: UI recipients, state UI
administrators and other UI program
staff, state legislators, lobbyists, and
One-Stop Career Center staff.
For the UI Recipient Survey
Frequency: Once.
Total Responses: 2,400.
Average Time per Response: 30
minutes for the survey of UI recipients.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,200.
Total Burden Cost: $17,280.

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 238 / Monday, December 12, 2011 / Notices

For the Survey of UI Administrators
Frequency: Once.
Total Responses: 77.1
Average Time per Response:
• 51 State Administrators at 15
minutes each.
• 26 state Administrators at 30
minutes each.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 26.
Total Burden Cost: $1,318.
For the Site Visit Data Collection
Frequency: Once.
Total Responses:
• State UI office staff time to plan for
the site visits.
—80 responses (= 4 staff per state, for 20
states).
—Average time per response = 30
minutes per staff.
—Estimated total burden hours = 40
hours.

• State UI office staff for in-person
interviews.
—180 responses (= 9 staff per state, for
20 states).
— Average time per response = 90
minutes per staff.
—Estimated total burden hours = 270
hours.
• Call center administrators for inperson interviews.
—30 responses (= 1.5 staff per state, for
20 states).
—Average time per response = 90
minutes per staff.
— Estimated total burden hours = 45
hours.
• Local One-Stop Career Center
administrator for in-person interviews.
—20 responses (= 1 staff per state, for 20
states).
—Average time per response = 90
minutes per staff.
Total
respondents

Respondents
UI Recipients Survey ............................................
Survey of UI Administrators ..................................

2,400
277

—Estimated total burden hours = 30
hours.
• Other stakeholders for in-person
interviews.
—120 responses (= 6 staff per state, for
20 states).
—Average time per response = 90
minutes per staff.
—Estimated total burden hours = 180
hours.
• State staff for the Data Systems
Survey.
—20 responses (= 1 staff per state, for 20
states).
—Average time per response = 30
minutes per staff.
—Estimated total burden hours = 10
hours.
Total burden cost for the site visit
data collection: $29,147.
Average time
per response
(minutes)

Frequency of collection
Once .............................
Once .............................

Burden
(hours)

Burden cost

30
30

1,200
26

$17,280
1,318

.............................
.............................
.............................
.............................
.............................
.............................

30
90
90
90
90
30

40
270
45
30
180
10

2,028
13,686
2,281
1,521
9,124
507

.......................................
.......................................

........................
........................

575
1,801

29,147
47,745

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Site Visit Data Collection
Planning for the Site Visits ...................................
On-Site Interviews—State UI Office Staff ............
Call Center Administrator .....................................
Local One-Stop Career Center Administrator ......
Other Stakeholders ...............................................
Data Systems Survey—State Staff ......................

80
180
30
20
120
20

Total for Site Visit Data Collection ................
Total for Surveys and Site Visits ...................

450
2,927

Once
Once
Once
Once
Once
Once

The total burden cost for the UI
Recipient Survey represents 30 minutes,
on average, for participant respondents
to complete the questionnaire
multiplied by the number of expected
respondents (2,400) and by an estimated
average hourly wage of $14.40 per
hour.3
The burden cost for the Survey of UI
Administrators represents 30 minutes,
on average, for respondents to complete
the questionnaire multiplied by the
number of respondents and by an
estimated average hourly wage of
$50.69, the average hourly rate for a
management position. Thus, the total
participant burden for the completion of

the enrollment forms is $17,280 (= 2,400
× 30/60 × $14.40).4
The burden cost for site visit data
collection is estimated to be 575 hours.
For each of 20 states that will be part of
this data collection effort, an average of
two hours of previsit planning and
coordination with the evaluation team is
expected. The on-site interviews are
expected to include interviews
averaging 90 minutes each of (1) 9 state
UI office staff; (2) 1.5 call center
administrators; (3) 1 administrator in
half of the states and 2 administrators in
half of the states; (4) 1 local One-Stop
Career Center administrator; and (5) 6
other stakeholders, such as lobbyists,

legislators, and individuals on the UI
Advisory Council. Each state that is part
of the site visit data collection effort also
will be asked to have a staff person
complete the Data Systems Survey in
advance of the visit; the time to
complete this survey is expected to be
30 minutes. Assuming a wage of $50.69
per hour, the total burden on
participants for the site visits is
estimated to be 575 hours with a total
cost of $29,146 (= $50.69 × 575). Thus
the total administrator burden for the
completion of the survey is $1,318
(=$50.69 × 26).
The total burden for this ICR is
estimated to be 1,801 hours ($47,745 in

1 The number of respondents and average time
per response for the survey of UI administrators are
based on an assumption that (1) 26 UI jurisdictions
will take 45 minutes to respond (involving 1
respondent for 30 minutes and 1 respondent for 15)
and (2) 25 UI jurisdictions will take 15 minutes to
respond (1 respondent for 15 minutes).
2 The number of respondents and average time
per response for the survey of UI administrators are
based on an assumption that (1) 26 UI jurisdictions

will take 45 minutes to respond (involving 1
respondent for 30 minutes and 1 respondent for 15)
and (2) 25 UI jurisdictions will take 15 minutes to
respond (1 respondent for 15 minutes).
3 This hourly wage estimate is the midpoint of
wages reported by participants in another DOL
study, the initial Individual Training Account
Evaluation. In that study, hourly wages for the
Individual Training Account study participants
ranged between $13.60 and $15.20. McConnell, et

al. 2006, ‘‘Managing Customers’ Training Choices:
Findings from the Individual Training Account
Experiment.’’ Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy
Research, Inc., December 2006.
4 This average hourly wage rate is from the ‘‘May
2010 National Occupational Employment and Wage
Estimates: United States,’’ available from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/oes/
current/oes_nat.htm#11-0000, accessed May 17,
2011.

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 238 / Monday, December 12, 2011 / Notices
burden cost), which is the sum of the
burdens (and burden costs) for the
surveys and site visit data collection
effort.
Comments submitted in response to
this request will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval; they will also become a matter
of public record.
Signed: at Washington, DC, this 7th day of
December, 2011.
William E. Spriggs,
Assistant Secretary, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011–31812 Filed 12–9–11; 8:45 am]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

BILLING CODE 4510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Proposed Information Collection
Request (ICR) for the Impact of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA) COBRA Subsidy Survey;
Comment Request
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Policy, Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

The Department of Labor
(DOL or the Department), as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, conducts a
preclearance consultation program to
provide the general public and Federal
agencies with an opportunity to
comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) [44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that required data can be
provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial
resources) is minimized, collection
instruments are clearly understood, and
the impact of collection requirements on
respondents can be properly assessed.
The Department notes that a Federal
agency cannot conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it is
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) under the PRA and
the related materials display a currently
valid OMB control number. Also,
notwithstanding any other provisions of
law, no person shall be subject to
penalty for failing to comply with a
collection of information if the related
materials do not display a currently
valid OMB control number. See 5 CFR
1320.5(a) and 1320.6. A copy of the
proposed ICR can be obtained by
contacting the office listed below in the
addresses section of this notice or by
accessing http://www.doleta.gov/
OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.

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SUMMARY:

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Written comments must be
received by the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before
February 10, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Celeste
Richie, U.S. Department of Labor, Chief
Evaluation Office, Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Policy, 200
Constitution Avenue NW., Frances
Perkins Bldg., Room S–2316,
Washington, DC 20210, telephone
number (202) 693–5076 (this is not a
toll-free number). Email address is
[email protected] and fax number is
(202) 693–5960.
DATES:

1. Background: The Consolidated
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
(COBRA) of 1985 gave some employees
the ability to continue employersponsored health coverage for a limited
time after they left employment. COBRA
required that private employers with 20
or more employees offer continued
health coverage to workers who were
enrolled in the employer’s health plan
and lost coverage as a result of
termination of employment or a
reduction in work hours for reasons
other than gross misconduct. It also
ensured a continued offer of coverage to
spouses and dependent children who
otherwise might lose coverage because
(1) Of a covered worker’s job loss, death,
a divorce or legal separation, or
eligibility for Medicare; or (2) they
ceased to be a dependent under the
applicable plan provisions (for example,
a child who ages out of eligibility).1
Qualified employees and dependents
may elect COBRA coverage any time
within 60 days of a qualifying event and
continue it for up to 18 months.2
Because COBRA does not require
employers to contribute toward the cost
of continued coverage, recipients
generally must pay the full health
insurance premium plus a 2 percent
administrative fee. Although Federal
COBRA coverage does not apply to
private companies with fewer than 20
employees, many states have
established continuation-of-coverage
laws (sometimes called mini-COBRA)
that extend all or some of COBRA’s
provisions to smaller firms. Separate
Federal laws offer continuation rights
comparable to COBRA to Federal
civilian and military employees. One
provision of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 was
intended to help make COBRA coverage
1 In general, qualified employees, spouses, and
dependent children must have been covered by the
health plan the day preceding the qualifying event.
2 Under certain circumstances, qualified
dependents may elect COBRA coverage for up to 36
months or longer from the first qualifying event.

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more affordable to involuntarily
unemployed workers. It required
employers to pay 65 percent of the
COBRA premium (or comparable state
continuation coverage) for qualified
workers and dependents for up to nine
months. The employers subsequently
received a credit of that amount against
their Federal payroll taxes. Qualified
workers and dependents were eligible to
receive ARRA subsidies for COBRA if
the worker (1) Experienced an
involuntary termination of employment
between September 1, 2008, and
December 31, 2009 (later extended to
May 31, 2010); and (2) was not eligible
for group health coverage (such as
through the plan of a spouse or new
employer) or Medicare. Workers also
had to have an adjusted gross income
under $125,000 (filing singly) or
$250,000 (filing jointly), with more
modest subsidies available for incomes
between $125,000 and $145,000 or
between $250,000 and $290,000,
respectively. Pursuant to this
legislation, many people eligible for
COBRA (or mini-COBRA) coverage
might be (or might have been) eligible
to pay a reduced premium for COBRA
coverage for up to 15 months. Little is
known about the number and
characteristics of workers and
dependents who are eligible for COBRA
coverage or about the workers that used
the subsidy to continue coverage. The
Chief Evaluation office in the Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Policy (CEO)
in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
is seeking to fill this knowledge gap.
Specifically, CEO would like a reliable
estimate of the share of the eligible
population that enrolled in ARRAsubsidized COBRA coverage, the
number of dependents that enrolled, the
duration of ARRA-subsidized
enrollment, and how the outcomes of
workers would have differed without
subsidy. By sponsoring this study, CEO
also offers the opportunity to better
understand what factors drive COBRA
enrollment, and to learn about
differences in the experiences of those
who were eligible for the subsidy and
those ineligible for the subsidy.
Mathematica has been contracted to
conduct this evaluation on behalf of
DOL’s CEO. The evaluation will
estimate the impact of the subsidy’s
availability on COBRA insurance takeup and explore factors correlated with
take-up and reasons why individuals
choose to enroll or not to enroll in
COBRA. Specifically, the study will
address the following research questions
using administrative claims data and a
one-time survey of unemployment

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