2013 Enrollment Exit forms Justification_021213

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

1. Justification

The Enrollment Form, and its electronic versions, documents members’ participation in an approved national service position, provides the Corporation with demographic information for evaluative purposes, allows it to project future liabilities for the Trust, and allows members to self-certify personal information. The Exit Form, and its electronic versions, records members’ completion of service and eligibility for a Segal Education Award, and allows members to authorize post-service contacts.

A1.  Need for Information Collection

These collections of information are mandated by the National and Community Service Act of 1993, as amended, which requires that members successfully completing a term of service be granted an education award. Education award requirements are detailed in 42 USC 12501 and 12594 through12604. Evaluation of members’ experiences and development are addressed in 42 USC 12639.

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

The information allows the Corporation to report on numbers and demographics of members, their placement, and award criteria, to anticipate liabilities incurred by members, and to provide information to members and service organizations who elect to receive it.

 

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

The Corporation collects members’ enrollment and exit information electronically; however, programs retain staff and member certifications and members complete their portion of the enrollment and exit forms.

A4.  Non-Duplication

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

 

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

This collection of information does not impact small businesses because they are not eligible to apply for grants. There is no economic burden to any other small entities beyond the cost of staff time to collect and report the data. This is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information absolutely necessary to measure progress towards the Corporation’s strategic initiative benchmarks.

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

 

AmeriCorps members cannot serve more than the value of two full-time terms of national service for which an education award is a possibility. This, plus the programs’ variable dates and hours, require enrollment information for each term. Similarly, certifications are required that members have met all program requirements. Finally, the Corporation is required to report on the types, number, and location of service members, and to project liabilities of the National Service Trust.

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

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

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

The 60 day Notice soliciting comments was published on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 on page 65868. No comments were received.

 

 A9.  Payment to Respondents

There are no payments or gifts to respondents

  

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

Confidentiality of information supplied by respondents is ensured by the Privacy Act. A Privacy Act notice appears on the forms.

A11.  Sensitive Questions

 

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

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

13,500 hours (Enrollment) and 13,166.67 (Exit). There is no estimated annual hour burden outside of the customary and usual business practices.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

None.

 

A14. Cost to Government

None.

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

The burden hour information changes reflect current volume in both paper and electronic formats.

 

 A16.  Publication of results

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

 

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

The Corporation requests a continuation of a waiver of the requirement to display the expiration date on each screen of the online versions of these forms in the My AmeriCorps Portals and the paper forms. System constraints make it difficult to revise the hard-coded dates in a timely manner, which may give rise to considerable confusion among members and grantees if the date displayed indicates the IRC has expired. OMB has approved a waiver request for other Trust form dates for similar reasons.

 

 A18.  Exceptions to the certification statement

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

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