SCP PM Data Aggregation Tool Justification

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1.  Need for Information Collection

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) awards grants to states, institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, Indian tribes, and U.S. Territories to operate AmeriCorps State, AmeriCorps National, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Senior Corps programs.

Senior Corps adopted new, required performance measures for its programs beginning in Fiscal Year 2013. Under a separate information collection approval, two Independent Living Performance Measures Surveys were cleared for use by grantees of the Senior Companion Program (required) and the RSVP Program (optional). All Senior Companion Program grantees are required to use the previously cleared surveys to solicit outcome data from clients and caregivers served by Senior Companion volunteers. The Independent Living Performance Measures Aggregation Tool will serve as the required template for grantees to use to provide two levels of information: (1) A row on the spreadsheet template corresponding to each individual client, without any personal information that could identify the individual; and (2) aggregate project level performance measures data for submission to CNCS.

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

Senior Companion Program grantees are required to use this aggregation tool. The tool is optional RSVP grantees with volunteers engaged in supporting clients and caregivers in independent living. Grantees will complete the template, by transcribing information from the individual surveys completed by the clients and caregivers served by Senior Companion volunteers (required) and RSVP volunteers (optional) to the spreadsheet template.

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

The tool is designed to assist grantees in assembling their survey level data for aggregation and reporting. The spreadsheet contains functions and formulas that auto-calculate when a Performance Measure was achieved. In addition, the spreadsheet can be used for cross reference when grantees complete their Performance Measures results in the CNCS eGrants Performance Measures Reporting Module.

A4.  Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information by which CNCS 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 CNCS’ 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.

 

Without the Independent Living Performance Measures Aggregation Tool, grantees will have numerous individual surveys with performance measures data, but will not have a standard method to aggregate and report these data. The data from received from clients and caregivers require compilation and assessment, including reporting success in meeting their stated performance measures in the funded Grant Application. By providing this tool, CNCS can assure that grantees have an instrument that allows the data from individual surveys to be aggregated correctly and that automatically calculates achievement of performance measures. In addition, CNCS, which will use portions of the grantees’ aggregated data to inform national evaluation studies that do not have another source of compiled data.

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, February 6, 2013 on page 8498. 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.

Information provided by this collection will be held solely by grantees and CNCS staff. Some aggregated data set will be shared with CNCS evaluation contractors. None of the data shared will contain any personally identifiable information.

A11.  Sensitive Questions

 

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

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

We expect approximately 350 grantees to use the Performance Measures Data Aggregation Tool to compile and report Performance Measures results. The frequency of response is annual, with an average burden of 7 hours per respondent. The total annual burden is estimated at 2,450 hours.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

There is no cost burden to the respondent.

 

A14. Cost to Government

There are no additional costs to the Government.

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

Not applicable.

 

 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.

Not applicable.

 

 

A18.  Exceptions to the certification statement

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

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