Fast Track Clearence Request

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 2900-0770)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Customer Satisfaction Measurement Survey for Telebenefits Pilot

PURPOSE: In 2008, VBA recognized a need to develop and design an integrated, comprehensive Voice of the Veteran (VOV) measurement program. Accordingly, VBA currently conducts polls subsequent to claimants receiving service, and after any initiatives have been fully implemented. Prior to 2015, the use of this measurement program was not utilized by the Office of Strategic Planning (OSP) prior to or during the development of pilots involving interaction with stakeholders or claimants. Specifically, the newly approved concepts were piloted without quantifiable data regarding the impact on stakeholders being collected. A survey tool for the tracking and study of customer satisfaction with ongoing pilots such as Telebenefits is required in order to determine specific areas of improvement prior to the deployment of pilots nationally. A measurement program would assist OSP understand what is important to Veterans relative to benefits and services provided by VBA and provides VA/VBA leadership with actionable and timely Veteran feedback on how pilot programs conducted by OSP are performing.

The major use of this data is three-fold: 1) to provide Veterans an opportunity to comment on their experience with new services being tested, 2) to formulate changes to initiatives prior to deployment nationally allowing for smoother transitions and the ability to modify initiatives to cover a wider scope of circumstances and 3) to identify the most influential elements of Veterans’ experience on their satisfaction while establishing performance benchmarks to gauge the effectiveness of pilots such as Telebenefits and the Veterans’ experience with these interactions. Currently, there are no other means of continuously evaluating Veteran satisfaction during the pilot phase of concept development. As the initial collection of customer satisfaction surveys are the first step in determining if any modification to a pilot may be required, receipt of the survey in close proximity to the interaction with Veterans will allow for a more accurate and precise data set. The first usage of these surveys will be in a pilot known as “Telebenefits”.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Respondents will be attendees of “Telebenefits” pilots, with a majority being Veterans who currently have either benefit entitlement claims or appeals pending. A minority of respondents will be classified as dependents, or Veterans seeking non-fiduciary benefits including home loan information, educational benefits, or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) services. The burden on respondents has been limited to approximately 5 minutes dependent on any in-depth commentary the respondent may choose to supply. The surveys are designed and carried out with appropriate controls and are strictly voluntary in nature.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Stephen Sears

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [X ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X ] No

BURDEN HOURS (sample calculation in grey)

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time ( × minutes =)	Burden (÷ 60 =)
Individuals & Households	2000	5	333
VA Form:	2900-0770
Totals

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is estimated at $0

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Attendance of Telebenefits is open to all Veterans and not restricted to any specific group. All attendees who participate in the Telebenefits process will be allowed an opportunity to complete the survey in order to gather the most complete amount of data possible. This enhances the opportunity to provide a higher level of customer service to the broadest spectrum of clientele possible.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[X ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X ] Yes [ ] No

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