Supporting Statement for VA Form 27-2008
Application for United States Flag for Burial Purposes
(2900-0013)
A. Justification
1. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through its Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), administers an integrated program of benefits and services, established by law, for veterans, service personnel, and their dependents and/or beneficiaries. A U.S. flag may be provided to the next-of-kin or friend of a deceased veteran who served honorably in the U. S. armed forces to drape the casket or accompany the urn. Information is requested by this form under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 2301. Regulatory authority is found in 38 CFR 1.10.
2. VA Form 27-2008 is used for the sole purpose of gathering the necessary information to determine eligibility for issuance of a burial flag to the next-of-kin or friend of a deceased veteran.
3. VA Form 27-2008 is available on the One-VA web site in a fillable electronic format. VBA is currently hosting the form on a secure server and does not currently have the technology in place to allow for the complete submission of the form. Validation edits are performed to assure data integrity. Efforts within VA are underway to provide a mechanism to allow the information to be submitted electronically with a recognized signature technology. There currently is no utility process in place that will allow the data submitted on the forms to be incorporated with an existing centralized legacy database. Veterans Online Applications (VONAPP) allows applicants to view, print, and submit applications electronically to VBA. However, VA Form 27-2008 is not one of the forms currently scheduled to be added to VONAPP due to limited resources. The Department will reconsider adding this form to VONAPP when the resources become available.
4. Program reviews were conducted to identify potential areas of duplication; however, none were found to exist. There is no known Department or Agency which maintains the necessary information, nor is it available from other sources within our Department.
5. The collection of information does not involve small businesses or entities.
6. VA compensation and pension programs require claimants to file an application for benefits subsequent to the death of the veteran to determine eligibility for the benefit. Collection of this information is conducted at the time the next-of-kin or friend of a deceased veteran requests a burial flag. Without the information collected by VA Form 21-208, entitlement to the benefit could not be determined.
7. There is no special circumstance requiring collection in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.6 guidelines.
8. The Department notice was published in the Federal Register on August 26, 2014, Volume 79, No. 165, page 50987. No comments were received.
9. No payments or gifts to respondents have been made under this collection of information.
10. The records are maintained in the appropriate Privacy Act System of Records identified as 58VA21/22, "Compensation, Pension, Education and Rehabilitation Records - VA" as set forth in Privacy Act Issuances, 1993 compilation found in 42 Fed. Reg. 49726 (9/27//1977).
11. There are no questions of a sensitive nature.
12. Estimate of Information Collection Burden.
a. Number of Respondents is estimated at 650,000 per year.
b. Frequency of Response is one time for most beneficiaries.
c. Annual burden is 162,500 hours.
d. The estimated completion time of 15 minutes is based on review by staff personnel and previous usage of this form.
e. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Hourly Earnings, the cost to the respondent is $24, making the total cost to the respondents an estimated $3,900,000. (162,500 burden hours x $24 per hour).
13. This submission does not involve any recordkeeping costs.
14. Estimated Costs to the Federal Government:
a. Processing/Analyzing costs $4,891,250
(GS-5/5 @ $15.05 x 650,000 x 30/60 minutes = $4,891,250)
b. Printing and production cost $22,500
c. Total cost to government $4,913,750
15. There is no change in the reporting burden. The expiration date is being added to the form.
16. The information collection is not for publication or tabulation use.
17. We are not seeking approval to omit the expiration date for OMB approval.
18. This submission does not contain any exceptions to the certification statement.
B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods
This collection of information does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | Supporting Statement for VA Form 21-4502 |
| Author | VBA |
| Last Modified By | Bolyard, Dottie, VBAVACO |
| File Modified | 2014-12-15 |
| File Created | 2014-08-18 |