Holocaust Supporting Statement v2 (7-23-15)

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

OMB Number 1405-XXXX

Statement of Claim Related to Deportation from France During the Holocaust

(DS-7713)

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. This collection will implement the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of France to Address Claims Related to Deportation During the Holocaust, signed on December 8, 2014, which will be a binding international agreement when the agreement goes into effect upon final approval by the French government. The agreement provides for the transfer of $60 million from France to the United States to compensate individuals for harm suffered as the result of deportation from France during the Holocaust by SNCF, the French national rail carrier. The statutory authorities for this collection are 22 U.S.C. §§ 2651a, 2656, and 2668a.

2. The information gathered will be used by the Department of State to evaluate claims from individuals harmed by deportation “from France towards a location outside of France during the Second World War as part of the anti-Semitic persecution carried out by the German Occupation authorities or the Vichy Government.”

3. This collection will be via paper submission (mail, e-mail, or fax).

4. This collection does not duplicate any other collection of information.

5. There are no impacts on small business.

6. If this collection is not done, the United States would have no mechanism for distributing the money provided by France to claimants, since there would be no way to evaluate who would be eligible.

7. There are no special circumstances.

8. The Department of State published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register on April 22, 2015 (80 FR 22604). The Department received one public comment, which suggested that the Department actively solicit responses from Holocaust survivors through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum e-mail system. The Department believes that this is a good suggestion and will explore using that avenue to publicize this program.

9. No payments or gifts are provided to the respondents.

10. The information provided by the respondents will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. The System of Records Notice that applies to this collection is STATE-54, Records of the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for International Claims and Investment Disputes.

11. No questions of a sensitive nature are asked.

12. The Department estimates that the time required to complete the DS-7713 will greatly vary among respondents. Some individuals might need to do considerably more research than others, especially those who file a claim for someone else. The Department’s best estimate for the average burden per respondent is three hours per response. The Department estimates that there are 2,000 respondents worldwide; therefore, the total burden is 6,000 hours. Based on BLS tables for an estimated weighted average hourly salary of $34.83 ($24.88 x 1.4), the estimated hour burden cost is $69,660 ($34.83 x 2,000).

13. The only monetary burden on respondents is the cost of first-class postage, or a charge from a commercial establishment to fax the form. The monetary burden on foreign claimants will depend on postage rates in their countries or the cost of an international fax, which is highly variable. According to research, the average cost of sending a five-page fax (both domestic and worldwide) is approximately $3.50, and the average cost of sending a five-page document by first-class postage or international air mail is also approximately $3.50. Multiplying $3.50 times the estimated number of respondents (2000) yields a monetary burden of $7000.

14. The claims will be evaluated by an attorney (GS-15) with the assistance of two paralegals (GS-12). The average hourly wage for those three grades at Step 10 is $46.64. The estimated average time to evaluate each form is two hours. Therefore, the total cost to the Federal Government to complete the collection will be $186,560 (2 hours x $46.64 x 2,000). The funds provided to pay the claims will be provided by the French government, and do not constitute a U.S. government expense.

15. This is a new collection.

16. The data will not be published.

17. The Department will display the OMB expiration date.

18. The Department is not requesting exceptions to the OMB certification statement.

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This collection does not employ statistical methods.