Fast Track Submission for State Agency Training Needs Survey

Request for Approval under the “Fast Track Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0584-0611)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: State Agency Training Needs Survey

PURPOSE: The United States Department of Agricultural (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), Food Distribution Division (FDD) conducts a variety of training activities, including webinars, conference presentations, and one-on-one technical assistance, to help our partners operate the USDA Foods programs efficiently and effectively. State Distributing Agencies managing USDA Foods in schools are key stakeholders and one of our main target audiences for training. Due to the complexity of the program, new staff members often have a sharp learning curve. The purpose of this survey is to learn more about the training needs of State Agency staff, particularly newer staff but also those with some experience, so that we can tailor future training accordingly. This feedback will allow us to understand the topics of interest, method of training, and timing that will be most effective.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: The survey will be distributed to our State Distributing Agency email list for USDA Foods in schools, which currently contains 213 email addresses. The email announcing the survey will contain a link to the survey in Wufoo, which respondents can fill out and submit at their convenience. Participation in the survey is voluntary.

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: Lindsay Williams

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 [ ] No

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

Sensitive Information:

1. Will sensitive information, such as demographic characteristics, be collected from respondents?

[ ] Yes [X] No

2. If yes, explain the necessity of such information to the programmatic objective(s)?

Gifts or Payments:

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

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
State governments (respondents)	83	20 minutes (0.334)	27.72
State governments (non-respondents)	130	3 minutes (0.0501)	6.51
Totals	213	23 minutes	34.23 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $660.

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?

[X] Yes [ ] No

2. 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?

The survey will be distributed to our State Distributing Agency email list for USDA Foods in schools, which includes 1-7 staff members in each of the 50 States and DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Recipients may decide whether or not they would like to offer their feedback through this survey. Of the 213 total respondents on the distribution list as of January 2017, we anticipate a total of 83 respondents will participate (1-2 per State) and approximately 130 will read the email and choose not to participate in the survey.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

GIFTS OR PAYMENTS: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

SENSITIVE INFORMATION: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the nature of the sensitive information being collected (e.g., race, sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private) and provide a justification for its use.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Businesses (i.e., Profit, Not for Profit, and/or Farms); (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

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. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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