The Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR), within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) seeks to improve the collection and storage of client data and optimize transfer of case files to State, Tribal, or Territorial partners upon Immediate Disaster Case Management (IDCM) program closure. The information collection will serve to optimize services delivered to individuals and households impacted by a disaster. In addition, it will better support State/Tribal/Territorial and Federal planning for disaster survivors' human service needs.
This nonsubstantive change request is to upload screenshots, per the terms of clearance at approval in November 2018.
US Code:
42 USC 5189d
Name of Law: Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
The Spanish language version of the ECMRS was created to support the Hurricane Maria response in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This reasonable accommodation was based on the need to provide services to a vast amount of respondents that did not speak, write, or read English or had limited to no comprehension of the language, or from a cultural standpoint, wanted to be spoken to in the Spanish language. Because the IDCM worker completes the assessments electronically through the ECMRS and the system automates the creation of a disaster recovery plan, translating the assessment forms into Spanish was a necessity.
Therefore, this submission is requesting a review of the Spanish language standard assessment forms that supplement the English forms. The assessment questions have been translated in to Spanish and are identical to the English language version. Data points collected in the English and Spanish assessment versions are used for the same identical purpose. There is no difference or change to the electronic completion of assessment forms and automation processing of an IDCM data file within the ECMRS. This way, respondents can be processed through the IDCM program services using Spanish and will receive a Spanish language recovery plan. The addition of these alternate assessment forms in Spanish also provides opportunity for the provision of culturally and linguistically sensitive IDCM services for States where the primary language spoke is Spanish.
A recent increase in disaster responses, improved data from the responses to Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, and increased technological efficiencies have prompted ACF to increase the estimated number of respondents from 3,500 to 630,000 and the corresponding burden from 2,333 hours to 630,000 hours.
When ACF made its 2015 submission, there was no electronic system for processing intake information. Additionally, the estimate of the burden underestimated the time necessary for hand processing the intake information. With the move to the electronic system, ACF is able to provide relief services to a much larger population in a much more efficient manner. The increased service provision and improved efficiency, in combination with the improved data and the recent increase in disaster responses is the source of the increase in the burden associated with this submission.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Recovery Plan OMB_PRA.pdf
Memo - Terms of Clearance 0970-0461 - Add Screen Shots.docx
Case Session and information collection and assessments in English and Spanish, of Disaster Survivors immediate unmet needs