Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity and Required Data Elements for the Paternity Establishment Affidavit

Forms and Documents

Forms and supporting documents for this ICR

Document	Type	Status	Availability
Attachment_OCSE Pater Est Data Elements (0970-0171) - Comments to 60 day notice 2020.xlsx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2020-11-18	Repair queued
Supporting Statement_Paternity Data Elements_FINAL.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2020-11-18	Repair queued

IC Document Collections

Information collection document groups

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
226978	Brochures		Modified
226977	Data Elements	Other-Required and Optional Data Elements for Paternity Affidavi	Modified
226976	Training		Modified
226975	Paternity Acknowledgment Process		Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 0970-0171	ICR Reference No: 202011-0970-009
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 201705-0970-003
Agency/Subagency: HHS/ACF	Agency Tracking No: OCSE
Title: Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity and Required Data Elements for the Paternity Establishment Affidavit
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 11/23/2020

table that charts list comparision

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	01/31/2021
Responses	4,262,038	5,343,546
Time Burden (Hours)	593,947	782,003
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: This request is for an extension of an approved information collection: Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity and Required Data Elements for the Paternity Establishment Affidavit (OMB #0970-0171). The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is proposing minor changes to the burden estimate as last approved in 2017. Section 466(a)(5)(C) of the Social Security Act requires States to enact laws ensuring a simple civil process for voluntarily acknowledging paternity via an affidavit. The State must provide that, before a mother and putative father can sign a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, the mother and putative father must be given notice, orally and in writing of the alternatives to, the legal consequences of, and the rights (including any rights, if one parent is a minor, due to minority status) and responsibilities of acknowledging paternity. One affidavit needs to be filled out for each paternity established and the information cannot be provided any less frequently than once to each mother and putative father. The development and use of an affidavit for the voluntary acknowledgment of paternity would include the minimum requirements specified by the Secretary and to give full faith and credit to such an affidavit signed in any other State according to its procedures.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 666 Name of Law: Social Security, Subchapter IV Part D: Child Support and Establishment of Paternity
   US Code: 42 USC 652 Name of Law: Social Security, Subchapter IV Part D: Child Support and Establishment of Paternity
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	85 FR 47216	08/04/2020
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	85 FR 74731	11/23/2020
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 4

table that charts list of burden

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Data Elements
Paternity Acknowledgment Process
Training
Brochures

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ICR Summary of Burden

table that charts list of burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	4,262,038	5,343,546	0	-1,081,508	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	593,947	782,003	0	-188,056	0	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Reduction Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Short Statement: In the last review of this information collection in 2017, OCSE calculated the burden to be 782,003 hours annually. In this information collection, we estimate the burden to be 593,947 hours annually. This adjustment is due to several factors. To start, since 2017, there has been an increase in the estimated number of partners involved in the voluntary paternity acknowledgment program by about 87,000 entities. This increase affects the burden in the rows for training and for brochures on the burden table. However, this increase is offset by a change in the method of calculating the paternity acknowledgment services activity. In this request, to estimate the number of services provided, we used the number of non-marital births (approximately 1.4 million), while in the 2017 estimate we used the universe of possible entities that could provide the service (approximately 2.7 million). While using the number of non-marital births is more accurate, it is a big decrease in burden, more than offsetting the increase described in the previous paragraph.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $46,445,627

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(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;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

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.

Certification Date: 11/23/2020

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