60 Day FR Notice

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[New Collection]

Agency Information Collection Activity: Clearance for A-11 Section 280 Improving Customer Experience Information Collection

AGENCY: Veterans Experience Office, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations on the proposed collection of information should be received on or before [Insert date 60 days after date of publication in the FEDERAL REGISTER].

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information through Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov or to Michael Jacobsen, Veterans Experience Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420 or e-mail to [email protected]. Please refer to " Clearance for A-11 Section 280 Improving Customer Experience Information Collection" in any correspondence. During the comment period, comments may be viewed online through FDMS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danny S. Green at (202) 421-1354.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA of 1995, Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. This request for comment is being made pursuant to Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA.

With respect to the following collection of information, VEO invites comments on: (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of VEO’s functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of VEO’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of information technology.

Authority: OMB Circular A-11 (2018), Section 280.

Title: Clearance for A-11 Section 280 Improving Customer Experience Information Collection

OMB Control Number: 2900-New

Type of Review: New collection.

Abstract: Whether seeking a loan, Social Security benefits, veterans benefits, or other

services provided by the Federal Government, individuals and businesses expect Government customer services to be efficient and intuitive, just like services from leading private-sector organizations. Yet the 2016 American Consumer Satisfaction Index and the 2017 Forrester Federal Customer Experience Index show that, on average, Government services lag nine percentage points behind the private sector.

A modern, streamlined and responsive customer experience means: raising government-wide customer experience to the average of the private sector service industry; developing indicators for high-impact Federal programs to monitor progress towards excellent customer experience and mature digital services; and providing the structure (including increasing transparency) and resources to ensure customer experience is a focal point for agency leadership. To support this, OMB Circular A-11 Section 280 established government-wide standards for mature customer experience organizations in government and measurement. To enable Federal programs to deliver the experience taxpayers deserve, they must undertake three general categories of activities: conduct ongoing customer research, gather and share customer feedback, and test services and digital products.

These data collection efforts may be either qualitative or quantitative in nature or may consist of mixed methods. Additionally, data may be collected via a variety of means, including but not limited to electronic or social media, direct or indirect observation (i.e., in person, video and audio collections), interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and focus groups. Veterans Experience Office will limit its inquiries to data collections that solicit strictly voluntary opinions or responses. Steps will be taken to ensure anonymity of respondents in each activity covered by this request.

The results of the data collected will be used to improve the delivery of Federal services and programs. It will include the creation of personas, customer journey maps, and reports and summaries of customer feedback data and user insights.

Veterans Experience Office will collect this information by electronic means when possible, as well as by mail, fax, telephone, technical discussions, and in-person interviews. Veterans Experience Office may also utilize observational techniques to collect this information.

Collections will be targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future. For the purposes of this request, "customers" are individuals, businesses, and organizations that interact with a Federal Government agency or program, either directly or via a Federal contractor. This could include individuals or households; businesses or other for-profit organizations; not-for-profit institutions; State, local or tribal governments; Federal government; and Universities.

Affected Public: Individuals.

Estimated Annual Burden: 625,000.

Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: Varied, dependent upon the data collection method used. The possible response time to complete a questionnaire or survey may be 2 minutes or up to 2 hours to participate in an interview.

Estimated Average Cost Per Respondent: 0.

Frequency of Response: Varied, dependent upon the data collection method used.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,500,000.

By direction of the Secretary:

Danny S. Green,

Interim VA Clearance Officer,

Office of Quality, Privacy and Risk,

Department of Veterans Affairs.

BILLING CODE 8320-01-P

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