Change Memo

DATE: September 1, 2021

TO: Lindsay Abate

Office of Management and Budget Desk Officer

THROUGH: Strategic Collections and Clearance

Governance and Strategy Division

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

FROM: Corinne Weidenthal

Service Programs Unit Chief

Rehabilitation Services Administration

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

SUBJECT: Change request for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Program Information Collection (OMB control # 1820-0655)

DISCUSSION:

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) requests a change to an information collection instrument for which approval expires on January 31, 2024. The current information collection instrument is a web-based annual performance report (APR) that is completed by grantees funded under the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) program, authorized under Section 121 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act) (Public Law 114-95). The change eliminates the use of the web-based platform, and the costs associated in maintaining that platform, and allow grantees to submit the APR, in an MS Word, locked, and fillable form, directly via email to RSA staff.

This minor change in the information collection, for which RSA is requesting approval, is designed to fulfill the requirements and needs for the AIVRS program while eliminating the use of a web-based platform. The data collection form contains a locked and fillable Microsoft Word version of the APR. The new form improves user friendliness by eliminating the need for grantees to log into a web-based platform to complete and submit an APR and allows grantees to submit the form directly via email to the RSA staff.

Submitting the APR via email significantly reduces grantee burden in the following ways:

1. There are 86 grantees currently funded under the AIVRS program. Based on current reporting data, the 86 grantees need an estimated 9.0 hours to complete the APR for an aggregate total annual burden of 774 hours. This is a decrease of 43 hours. The decrease in response burden hours is due to the following: 1) Grantees will receive the locked and fillable MS Word APR directly from RSA staff via email; 2) Grantees will not be required to register and log into a web-based platform; and 3) Grantees will be able to email completed APRs directly to RSA staff.

2. The minor change described above demonstrate a reduction in response hours and cost per respondent. Therefore, the estimated annual cost for 86 AIVRS grantees responding to the information collection form results in an annual cost of $44,628.84, which is a reduction of $10,841.841.16.

Further information is provided in number 12 in the attached Supporting Statement.

Attachments:

Fillable Annual Performance Report

OMB 83-C/Change Worksheet

Part II Information Collection Detail

Supporting Statement