2021203 CPO IO Childcare Benefit Forms Supporting Statement A

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1. Need for Information Collection

The Corporation for National and Community Service, doing business as AmeriCorps (AmeriCorps), awards grants to states, institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, Indian tribes, and U.S. Territories to operate AmeriCorps State, AmeriCorps National, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps VISTA, Social Innovation Fund and Senior Corps programs. This information collection comprises the questions applicants answer to apply for and receive childcare benefits.

A2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

Applicants respond to the questions included in these forms in order to apply for and receive the childcare benefit. Through a contractor, AmeriCorps will use the information collection to determine member and provider eligibility for the childcare benefit and to determine the amount to be paid throughout the member’s term of service.

 

 A3. Minimize Burden: Use of Improved Technology to Reduce Burden

AmeriCorps will be eliciting and accepting these forms electronically via the contractor’s secure website. If applicants are unable to submit the information online, they can use the attached forms and instructions to submit their information by mail or fax.

A4. Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information by which AmeriCorps can meet the purposes described in A2 (above).

 

A5. Minimizing for economic burden for small businesses or other small entities.

This collection of information may impact small businesses if a small business is applying to be a childcare provider for an AmeriCorps member. There is no economic burden to any small businesses beyond the cost of staff time to collect and report the data. This is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information absolutely necessary to assess the business’s eligibility to be a childcare provider and to determine the rate the provider should be paid.

A6. Consequences of the collection if not conducted, conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

 

AmeriCorps would be unable to determine member or provider eligibility to receive the childcare benefit or the appropriate amount to be paid.

A7. Special circumstances that would cause information collection to be collected in a manner requiring respondents to report more often than quarterly; report in fewer than 30 days after receipt of the request; submit more than an original and two copies; retain records for more than three years; and other ways specified in the Instructions focused on statistical methods, confidentially, and proprietary trade secrets.

One of the forms, the AmeriCorps Childcare Attendance Invoice, must be submitted monthly in order to receive monthly benefit payments. For all other forms, there are no special circumstances that would require the collection of information in these ways.

A8. Provide copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the Agency’s notice. Summarize comments received and actions taken in response to comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

The 60-day Notice soliciting comments was published on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, Vol. 86, No. 167. No comments were received.

 

 A9. Payment to Respondents

Childcare providers who respond to this information collection and are then approved receive childcare benefit payments.

  

A10. Assurance of Confidentiality and its basis in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

Your responses to this information collection will be disclosed as appropriate unless prohibited by law.

A11. Sensitive Questions

 

Family income information is collected from AmeriCorps members for purposes of determining their eligibility to receive the childcare benefit. Applicants are informed that “this request is voluntary, but not providing the information will likely affect your ability to received childcare benefits.” Bank account information is collected from childcare providers who choose to receive electronic payments to allow the payments to be transferred.

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

These are the application and invoice forms for AmeriCorps members and childcare providers. We expect no more than 700 AmeriCorps members and 1,400 childcare providers to respond to this information collection. With the exception of the monthly AmeriCorps Childcare Attendance Sheet Invoice, the frequency of response will not be greater than annually and should not exceed 3 hours of effort per respondent. There is no estimated annual hour burden outside of the customary and usual business practices.

 A13. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs

The estimated respondent burdens and labor costs are shown in the following table.

Estimation of Respondent Burden
Number of respondents	700 AmeriCorps members and 1,400 childcare providers
Responses per respondent	1
Number of responses	2,100
Hours per response	0.5
Total estimated hours (number of responses multiplied by hours per response)	1,050
Cost per hour (hourly wage)	$7.57 for AmeriCorps members and $13 for providers
Annual public burden (estimated hours multiplied by cost per hour)	$23,499

Note: The cost per hour is based on the average hourly living allowance earned by AmeriCorps members and an average hourly rate made by childcare providers.

A14. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs

AmeriCorps does not estimate any annual cost burden apart from the hourly burden in Item A13 above.

 

A15. Cost to Government

The cost to the government is approximately $187,000 per year for a contractor to review the forms.

A16. Reasons for program changes

There are no proposed program changes. The information needs to be collected in order to administer the AmeriCorps Childcare Benefit.

 

 A17. Publication of results

Not applicable because the results will not be published. 

 

A18. Explain the reason for seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.

Not applicable.

 

A19. Exceptions to the certification statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

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