ICR A11 Section 280 Clearance - DEEOIC Focus Groups 2023-2024

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for Improving Customer Experience: OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation”

(OMB Control Number: 1225-0093)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Focus groups for collecting customer feedback for Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC)

PURPOSE OF COLLECTION: Focus groups to gather feedback from claimants under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. Soliciting feedback on what the program does well, if there are any areas for improvement, and an overall idea of how well we serve our stakeholders in this area. We will use the information to improve our claimants’ experiences and identify potential areas for improvement and/or training. Additionally, information collecting in these focus groups will be used to inform a journey mapping project.

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: (Check one)

[ X ] Customer Research (Interview, Focus Groups)

[ ] Customer Feedback Survey

[ ] User Testing

ACTIVITY DETAILS

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
   
   

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ X ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Who will you collect the information from?

DEEOIC will conduct 2 focus groups at 5 outreach events. Four of the outreach events (8 total focus groups) will include Employee and Survivor-Claimants and one event (2 total focus groups) will be specifically for Authorized Representatives. The focus groups participants will be DEEOIC stakeholders who have experience with the program. These customers will be invited to the outreach event with the option to participate in a focus group.

3. How will you ask a respondent to provide this information?

Verbally, in a group discussion.

4. What will the activity look like?

Each focus group will be limited to 12 people and last approximately 60 minutes. A moderator will guide the group through a guided discussion and an assistant moderator will take notes. The purpose of the session is twofold; one as part of on-going customer feedback collection efforts and two to inform journey mapping project.

5. Please provide your question list.

1. Please discuss pain points and bright spots related to: Filing a claim.
   
   

2. Please discuss pain points and bright spots related to:
   The process leading to a decision on your claim.
   
   

3. Please discuss pain points and bright spots related to: Receiving a decision and what follows.
   
   

4. What changes could DEEOIC make to improve the experience of future claimants? 

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Script/prompt language attached.

6. When will the activity happen?

DEEOIC will conduct focus groups beginning in February 2023 and continuing through Fiscal Year 2024.

7. Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants?

[ ] Yes [ X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
Stakeholders (12 participants in a total of 10 Focus Groups)	120	60 minutes	120
Totals			120

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collections are voluntary;

2. The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;

3. The collections are non-controversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies;

4. Any collection is 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;

5. Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained;

6. Information gathered is intended to be used for general service improvement and program management purposes

7. Upon agreement between OMB and the agency aggregated data may be released as part of A-11, Section 280 requirements only on performance.gov. Summaries of customer research and user testing activities may be included in public-facing customer journey maps.

8. Additional release of data will be coordinated with OMB.

Name: Charles Bogino

All instruments used to collect information must include:

OMB Control No. 1225-0093

Expiration Date: 02/29/2024

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