Documentation for the Generic Clearance for the Collection of ACL’s Generic Clearance for Qualitative Research & Assessment

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

FOR THE COLLECTION OF ACL’s GENERIC CLEARANCE FOR THE COLLECTION OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH & ASSESSMENT

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Approaching Retirement Life Experience Portfolio: Increasing Access to Decision-Making Support for Older Adults

SUMMARY STATEMENT: The Administration for Community Living (ACL), in support of the broader effort coordinated by the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) to assess customer life experiences, intends to conduct qualitative research to identify areas for improvement to the Approaching Retirement project. This project includes two key elements: Approaching Retirement Federal Resource Guide (FRG) and a supporting Federal Forum on Serving Older Adults (“Federal Forum”).

On December 13th, 2021, President Biden signed E.O. 14058, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, which charges members of the President’s Management Council (PMC) to form interagency teams, coordinated by OMB, to designate and assess cross-agency customer life experiences, work to develop measurable improvements for such customer life experiences that involve multiple agencies, develop prospective plans to rigorously test what works, and share lessons learned across the Federal Government.

The FRG developed by the OMB-led interagency team is intended to help older adults, particularly those with lower incomes or who continue to work into older age to cover their expenses, understand and navigate the interconnections between retirement benefits options, their financial situations, and their health outlooks. ACL has been designated as the agency with primary responsibility for piloting and evaluating the FRG prototype. As such, ACL has initiated a pilot program with community-based organizations (CBOs) who provide counseling and outreach to older people in their communities.

In addition, ACL will host four Federal Forum meetings over the next year to bring together staff from CBOs to learn from federal agencies about a broad range of topics that matter to low-income older adults and those that serve them including: finances, taxes, food, healthcare, housing, transportation, working, and more. The workshops will be facilitated jointly by federal benefit experts from agencies such as the Social Security Administration (SSA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and more. ACL will also evaluate the effectiveness of these sessions.

The data collection associated with this pilot program aims to collect feedback from both CBO staff as well as older people receiving counseling (clients). Specifically, ACL will collect data on the impact of the FRG on clients’ decisions, the effectiveness of the FRG, the efficiencies gained through the use of the FRG, the impact of the FRG on counselee sentiment and staff morale, as well as feedback on the “look and feel” and content of the FRG. The data collection will employ the following qualitative research methods:

• Focus Groups: Focus groups will be held with CBO staff before and after each pilot period. The focus groups will be conducted virtually.

• Client Questionnaire: Questionnaires will be provided to clients following their interaction with the FRG to collect their feedback on the Guide.

• Observations: CBO staff will observe each other’s counseling sessions using an observation checklist.

• Client Interviews: The questionnaire to clients will ask if they are willing to make themselves available for a follow-up interview. These interviews will be conducted virtually with those who volunteer.

In addition, a questionnaire will be distributed to participants of the Federal Forum after each session to evaluate the effectiveness and utility of the sessions.

• Federal Forum Questionnaire: The questionnaire will collect feedback on the effectiveness of each Federal Forum.

The data collection instruments will be streamlined and accessible in order to minimize the burden to the respondents. All data will be confidential and non-attributable and will only be used to make improvements to the format, content, and use of the FRG and the Federal Forum. The findings of the qualitative research will be made available on performance.gov in accordance with the other products and documentation resulting from the interagency Approaching Retirement effort. All limitations on the collected data will be disclosed in the posted report. The information gathered through this data collection will not influence any public policy decisions.

[X] INTERVIEWS

[ ] SMALL DISCUSSION GROUPS

[X] FOCUS GROUPS

[X] QUESTIONNAIRES

[X] OTHER (EXPLAIN: Observations)

DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION

1. Intended purpose: The purpose of this collection is to collect qualitative information to identify emerging issues and research gaps related to the Approaching Retirement Federal Resource Guide (FRG) and the Federal Forum. The FRG will be piloted in two periods: February-April 2023 and July-August 2023. The Federal Forum will be piloted in four sessions over the next year.

2. Need for the collection: The information is needed to ensure the information contained in the FRG is as complete as possible and the format of the FRG is easily accessible for end users. In addition, the Federal Forum evaluation will provide vital information about the utility of these sessions and any improvements needed for future sessions.

3. Planned use of the data: The data will be used internally to ACL to inform the next version of the FRG and the Federal Forum. The information will not influence any public policy decisions.

4. Date(s) and location(s): FRG data will be collected during a training session (January 2024) and during the pilot periods (February-April 2024 and July-August 2024). The first collection will occur through virtual focus groups using a virtual meeting platform. The second and third collections will occur through a questionnaire to be distributed at the CBOs during each of the two pilot periods. Six CBOs have been identified for this data collection across the U.S. (We are in the process of identifying the six CBOs and will have them identified by early December 2023.) The fourth collection will occur through observations of counseling sessions by CBO staff on-site at the identified CBOs. The fifth collection will be through virtual interviews with clients who volunteer for follow up.

Federal Forum data will be collected in a questionnaire distributed to participants electronically after each Federal Forum.

5. Collection procedures: Information will be collected using two methods:

   • Focus Groups: Focus groups will be held with CBO staff before and after each pilot period. The focus groups will be conducted virtually.

   • Questionnaire: Questionnaires will be provided to clients following their interaction with the FRG to collect their feedback on the Guide.

   • Observations: CBO staff will observe each other’s counseling sessions using an observation checklist.

   • Interviews: The questionnaire to clients will ask if they are willing to make themselves available for a follow-up interview. These interviews will be conducted virtually with those who volunteer.

   • Federal Forum Questionnaire: The electronic questionnaire will collect feedback on the effectiveness of each Federal Forum from session participants.

6. Number of collections (e.g., focus groups, surveys, sessions): Four (4) focus groups; NTE 100 Questionnaires/site/period = 600 questionnaires per pilot period = NTE 1,200 questionnaires total; NTE 10 observations/site/period = 60 observations per pilot period = NTE 120 observations total; NTE 2 interviews/site/period = 12 interviews/period = 24 interviews; 30 Federal Forum questionnaires/session = 120 Federal Forum questionnaires total.

7. Description of respondents/participants: Respondents are both CBO staff and clients

8. Description of how results will be used: The results will be used to improve the content and format of the FRG and the Federal Forum.

9. Description of how results will or will not be disseminated and why or why not: Results will be used by ACL and other federal agencies involved in the customer experience project to improve the Approaching Retirement Federal Resource Guide and the Federal Forum. ACL intends to post a written report that summarizes the findings for improvement on performance.gov in accordance with the other products and documentation resulting from the interagency Approaching Retirement effort. All limitations on the collected data will be disclosed in the posted report.

AMOUNT OF ANY PROPOSED STIPEND OR INCENTIVE – NONE

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response or participation time in minutes (/60) = annual burden hours):

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
CBO Staff	18	6.5 hours	117 hours
Clients (Questionnaire)	1,200	.25 hours	300 hours
Clients (Interviews)	24	.50 hours	12 hours
Federal Forum Participants	120	.25 hours	30 hours

BURDEN COST COMPUTATION

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Hourly Rate	Response Time	Total
CBO Staff	18	$25.00	117 hours	$2,925
Clients	1,224	$34.001	312 hours	$10,608
Federal Forum Participants	120	$25.00	30 hours	$750

OTHER SUPPORTING INFORMATION

REQUESTED APPROVAL DATE:

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Maggie Flowers

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 202-795-7315

CENTER/OFFICE/DIVISION: SHIP/MIPPA Program Manager; Office of Healthcare Information and Counseling (OHIC)d

Paperwork Reduction Act Public Burden Statement:

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 5 CFR § 1320.8(b)(3), no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number (OMB 0985-0080).  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time for gathering, maintaining the data needed, completing, and reviewing the collection of information.  The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary under the statutory authority E.O. 14058, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government Information collected is planned for use by ACL to: be used internally to ACL to inform the next version of the Approaching Retirement Federal Resource Guide (FRG) and the Federal Forum. The information will not influence any public policy decisions.  ACL uses information collected to improve the content and format of the FRG and the Federal Forum.  Data will be kept private to the extent allowed by law. There are no assurances of confidentiality.

1 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted; October 2023.

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