Appendix B: Assumptions for Calculations of Burden Estimates

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This appendix details the assumptions used for the calculation of burden estimates for each instrument covered by the request for revision of OMB #0970-0566 (expiration 03/31/2027). The assumptions are based on the 109 grants that were awarded in the 2025 HMRF cohort1. Based on the applications of the 2025 cohort grant recipients, estimated annual enrollment is 45,000 clients per year. 
Sections 1 through 5 detail the assumptions used for each activity covered by this renewal request. The assumptions in sections 1 through 5 are summarized below in Table C.1; this table is also presented in Supporting Statement A, A.12 Burden. The estimated total annual burden during the three-year revision period is 45,122 hours, and the total annual respondent cost is $1,202,297.84.
Table C.1 Estimates of hourly burden and costs
Instrument
Respondent
No. of Respondents (total over request period)
No. of Responses per Respondent (total over request period)
Avg. Burden per Response (in hours)



Total burden (in hours)
Annual Burden (in hours)
Average Hourly Wage Rate
Total Annual Respondent Cost
1: Program Application and Enrollment
Program staff
(1a: application form)
327
413
0.10
13,505
4,502
$71.82
$323,333.64

Program staff
(1b: entrance survey data entry)
218
124
0.10
2,703
901
$40.44
$36,436.44

Program applicants
(1b: entrance survey)
135,000
1
0.34
45,900
15,300
$7.25
$110,925
2:  Program Operations
Program staff
109
3
0.32
105
35
$82.78
$2,897.30
3:  Service Delivery Data
Program staff (data entry)
1,635
78
0.36
45,911
15,304
$40.44
$618,893.76
4: Exit Surveys
Participants 
87,561
1
0.28
24,516
8,172
$7.25
$59,247

Program staff
(exit survey data entry)
218
80
0.10
1,744
581
$40.44
$23,495.64
5:  Annual Performance Progress Report (PPR)
Program staff
109
3
3
981
327
$82.78
$27,069.06
Total





45,122

$1,202,297.84

    1. Program Application and Enrollment
For the 2020 cohort, grant staff completed an application in nFORM for each applicant to the program, when they were ready to enroll. Applicants then completed enrollment by self-administering a web-based applicant characteristics survey followed by an entrance survey. ACF has updated the intake process for the 2025 cohort for both grant staff and program applicants. Specifically, grant staff will have the option of capturing data on the nFORM application form while recruiting potential applicants to the program (before enrollment). In addition, applicants will complete enrollment by self-administering a web-based entrance survey tailored to the program in which they are enrolling; the separate applicant characteristics survey has been eliminated. 
Burden for program staff. We maintain the current assumption that three staff per grant recipient conduct intake (327 staff in total across 109 grant recipients). With a total of 45,000 intakes annually, each of the 327 staff members will conduct an average of 137.6 intakes annually (averaging 413 intakes across three years). We retain the approved assumption of 6 minutes (0.1 hours) to complete the application in nFORM and enroll each individual applicant (as well as each individual member of a couple who applies to couples-based programs), such as screening for intimate partner violence and collecting contact information. The total burden for program staff to enroll individuals into HMRF programs is thus 13,505 hours (327 * 413 * 0.1), and 4,502 annual hours. 
With an estimated annual burden of 4,502 hours for program staff, the estimated total annualized cost equals $323,333.64 using an hourly rate of $71.82 obtained from May 2024 National OES data (the most recent available) for social workers (OES 21-1029)2.
Based on trends to date, grant recipient staff may need to administer about 20 percent of the entrance surveys on paper or by phone and then data enter the responses into nFORM. This results in data entry for 9,000 surveys (45,000 * 0.20) per year, or 27,000 entrance surveys across the three year revision period. We retain our current assumption that the data entry process takes 6 minutes (0.1 hours) per survey. 
We continue to assume that each grant recipient will have two data entry staff assigned to this task, totaling 218 staff across 109 grant recipients. Each of these staff would data enter an average of 124 entrance surveys (27,000 surveys / 218 staff) across three years, or 41 surveys per year. Thus, the total burden for data entering entrance surveys is 2,703 hours (218 staff * 124 surveys * 0.1 hours) across the 109 grant recipients for the three-year revision period (901 hours per year).
With 901 estimated annual burden hours, estimated annualized costs equal $36,436.44 using an average hourly wage of $40.44 obtained from May 2024 National OES data (the most recent available) for Data Entry Keyers (OES 43-9021). 
Burden for program applicants. As described above, enrollment for the 2025 cohort will occur upon completion of the entrance survey. ACF has updated the entrance surveys for the 2025 cohort to incorporate applicant characteristics questions, remove or revise existing questions, and add new questions related to program objectives. With these changes, the entrance surveys for the 2025 cohort are approximately 80 percent as long as the 2020 cohort entrance surveys. (The applicant characteristics survey completed by the 2020 cohort at enrollment, and the 0.25 hours per response associated with it, has been completely eliminated for the 2025 cohort.)  A recent analysis indicated that average response times for 2020 cohort entrance surveys for both English and Spanish versions of the survey were well within the 25 minute (0.42 hours) estimate for the 2020 cohort, with variation by program type. To reflect the reduced length of the 2025 cohort entrance surveys, we use a burden estimate of 0.34 hours per response (80 percent of the 2020 cohort response time estimate).
The total burden for applicants to enroll into HMRF programs for the three-year revision period is thus 45,900 hours (0.34 * 135,000) and the annual burden is 15,300 hours (0.34 * 45,000). The estimated annualized cost is $110,925 using the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
    2. Program Operations
Burden for program staff. Grant recipients are required to complete a program operations survey to report performance in three operational areas: (1) mass marketing, outreach, and recruitment; (2) quality assurance and monitoring (staff training, staff supervision, and continuous quality improvement); and (3) implementation challenges. The 2020 cohort was required to complete this survey on a quarterly basis; ACF will reduce burden on grant recipients in the 2025 cohort by requiring survey completion on an annual basis instead. 
The 2025 cohort program operations survey includes fewer questions than the 2020 cohort survey, but requires more detailed responses. Thus, we maintain the assumption that one staff person per grant recipient enters these data, and that each response will take an average of 0.32 hours, or 19 minutes per response. A recent review of survey response times confirmed this estimate.
The estimated burden for program staff over the three year revision period is therefore 105 hours (109 respondents * 0.32 hours per annual response * 3 responses), or 35 annual hours. The estimated total annualized cost equals $2,897.30 using an average hourly rate of $82.78 obtained from May 2024 National OES data (the most recent available) for Social and Community Service Managers (OES 11-9151).
    3. Service Delivery Data 
Burden for program staff. Staff from all grant recipients document service delivery in nFORM. A recent analysis of service delivery through grant year 4 of the 2020 cohort indicated that about 94 percent of enrolled clients receive program services. This aligns with prior estimates for OMB #0970-0566 for RF clients and HM clients. Using the annual enrollment estimates outlined in Section 1 above, we estimate that 42,300 enrollees (45,000 * 0.94) will participate in program services each year. 
While the amount of service information recorded for each participant varies, a recent analysis found that the median length of service delivery from enrollment to program completion across all program clients in the 2020 cohort was approximately 7.5 weeks. ACF has updated the service delivery process for the 2025 cohort to give grant staff the option of capturing services in nFORM while recruiting potential applicants to the program (before enrollment). With the option to enter service data prior to enrollment, we estimate that weekly service data entry from initial outreach to program completion may extend for up to 11 weeks. Assuming each data entry will take 2 minutes (0.033 hours), it will take 0.36 hours (11 x 0.033 hours) for grant recipient staff to enter each participant’s service data annually.
We maintain the assumption that up to 15 staff at each grant recipient (1,635 total across 109 grant recipients) will have the ability to enter these data, based on the average number of staff at each grant recipient who can update client records. Each of these staff may enter service data for 26 clients per year on average (42,300 / 1,635), or 78 clients across the three-year period. Thus, the total burden for entering individual-level service delivery data is 45,911 hours (1,635 staff * 78 clients * 0.36 hours) across the 109 grant recipients for the three-year revision period (15,304 hours per year).
With an estimated 15,304 annual burden hours for entering individual-level service data, we estimate total annualized costs of $618,893.76 using an hourly rate of $40.44 obtained from May 2024 National OES data (the most recent available) for Data Entry Keyers (OES 43-9021). 
    4.  Exit Surveys
Burden for program clients. Participants will self-administer an exit survey during their last workshop session. As outlined in the assumptions for service delivery in Section 3 above, we estimate that 42,300 program clients each year will receive program services and thus be eligible to take an exit survey. Through grant year 4 of the 2020 cohort, 69 percent of those eligible to take the exit survey chose to do so. Applying this response rate to the estimate of program clients in the 2025 cohort, we assume that 29,187 clients will complete the exit survey each year, or 87,561 across three years. 
As with the entrance surveys, ACF has updated the exit surveys for the 2025 cohort by removing or revising existing questions and adding new questions related to program objectives. These changes reduce the length of the exit survey relative to the entrance survey for the 2025 cohort; by comparison, the 2020 cohort exit surveys included more questions than entrance surveys and required more time to complete on average, based on a recent analysis of exit survey response times. Specifically, the exit survey is now almost 20 percent shorter than the entrance survey.
We thus use a burden estimate of 0.28 hours for the exit survey. At 0.28 hours per exit survey response, the estimated burden for clients is 8,172 hours per year (29,187 * 0.28), or 24,516 hours across the three year revision period. With the federal minimum wage of $7.25, this equals $59,247 per year. 
Burden for program staff. Based on trends to date, grant recipient staff may need to administer about 20 percent of the client surveys on paper or by phone and then data enter the responses into nFORM. Using the exit survey completion assumptions above, this results in data entry for 5,837 surveys (29,187 * 0.20) per year, or 17,511 exit surveys across the three year revision period. We retain our current assumption that the data entry process takes 6 minutes (0.1 hours) per survey. 
We maintain the assumption that each grant recipient will have two data entry staff assigned to this task, totaling 218 staff across 109 grant recipients. Each of these staff would data enter an average of 80 exit surveys (17,511 surveys / 218 staff) across three years. Thus, the total burden for data entering exit surveys is 1,744 hours (218 staff * 80 surveys * 0.1 hours) across the 109 grant recipients for the three-year revision period (581 hours per year).
With 581 estimated annual burden hours, estimated annualized costs equal $23,495.64 using an average hourly wage of $40.44 obtained from May 2024 National OES data (the most recent available) for Data Entry Keyers (OES 43-9021).  
    5.  Semi-annual Performance Progress Report (PPR) 
		ACF has streamlined the reporting process for the 2025 cohort by eliminating the current requirement that program staff complete performance reports after the first, second, and third quarters of each grant year. The existing requirement to complete performance program reports (PPRs) after the fourth quarter of each grant year has been retained.
		Burden for program staff. Grant recipients in the 2025 cohort will provide narrative updates on activities, accomplishments, and challenges, and discuss their performance measures in the annual PPR. The quantitative performance measures will be generated by nFORM. We maintain the assumption that one staff person per grant recipient will require an average of 3 hours to review and interpret the performance measures and prepare the narrative components of the report. The estimated annual burden is thus 327 hours (3 hours per grant recipient * 109 grant recipients) and estimated total burden is 981 hours (327 hours per year * 3 years). 
	This equals total annualized costs of $27,069.06 using an hourly rate of $82.78 obtained from May 2024 National OES data (the most recent available) for Social and Community Service Managers (OES 11-9151).