2018-00612. Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request; Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies Evaluation-Extension

Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is proposing the extension without changes to an existing data collection activity as part of the Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies Evaluation. The JSA evaluation will aim to determine which JSA strategies are most effective in moving TANF applicants and recipients into work and will produce impact and implementation findings. To date, the study has randomly assigned individuals to contrasting JSA approaches. The study will next compare participant employment and earnings to determine the relative effectiveness of these strategies. The project will also report on the implementation of these strategies, including measures of services participants receive under each approach, as well as provide operational lessons gathered directly from practitioners.

Data collection efforts previously approved for JSA, include: Data collection activities to document program implementation, a staff survey, a baseline information form for program participants, and a follow-up survey for JSA participants approximately 6 months after program enrollment. Approval for these activities expires on February 28, 2018.

This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on the extension of the 6-month follow-up survey to allow follow-up data to be collected for all study participants. Although the enrollment period was originally estimated to span 12 months, it took 18 months to complete enrollment, leaving insufficient time to complete the 6-month follow-up survey. A four-month extension is requested in order to allow individuals randomly assigned between June and August 2017 to complete the follow-up survey in the same timeframe as earlier enrollees. The purpose of the survey is to follow-up with study participants and document their job search assistance services and experiences including their receipt of job search assistance services, their knowledge and skills for conducting a job search, the nature of their job search process, including tools and services used to locate employment, and their search outputs and outcomes, such as the number of applications submitted, interviews attended, offers received and jobs obtained. In addition, the survey will provide an opportunity for respondents to provide contact data for possible longer-term follow-up. There are no changes to the currently approved instruments.

Respondents: JSA study participants.

Annual Burden Estimates

This extension is specific to the 6-month survey and covers the remaining 766 participants that may be completing the six-month follow up survey during the four-month extension period. All other information collection under 0970-0440 will be complete by the original OMB expiration date of February 28, 2018.

Instrument	Total/annual number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Annual burden hours
Extension of Previously Approved Information Collection
6-Month Follow-Up Survey	766	1	.333	255

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 255.

In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above. Copies of the proposed collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. Email address: [e-mail]. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection.

The Department specifically requests comments on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted within 60 days of this publication.

Mary Jones,

ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.