E6-22656. Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY:

Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-21), this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs, has submitted the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before February 7, 2007.

ADDRESSES:

Submit written comments on the collection of information through www.Regulations.gov; or to VA's OMB Desk Officer, OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, [phone]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0569” in any correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF THE SUBMISSION CONTACT:

Denise McLamb, Initiative Coordination Service (005G1), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420, [phone], FAX [phone] or e-mail: [e-mail]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0569.”

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: VA Voluntary Customer Surveys to Implement E.O. 12862.

OMB Control Number: 2900-0569.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: VBA administers integrated programs of benefits and services, established by law for veterans and their survivors, and service personnel. Executive Order 12862, Setting Customer Service Standards, requires Federal agencies and departments to identify and survey its customers to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing service. Customer satisfaction surveys are used to gauge customer perceptions of VA services as well as customer expectations and desires.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on November 1, 2006, at pages 64335-64338.

Affected Public: Individuals or households and businesses or other for-profits.

Listing of Survey Activities

Year	Number of respondents	Estimated annual burden	Frequency of response (hours)
Survey of Veterans' Satisfaction With the VA Compensation and Pension Claims Process—20 Minutes
2007	24,000	8,000	One-time.
2008	24,000	8,000	One-time.
2009	24,000	8,000	One-time.
Survey of Veterans'/Dependents' and Servicemembers' Satisfaction With the VA Education Claims Process—20 Minutes
2007	2,968	989	One-time.
2008	2,968	989	One-time.
2009	2,968	989	One-time.
Survey of Educational Institution Certifying Officials—20 Minutes
2007	1,000	333	One-time.
2008	1,000	333	One-time.
2009	1,000	333	One-time.
Survey of Veterans' Satisfaction With the VA Home Loan Guaranty Process—10 Minutes
2007	7,560	1,260	One-time.
2008	7,560	1,260	One-time.
2009	7,560	1,260	One-time.
VA Loan Guaranty Lender Satisfaction Survey—20 Minutes
2007	1,992	498	One-time.
2008	1,992	498	One-time
2009	1,992	498	One-time.
VA Survey of Veterans' Satisfaction With the Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Program—20 Minutes
2007	3,300	1,100	One-time.
2008	3,300	1,100	One-time.
2009	3,300	1,100	One-time.
Insurance Customer Surveys—6 Minutes
2007	2,800	280	One-time.
2008	2,800	280	One-time.
2009	2,800	280	One-time.
Outreach Surveys—15 Minutes
2007	4,500	1,125	One-time.
2008	4,500	1,125	One-time.
2009	4,500	1,125	One-time.
Undetermined Focus Groups (Targeted population groups are to be decided)—2 Hours
2007	380	760	One-time.
2008	380	760	One-time.
2009	380	760	One-time.
Telephone Survey—7 Minutes
2007	6,400	747	One-time.
2008	6,400	747	One-time.
2009	6,400	747	One-time.

VA Regional Office-Based Survey Activities

Year	Number of respondents	Estimated annual burden (hours)	Frequency of response
Customer Satisfaction Focus Groups—3 Hours
2007	360	1,080	One-time.
2008	360	1,080	One-time.
2009	360	1,080	One-time.
VA Regional Office-Specific Service Improvement Initiatives (Comment Card)—5 Minutes
2007	40,000	3,333	One-time.
2008	40,000	3,333	One-time.
2009	40,000	3,333	One-time.

Most customer satisfaction surveys will be recurring so that VBA can create ongoing measures of performance and to determine how well the agency meets customer service standards. Each collection of information will consist of the minimum amount of information necessary to determine customer needs and to evaluate VBA's performance.

Anyone may view the results of previously administered surveys on the internet by going to the following VBA surveys Web site: http://www.vba.va.gov/​surveys/​.

The areas of concern to VBA and its customers may change over time, and it is important to have the ability to evaluate customer concerns quickly. OMB will be requested to grant generic clearance approval for a 3-year period to conduct customer satisfaction surveys, focus groups and to send out comment cards. Participation in the surveys, focus groups, and comment cards will be voluntary and the generic clearance will not be used to collect information required to obtain or maintain eligibility for a VA program or benefit. In order to maximize the voluntary response rates, the information collection will be designed to make participation convenient, simple, and free of unnecessary barriers. Baseline data obtained through these information collections will be used to improve customer service standards. VBA will consult with OMB regarding each specific information collection during this approval period.

Dated: December 26, 2006.

By direction of the Secretary.

Denise McLamb,

Program Analyst, Initiative Coordination Service.