2023-21759. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) Program Annual Performance Report

AGENCY:

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved information collection request (ICR).

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 2, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for proposed information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain to access the site. Find this information collection request (ICR) by selecting “Department of Education” under “Currently Under Review,” then check the “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox. Reginfo.gov provides two links to view documents related to this information collection request. Information collection forms and instructions may be found by clicking on the “View Information Collection (IC) List” link. Supporting statements and other supporting documentation may be found by clicking on the “View Supporting Statement and Other Documents” link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Marie Julienne, 202–987–1054.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) Program Annual Performance Report.

OMB Control Number: 1840–0832.

Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved ICR.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, local, and Tribal governments; private sector.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 62.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,054.

Abstract: All Veterans Upward Bound projects must provide instruction in mathematics through pre-calculus, laboratory science, foreign language, composition, and literature. Projects may also provide short-term remedial or refresher courses for veterans who are high school graduates but have delayed pursuing postsecondary education. Projects are also expected to assist veterans in securing support services from other locally available resources such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans' associations, and other state and local agencies that serve veterans.

The Department's annual performance report (APR) for VUB collects each current grantee's data at the participant level on services and performance over the course of a year. The Department uses the information conveyed in the performance report to assess a grantee's progress in meeting its approved goals and objectives and to evaluate a grantee's prior experience in accordance with the program regulations in 34 CFR 645.32. Grantees' annual performance reports also provide information on the outcomes of projects' work and of the VUB program as a whole. In addition, APR data allows the Department to respond to the reporting requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act.

The APR has been updated to include questions related to the Competitive Preference Priorities used in the most recent competition. These questions are not expected to affect the total burden hours per response.

Dated: September 27, 2023.

Kun Mullan,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.