[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9131-9132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4513]
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CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Corporation for National and Community Service
(hereinafter the ``Corporation''), as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. Sec. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps
to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirement on respondents can be properly assessed. Copies
of the proposed information collection request may be obtained by
contacting the office listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
Currently, the Corporation is soliciting comments concerning its
proposed request for approval of a proposed new information collection
regarding the internal clearance of a series of customer satisfaction
surveys and community impact surveys. We are asking for this clearance
under the requirements of Presidential Executive Order 12862 ``Setting
Customer Service Standards'' and those of the Government Performance
and Results Act of 1993.
The Corporation is particularly interested in comments which:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the
Corporation, including whether the information will have practical
utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
Propose ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity
of the information to be collected; and
Propose ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submissions of responses.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section by April 26, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Corporation for National and Community
Service, Attn. William Ward, Office of Policy Research, 9th Floor, 1201
New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20525.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Ward (202) 606-5000, ext. 375.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corporation's annual performance plans
for fiscal year 1999 and 2000 set performance goals for AmeriCorps,
Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior Service Corps.
Included in the plans for each program are two types of customer
surveys. One type is the customer satisfaction survey. Our Fiscal 2000
Performance Plan provides this description:
Customer Satisfaction Surveys. The Corporation's programs have
many customers: program participants, grantees, community residents
receiving services, local and state governments, and others.
Gathering their perspectives on how well the Corporation is meeting
their needs is an essential part of its commitment to continuous
quality improvement. Targeted customer satisfaction surveys will be
conducted annually, emphasizing how well the Corporation goes about
its business of serving direct customers: the grantees and program
participants.
The information from these surveys will be used to refine and
improve the management of our programs so that we can better serve our
grantees, subgrantees, and the participants in the service programs
they operate. Moreover, we will be reporting each year to Congress, the
results of these surveys as part of our annual performance report. The
Corporation's annual performance plan includes specific measures
derived from the proposed customer satisfaction surveys. Here are two
examples of performance measures from our Fiscal 2000 Performance Plan:
Percent of AmeriCorps*State and National members rating
program as offering a successful service experience.
Percent of AmeriCorps*State and National partners,
including grantees, subgrantees, and host organizations reporting that
the Corporation practices effective government.
The second type of customer survey covered under this request for
clearance is the community impact rating survey. The Fiscal 2000
Performance Plan provides this description:
Community Impact Ratings. This method assesses the impact of
national service programs on the communities and organizations in
which members serve. This assessment, or rating, consists of a
survey of important community representatives. These informants
should have first-hand knowledge of the quality and impact of the
service work performed by members of national service programs. Each
local program nominates a small number of community representatives.
These representatives are not employees of the grantee or the local
program. They could be professionals working in the same setting as
national service participants. The local program will have the
option of referring to a list of typical community institutions
suggested by the Corporation they should try to include in their
roster of nominees. The Corporation would build a roster from the
list of nominees.
Some examples of performance measures derived from impact ratings
included in our Performance Plans are:
Percent of community representatives with direct and
informed knowledge of service activities rating AmeriCorps*VISTA
programs as highly successful in meeting critical community needs.
Percent of community representatives reporting positive
perceptions of benefits provided by AmeriCorps programs. These benefits
will include increases in community collaboration, mobilization of
volunteers, and local service capacity.
Copies of the Corporation's Fiscal 2000 Performance Plan can be
obtained in one of two ways. First, it will be available on the
Corporation's Internet web page March 1, 1999 at: http://
www.nationalservice.org. Second, a copy can be obtained by contacting
the office in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
Background
There are two requirements driving this request for generic
clearance of customer surveys by the Corporation. First, Executive
Order 12862 (9/11/93) ``Setting Customer Service Standards'' requires
agencies to ``survey customers to determine the kind and quality of
services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing
services.'' Second, our Fiscal 1999 and Fiscal 2000 Performance Plans,
under the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of
1993, set performance goals in the areas of customer satisfaction and
community impact for every program activity we offer.
Current Action
The Corporation is seeking approval to conduct a series of customer
surveys under an internal clearance process requiring no more than 10
days. These
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surveys are required to fulfill the above stated requirements. Over the
course of the next several months, we will be designing and
implementing customer satisfaction surveys and community impact rating
surveys for each of our program activities. These include: AmeriCorps
(State and National, VISTA, and the National Civilian Community Corps),
Learn and Serve America (K-12, Higher Education, and Community-based
programs) and the National Senior Service Corps (Retired and Senior
Volunteer Program, Foster Grandparent Program, and the Senior Companion
Program). The results of these surveys will be reported in our annual
performance reports to Congress, beginning in March 2000.
Type of Review: New approval.
AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.
Title: Generic Customer Survey Clearance Request.
OMB Number: None.
Agency Number: None.
Affected Public: Current and future grantees and subgrantees of the
Corporation, members of the service programs operated by these grantees
and subgrantees, and members of the communities receiving services from
these service programs.
Total Respondents: Not available.
Frequency: Annually.
Average Time Per Response: 30 min.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: Not available.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): Not available.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): None.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a
matter of public record.
Dated: February 18, 1999.
Thomas L. Bryant,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 99-4513 Filed 2-23-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050-28-U
