05-4526. 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 includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before April 8, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Denise McLamb, Records Management Service (005E3), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., or e-mail [e-mail]. Please refer to “OMB Control No. 2900-0355.”

Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the information collection 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. 2900-0355” in any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Verification of Pursuit of Course (Leading to a Standard College Degree Under Chapters 32, 34, and 35, Title 38, U.S.C., and section 903 of Public Law 96-342), VA Form 22-6553.

OMB Control Number: 2900-0355.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: VA Form 22-6553 is used to verify continued enrollment or report changes in enrollment status of claimants receiving educational benefits in pursuit of a college course. Schools are required to report to VA, when a claimant fails to enroll, has interrupted or terminated a program, or has unsatisfactory progress or conduct. VA uses the information from the current collection to ensure that schools promptly report changes in training and if a claimant's education benefits are to be continued unchanged, increased, decreased, or terminated.

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 17, 2004 at page 67386.

Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal Governments and Not-for-profit Institutions.

Estimated Annual Burden: 14,000 hours.

Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: 10 minutes.

Estimated Number of Respondents: The number of respondents is arrived at based on the average number of educational institutions using VA Form 22-6553 which had veterans or eligible persons enrolled during the last 12 months, and a projected number of trainees. VA currently has an average of 6,000 active educational institutions (colleges, universities, or other institutions of higher learning).

Estimated Number of Response: The frequency of responses for each educational institution will vary according to the number of students who receive VA education benefits at that school. VA estimates an annual average of 14 responses per educational institution. The total annual number of response is 84,000.

Dated: February 22, 2005.

By direction of the Secretary.

Loise Russell,

Director, Records Management Service.