[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 176 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47874-47875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24059]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
[OMB Control No. 2900-0571]
Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995
(44 U.S.C., 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the National
Cemetery System (NCS), Office of Management (OM), and Office of
Inspector General (IG), Department of Veterans Affairs, have 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; it includes the actual data collection instrument. In
addition, OMB is being requested to:
a. Grant the NCS, OM, and IG a 3-year generic clearance approval
authority.
b. Allow the NCS, OM, and IG to establish a maximum number of
annual burden hours against which burden will be charged for each
survey actually used.
c. Allow for the submission of a summary of objectives, specific
burden estimates, and all final or near final survey instruments
covered by the generic clearance for inclusion in the OMB public docket
prior to their use.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 14, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF THE SUBMISSION CONTACT: Ron
Taylor, Information Management Service (045A4), Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273-8015
or FAX (202) 273-5981. Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0571.''
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Generic Clearance for the National Cemetery System, Office
of Management, and Office of Inspector General Customer Satisfaction
Surveys.
OMB Control Number: 2900-0571.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Abstract: 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. The NCS,
OM, and IG use the customer satisfaction surveys to evaluate customer
services as well as customer expectations and desires. The results of
this information collection lead to improvements in the quality of the
NCS, OM, and IG service delivery by helping to shape the direction and
focus of specific services.
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 June 18, 1997 at pages 33153-33155.
Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit.
Listing of Survey Activities: The following list of activities is a
compendium of customer satisfaction survey plans by the NCS, OM, and
IG. The actual conduct of any particular activity listed could be
affected by circumstances. A change in, or refinement of, our focus in
a specific area, as well as resource constraints could require deletion
or substitution of any listed item. If these organizations substitutes
or proposes to add a new activity that falls under the umbrella of this
generic approval, including those activities that are currently in a
planning stage, OMB will be notified and will be furnished a copy of
pertinent materials, a description of the activity and number of burden
hours involved. The NCS, OM, and IG will conduct periodic reviews of
ongoing survey activities to ensure that they comply with the PRA.
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Estimated
Year Number of annual burden Frequency
respondents (hours)
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National Cemetery System Focus Groups with Next of Kin (10 participants per group/3 hours each session)
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1998................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
1999................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
2000................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
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National Cemetery System Focus Groups with Funeral Directors (10 participants per group/3 hours each session)
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1998................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
1999................................... 150 450 15 groups annually
2000................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
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National Cemetery System Focus Groups with Veterans Service Organizations (10 participants per group/3 hours
each session)
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1998................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
1999................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
2000................................... 150 450 15 groups annually.
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National Cemetery System Focus Groups with State Veterans Officers (10 participants per group/3 hours each
session)
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1998................................... 20 60 2 groups annually.
1999................................... 20 60 2 groups annually.
2000................................... 20 60 2 groups annually.
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National Cemetery System Visitor Comments Cards
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1998................................... 2,500 420 Twice annually.
1999................................... 2,500 420 Twice annually.
[[Page 47875]]
2000................................... 2,500 420 Twice annually.
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National Cemetery System Next of Kin National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Telephone)
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1998................................... 1,500 750 Annually.
1999................................... 1,500 750 Annually.
2000................................... 1,500 750 Annually.
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National Cemetery System Potential Customers National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Telephone)
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1998................................... 1,500 750 Annually.
1999................................... 1,500 750 Annually.
2000................................... 1,500 750 Annually.
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National Cemetery System Program/Specialized Service Survey (Telephone)
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1998................................... 1,000 250 Annually.
1999................................... 1,000 250 Annually.
2000................................... 1,000 250 Annually.
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Office of Management Accountability Report Pilot Evaluation Form
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1998................................... 550 138 Annually.
1999................................... 550 138 Annually.
2000................................... 550 138 Annually.
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Office of Inspector General Patient Questionnaire
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1998................................... 1,200 200 Annually.
1999................................... 1,200 200 Annually.
2000................................... 1,200 200 Annually.
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Most customer satisfaction surveys will be recurring so that the
NCS, OM, and IG 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 the
organization's performance. The NCS expects to conduct 47 focus groups
annually involving a total of 1,410 hours during the approval period.
In addition, the NCS expects to conduct telephone surveys with a total
annual burden of 1,750 hours. The NCS, OM, and IG will distribute
written surveys with a total annual burden of 758 hours.
The areas of concern to the NCS, OM, and IG and their customers may
change over time, and it is important to have the ability to evaluate
customer concerns quickly. Participation in the surveys and focus
groups 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. The NCS, OM, and IG will consult with OMB
regarding each specific information collection during this approval
period.
Send comments and recommendations concerning any aspect of the
information collection to VA's OMB Desk Officer, Allison Eydt, OMB
Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room
10235, Washington, DC 20503 (202) 395-4650. Please refer to ``OMB
Control No. 2900-0571'' in any correspondence.
Dated: August 20, 1997.
By direction of the Secretary.
Donald L. Neilson,
Director, Information Management Service.
[FR Doc. 97-24059 Filed 9-10-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
