2011-24472. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Federal Employees Compensation Act Medical Report Forms, Claim for Compensation

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, “Federal Employees Compensation Act Medical Report Forms, Claim for Compensation,” as revised, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for use in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

DATES:

Submit comments on or before October 24, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained from the RegInfo.gov Web site, http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain,, on the day following publication of this notice or by contacting Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or sending an e-mail to [e-mail].

Submit comments about this request to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Department of Labor, Office of Worker Compensation Programs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Telephone: [phone]/Fax: [phone] (these are not toll-free numbers), e-mail: [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or by e-mail at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The OWCP administers the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq. The statute provides for the payment of benefits for wage loss and/or for permanent impairment to a scheduled member, arising out of a work related injury or disease. The FECA outlines the elements of pay which are to be included in an individual's pay rate, and sets forth various other criteria for determining eligibility to and the amount of benefits, including: Augmentation of basic compensation for individuals with qualifying dependents; a requirement to report any earnings during a period that compensation is claimed; a prohibition against concurrent receipt of FECA benefits and benefits from Office of Personnel Management or certain Veterans Administration benefits; a mandate that money collected from a liable third party found responsible for the injury for which compensation has been paid is applied to benefits paid or payable. Forms CA-7, CA-16, CA-17, CA-20, CA-1331, CA-1332, OWCP-5A, OWCP-5B, and OWCP-5C are used for filing claims for wage loss or permanent impairment due to a Federal employment-related injury and to obtain necessary medical documentation to determine whether a claimant is entitled to benefits under the FECA.

This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if the collection of information does not display a valid OMB Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection under OMB Control Number 1240-0046. The current OMB approval is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2011; however, it should be noted that existing information collection requirements submitted to the OMB receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review. For additional information, see the related notice published in the Federal Register on May 18, 2011 (76 FR 28818).

Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section within 30 days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate consideration, comments should reference OMB Control Number 1240-0046. The OMB is particularly interested in comments that:

• Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 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;
• Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
• 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 submission of responses.

Agency: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.

Title of Collection: Federal Employees Compensation Act Medical Report Forms, Claim for Compensation.

OMB Control Number: 1240-0046.

Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 232,853.

Total Estimated Number of Responses: 232,853.

Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 21,212.

Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $109,441.

Dated: September 19, 2011.

Michel Smyth,

Departmental Clearance Officer.