Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0548]

Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Board of Veterans' Appeals, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Board of

Veterans' Appeals (BVA), 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

[[Page 47873]]

expected cost and burden; it includes the actual data collection

instrument. In addition, OMB is being requested to:

a. Grant the BVA a 3-year generic clearance approval authority.

b. Allow the BVA 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. 2900-0548.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Generic Clearance for the Board of Veterans' Appeals

Customer Satisfaction Surveys.

OMB Control Number: 2900-0548.

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 satification with existing service. The BVA

uses customer satisfaction surveys to gauge customer perceptions of VA

services as well as customer expectations and desires. The results of

these information collections lead to improvements in the quality of

BVA service delivery by helping to shape the direction and focus of

specific programs and 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 12, 1997 at pages 32149-32150.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Estimated Annual Burden: 400 hours.

Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: 6 minutes.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 4,000.

The surveys will consist of no more than 4,000 appellants in whose

cases final Board decisions were issued during the 180-day period

immediately preceding the survey or whose appeals have been placed on

the Board's docket but have not yet been decided. To facilitate data

analysis, three customer categories will be targeted: appeals allowed;

appeals denied; and current appeals. The anticipated rate of response

is 80%.

The areas of concern to the BVA and its customers may change over

time, and it is important to have the ability to evaluate customer

concerns quickly. Participation in the surveys 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 BVA

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. 2900-0548'' in any correspondence.

Dated: September 22, 1997.

By direction of the Secretary.

William T. Morgan,

Program Analyst.

[FR Doc. 97-24056 Filed 9-10-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320-01-M