Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

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]

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