SOAR memo

Date August 22, 2008

From HRSA Reports Clearance Officer

Subject Justification for a Non-substantive Change (OMB No. 0915-0212)

Request for Approval of Focus Groups on Training and Technical Assistance

To Human Resources and Housing Branch

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB

Through: HHS Reports Clearance Officer

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is seeking approval under the agency’s current generic clearance, OMB No. 0915-0212, for a one-time project to conduct 6 focus groups. The proposed focus group activity described here will provide information on the implementation of a training and technical assistance project developed to improve service to the public under the “SOAR” initiative. SOAR is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Outreach, Access, and Recovery effort to provide training and technical assistance in the application process for SSI/SSDI benefits. Focus group discussions will be conducted with case managers who have received special training and technical assistance. The focus groups will get feedback from the case managers that can be used to identify problems encountered in training, areas to target for improvement, and the case managers’ perceptions of the overall effectiveness of the training/technical assistance.

The focus group discussions will help fulfill the requirements of:

Executive Order 12862, “Setting Customer Service Standards,” which directs Agencies to continually reform their management practices and operations to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector;

The March 3, 1998, White House Memorandum, “Conducting ‘Conversations with America’ to Further Improve Customer Service,” which further directs Agencies to determine the kind and quality of service its customers want and their level of satisfaction with existing services.

This is the 1^st submission under this approval for 2008, and the 9^th overall since HRSA first obtained the generic approval. This project will impose an estimated one-time annual total burden of 99 hours. The currently approved total burden in the OMB inventory for 0915-0212 is 5,075 hours. Of this total, HRSA is currently utilizing only 645 hours for customer surveys. The 99 hours requested for the focus group discussions will result in a total of 744 hours used out of the total 5,075 hours approved.

Please contact Susan Queen on 301-443-1129 with any questions or additional information regarding this activity. Thank you for your assistance with this effort.

Susan G. Queen, Ph.D.