SUPPORTING STATEMENT
INSURANCE SURVEYS
Justification
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection of information.
The Insurance Service program will use surveys to determine the level of satisfaction with existing services among its customers. The surveys are: (1) Beneficiary Survey, (2) Cash Surrender Survey, (3) Correspondence Survey, (4) Claims Survey, (5) Interactive Voice Response Survey, (6) Account Survey, (7) Policy Loan Survey, (8) Application Survey, (9) Waiver of Premiums Survey, (10) Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI) Survey, (11) Telephone Service Survey (Insurance Claims), and (12) Telephone Service Survey (Policyholders Services Division). The surveys solicit voluntary opinions and are not intended to collect information required to obtain or maintain eligibility for a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program or benefit. The Insurance Service program is constantly striving to improve the service we provide to our nation’s Veterans/beneficiaries.
Indicate how, by whom, and for what purposes the information is to be used; indicate actual use the agency has made of the information received from current collection.
VA wishes to conduct customer satisfaction surveys to advance VA’s progress toward the goal of improving customer satisfaction. If the surveys were not conducted, Insurance Service would not have the specific information needed to further practices that support the best possible customer-focused service. The Insurance Service goal is to provide an experience to Veterans/beneficiaries that meet the needs of a diverse Veteran community. Insurance Service seeks approval for this information collection that will allow Veterans/beneficiaries an opportunity to provide feedback. Insurance Service will use the feedback to improve the process and to determine where and to what extent services are satisfactory, and where and to what extent they are in need of improvement.
Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
A cover letter and the survey will be mailed to Veterans/beneficiaries inviting them to participate in the survey. This will be an ongoing survey that will be offered to approximately 40 Veterans/beneficiaries per month. The probability of Veterans/beneficiaries having access to the public Internet is unknown therefore the Veterans/beneficiaries will receive a paper copy of the survey to complete. All surveys will be distributed through U.S. Mail.
Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why all similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.
Insurance Service will use its internal review process to examine each information collection to prevent duplication of effort or redundancy in all information collected. The information to be gathered from the surveys as a whole is unique and not available from any other sources with the appropriate level of specificity required.
If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
No small businesses or other small entities are impacted by this information collection.
Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
Most of the customer satisfaction surveys will be recurring so that Insurance Service can create ongoing measures of performance and determine how well the agency meets customer service standards. Insurance uses a variety of activities including written, web-based, and telephonic questionnaires and surveys as well as focus groups to gauge customer perceptions of VA services as well as customer expectations and desires. The results of these information collections should lead to improvements in the quality of service and delivery by helping to shape the direction and focus of specific programs and services. If these surveys were not conducted or conducted less frequently, VA would not be responsive to the needs of the veteran, be able to quickly correct issues or meet the needs of the veteran by quickly improving service.
Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted more often than quarterly or require respondents to prepare written responses to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it; submit more than an original and two copies of any document; retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years; in connection with a statistical survey that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study and require the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.
There are no special circumstances that require the collection of information to be conducted in a manner that is inconsistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.
If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the sponsor’s notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by sponsor in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.
The Department notice was published in the Federal Register on February 10, 2010, page 6792-6793. There were no comments received in response to this notice.
Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents.
The information collected is supplied by the respondent. No remuneration is made.
Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statue, regulation, or agency policy.
These surveys are anonymous. Names and personal identifiers will be used to locate survey participants, when appropriate/and or necessary and will thereafter be stripped from any files as well as reports.
Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private; include specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.
There are no questions of a sensitive nature.
Estimate of the hour burden of the collection of information:
|
One Survey |
Twelve Surveys |
Number of respondents is estimated at: |
40 |
480 |
Frequency of response is monthly |
|
|
Number of responses is estimated at: |
1 |
12 |
Average estimated Response time is: |
6 minutes |
72 minutes |
Annual burden is estimated at: |
4 hours |
48 hours |
Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information.
This submission does not involve any record keeping costs.
Provide estimates of annual cost to the Federal Government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operation expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.
VA will incur minimal internal administrative costs in developing, printing, and mailing the small low burden survey instruments, and in data analysis and reporting results. The costs are easily outweighed by the benefits gained.
Explain the reason for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of OMB 83-I.
This is a new collection and all burden hours are considered a program increase.
For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.
The information is collected for insurance purposes only and there are no plans for publication.
If seeking approval to omit the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
VA seeks to minimize its cost to itself of collecting, processing and using the information by not displaying an expiration date. VA continues to seek an exemption that waives the displaying of the expiration date on the VA forms.
Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19, “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions,” of OMB 83-I.
There are no such exceptions.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | BO SURVEY |
| Author | issrfore |
| File Modified | 2010-07-15 |
| File Created | 2010-07-08 |