JAG Applicant Survey - OMB 83-I Supporting Statement A_FINAL

SUPPORTING STATEMENT – PART A

Navy JAG Corps Applicant Survey

A. Justification

1. Need for the Information Collection. The U. S. Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) requires a method to improve recruiting and accession board processes in order to recruit and select the best individuals as judge advocates. A JAG Predictive Analysis Survey (“Applicant Survey”), authorized under the references therein, will allow the JAG Corps to assess whether certain traits and/or behaviors are indicators of future success in the JAG Corps. The JAG Corps began collecting this data in 2010. As of October 2013, 853 responses have been collected, but only a fraction of those respondents have been selected for commission. Because validation of this tool requires continued assessment of selected applicants (after commissioning in the JAG Corps), the JAG Corps plans to continue collection of this data for approximately six more years. The JAG Corps will use performance measurements of successful applicants to validate the instrument. The results of this survey collection will not be used for any estimates of the JAG Corps population or for any decisions about respondents currently taking the survey. Rather, the need for the collection is to gather data to develop and validate the selection tool in line with standard selection tool practices. If the survey is validated and found to be predictive, it will be a reliable and fair assessment to use in recruiting and selection decisions. Statutory authority for collecting this information includes 10 U.S.C. 531, 532, 541, 5148, 5149, 5150. Authority to request this information is granted to the Navy Personnel Research, Studies, and Technology (NPRST) division under 10 U.S.C. 5031 and 5032, and 5 U.S.C. 301.

2. Use of the Information Applicants who are selected for commissioning will be assessed on their performance periodically (via command tools). That performance data will then be compared to the responses from this Applicant Survey. NPRST will use applicant names to link the data, which will be analyzed in the aggregate. If the survey results (compared to work performance measurements) reveal statistically significant personal indicators of success, then those factors can provide a reliable basis for focusing recruiting efforts and making more efficient selection decisions.

3. Use of Information Technology. JAG Corps applicants may voluntarily complete an online application and submit it electronically. (Completing the survey is not required to apply to the JAG Corps; whether an applicant has completed the survey has no impact on the applicant’s selection for a commission.) The JAG Corps will collect survey responses online. The automated process will enhance the ability to collect data accurately and reduce the burden on the applicant. This survey will be stored electronically in a secure database at the NPRST Survey Operations Center.

4. Non-Duplication. The JAG Corps has ensured that the information being sought for collection is not readily available from some other source. The JAG Corps has researched military personnel records and they are inadequate for assessing successful traits and behaviors in relation to applicants.

5. Burden on Small Business. The Navy JAG Corps Applicant Survey will have no significant impact on small entities.

6. Less Frequent Collection. If the JAG Corps could not collect this data, it would degrade the JAG Corps’ ability to improve its recruiting and accession board processes to select the best individuals to be judge advocates.

7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines. There are no special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).

8. Consultation and Public Comments. The JAG Corps published a notice and solicited public comment on this proposed collection pursuant to 5 C.F.R. 1320.8(d) in the Federal Register on July 9, 2013. The JAG Corps did not receive any comments.

9. Gifts or Payment. The JAG Corps provides no payment to the respondents to this collection.

10. Confidentiality. This survey will be stored electronically in a secure database at the NPRST Survey Operations Center. Only the Principal Investigators at NPRST will have access to the identification items. A Privacy Act Statement is located at the beginning of the survey.

The name of the SORN is: Judge Advocate General Corps Officer Personnel Information System (JAGPERS), N01070-1 (February 8, 2000, 65 FR 6184). A revision to SORN N01070-1 was submitted to DoD on April 5, 2013. A revised Privacy Impact Assessment for JAGPERS is pending approval.

11. Questions of a Sensitive Nature. The Applicant Survey does not include questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, or other matters that are commonly considered private.

12. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs. The estimated annual labor cost to the public is $144.40. Approximately 800 individuals apply to the Navy JAG Corps each year and will be asked to complete the survey. The annual rate at which applicants elect to participate in the Applicant Survey is roughly 36%. Applicants are almost exclusively unemployed law students, however, we assume that 10% of applicants work part-time earning the national average minimum wage ($7.64). The survey takes approximately 0.25 hours to complete. Applicants will only be able to complete the survey once, regardless of how many times they apply to the JAG Corps. The dollar figure was determined thus: 800 applicants x 36% response rate x 10% employment rate x 0.25 hours x $7.64/hour = $55.01.

13. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden-Hour Costs. There are no costs to the respondent for this collection other than the burden-hour cost.

14. Cost to the Federal Government. Costs to the Federal Government are subsumed in the contract between the JAG Corps and NPRST and is estimated at annualized costs to the Federal Government of $15,000, broken down as follows:

• Administering survey and collecting/storing data $5,000

• Analysis of survey responses and work performance $10,000

  • Total $15,000

15. Reasons for Change in Burden. The burden estimates a 10% applicant employment rate at minimum wage. The mean time to complete the survey has been 15.13 minutes.

16. Publication of Results. The results of this collection will not be published.

17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date. No exception is requested.

18. Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions.” No exceptions to the certification are requested.