SAVE Web Survey of Active SAVE User AgencieS

SAVE Evaluation Web Survey OMB Control No. 1615-NEW

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement   

An agency may not conduct or sponsor an information collection and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 20 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, completing and submitting the form.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Research & Evaluation Division, 20 Massachusetts Ave., Washington, DC 20529. OMB No. 1615-NEW.  Do not return the completed form to this address.

INTRODUCTION

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is conducting an independent evaluation of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program. SAVE is a voluntary program used by government agencies to help verify the eligibility of applicants for government benefits and services. The independent evaluation is designed to explore how the program operates in the field, and identify challenges and areas for improving the SAVE Program.

This survey will ask about your agency’s experiences with the SAVE Program. Your responses are very important to us. Participation in the evaluation is voluntary. As a SAVE User Agency member, your information is vital to the success of the evaluation, and your agency’s participation is strongly encouraged. Any data and/or information shared during the evaluation will be handled with anonymity. Only the research team conducting the evaluation will have access to the data and information your agency shares. All data and information will be pooled with the data and information collected from other Save User Agencies, and will be published in aggregate form only.

Web Survey of Active SAVE User Agencies

Section 1: User Agency Demographics

A variety of agencies use the SAVE Program to process benefit applications for government services. The following questions ask you to describe characteristics of your agency.

1. Please indicate your primary role that best describes your regular duties for the SAVE Program.

• Super User – responsible for managing SAVE access for users

• Supervisor – responsible for managing user access, and creating and completing verifications within my group.

• User – responsible for creating and completing verifications

• Other (specify) ___________________

2. How many years has your agency used the SAVE Program?

• Less than 1 year

• 1 to 2 years

• 2 to 4 years

• More than 4 years

• I do not know

3. How many years have you been performing SAVE Program duties?

• Less than 1 year

• 1 to 2 years

• 2 to 4 years

• More than 4 years

• I do not know

4. During the past 6 months, please estimate the number of benefit applications you have processed, on average, each month.

• 0 per month

• 1 to 10 per month

• 11 to 20 per month

• 21 to 30 per month

• 31 or more per month

5. Please indicate how your agency’s office links to the SAVE Program.

• Internet/Web link directly to the main SAVE interface – my link clearly displays the SAVE Program logos and screens

• Internet/Web link to my agency’s interface – my initial link displays my agency’s logo and screens, followed by SAVE’s logo and screens

• Internet/Web link to my agency’s web site that only displays my agency’s logo and screens (I see no reference to the SAVE Program)

• Other (specify) _____________________________

• I do not know

6. About how frequently do you use each of the following SAVE system functions?

	Daily	Weekly	Monthly	Semi-Annually	Annually	Have Never Used
Use the Photo Tool (to Match the Applicant’s Documents to DHS records)						
Request Grant Date						
Request Employment Authorization Document History						
Request Affidavit of Support						
Retry Initial Verification						
Institute 2nd Level Verification: Enter Additional Biographical Information						
Scan and Upload (3rd Level verification) - Electronically attach and submit immigration document to USCIS						
Mail Paper G-845 Application to USCIS (3rd Level verification)						
Search Case/Case Summary List (to review the status of cases submitted for verification)						
Click “Close the Case Button” on the Case Summary List for each case						

Section 2: User Roles and Responsibilities

Agencies that utilize SAVE have an established set of user roles. The following set of questions will ask you about your role(s) and responsibilities in using SAVE.

1. What are your roles and responsibilities for submitting initial verifications?
   (Please check all that apply)

• I can create and complete initial verifications

• I can view the associated responses from the initial verifications that I submitted

• I can view the associated responses for other users in my group

• I am responsible for managing SAVE access within my group

2. Your agency has a Super User who is responsible for managing access to the SAVE system among your agency’s staff. Please indicate where your agency’s Super User is located.

• The Super User is located in my agency’s office building

• The Super User is located in a nearby agency office building

• The Super User is located in another agency office building in another city or county

• I do not know where my agency’s Super User is located

3. How frequently do you interact with your agency’s Super User on SAVE matters?

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

• Semi-Annually

• Annually

• Never

• I am unsure

Sometimes after submitting an initial verification, a user will be prompted to institute an additional verification. The following set of questions asks about those instances when an additional verification is prompted but is not completed.

4. In those instances when an additional verification is prompted but not completed, who in your agency is responsible for closing out the request? (Please check the one response that best describes the situation at your agency).

• I am responsible

• My supervisor is responsible

• Another staff member in my group is responsible (Specify role)_________

• Another staff member in my agency is responsible (Specify role) _________

• Other (specify) __________________________________

• I am unsure

5. About how often does your agency review and close out requests for additional verification that were not completed?

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

• Semi-annually

• Annually

• I am unsure or do not know

Section 3: Ease of Use

The SAVE Program requires users to utilize several functions in obtaining application determinations. .

1. Please indicate how difficult or easy it is to use each of the following functions, where 1 is “Very Difficult”, 3 is “Neither Difficult nor Easy”, and 5 is “Very Easy”. Check NA if your agency does not use a given function.

	Very Difficult 1	2	Neither Difficult nor Easy 3	4	Very Easy 5	NA
Connecting to your SAVE interface						
Logging in to your SAVE interface						
Entering the required data						
Correcting data entry errors						
Interpreting applicant eligibility determination results						
Determining the proper next steps if an initial verification is returned and additional verification is requested						
Explaining results to benefit applicants						
Explaining next steps to benefit applicants who did not clear the initial or additional verification steps						

Section 4: User Training Experiences

Staff at SAVE User Agencies often participate in non-mandatory SAVE trainings. The following set of questions will ask you about the SAVE trainings that you have participated in.

1. Have you ever participated in an initial SAVE training?

• Yes

• No (If no, skip to Question 5.1 )

2. How would you rate the overall helpfulness of the initial SAVE training in which you participated?

• Very Helpful

• Somewhat Helpful

• Somewhat Unhelpful

• Not at all helpful

3. In the past year, how many SAVE refresher trainings have you participated in?

• 5 or more

• 3-4

• 1-2

• I have not participated in any SAVE refresher trainings within the past year. (Skip to Question 5.1 )

4. Which of the following were used in these SAVE refresher trainings? (Please check all that apply)

• One-on-one trainings

• Web-based trainings

• Group trainings

• Video trainings

• Interactive training materials

• Other. Please specify.

5. How would you rate the overall helpfulness of each of these features of the refresher training? (Please check “Not Applicable” where the feature does not apply)

	Very Helpful	Somewhat Helpful	Somewhat Unhelpful	Very Unhelpful	Not Applicable
One-on-one trainings					
Web-based trainings					
Group trainings					
Video trainings					
Interactive training materials					
Other					

Section 5: Helpfulness of SAVE Program Reference Materials & Help Functions

The SAVE Program provides various reference materials and help functions to assist users in understanding and using the SAVE Program.

1. Are you familiar with the following SAVE user resources? (Please check all that apply)

• SAVE Program Guide

• SAVE User Reference Guide

• SAVE Self-Assessment Guide

• SAVE Online Tutorial

• SAVE Program Outreach

• Other Materials (please specify)

2. Please indicate how helpful these resources have been to you.

	Very Helpful	Somewhat Helpful	Somewhat Unhelpful	Very Unhelpful	Not Applicable
SAVE Program Guide					
SAVE User Reference Guide					
SAVE Self-Assessment Guide					
SAVE Online Tutorial					
SAVE Program Outreach					
Other materials (specify)					

3. How many SAVE Program workshops, forums, or seminars have you attended since January 2016?

• None ( skip to Question 5.5)

• One

• Two

• Three or Four

• 5 or more

4. Please rate the usefulness of SAVE Program workshops, forums or seminars

Very Useful	Somewhat Useful	Somewhat Useless	Useless	Not Applicable
				

5. Which of the following SAVE help functions, if any, have you utilized? (Please check all that apply)

• SAVE Customer Service Phone Number (877-469-2563)

• SAVE Customer Service Email Address (SAVE.help@uscis.dhs.gov)

• SAVE Customer Technical Assistance Phone Number (800-741-5023)

• SAVE Website (www.uscis.gov/save)

• USCIS Website (www.uscis.gov)

• Other. Please specify.

• I have not utilized a USCIS or SAVE help function (Skip to Question 6.1 )

6. How frequently do you utilize SAVE help functions

	Daily	Weekly	Monthly	Semi-Annually	Annually	Have Never Used
SAVE Customer Service Phone Number (877-469-2563)						
SAVE Customer Service Email Address (SAVE.help@uscis.dhs.gov)						
SAVE Customer Technical Phone Number (800-741-5023)						
SAVE Website (www.uscis.gov/save)						
USCIS Website (www.uscis.gov)						
Other help function.						

7. How would you rate the overall helpfulness of the SAVE help functions that you have utilized?

	Very Helpful	Somewhat Helpful	Somewhat Unhelpful	Unhelpful	Have Never Used
SAVE Customer Service Phone Number (877-469-2563)					
SAVE Customer Service Email Address (SAVE.help@uscis.dhs.gov)					
SAVE Customer Technical Assistance Number (800-741-5023)					
SAVE Website (www.uscis.gov/save)					
USCIS Website (www.uscis.gov)					
Other help function.					

Section 6: Procedures: Interactions with SAVE Program Staff

1. What is the standard mode of communication you use when seeking information about the SAVE Program with the following user types?

	Phone	Email	Face-to-Face	NA
Your immediate SAVE Program supervisor in your agency				
Other SAVE staff in your agency				
SAVE IT staff or Super User in your agency				
SAVE supervisory staff in your group				
Federal government USCIS SAVE Program and support staff				
Federal government USCIS SAVE Program operational staff				

2. How often, on average, do you contact your immediate supervisor for information about SAVE Program changes, system issues, application problems, or error messages?

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

• Semi-Annually

• Annually

• Never

6.3 About how often do you receive SAVE Program monitoring or process reports from your agency?

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

• Semi-Annually

• Annually

• Never

Section 7: Benefit Applicant Experience

SAVE offers resources that allow benefit applicants to check their application status or inform benefit applicants about how to correct their records when needed. The following set of questions asks about your agency’s experience in providing these resources.

1. Please indicate which, if any, of the following types of contact information you provide to benefit applicants who need to correct their records. (Please check all that apply)

We provide information to benefit applicants for contacting…..

• A SAVE field office

• The SAVE Program web site

• Their Congressperson

• Their Embassy

• An ombudsman

• A Community Relations Officer

• Customs and Border Protection

• Do not provide this type of information

• Other, please specify ____________________________

2. CaseCheck is a service that allows applicants to follow the progress of their SAVE verification case online. How familiar are you with CaseCheck?

• Very familiar

• Somewhat familiar

• Not at all familiar

3. How frequently do you inform benefit applicants about CaseCheck?

• Very Frequently

• Somewhat Frequently

• Occasionally

• Never

4. In your experience, how aware are benefit applicants of CaseCheck?

• Very aware

• Somewhat aware

• Not at all aware

• Unable to say

5. The ‘For Benefit Applicants’ webpage on the SAVE website provides another resource for applicants to get information about the SAVE Program, including information about how to correct their records. How aware are you of the ‘For Benefit Applicants’ webpage?

• Very aware

• Somewhat aware

• Not at all aware

6. How frequently do you inform benefit applicants about the ‘For Benefit Applicants’ webpage on the SAVE website?

• Very frequently

• Occasionally

• Never

Section 8: Perceived Value of SAVE

This survey has asked about your agency’s experiences with the SAVE Program. In contrast, this final set of questions asks about your individual perspectives on the SAVE Program. More specifically, the questions ask that you provide your perspectives on the value of the SAVE Program as it relates to your job, your agency’s mission, and the individuals applying for benefits.

1. I am personally satisfied with using the SAVE Program.

• Agree

• Disagree

2. SAVE provides an efficient approach to verifying the immigration status of benefit applicants.

• Agree

• Disagree

3. SAVE provides an effective approach for reducing spending on benefits that would otherwise have been issued to ineligible individuals.

• Agree

• Disagree

4. SAVE does not provide an effective deterrent to ineligible individuals that would attempt to file fraudulent applications.

• Agree

• Disagree

5. The SAVE Program makes my job easier.

• Agree

• Disagree

6. My agency is largely dissatisfied with the SAVE Program.

• Agree

• Disagree

7. The SAVE Program improves the ability of my agency to conduct its mission.

• Agree

• Disagree

8. Benefit applicants are unaware of the SAVE Program and its intended benefits for applicants.

• Agree

• Disagree

9. The SAVE Program is perceived by benefit applicants as a helpful resource.

• Agree

• Disagree

Comments:

Please provide any additional comments you would like to share below about the SAVE Program.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB Control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1615-NEW. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.