2013 Enrollment Exit forms Justification_012414

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1.  Need for Information Collection

The Enrollment Form, and its electronic versions, documents members’ participation in an approved national service position, provides the Corporation with demographic information for evaluative purposes, allows it to project future liabilities for the Trust, and allows members to self-certify personal information. The Exit Form, and its electronic versions, records members’ completion of service and eligibility for a Segal Education Award, and allows members to authorize post-service contacts.

A2.  Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

These collections of information are mandated by the National and Community Service Act of 1993, as amended, which requires that members successfully completing a term of service be granted an education award. Education award requirements are detailed in 42 USC 12501 and 12594 through12604. Evaluation of members’ experiences and development are addressed in 42 USC 12639. The information allows the Corporation to report on numbers and demographics of members, their placement, and award criteria, to anticipate liabilities incurred by members, and to provide information to members and service organizations who elect to receive it.

 

 A3.  Minimize Burden: Use of Improved Technology to Reduce Burden

The Corporation collects members’ enrollment and exit information electronically; however, programs retain staff and member certifications and members complete their portion of the enrollment and exit forms.

A4.  Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information by which CNCS can meet the purposes described in A2 (above).

 

A5.  Minimizing for economic burden for small businesses or other small entities.

This collection of information does not impact small businesses because they are not eligible to apply for grants. There is no economic burden to any other small entities beyond the cost of staff time to collect and report the data. This is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information absolutely necessary to assess an organization’s eligibility to apply and capacity to administer a Social Innovation Fund grant.

A6.  Consequences of the collection if not conducted, conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

 

AmeriCorps members cannot serve more than the value of two full-time terms of national service for which an education award is a possibility. This, plus the programs’ variable dates and hours, require enrollment information for each term. Similarly, certifications are required that members have met all program requirements. Finally, the Corporation is required to report on the types, number, and location of service members, and to project liabilities of the National Service Trust.

A7.  Special circumstances that would cause information collection to be collected in a manner requiring respondents to report more often than quarterly; report in fewer than 30 days after receipt of the request; submit more than an original and two copies; retain records for more than three years; and other ways specified in the Instructions focused on statistical methods, confidentially, and proprietary trade secrets.

There are no special circumstances that would require the collection of information in these ways.

A8.  Provide copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the Agency’s notice. Summarize comments received and actions taken in response to comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

The 60 day Notice soliciting comments was published on Thursday, December 12, 2013 on page 75549. No comments were received.

 

 A9.  Payment to Respondents

There are no payments or gifts to respondents

  

A10.  Assurance of Confidentiality and its basis in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

The information requested is collected pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 12581 - 12585 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 as amended. Purposes and Uses - The information requested is collected for the purposes of managing AmeriCorps member enrollments into and exits from the National Service Trust and meeting other legal and program needs. Routine Uses - Routine uses may include disclosure of the information to federal, state, or local agencies pursuant to lawfully authorized requests. In some programs, the information may also be provided to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to determine the existence of any prior criminal convictions. The information may also be provided to appropriate federal agencies and Department contractors that have a need to know the information for the purpose of assisting the Department’s efforts to respond to a suspected or confirmed breach of the security or confidentiality or information maintained in this system of records, and the information disclosed is relevant and necessary for the assistance. The information will not otherwise be disclosed to entities outside of CNCS without prior written permission. Effects of Nondisclosure - The information requested is mandatory in order to receive benefits.

A11.  Sensitive Questions

 

The information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature.

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

We expect approximately 160,000 respondents (one member and one staff person for each form) to use these forms to enroll and exit the National Service Trust. The frequency of response will not be greater than once per form per AmeriCorps member, and should not exceed 5 minutes of effort per form per respondent. There is no estimated annual hour burden outside of the customary and usual business practices.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

There is no cost to the respondent.

 

A14. Cost to Government

There are no additional costs to the Government.

A15. Reasons for program changes or adjustments in burden or cost.

Not applicable.

 

 A16.  Publication of results

Not applicable. 

 

A17.  Explain the reason for seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.

The Corporation requests a continuation of a waiver of the requirement to display the expiration date on each screen of the online versions of these forms in the My AmeriCorps Portals and the paper forms. System constraints make it difficult to revise the hard-coded dates in a timely manner, which may give rise to considerable confusion among members and grantees if the date displayed indicates the IRC has expired. OMB has approved a waiver request for other Trust form dates for similar reasons.

 

 A18.  Exceptions to the certification statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement in the submitted ROCIS form.

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