NonSub Change Memo - BIF (Standard & Site Specific) - Dec 2020

To: Jordan Cohen

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

From: Megan Reid

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE)

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Date: December 29, 2020

Subject: Nonsubstantive Change Request – Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families (OMB #0970-0537)

This memo requests approval of nonsubstantive changes to the approved information collection, Building Evidence on Employment Strategies for Low-Income Families (OMB #0970-0537).

Background

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) has funded the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies (BEES) study. BEES will include separate studies of up to 21 programs (or “sites”) aimed at improving employment outcomes and economic security for low-income individuals and families. OMB initially approved data collection instruments for this project on November 8, 2019. Since approval, BEES has begun formally planning evaluations with some programs while continuing recruitment of additional programs.

This request is to make minor updates to the standard Baseline Information Form and to tailor versions of the form that will be used for five individual BEES studies (seven total sites). The BEES Study Team plans to launch five RCT studies this upcoming January and February 2021, with a total of seven sites.

Time Sensitivities

We request OMB’s review by January 15, 2021 in order to prepare for planned study launches across the BEES study in January and February 2021.

Overview of Requested Changes

This request is to make minor changes to Attachment D: Baseline Information Form for Participants. First, we have incorporated changes to two questions in the template form. These minor changes are proposed for the standard Baseline Information Form, which may be tailored to additional sites in the future. These changes are also reflected in the study-specific Baseline Information Form for ARC – KY (originally approved on 3/25/2020), see Attachment D-1. Second, we propose additional changes to tailor the updated form for four individual BEES studies: Central City Concern (CCC); Franklin-Stark Child Support; 2-Gen Chicago; and Individual Placement and Support employment services in Federally Qualified Health Centers (IPS FQHC). These tailored forms are included as Attachments D-2 – D-5.

Each of these four studies focuses on delivering employment services in unique settings. The programs being studied provide employment support to low-income and underserved populations who may be receiving other services such as substance use disorder treatment and other medical care and child support guidance:

• CCC provides substance use disorder recovery services, housing, and workforce development services to individuals with a range of substance use disorders in Portland, OR.

• Franklin-Stark Child Support focuses on two counties in Ohio providing employment services to low-income, noncustodial parents when they first have a child support order set.

• 2Gen-Chicago will be a demonstration for post-move employment services to qualifying families who have recently moved to “opportunity areas” in Chicago and Cook County, IL.

• IPS FQHC will evaluate IPS employment services in an FQHC setting, specifically focusing on two community-based health care providers offering services to low-income and underserved populations in Chicago, IL, and Nashua, NH.

An overview of the requested changes is included below. These changes will not result in any changes in burden assumptions. Please see the updated Baseline Information Form documents to see how these changes are implemented.

Changes to the standard Baseline Information Form (Attachment D)

• Added a new response option and modified one existing response option for question B.1.

• Added a new response option and modified one existing response option for question G.3.

• Added questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current or recent employment status.

Updates to tailor the Baseline Information Form for ARC (Attachment D-1)

• Added above mentioned standard form response options.

• Added questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current or recent employment status.

Updates to tailor the Baseline Information Form for CCC (Attachment D-2)

• Tailored instructions to site-specific condition in “Your Contact Information,” C.1-3, C.5, and D1-2.

• Tailored instructions to site-specific condition (see G.1, G.3, G.7, G.10, G.12-17, G.20), and added instructions before questions G.12-22 (“For the next few questions, please consider the 30 days before you were admitted to Hooper. In the 30 days prior to Hooper:”).

• Removed questions that do not apply to the population served by CCC and renumbered remaining questions.

• Added questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current or recent employment status.

Updates to tailor the Baseline Information Form for Franklin-Stark Child Support (two sites) (Attachment D-3)

• Tailored instructions to site-specific condition (see A.6-A.7).

• Removed many questions related to substance use and housing/household that do not apply to the population served by Franklin-Stark. Remaining questions and sections were renumbered/reordered to accommodate these changes.

• Added a question about previous experience with the child support system.

• Added questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current or recent employment status.

Updates to tailor the Baseline Information Form for 2Gen-Chicago (two sites) (Attachment D-4)

• Added a question about the participant’s mailing address.

• Added an instruction and population-relevant response options on questions where more than one response option is permitted (see D.1).

• Moved “Your Contact Information” to the end of the form and edited the response options regarding social network usage. Added “Adult child” as a response option for the relationship status of the person that can serve as a point of contact for the participant. Added “Client Information” section at the beginning of form.

• Removed sections E and G because questions do not apply to the population served by 2Gen-Chicago and renumbered remaining questions. Combined and renumbered sections D and F and sections H, I, and J.

• Updated question on income assistance sources (now D.1) to ask whether they are currently receiving benefits. Added response options that are relevant to the 2Gen-Chicago population.

• Added questions in “Housing and Household Information” section (now section F), including another measure of hardship and reworded question on prescription medicine to match the format of the preceding question. Added questions and some response options related to children.

• Added questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current or recent employment status.

Updates to tailor the Baseline Information Form for IPS FQHC (two sites) (Attachment D-5)

• Removed questions in section K that do not apply to the population served by IPS FQHC and renumbered remaining questions.

• Added questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current or recent employment status.

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