Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 176 / Thursday, September 11, 1997 / Notices 47875

Year Number of respondents

Estimated annual burden

(hours)

Frequency

2000 ............................................................................................................................... 2,500 420 Twice annually.

National Cemetery System Next of Kin National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Telephone)

1998 ............................................................................................................................... 1,500 750 Annually.

1999 ............................................................................................................................... 1,500 750 Annually.

2000 ............................................................................................................................... 1,500 750 Annually.

National Cemetery System Potential Customers National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Telephone)

1998 ............................................................................................................................... 1,500 750 Annually.

1999 ............................................................................................................................... 1,500 750 Annually.

2000 ............................................................................................................................... 1,500 750 Annually.

National Cemetery System Program/Specialized Service Survey (Telephone)

1998 ............................................................................................................................... 1,000 250 Annually.

1999 ............................................................................................................................... 1,000 250 Annually.

2000 ............................................................................................................................... 1,000 250 Annually.

Office of Management Accountability Report Pilot Evaluation Form

1998 ............................................................................................................................... 550 138 Annually.

1999 ............................................................................................................................... 550 138 Annually.

2000 ............................................................................................................................... 550 138 Annually.

Office of Inspector General Patient Questionnaire

1998 ............................................................................................................................... 1,200 200 Annually.

1999 ............................................................................................................................... 1,200 200 Annually.

2000 ............................................................................................................................... 1,200 200 Annually.

Most customer satisfaction surveys

will be recurring so that the NCS, OM,

and IG can create ongoing measures of

performance and to determine how well

the agency meets customer service

standards. Each collection of

information will consist of the

minimum amount of information

necessary to determine customer needs

and to evaluate the organization’s

performance. The NCS expects to

conduct 47 focus groups annually

involving a total of 1,410 hours during

the approval period. In addition, the

NCS expects to conduct telephone

surveys with a total annual burden of

1,750 hours. The NCS, OM, and IG will

distribute written surveys with a total

annual burden of 758 hours.

The areas of concern to the NCS, OM,

and IG and their customers may change

over time, and it is important to have

the ability to evaluate customer

concerns quickly. Participation in the

surveys and focus groups will be

voluntary and the generic clearance will

not be used to collect information

required to obtain or maintain eligibility

for a VA program or benefit. In order to

maximize the voluntary response rates,

the information collection will be

designed to make participation

convenient, simple, and free of

unnecessary barriers. Baseline data

obtained through these information

collections will be used to improve

customer service standards. The NCS,

OM, and IG will consult with OMB

regarding each specific information

collection during this approval period.

Send comments and

recommendations concerning any

aspect of the information collection to

VA’s OMB Desk Officer, Allison Eydt,

OMB Human Resources and Housing

Branch, New Executive Office Building,

Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503

(202) 395–4650. Please refer to ‘‘OMB

Control No. 2900–0571’’ in any

correspondence.

Dated: August 20, 1997.

By direction of the Secretary.

Donald L. Neilson,

Director, Information Management Service.

[FR Doc. 97–24059 Filed 9–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900–0567]

Agency Information Collection

Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: National Cemetery System,

Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice

announces that the National Cemetery

System (NCS), Department of Veterans

Affairs, has submitted the collection of

information abstracted below to the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for review and comment. The

PRA submission describes the nature of

the information collection and its

expected cost and burden; it includes

the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before October 14, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF

THE SUBMISSION CONTACT: Ron Taylor,

Information Management Service

(045A4), Department of Veterans

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273–8015

or FAX (202) 273–5981. Please refer to

‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0567.’’

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: PMC (Presidential Memorial

Certificate) Insert.

OMB Control Number: 2900–0567.

Type of Review: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Abstract: The PMC Program was

initiated in March 1962 by President

John F. Kennedy to honor the memory

of honorably discharged, deceased

veterans, and has been continued by all
47876 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 176 / Thursday, September 11, 1997 / Notices

subsequent Presidents. A PMC is mailed

to deceased veterans relatives and

friends honoring their military service

to our Nation. In most cases involving

recent deaths, the local VA regional

office originates the process without a

request from the next-of-kin. With the

automation of the program, the insert

will accompany the issuance of the

original certificate. The insert provides

a convenient method for the recipients

of the original PMC to request

additional certificates and/or

replacement or corrected certificates.

The information will be used by the

NCS to promptly reissue or provide

additional certificates.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor, and a person is not required to

respond to a collection of information

unless it displays a currently valid OMB

control number. The Federal Register

Notice with a 60-day comment period

soliciting comments on this collection

of information was published on May

27, 1997 at pages 28756–28757.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households.

Estimated Annual Burden: 925 hours.

Estimated Average Burden Per

Respondent: 2 minutes.

Frequency of Response: On occasion.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

27,740.

Send comments and

recommendations concerning any

aspect of the information collection to

VA’s OMB Desk Officer, Allison Eydt,

OMB Human Resources and Housing

Branch, New Executive Office Building,

Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503

(202) 395–4650. Please refer to ‘‘OMB

Control No. 2900–0567’’ in any

correspondence.

Dated: August 20, 1997.

By direction of the Secretary.

Donald L. Neilson,

Director, Information Management Service.

[FR Doc. 97–24060 Filed 9–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900–0569]

Agency Information Collection

Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Veterans Benefits

Administration, Department of Veterans

Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice

announces that the Veterans Benefits

Administration (VBA), Department of

Veterans Affairs, has submitted the

collection of information abstracted

below to the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) for review and comment.

The PRA submission describes the

nature of the information collection and

its expected cost and burden; it includes

the actual data collection instrument. In

addition, OMB is being requested to:

a. Grant the VBA a 3-year generic

clearance approval authority.

b. Allow the VBA to establish a

maximum number of annual burden

hours against which burden will be

charged for each survey actually used.

c. Allow for the submission of a

summary of objectives, specific burden

estimates, and all final or near final

survey instruments covered by the

generic clearance for inclusion in the

OMB public docket prior to their use.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before October 14, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF

THE SUBMISSION CONTACT: Ron Taylor,

Information Management Service

(045A4), Department of Veterans

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273–8015

or FAX (202) 273–5981. Please refer to

‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0569.’’

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Generic Clearance for the

Veterans Benefits Administration

Customer Satisfaction Surveys.

OMB Control Number: 2900–0569.

Type of Review: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Abstract: The VBA administers

integrated programs of benefits and

services, established by law for veterans

and their survivors, and service

personnel. Executive Order 12862,

Setting Customer Service Standards,

requires Federal agencies and

departments to identify and survey its

customers to determine the kind and

quality of services they want and their

level of satisfaction with existing

service. The VBA uses customer

satisfaction surveys to gauge customer

perceptions of VA services as well as

customer expectations and desires. The

results of these information collections

lead to improvements in the quality of

VBA service delivery by helping to

shape the direction and focus of specific

programs and services.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor, and a person is not required to

respond to a collection of information

unless it displays a currently valid OMB

control number. The Federal Register

Notice with a 60-day comment period

soliciting comments on this collection

of information was published on June 5,

1997 at pages 30930–30932.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households, non-profit organizations,

educational institutions, veterans’

service organizations, and businesses or

other for-profits.

Listing of Survey Activities: The

following list of activities is a

compendium of VBA’s customer

satisfaction survey plan. The actual

conduct of any particular activity listed

could be affected by circumstances. A

change in, or refinement of, our focus in

a specific area, as well as resource

constraints could require deletion or

substitution of any listed item. If VBA

substitutes or proposes to add a new

activity that falls under the umbrella of

this generic approval, including those

activities that are currently in a

planning stage, OMB will be notified

and will be furnished a copy of

pertinent materials, a description of the

activity and number of burden hours

involved. VBA will conduct periodic

reviews of ongoing survey activities to

ensure that they comply with the PRA.

Survey of Veterans’ Satisfaction with

the VA Compensation & Pension (C&P)

Claims Process: VBA will continue to

gage customer satisfaction levels of

those who experience the C&P claims

adjudication process.

Year

Estimated average

burden per

respondent

Estimated

annual

burden

1997 .. 15 minutes .............. 5,700 hours.

1998 .. 15 minutes .............. 5,700 hours.

1999 .. 15 minutes .............. 5,700 hours.

VA Compensation & Pension Claims

Process Customer Satisfaction Focus

Groups: VBA will conduct 10 focus

groups to solicit customer opinion of the

C&P claims process. Each of the 10

groups will consist of 20 participants.

Year

Estimated average

burden per

respondent

Estimated

annual

burden

1997 .. 2 hours .................... 400 hours.

1998 .. 2 hours .................... 400 hours.

1999 .. 2 hours .................... 400 hours.

Survey of Veterans’ Satisfaction with

the VA Education Claims Process: VBA

will conduct surveys to determine the

customer satisfaction levels of veterans

and their dependents or survivors who

are receiving education benefits from

VA.

Year

Estimated average

burden per

respondent

Estimated

annual

burden

1997 .. 15 minutes .............. 1,000 hours.

1998 .. 15 minutes .............. 800 hours.