[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 176 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47874-47875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24059]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0571]


Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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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), Office of Management (OM), and Office of 
Inspector General (IG), Department of Veterans Affairs, have 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 NCS, OM, and IG a 3-year generic clearance approval 
authority.
    b. Allow the NCS, OM, and IG 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. 2900-0571.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Generic Clearance for the National Cemetery System, Office 
of Management, and Office of Inspector General Customer Satisfaction 
Surveys.
    OMB Control Number: 2900-0571.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: 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 NCS, 
OM, and IG use the customer satisfaction surveys to evaluate customer 
services as well as customer expectations and desires. The results of 
this information collection lead to improvements in the quality of the 
NCS, OM, and IG service delivery by helping to shape the direction and 
focus of specific 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 18, 1997 at pages 33153-33155.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit.
    Listing of Survey Activities: The following list of activities is a 
compendium of customer satisfaction survey plans by the NCS, OM, and 
IG. 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 these organizations 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. The NCS, OM, and IG will conduct periodic reviews of 
ongoing survey activities to ensure that they comply with the PRA.

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                                                            Estimated                                           
                  Year                      Number of     annual burden                 Frequency               
                                           respondents       (hours)                                            
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    National Cemetery System Focus Groups with Next of Kin (10 participants per group/3 hours each session)     
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1998...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
1999...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
2000...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
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  National Cemetery System Focus Groups with Funeral Directors (10 participants per group/3 hours each session) 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1998...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
1999...................................             150             450  15 groups annually                     
2000...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  National Cemetery System Focus Groups with Veterans Service Organizations (10 participants per group/3 hours  
                                                  each session)                                                 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1998...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
1999...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
2000...................................             150             450  15 groups annually.                    
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   National Cemetery System Focus Groups with State Veterans Officers (10 participants per group/3 hours each   
                                                    session)                                                    
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1998...................................              20              60  2 groups annually.                     
1999...................................              20              60  2 groups annually.                     
2000...................................              20              60  2 groups annually.                     
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                                 National Cemetery System Visitor Comments Cards                                
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1998...................................           2,500             420  Twice annually.                        
1999...................................           2,500             420  Twice annually.                        

[[Page 47875]]

                                                                                                                
2000...................................           2,500             420  Twice annually.                        
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             National Cemetery System Next of Kin National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Telephone)             
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1998...................................           1,500             750  Annually.                              
1999...................................           1,500             750  Annually.                              
2000...................................           1,500             750  Annually.                              
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         National Cemetery System Potential Customers National Customer Satisfaction Survey (Telephone)         
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1998...................................           1,500             750  Annually.                              
1999...................................           1,500             750  Annually.                              
2000...................................           1,500             750  Annually.                              
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                     National Cemetery System Program/Specialized Service Survey (Telephone)                    
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1998...................................           1,000             250  Annually.                              
1999...................................           1,000             250  Annually.                              
2000...................................           1,000             250  Annually.                              
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                        Office of Management Accountability Report Pilot Evaluation Form                        
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1998...................................             550             138  Annually.                              
1999...................................             550             138  Annually.                              
2000...................................             550             138  Annually.                              
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                                Office of Inspector General Patient Questionnaire                               
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1998...................................           1,200             200  Annually.                              
1999...................................           1,200             200  Annually.                              
2000...................................           1,200             200  Annually.                              
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    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