[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 84 (Monday, May 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25701-25703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09301]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-XXXX]


Agency Information Collection Activity: Veteran Rapid Retraining 
Assistance Program (VRRAP) 30, 60, 90, 180-Day Experience Survey, and 
VRRAP Experience Survey After Employment

AGENCY: Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans 
Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the 
proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the

[[Page 25702]]

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to 
publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed 
collection of information, including each new collection of 
information, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the 
notice.

DATES:  Written comments and recommendations on the proposed collection 
of information should be received on or before July 1, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information 
through Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov 
or to Nancy J. Kessinger, Veterans Benefits Administration (20M33), 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 
20420 or email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#224c434c415b0c494751514b4c4547506254430c454d54"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f29c939c918bdc999781819b9c959780b28493dc959d84">[email protected]</span></a>. Please refer to ``OMB Control 
No. 2900-XXXX'' in any correspondence. During the comment period, 
comments may be viewed online through FDMS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maribel Aponte, Office of Enterprise 
and Integration, Data Governance Analytics (008), 1717 H Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20006, (202) 266-4688 or email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9df0fceff4fff8f1b3fcedf2f3e9f8ddebfcb3faf2eb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b7dad6c5ded5d2db99d6c7d8d9c3d2f7c1d699d0d8c1">[email protected]</span></a>. 
Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-XXXX'' in any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA of 1995, Federal agencies must 
obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor. This request for 
comment is being made pursuant to Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA. 
With respect to the following collection of information, VBA invites 
comments on:
    (1) Whether the revision of a previously approved collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of VBA's functions, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the 
accuracy of VBA's estimate of the burden of the revision of a 
previously approved collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or the use of other forms of information technology.
    Authority: Public Law 117-2 Sec.  8006 and Public Law 117-16.
    Title: Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP) 30, 60, 
90, 180-Day Experience Survey, and VRRAP Experience Survey After 
Employment.
    OMB Control Number: 2900-XXXX.
    Type of Review: New Information Collection.
    Abstract: These VRRAP Surveys submitted for OMB's approval through 
regular ICR 3-year collection for the Collection of Qualitative 
Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' is being submitting based on the 
recently enacted ``Training in High-demand Roles to Improve Veteran 
Employment Act'' (THRIVE ACT) legislation. This new Public Law 117-16 
amended the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP), Public 
Law 117-2 Section 8006 by requiring VA, in coordination with Department 
of Labor (DOL), to contact each Veteran who completes a covered program 
of education under the retraining assistance program 30, 60, 90, and 
180 days after the Veteran completes the program of education to ask 
about their experience in the retraining assistance program and their 
employment status.
    The Thrive Act legislation also specifies that a Veteran 
participating in a covered program of education solely through distance 
learning on a half-time basis or less would not receive a housing 
stipend, and it clarifies the housing stipend amount provided to a 
Veteran when participating in a program on a half-time basis or less. 
The Thrive Act also requires VA, in consultation with the DOL to 
contact each participating Veteran no later than 30 days after the date 
the Veteran begins the program of education, to notify them of 
employment placement services available upon completion of the program; 
and to, no later than 14 days after the date the Veteran completes, or 
terminates participation in the program, to facilitate the provision of 
employment placement services to the Veteran.
    The Thrive Act also requires VA to enter into a Memorandum of 
Understanding with one or more qualified nonprofit organizations to 
facilitate the employment of Veterans who participate in the retraining 
assistance program. A qualified non-profit organization is an 
organization that is an association of businesses and has at least two 
years of experience providing job placement services for Veterans. And 
finally, the legislation requires DOL, no later than one year after the 
date of the Thrive Act enactment, to submit a report to the Committees 
on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives.
    The report must contain the percentage of Veterans who found 
employment before the end of the second calendar quarter after exiting 
the program; the percentage of Veterans who found employment before the 
end of the fourth calendar quarter after exiting the program; the 
median earnings of Veterans for the second quarter after exiting the 
program; and the percentage of Veterans who attain a recognized 
postsecondary credential during the 12-month period after exiting the 
program, and would require the Comptroller General of the United States 
to submit a report to Congress on the outcomes and effectiveness of the 
retraining program not later than 180 days after the termination of the 
retraining assistance program, December 11, 2022. Feedback from the 
Surveys will be used for that purpose.
    The feedback will also provide insights into the eligible 
beneficiaries' perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an 
early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on areas where 
communication, training, or changes in operations might improve 
delivery of products or services. This collection will allow for 
ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between VA and 
Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP) participants 
regarding their needs for employment assistance. It will also allow 
feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of the VRRAP program 
management.
    Improving agency programs requires ongoing assessment of service 
delivery, by which we mean systematic review of the operation of a 
program compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means 
of contributing to the continuous improvement of the program. VA will 
collect, analyze, and interpret information gathered through this 
regular ICR submission survey to identify strengths and weaknesses of 
current services and make improvements in service delivery based on 
feedback. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: 
Timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, 
efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with service 
delivery. Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to 
improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If 
this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on VA's services will be unavailable.
    The type of regular ICR survey collection is limited only as:
    <bullet> Web-Based or other forms of social media and email.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 830 hours.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent: 2 minutes.

[[Page 25703]]

    Frequency of Response: Four (4) per year (Quarterly).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,225.

    By direction of the Secretary:
Maribel Aponte,
VA PRA Clearance Officer, Office of Enterprise and Integration/Data 
Governance Analytics, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-09301 Filed 4-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P


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