Proposed Extension Without Change of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) Data Collection; Comment Request, 14579-14580 [E9-7120]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 60 / Tuesday, March 31, 2009 / Notices
responses will be considered by the
Commission if received not later than 20
days after the date of service by the
Commission of the complaint and the
notice of investigation. Extensions of
time for submitting responses to the
complaint and the notice of
investigation will not be granted unless
good cause therefor is shown.
Failure of a respondent to file a timely
response to each allegation in the
complaint and in this notice may be
deemed to constitute a waiver of the
right to appear and contest the
allegations of the complaint and this
notice, and to authorize the
administrative law judge and the
Commission, without further notice to
the respondent, to find the facts to be as
alleged in the complaint and this notice
and to enter an initial determination
and a final determination containing
such findings, and may result in the
issuance of an exclusion order or a cease
and desist order or both directed against
the respondent.
Issued: March 25, 2009.
By order of the Commission.
Marilyn R. Abbott,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. E9–7074 Filed 3–30–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training
Administration
Information Collection Request for the
ETA 191, Statement of Expenditures
and Financial Adjustments of Federal
Funds for Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees
and Ex-Servicemembers Report:
Extension Without Change, Comment
Request
AGENCY: Employment and Training
Administration.
ACTION: Notice.
The Department of Labor, as
part of its continuing effort to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden,
conducts a preclearance consultation
program to provide the general public
and Federal agencies with an
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing collection of
information in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This
program helps to ensure that requested
data can be provided in the desired
format, reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection
tjames on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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14:35 Mar 30, 2009
Jkt 217001
requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed.
A copy of the proposed information
collection request (ICR) can be obtained
by contacting the office listed below in
the ADDRESSES section of this notice or
by accessing: https://www.doleta.gov/
OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before
June 1, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Thomas Stengle, U.S.
Department of Labor, Employment and
Training Administration, Office of
Workforce Security, 200 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Room S–4231,
Washington, DC 20210; by phone at
(202) 693–2991 (this is not a toll-free
number); by fax at (202) 693–2874; or by
e-mail: stengle.thomas@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background: Public Law 97–362,
Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1982,
amended the Unemployment
Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers
(UCX) law (5 U.S.C. 8509), and Public
Law 96–499, Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act, amended the
Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees (UCFE) law (5 U.S.C.
8501, et. seq.) requiring each Federal
employing agency to pay the costs of
regular and extended UCFE/UCX
benefits paid to its employees by the
State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The
ETA 191 report submitted quarterly by
each SWA shows the amount of benefits
that should be charged to each Federal
employing agency. The Office of
Workforce Security uses this
information to aggregate the SWA
quarterly charges and submit one
official bill to each Federal agency being
charged. Federal agencies then
reimburse the Federal Employees
Compensation (FEC) Account
maintained by the U.S. Treasury.
II. Desired Focus of Comments:
Currently, the Employment and
Training Administration is soliciting
comments concerning the proposed
extension of the ETA 191, Statement of
Expenditures and Financial
Adjustments of Federal Funds for
Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees and ExServicemembers Report. Comments are
requested to:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary to
assess performance of the nonmonetary
determination function, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
PO 00000
Frm 00068
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14579
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions:
Type of Review: Extension without
change.
Agency: Employment and Training
Administration (ETA).
Title: Statement of Expenditures and
Financial Adjustments of Federal Funds
for Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees and ExServicemembers.
OMB Number: 1205–0162.
Agency Number: ETA 191.
Affected Public: State Government.
Total Respondents: 53.
Frequency: Quarterly.
Total Responses: 53 states × 4 quarters
= 212 responses.
Average Time per Response: 6 hours.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,272
hours.
Total Burden Cost (Capital/Startup):
$0.
Total Burden Cost (Operating/
Maintaining): $0.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for Office of
Management and Budget approval of the
information collection request; they will
also become a matter of public record.
Dated: March 25, 2009.
Cheryl Atkinson,
Administrator, Office of Workforce Security.
[FR Doc. E9–7119 Filed 3–30–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–30–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training
Administration
Proposed Extension Without Change
of the Unemployment Insurance (UI)
Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM)
Data Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Employment and Training
Administration.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as
part of its continuing effort to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden,
conducts a preclearance consultation
program to provide the general public
E:\FR\FM\31MRN1.SGM
31MRN1
tjames on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
14580
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 60 / Tuesday, March 31, 2009 / Notices
and Federal agencies with an
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing collections of
information in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This
program helps to ensure that requested
data can be provided in the desired
format, reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection
requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed.
A copy of the proposed information
collection request (ICR) can be obtained
by contacting the office listed below in
the ADDRESSES section of this notice or
by accessing: https://www.doleta.gov/
OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before
June 1, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Andrew
W. Spisak, U.S. Department of Labor,
Employment and Training
Administration, Office of Workforce
Security, 200 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Room S–4522, Washington, DC
20210; telephone number: 202–693–
3196 (this is not a toll-free number); fax:
202–693–3975; or by e-mail:
spisak.andrew@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background: Since 1987, all State
Workforce Agencies (SWAs) except the
U.S. Virgin Islands have been required
by regulation at 20 CFR part 602 to
operate BAM programs to assess the
accuracy of their UI benefit payments in
three programs: State UI,
Unemployment Compensation for
Federal Employees (UCFE), and
Unemployment Compensation for Exservicemembers (UCX). Beginning in
2001, BAM was modified to include the
sampling and investigation of UI claims
denied for monetary, separation, or
nonseparation issues.
BAM is one of the tools the
Department uses to measure and reduce
waste, fraud, and abuse in the UI
program. By investigating small
representative weekly samples of both
paid and denied UI claims, each State
is able to estimate reliably the number
and dollar value of proper and improper
payments; the number of proper and
improper denials of claims for UI
benefits; the rates of occurrence of these
proper and improper payments and
denials; and the error types, error
causes, and the parties that are
responsible for the errors.
Paid Claims Accuracy. Each week
SWAs select random samples of both
intrastate and interstate original
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14:35 Mar 30, 2009
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payments (including combined wage
claims) made for a week of UI benefits
under the State UI, UCX or UCFE
programs. A sample of 360 cases per
year is pulled in the ten States with the
smallest UI program workloads (defined
as the average annual UI weeks paid
during the last five years) and 480 cases
per year in the other States. State BAM
staff audit each selected claim,
examining all aspects of a claimant’s
eligibility to receive UI benefits during
the sampled week. The findings are
entered into an automated database that
is maintained on a computer located in
each State.
Denied Claims Accuracy. Each week
States select random samples from three
separate sampling frames constructed
from the universes of UI claims for
which eligibility was denied for
monetary, separation and nonseparation
reasons. All States sample a minimum
of 150 cases of each denial type in each
calendar year. State BAM staff review
agency records and contact claimants,
employers, and all other relevant parties
to verify information in agency records
or obtain additional information
pertinent to the determination that
denied eligibility for UI benefits. Unlike
the investigation of paid claims, in
which all prior determinations affecting
claimant eligibility for the compensated
week selected for the sample are
evaluated, the investigation of denied
claims is limited to the issue upon
which the denial determination is
based. The findings are entered into an
automated database that is maintained
on a computer located in each State.
The Department maintains a database
of each State’s BAM paid and denied
claims cases, minus any personally
identifying information. The
Department uses BAM data to measure
State performance with respect to UI
payment integrity and to meet the
Department’s reporting requirements of
the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) and the Improper
Payments Information Act (IPIA). The
Department also relies heavily on BAM
data for information on UI operations,
such as the percentage of claims filed
via the Internet and telephone, UI wage
replacement rates, and claimant
characteristics. The results of the BAM
survey are reported annually on the
ETA Web site, https://workforcesecurity.
doleta.gov/unemploy/.
II. Desired Focus of Comments:
Currently, the Employment and
Training Administration is soliciting
comments concerning the proposed
extension of the BAM data collection.
The Department’s information
collection authority for BAM, under
Office of Management and Budget
PO 00000
Frm 00069
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
(OMB) number 1205–0245, is scheduled
to expire on August 31, 2009. Comments
are requested to:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary to
measure performance of the UI program,
especially with respect to the accuracy
of payments and denials of claims for
benefits, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
• Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions:
Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Agency: Employment and Training
Administration (ETA).
Title: Unemployment Insurance
Benefit Accuracy Measurement.
OMB Number: 1205–0245.
Agency Number: BAM State
Operations Handbook (ET Handbook
No. 395, 4th edition).
Affected Public: State Workforce
Agencies (Primary), individuals,
businesses, and not-for-profit
institutions.
Total Respondents: 188,984
(unchanged).
Estimated Total Burden Hours:
429,897 (+ 92 ¥ adjustment).
Total Burden Cost (Capital/Startup):
$66,870 (Federal purchase of new Sun
T2000 computers with printer and
terminal peripherals for State agencies.
Cost reflects annual cost over three-year
life cycle and 30 percent pro-rata share
of usage for BAM activities.)
Total Burden Cost (Operating/
Maintaining): $639,649 (Annual Federal
cost for contractor and software support,
based on 30 percent pro-rata share for
BAM activities.)
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for Office of
Management and Budget approval of the
information collection request; they will
also become a matter of public record.
Dated: March 25, 2009.
Cheryl Atkinson,
Administrator, Office of Workforce Security.
[FR Doc. E9–7120 Filed 3–30–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–FW–P
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31MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14579-14580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7120]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Proposed Extension Without Change of the Unemployment Insurance
(UI) Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) Data Collection; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation program to provide the general public
[[Page 14580]]
and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program
helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired
format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be
obtained by contacting the office listed below in the ADDRESSES section
of this notice or by accessing: https://www.doleta.gov/OMBCN/OMBControlNumber.cfm.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section below on or before June 1, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Andrew W. Spisak, U.S. Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce Security,
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room S-4522, Washington, DC 20210;
telephone number: 202-693-3196 (this is not a toll-free number); fax:
202-693-3975; or by e-mail: spisak.andrew@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background: Since 1987, all State Workforce Agencies (SWAs)
except the U.S. Virgin Islands have been required by regulation at 20
CFR part 602 to operate BAM programs to assess the accuracy of their UI
benefit payments in three programs: State UI, Unemployment Compensation
for Federal Employees (UCFE), and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-
servicemembers (UCX). Beginning in 2001, BAM was modified to include
the sampling and investigation of UI claims denied for monetary,
separation, or nonseparation issues.
BAM is one of the tools the Department uses to measure and reduce
waste, fraud, and abuse in the UI program. By investigating small
representative weekly samples of both paid and denied UI claims, each
State is able to estimate reliably the number and dollar value of
proper and improper payments; the number of proper and improper denials
of claims for UI benefits; the rates of occurrence of these proper and
improper payments and denials; and the error types, error causes, and
the parties that are responsible for the errors.
Paid Claims Accuracy. Each week SWAs select random samples of both
intrastate and interstate original payments (including combined wage
claims) made for a week of UI benefits under the State UI, UCX or UCFE
programs. A sample of 360 cases per year is pulled in the ten States
with the smallest UI program workloads (defined as the average annual
UI weeks paid during the last five years) and 480 cases per year in the
other States. State BAM staff audit each selected claim, examining all
aspects of a claimant's eligibility to receive UI benefits during the
sampled week. The findings are entered into an automated database that
is maintained on a computer located in each State.
Denied Claims Accuracy. Each week States select random samples from
three separate sampling frames constructed from the universes of UI
claims for which eligibility was denied for monetary, separation and
nonseparation reasons. All States sample a minimum of 150 cases of each
denial type in each calendar year. State BAM staff review agency
records and contact claimants, employers, and all other relevant
parties to verify information in agency records or obtain additional
information pertinent to the determination that denied eligibility for
UI benefits. Unlike the investigation of paid claims, in which all
prior determinations affecting claimant eligibility for the compensated
week selected for the sample are evaluated, the investigation of denied
claims is limited to the issue upon which the denial determination is
based. The findings are entered into an automated database that is
maintained on a computer located in each State.
The Department maintains a database of each State's BAM paid and
denied claims cases, minus any personally identifying information. The
Department uses BAM data to measure State performance with respect to
UI payment integrity and to meet the Department's reporting
requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and
the Improper Payments Information Act (IPIA). The Department also
relies heavily on BAM data for information on UI operations, such as
the percentage of claims filed via the Internet and telephone, UI wage
replacement rates, and claimant characteristics. The results of the BAM
survey are reported annually on the ETA Web site, https://
workforcesecurity. doleta.gov/unemploy/.
II. Desired Focus of Comments: Currently, the Employment and
Training Administration is soliciting comments concerning the proposed
extension of the BAM data collection. The Department's information
collection authority for BAM, under Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) number 1205-0245, is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2009.
Comments are requested to:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary to measure performance of the UI program, especially with
respect to the accuracy of payments and denials of claims for benefits,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions:
Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved
collection.
Agency: Employment and Training Administration (ETA).
Title: Unemployment Insurance Benefit Accuracy Measurement.
OMB Number: 1205-0245.
Agency Number: BAM State Operations Handbook (ET Handbook No. 395,
4th edition).
Affected Public: State Workforce Agencies (Primary), individuals,
businesses, and not-for-profit institutions.
Total Respondents: 188,984 (unchanged).
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 429,897 (+ 92 - adjustment).
Total Burden Cost (Capital/Startup): $66,870 (Federal purchase of
new Sun T2000 computers with printer and terminal peripherals for State
agencies. Cost reflects annual cost over three-year life cycle and 30
percent pro-rata share of usage for BAM activities.)
Total Burden Cost (Operating/Maintaining): $639,649 (Annual Federal
cost for contractor and software support, based on 30 percent pro-rata
share for BAM activities.)
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a
matter of public record.
Dated: March 25, 2009.
Cheryl Atkinson,
Administrator, Office of Workforce Security.
[FR Doc. E9-7120 Filed 3-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FW-P
