Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information Collection Requirements, 7292-7293 [2010-3046]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 32 / Thursday, February 18, 2010 / Notices
requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed. Currently, the Office
of Workers’ Compensation Programs is
soliciting comments concerning the
proposed collection: Claim for
Reimbursement—Assisted
Reemployment (CA–2231). A copy of
the proposed information collection
request can be obtained by contacting
the office listed below in the addresses
section of this Notice.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before
April 19, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Mr. Vincent Alvarez, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Ave., NW., Room S–3201, Washington,
DC 20210, telephone (202) 693–0372,
fax (202) 693–1378, email
Alvarez.Vincent@dol.gov. Please use
only one method of transmission for
comments (mail, fax, or email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Office of Workers’ Compensation
Programs (OWCP) administers the
Federal Employees’ Compensation Act
(FECA) under 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.
Section 8104(a) of the FECA provides
vocational rehabilitation services to
eligible injured workers to facilitate
their return to work. The costs of
providing these vocational
rehabilitation services are paid from the
Employees’ Compensation Fund.
Annual appropriations language
(currently in Pub. L. 109–289), provides
OWCP with legal authority to use
amounts from the Fund to reimburse
private sector employers for a portion of
the salary of reemployed disabled
Federal workers they have hired
through OWCP’s assisted reemployment
program. Information collected on Form
CA–2231 provides OWCP with the
necessary remittance information for the
employer, documents the hours of work,
certifies the payment of wages to the
claimant for which reimbursement is
sought, and summarizes the nature and
costs of the wage reimbursement
program for a prompt decision by
OWCP. This information collection is
currently approved for use through June
30, 2010.
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
II. Review Focus
The Department of Labor is
particularly interested in comments
which:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
VerDate Nov<24>2008
14:39 Feb 17, 2010
Jkt 220001
• 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 through 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
The Department of Labor seeks
extension of approval to collect this
information to ensure timely and
accurate payments to eligible employers
for reimbursement claims.
Type of Review: Extension.
Agency: Office of Workers’
Compensation Programs.
Title: Claim for ReimbursementAssisted Reemployment.
OMB Number: 1215–0178.
Agency Number: CA–2231.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit, not-for-profit institutions.
Total Respondents: 25.
Total Annual Responses: 100.
Average Time per Response: 30
minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 50.
Frequency: Quarterly.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):
$0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/
maintenance): $47.
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: February 12, 2010.
Vincent Alvarez,
Agency Clearance Officer, Office of Workers’
Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of
Labor.
[FR Doc. 2010–3043 Filed 2–17–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–CH–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Workers’ Compensation
Programs
Proposed Extension of the Approval of
Information Collection Requirements
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as
part of its continuing effort to reduce
PO 00000
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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 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. Currently, the Office
of Workers’ Compensation Programs is
soliciting comments concerning the
proposed collection: Medical Travel
Refund Request (OWCP–957). A copy of
the proposed information collection
request can be obtained by contacting
the office listed below in the addresses
section of this Notice.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before
April 19, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Mr. Vincent Alvarez, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Ave., NW., Room S–3201, Washington,
DC 20210, telephone (202) 693–0372,
fax (202) 693–1378, e-mail
Alvarez.Vincent@dol.gov. Please use
only one method of transmission for
comments (mail, fax, or e-mail).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background: The Office of Workers’
Compensation Programs (OWCP) is the
agency responsible for administration of
the Federal Employees’ Compensation
Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq., the
Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA), 30
U.S.C. 901 et seq., and the Energy
Employees Occupational Illness
Compensation Program Act of 2000
(EEOICPA), 42 U.S.C. 7384 et seq. All
three of these statutes require that
OWCP reimburse beneficiaries for travel
expenses for covered medical treatment.
In order to determine whether amounts
requested as travel expenses are
appropriate, OWCP must receive certain
data elements, including the signature
of the physician for medical expenses
claimed under the BLBA. Form OWCP–
957 is the standard format for the
collection of these data elements. The
regulations implementing these three
statutes allow for the collection of
information needed to enable OWCP to
determine if reimbursement requests for
travel expenses should be paid. This
information collection is currently
approved for use through August 31,
2010.
E:\FR\FM\18FEN1.SGM
18FEN1
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 32 / Thursday, February 18, 2010 / Notices
II. Review Focus: The Department of
Labor is particularly interested in
comments which:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, 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 through 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: The Department
of Labor seeks approval for the
extension of this information collection
in order to carry out its responsibility to
determine if requests for reimbursement
for out-of-pocket expenses incurred
when traveling to medical providers for
covered medical testing or treatment
should be paid.
Type of Review: Extension.
Agency: Office of Workers’
Compensation Programs.
Title: Medical Travel Refund Request.
OMB Number: 1215–0054.
Agency Number: CM–957.
Affected Public: Individual or
households.
Total Respondents: 182,535.
Total Responses: 182,535.
Time per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours:
30,301.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):
$0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/
maintenance): $85,791.
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.
Vincent Alvarez,
Agency Clearance Officer, Office of Workers’
Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of
Labor.
[FR Doc. 2010–3046 Filed 2–17–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–CR–P
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14:39 Feb 17, 2010
Jkt 220001
work is performed, whichever is
highest. 20 CFR 655.122(l).
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training
Administration
Temporary Agricultural Employment of
H–2A Workers in the United States:
2010 Adverse Effect Wage Rates,
Allowable Charges for Agricultural
Workers’ Meals, and Maximum Travel
Subsistence Reimbursement
AGENCY: Employment and Training
Administration.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor
(Department) is issuing this Notice to
announce the new 2010 Adverse Effect
Wage Rates (AEWRs) and the 2010
maximum allowable meal and travel
subsistence charges applicable to
employers seeking to employ H–2A
nonimmigrant workers to perform
agricultural labor in the United States
(U.S.) on a temporary or seasonal basis.
DATES: Effective Date: March 15, 2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William L. Carlson, PhD, Administrator,
Office of Foreign Labor Certification,
U.S. Department of Labor, Room C–
4312, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone:
202–693–3010 (this is not a toll-free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services of the Department of Homeland
Security may not approve an employer’s
petition for the admission of H–2A
nonimmigrant temporary agricultural
workers in the U.S. unless the petitioner
has received from the Department, an
H–2A temporary labor certification.
Approved labor certifications attest that:
(1) There are not sufficient U.S. workers
who are able, willing, and qualified and
who will be available at the time and
place needed to perform the labor or
services involved in the petition; and (2)
the employment of the foreign worker in
such labor or services will not adversely
affect the wages and working conditions
of workers in the U.S. similarly
employed. 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a),
1184(c)(1), and 1188(a); 8 CFR
214.2(h)(5).
To ensure that the two preconditions
to certification are met, the
Department’s H–2A regulations require,
among other things, that employers offer
and pay their H–2A and U.S. workers
the highest of the AEWR, the prevailing
hourly wage rate, the prevailing piece
rate, the agreed-upon collective
bargaining rate, or the Federal or State
minimum wage rate, in effect at the time
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7293
B. Adverse Effect Wage Rates for 2010
The AEWR serves as the floor for the
agricultural wage rates in the H–2A
program and is designed to prevent the
potential wage-depressive impact the
agricultural employment of
nonimmigrant foreign workers may have
on the domestic agricultural workforce.
Since 1953, the Department has
computed and published AEWRs for the
temporary employment of
nonimmigrant foreign workers for
agricultural employment under various
admission programs. Between 1963 and
1987, the Department applied a variety
of methodologies to determine how
AEWR should be set. In 1989, the
Department promulgated an Interim
Final Rule (IFR) reaffirming the AEWR
calculation methodology it initially
established in the 1987 IFR that
promulgated the first H–2A program
regulations. 54 FR 28037, Jul. 5, 1989
and 52 FR 20496, Jun. 1, 1987. In the
1989 IFR, the Department retained the
methodology that based the AEWRs on
the level of actual average hourly
agricultural wages for each State, as
surveyed by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA). This methodology
set the AEWRs in each year for the
H–2A program at a level equal to the
previous year’s annual regional average
hourly wage rates for field and livestock
workers (combined), as computed by
USDA quarterly wage surveys. 54 FR
28037–28039, Jul. 5, 1989. The USDAbased methodology for calculating the
AEWRs remained in place until January
17, 2009, the effective date of the
Department’s Final Rule on the
Temporary Agricultural Employment of
H–2A Aliens in the United States;
Modernizing the Labor Certification
Process and Enforcement, in which the
Department adopted a different
methodology that set the AEWRs at
prevailing wage rates by relying on the
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational
Employment Statistics survey. 73 FR
77110, 77167, Dec. 18, 2008.
However, the Department has now
published a Final Rule addressing the
Temporary Agricultural Employment of
H–2A Aliens in the United States, 75 FR
6884, February 12, 2010 (2010 Final
Rule). In the 2010 Final Rule, the
Department announced that the H–2A
AEWR will once again be based on the
USDA data compiled through its Farm
Labor Survey (FLS) Reports.
Therefore, unless otherwise provided
in 20 CFR part 655, subpart B, the
AEWRs applicable to all agricultural
employment subject to the 2010 Final
Rule (except those occupations for
E:\FR\FM\18FEN1.SGM
18FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 32 (Thursday, February 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7292-7293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3046]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
Proposed Extension of the Approval of Information Collection
Requirements
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 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.
Currently, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is soliciting
comments concerning the proposed collection: Medical Travel Refund
Request (OWCP-957). A copy of the proposed information collection
request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the
addresses section of this Notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before April 19, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Mr. Vincent Alvarez, U.S. Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Ave., NW., Room S-3201, Washington, DC 20210, telephone
(202) 693-0372, fax (202) 693-1378, e-mail Alvarez.Vincent@dol.gov.
Please use only one method of transmission for comments (mail, fax, or
e-mail).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background: The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP)
is the agency responsible for administration of the Federal Employees'
Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq., the Black Lung Benefits
Act (BLBA), 30 U.S.C. 901 et seq., and the Energy Employees
Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA), 42
U.S.C. 7384 et seq. All three of these statutes require that OWCP
reimburse beneficiaries for travel expenses for covered medical
treatment. In order to determine whether amounts requested as travel
expenses are appropriate, OWCP must receive certain data elements,
including the signature of the physician for medical expenses claimed
under the BLBA. Form OWCP-957 is the standard format for the collection
of these data elements. The regulations implementing these three
statutes allow for the collection of information needed to enable OWCP
to determine if reimbursement requests for travel expenses should be
paid. This information collection is currently approved for use through
August 31, 2010.
[[Page 7293]]
II. Review Focus: The Department of Labor is particularly
interested in comments which:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
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 through 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: The Department of Labor seeks approval for
the extension of this information collection in order to carry out its
responsibility to determine if requests for reimbursement for out-of-
pocket expenses incurred when traveling to medical providers for
covered medical testing or treatment should be paid.
Type of Review: Extension.
Agency: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.
Title: Medical Travel Refund Request.
OMB Number: 1215-0054.
Agency Number: CM-957.
Affected Public: Individual or households.
Total Respondents: 182,535.
Total Responses: 182,535.
Time per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 30,301.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $85,791.
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.
Vincent Alvarez,
Agency Clearance Officer, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs,
U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2010-3046 Filed 2-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-CR-P
