Proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) for the Workforce Investment Act Random Assignment Impact Evaluation of the Adult and Dislocated Worker Program; Comment Request, 69126-69128 [2010-28322]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69126-69128]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28322]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) for the Workforce 
Investment Act Random Assignment Impact Evaluation of the Adult and 
Dislocated Worker Program; Comment Request

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY:  The Department of Labor (DOL or Department), 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 (PRA) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program 
helps to ensure that required 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.
    The Department notes that a Federal agency cannot conduct or 
sponsor a collection of information unless it is approved by the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) under the PRA, and displays a currently 
valid OMB control number, and the public is not required to respond to 
a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number. Also, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no 
person shall be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a 
collection of information if the collection of information does not 
display a currently valid OMB control number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6.
    A copy of the proposed ICR can be obtained by contacting the office 
listed below in the addressee 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 
addressee section below on or before January 10, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Eileen Pederson, U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development 
and Research, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Frances Perkins Bldg., Room 
N-5641, Washington, DC, 20210, telephone number (202) 693-3647 (this is 
not a toll-free number). Her e-mail address is Pederson.eileen@dol.gov 
and fax number is (202) 693-2766 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In 1998, Congress significantly reformed the public workforce 
investment system by replacing the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) 
with the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Key WIA reforms included 
consolidating the fragmented system of employment and training programs 
under JTPA and providing universal access to basic (core) services. To 
determine whether the adult and dislocated worker services funded by 
Title I of the WIA are effective, ETA is undertaking the WIA Random 
Assignment Impact Evaluation of the Adult and Dislocated Worker 
Programs. ETA has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research and its 
subcontractors --Social Policy Research Associates, MDRC, and the 
Corporation for a Skilled Workforce--to conduct this evaluation.
    The evaluation will address the following research questions:
     Does access to WIA intensive and training services--both 
individually and combined--lead adults and dislocated workers to 
achieve better educational, employment, earnings, and self-sufficiency 
outcomes than they would achieve in the absence of access to those 
services?
     Does the effectiveness of WIA vary by population subgroup? 
Is there variation by sex, age, race/ethnicity, unemployment insurance 
(UI) receipt, education level, previous employment history, adult and 
dislocated worker status, and veteran and disability status?
     How does the implementation of WIA vary by Local Workforce 
Investment Area (LWIA)? Does the effectiveness of WIA vary by how it is 
implemented? To what extent do implementation differences explain 
variations in WIA's effectiveness?
     Do the benefits from WIA services exceed program costs? Do 
the benefits of intensive services exceed their costs? Do the benefits 
of training exceed its costs? Do the benefits exceed the costs for 
adults? Do they for dislocated workers?

[[Page 69127]]

    To obtain rigorous, nationally representative estimates of WIA's 
effectiveness, the evaluation will take place in 30 randomly selected 
LWIAs. WIA applicants who are eligible for intensive services will be 
randomly assigned to one of three groups. The three research groups to 
which they will be assigned are: (1) The full-WIA group--adults and 
dislocated workers in this group can receive any WIA services for which 
they are eligible, (2) the core-and-intensive group--adults and 
dislocated workers in this group can receive any WIA services for which 
they are eligible other than training, and (3) the core-only group--
adults and dislocated workers in this group can receive only WIA core 
services but no intensive or training services. Applicants who do not 
consent to participate in the study will be allowed to receive core 
services only. The sample intake period will be about 18 months at each 
site. A total of about 68,000 WIA adult and dislocated worker 
applicants will be randomly assigned to the evaluation. Data for the 
study will be collected from the following five major sources:
     1. Study Enrollment Forms. Three forms will be used at 
intake to enroll participants into the study, a consent form, a 
baseline information form (BIF), and a contact information form (CIF). 
WIA adult and dislocated worker applicants will be asked to sign a 
consent form to confirm that they have been informed about the study 
and agree to participate. During the study enrollment process and after 
agreeing to participate in the study, information on each participant's 
basic demographic and socio-economic characteristics will be collected 
on a short BIF. In addition, contact information will be collected on 
the CIF.
     2. Two Follow-Up Surveys. Follow-up telephone surveys will 
be conducted with 6,000 study participants. These will be conducted at 
about 15 and 30 months after random assignment. The first survey will 
collect baseline data that will not have changed since random 
assignment, such as place of birth. Both surveys will collect data on 
study participants' receipt of services and outcomes on attainment of 
education credentials, labor market outcomes, and family self-
sufficiency.
     3. WIA Service and Cost Data. To ensure that random 
assignment is being implemented correctly, as well as to collect data 
on the receipt of WIA services, data extracts from the State and/or 
local management information systems will be requested. If data on all 
services are not regularly collected in a site's specific management 
information system, then Mathematica will negotiate with that site to 
determine the best way to obtain basic service data, whether it is from 
another system, from modifications to their system, or from staff 
recording service provision in a study-specific system. Data on LWIA 
expenditures during the study period will be collected through 
quarterly reports that the LWIAs routinely submit to ETA. In addition, 
data on the costs of each service (for example, staff time and cost, 
cost of materials, overhead) will be collected through cost collection 
forms and interviews with program staff during the second site visit.
     4. Administrative Data from Other Agencies and Programs. 
Both baseline (such as past earnings) and outcome data on quarterly 
earnings and UI benefits will be collected from records of state UI 
agencies. Data on service and benefit receipt may also be collected 
from the Employment Service, Social Security Administration, Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families Program, and/or the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program.
     5. Site Visits. Data on the context for the program and 
its implementation will be collected during two rounds of site visits 
to each of the 30 sites. The site visits will involve interviews with 
key staff, group interviews with study participants, observations of 
program activities, and case file reviews.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    Currently, the Department is soliciting comments concerning the 
above data collection for the WIA Random Assignment Impact Evaluation. 
Comments are requested to:
     Evaluate whether the proposed ICR 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 ICR, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the ICR; and
     Minimize the burden of the ICR 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

    At this time, ETA is requesting clearance for the three study 
enrollment forms (the consent form, the BIF, and the CIF) and the 
protocols for the site visits. A future request will be submitted for 
the follow-up surveys and the cost collection forms.
    Type of review: New ICR.
    OMB Number:
    Affected Public: WIA Customers and Staff at 30 One-Stop Career 
Centers
    Cite/Reference/Form/etc.: Workforce Investment Act Section 172.
    For the study enrollment forms:
    Frequency: One-time collection.
    Total Responses: 68,000.
    Average Time per Response: 13 minutes for study participants and 13 
minutes per staff person per participant.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 29,467 (= 14,733 for participants and 
14,733 for staff)
    Total Burden Cost: $379,383 (= $106,817 for participants and 
$272,567 for staff)

    Note:  Due to rounding, total burden amounts and cost amounts 
may differ from the sum of the component amounts.

    For the site visits:
    Frequency: Once for participants; twice for staff.
    Total Responses: 240 responses for participants and 2,160 responses 
for staff (= twice per staff for 1,080 staff).
    Average Time per Response: 60 minutes for participants and 60 
minutes per staff for each response.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2,400 (= 240 for participants and 
2,160 for staff).
    Total Burden Cost: $41,700 (= $1,740 for participants and $39,960 
for staff).

    Note:  Due to rounding, the numbers for the totals may differ 
from the sum of the component numbers.


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                                                                   Average time
         Respondents                Total        Frequency of      per response   Burden (hours)    Burden cost
                                 respondents      collection        (minutes)
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Intake forms:
    Study Participants.......          68,000  Once............  13 minutes.....          14,733         106,817

[[Page 69128]]

 
    Staff....................             270  Once............  13 minutes per           14,733         272,567
                                                                  customer, with
                                                                  an average of
                                                                  252 customers
                                                                  per respondent.
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total for intake.....          68,270  ................  ...............          29,467         379,383
Site Visits:
    Study Participants.......             240  Once............  60 minutes.....             240           1,740
    Staff....................           1,080  Twice...........  60 minutes.....           2,160          39,960
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total for site visits           1,320  ................  ...............           2,400         $41,700
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Total for Intake           69,590  ................  ...............          31,867        $421,083
             and Site Visits.
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Note: Due to rounding, the numbers for the totals may differ from the sum of the component numbers.

    The total burden cost for the enrollment forms represents 13 
minutes, on average, for participant respondents to complete the study 
enrollment forms multiplied by the number of respondents (68,000) and 
by an estimated average hourly wage of $7.25 per hour, which is the 
current Federal minimum wage. Thus, the total participant burden for 
the completion of the enrollment forms is $106,817 (= 68,000 x 13/60 x 
7.25). The projected burden for enrollment forms represents 13 minutes, 
on average, for each staff person to process documents for each study 
participant, including reviewing the participant's information, 
completing the counselor-only section, and data-entering the necessary 
information. (Each of an estimated 270 staff members will complete the 
forms for an average of 252 participants.) The total staff burden cost 
is $272,567, which is 13 minutes per participant multiplied by the 
number of respondents (68,000) and an average hourly wage of $18.50 per 
hour for staff (The hourly wage of $18.50 per hour for staff is the 
average wage in the range of wages found in ``Managing Customers' 
Training Choices: Findings from the Individual Training Account 
Experiment,'' a report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration (December 2006), McConnell, 
Sheena, Elizabeth Stuart, Kenneth Fortson and others.). The total 
burden cost for the enrollment forms is $379,383, which is the sum of 
the burden costs for participants and staff.
    The burden cost for site visits is 2,400 hours. The site visits 
will involve interviews with an average of four study participants 
during each of two visits to each of 30 sites. Hence, about 240 (= 4 x 
2 x 30) participants will be involved in the interviews. Each interview 
will last about one hour. Hence, assuming a wage of $7.25 per hour, the 
total burden on participants for the site visits is estimated to be 240 
hours with a total cost of $1,740 (= 7.25 x 240). About 36 staff 
persons will be interviewed at each of 30 sites. Hence, in total about 
1,080 staff (= 36 x 30) will be interviewed. These staff will be 
interviewed for about one hour during each visit, for each of two 
visits. Hence, the total burden on staff for the site visits is 
estimated to 2,160 hours (= 1,080 x 2), representing a burden cost of 
$39,960 assuming an hourly wage for staff of $18.50 per hour. The total 
burden cost for the site visits is $41,700, which is the sum of the 
burden costs for participants and staff. The total burden is estimated 
to be 31,867 hours ($421,083 in burden cost), which is the sum of the 
burdens (and burden costs) for the enrollment forms and site visits.
    Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval; they will also become 
a matter of public record.

    Signed: at Washington, DC, this 29th day of October, 2010.
Jane Oates,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-28322 Filed 11-9-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P