82 FR 13856 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Reemployment of Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefit Recipients

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 49 (March 15, 2017)

The Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Reemployment of UI Benefit Recipients.'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13856-13857]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05177]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Reemployment of Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefit Recipients

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed 
extension for the authority to conduct the information collection 
request (ICR) titled, ``Reemployment of UI Benefit Recipients.'' This 
comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce 
paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
May 15, 2017.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; 
including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency 
of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained free by 
contacting Valerie Rodall by telephone at 202-693-3194, TTY 1-877-889-
5627 (these are not toll-free numbers), or by email at 
[email protected].
    Submit written comments about, or requests for a copy of, this ICR 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration, Office of Unemployment Insurance, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW., Room S-4519, Washington, DC 20210; by email at 
[email protected]; or by fax at 202-693-3975.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOL, as part of continuing efforts to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of 
information before submitting them to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for final approval. This program helps to ensure 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 can be properly 
assessed.
    Under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), 
the Department's Strategic Plan is an integral part of the budget 
process. Among the purposes of the GPRA are to improve Federal program 
effectiveness and public accountability by focusing on program results, 
service quality, and customer satisfaction.
    Strategic Objective 4.1 in the Department's fiscal year (FY) 2014-
2018 Strategic Plan is to provide income support when work is 
impossible or unavailable and facilitate return to work, which focuses 
on improving the operational performance and effectiveness of the 
Federal/state UI program. This goal is supported in part by the 
performance measure indicating the percentage of UI claimants 
reemployed by the end of the first quarter after the quarter in which 
they received their initial first UI benefit payment. ETA collects the 
data to measure the facilitation of

[[Page 13857]]

reemployment of UI benefit recipients through the ETA 9047 report. OMB 
approved the Department's request to begin collecting UI reemployment 
data through the ETA 9047 report on July 26, 2005. This data collection 
was renewed in 2014 through September 30, 2017.
    ETA has also included UI reemployment as a performance measure for 
UI Performs, the Department's performance management system for the UI 
program. Per UI Program Letter (UIPL) No. 17-08 (May 14, 2008), 
Acceptable Levels of Performance (ALP), the minimum performance 
criteria for UI Performs Core Measures are set annually for each state. 
The ALPs take into account a state's total unemployment rate and the 
percentage of UI claimants who are exempt from active work search or 
Employment Service (ES) registration requirements because they are job-
attached. Analyses of the data indicate that UI reemployment is 
strongly related to these two factors.
    Each calendar quarter, states report on the ETA 9047 report 
separate counts for individuals receiving their first UI payments who 
are exempt from active work search or ES registration requirements, in 
most cases because they are job-attached with definite recall dates, 
and those not exempt from active work search or ES registration 
requirements.
    States also report on the ETA 9047 report the number of those first 
payment recipients for whom intrastate or out-of-state employers 
reported wages in the subsequent quarter. States obtain these counts by 
crossmatching the Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of claimants who 
received UI first payments with the UI wage records for the subsequent 
calendar quarter. ETA issued instructions on obtaining out-of-state 
reemployment data through matching the SSNs of UI first payment 
recipients with UI wage records in the National Directory of New Hires 
in UIPL No. 1-06, Change 1 (August 2, 2006).
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays 
a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6.
    Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the 
contact shown in the ADDRESSES section. Comments must be written to 
receive consideration, and they will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval of the final ICR. In order to help ensure 
appropriate consideration, comments should mention Reemployment of UI 
Benefit Recipient, OMB control number 1205-0452.
    Submitted comments will also be a matter of public record for this 
ICR and posted on the Internet, without redaction. The DOL encourages 
commenters not to include personally identifiable information, 
confidential business data, or other sensitive statements/information 
in any comments.
    The DOL is particularly interested in comments that:
     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 submission of responses.
    Agency: DOL-ETA.
    Type of Review: Extension without changes.
    Title of Collection: Reemployment of Unemployment Insurance Benefit 
Recipients.
    Form: ETA 9047.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0452.
    Affected Public: State Workforce Agencies (SWAs).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 53.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 212.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 10 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,120 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

Byron Zuidema,
Deputy Assistance Secretary for Employment and Training, Labor.
[FR Doc. 2017-05177 Filed 3-14-17; 8:45 am]
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