[Federal Register: January 25, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 15)]
[Notices]
[Page 3532-3533]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25ja05-31]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Proposed Projects
Title: Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Evaluation 42-
Month Survey.
OMB No.: New Collection.
Description: The Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA)
Evaluation is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families
(ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),\1\ and
involves the conduct of a multi-year evaluation that studies the net
impact and cost-benefits of programs designed to help Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, former TANF recipients
or families at risk of needing TANF benefits retain and advance in
employment.\2\ The ERA Evaluation involves 15 random assignment
experiments in eight states, testing a diverse set of strategies
designed to promote stable employment and/or career advancement for
low-income people. The ERA Evaluation will generate rigorous data on
the implementation, effects and costs of these alternative approaches.
The data collected as part of the 42-month survey will be used for the
following purposes:
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\1\ The U.S. Department of Labor has also provided funding to
support the ERA project.
\2\ From the Department of Health and Human Services RFP No.:
105-99-8100.
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To study ERA's long-term impacts on employment, earnings,
participation, educational attainment and income;
To gather data on a wider range of outcome measures than
is available through welfare or Unemployment Insurance records in order
to understand how individuals were affected by ERA; participation in
employment and education activities; educational attainment; employment
history; marriage, household composition and child care; housing;
household income; household food insecurity; health coverage and
status; and child outcomes;
To build upon data collected as part of the earlier 12-
month survey wave;
To conduct non-experimental analyses, in addition to
experimental analyses, and provide a descriptive picture of the
circumstances of low-wage workers; and
To obtain participation information important to the
evaluation's cost-benefits component.
Respondents: The respondents of the 42-month survey are Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) applicants, current and former
TANF recipients or individuals in families at risk of needing TANF
benefits (working poor and hard-to-employ) who are in the research
sample in a subset of the 15 programs participating in the ERA
Evaluation. Survey participants will be administered a telephone survey
approximately 42 months after the date they were enrolled in the
research sample and randomly assigned to the treatment or control
group. For those individuals who cannot be reached by phone, survey
firm staff will attempt to contact them in person. A total of
[[Page 3533]]
approximately 3,500 participants will complete the survey over a two-
year period (1,750 respondents annually).
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of
Instrument Number of responses per Average burden hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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42-Month Survey....................... 1,750 1 45 minutes (or .75 1,312.5
hours).
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,312.5.
In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of
Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade,
SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. E-mail
address: grjohnson@acf.hhs.gov. All requests should be identified by
the title of the information collection.
The Department specifically requests comments on: (a) Whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted
within 60 days of this publication.
Dated: January 18, 2005.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-1297 Filed 1-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M