Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Income and Eligibility Verification System Confidentiality

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, “Income and Eligibility Verification System Confidentiality,” to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

DATES:

The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives on or before October 19, 2016.

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 of charge from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201609-1205-001 (this link will only become active on the day following publication of this notice) or by contacting Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by email at DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

Submit comments about this request by mail or courier to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for DOL-ETA, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503; by Fax: 202-395-5806 (this is not a toll-free number); or by email: OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov. Commenters are encouraged, but not required, to send a courtesy copy of any comments by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor-OASAM, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Attn: Departmental Information Compliance Management Program, Room N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; or by email: DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by email at DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This ICR seeks to extend PRA authority for the Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS) Confidentiality information collection. More specifically, this ICR relates to information collections established by the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 (DRA), which created an IEVS for the exchange of information among State agencies administering specific programs. IEVS covered programs include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Medicaid; Food Stamps; Supplemental Security Income; Unemployment Compensation; and any State program approved under Social Security Act (SSA) titles I, X, XIV, or XVI. Under the DRA, participating programs must exchange information to the extent it is useful and productive in verifying eligibility and benefit amounts that assist the child support program and the Secretary of Health and Human Services in verifying eligibility and benefit amounts under SSA titles II and XVI. On September 27, 2006, the ETA issued a final rule regarding the Confidentiality and Disclosure of State Unemployment Compensation Information. See 71 FR 56830. This rule supports and expands upon the DRA statutory requirements and subsequent regulatory changes. A State is required to use a data sharing agreement when making a disclosure, to provide some assurance that a recipient of disclosed information follows safeguards protecting confidentiality; to provide an enforcement mechanism against any recipient that breaches those safeguards; and to show that the State has complied with the rule. A State Workforce Agency is required to provide notice to both employers and claimants about the uses of information the Agency provides the IEVS. SSA section 303 authorizes this information collection. See 42 U.S.C. 503.

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. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection under Control Number 1205-0238.

OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal, and the current approval for this collection is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2016. The DOL seeks to extend PRA authorization for this information collection for three (3) more years, without any change to existing requirements. The DOL notes that existing information collection requirements submitted to the OMB receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review. For additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related notice published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2016 (81 FR 11592).

Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section within thirty (30) days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number 1205-0238. The OMB 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.

Title of Collection: Income and Eligibility Verification System Confidentiality.

OMB Control Number: 1205-0238.

Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 53.

Total Estimated Number of Responses: 904,957.

Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 18,672 hours.

Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.