ESA Federal Register Notice ESA Federal Register Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
ETA-9016 Report on Alien Claimant Activity; Comment Request
ACTION: Notice; request for comments
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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 a provision of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 at 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). This
program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the
desired format, reporting burdens (time
[[Page 30231]]
and financial resources) are minimized, collection instruments are
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on
respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Employment and
Training Administration is soliciting comments concerning the proposed
revision/extention for collection of the ETA-9016 Report on Alien
Claimant Activity. A copy of the proposed information collection
request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the
addressee section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee's section below on or before August 6, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Office of Workforce Security, Employment and Training
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Attn: Bob Whiting, Room S-
4522, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone
number: (202) 693-3215 (this is not a toll-free number). Fax: (202)
693-3229. E-mail: rwhiting@doleta.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The ETA-9016 Report is used by the Department of Labor to assess
whether (and the extent to which) the requirements of the Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS), Systematic Alien Verification for
Entitlement (SAVE) system are cost-effective and otherwise appropriate
for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. In addition, data from the
Alien Claims Activity report is being used to assist the Secretary of
Labor in determining whether a State Employment Security Agency's
administrative costs associated with the verification program are
reasonable and reimbursable. There is no other report or system
available for collecting this required information. The report allows
the Department of Labor to determine the number of aliens filing for
UI, the number of benefit issues detected, the denials of benefits to
aliens, the extent to which State Agencies use the system, and the
overall effectiveness and cost efficiency of the verification system.
If SESAs are not required to submit the information on the Alien Claims
Activity Report, the Department of Labor would not be able to fulfill
its responsibilities to assess the SAVE system.
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
In the year 2000, over 1.172 million UI claimants were identified
by the SESAs as aliens, constituting almost eight percent of UI claims
taken in the nation. Continued collection of the ETA-9016 data will
provide for a comprehensive evaluation of alien claims activity. The
data is collected quarterly, and an analysis of the data is made for
each one-year period. The most recent analysis identified concerns with
the consistency of the interpretation of the reporting instructions
among the SESAs, each of whom must apply the instructions to
claimstaking procedures that vary significantly. In order to encourage
more consistency in the reporting by the SESAs, changes are being
proposed that will simplify the reporting and decrease the burden.
Currently, seven items are reported on the ETA-9016 Report:
1. Initial claims where claimant is not a citizen.
2. Number of claimants verified through the INS designated
automated system.
3. Number of secondary (mail) verifications through the INS.
4. Nonmonetary determinations resulting from the verification in
items number 2 and/or 3.
5. Denials resulting from issues in item number 4.
6. Nonmonetary determinations on the alien issue not a result of
verification through the INS designated automated system or secondary
INS verification.
7. Denials resulting from issues in item number 6. ETA proposes to
consolidate items 4-7 into two items as follows:
Nonmonetary determinations on the alien issue.
Denials resulting from the nonmonetary determinations on
the alien issue.
The effectiveness of the SAVE verification process is well
established. For the year 2000, it is estimated that over $24 million
was realized by identifying and denying benefits to ineligible aliens
through the SAVE process. The total savings for the past 10 years is
estimated at over $100 million. Thus, it is no longer deemed necessary
to justify use of the SAVE process on a national basis.
Consolidation of the reporting items on nonmonetary determinations
will eliminate the distinction between issues detected through the SAVE
process and issues detected through other means, as will consolidation
of the reporting items on denials. The Department of Labor believes
that this will simplify the reporting process by reducing the burden,
with no corresponding loss of the Department of Labor's ability to
evaluate the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the SAVE process in
the individual SESAs.
Type of Review: Revision.
Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
Title: Alien Claims Activity Report.
OMB Number: 1205-0268.
Agency Number: ETA-9016.
Affected Public: State Governments.
Total Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
Frequency: Quarterly.
Total Responses: 212.
Average Time per Response: 1 hour.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 212 hours.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $10,200 which is a one time
cost of reprogramming the State systems.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $5300 which is allowable
cost under the administrative grants awarded to States by the Federal
government.
Comments submitted in response to this comment request 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: May 29, 2001.
Cheryl Atkinson,
Director, Office of Income Support.
[FR Doc. 01-14096 Filed 6-4-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P
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