Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery (VBA, VHA, NCA)

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), will submit the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden, and it includes the actual data collection instrument.

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 202 (Wednesday, October 21, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 202 (Wednesday, October 21, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66623-66624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21483]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[OMB Control No. 2900-0770]


Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Generic 
Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service 
Delivery (VBA, VHA, NCA)

AGENCY: Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
this notice announces that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), will submit the collection of 
information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature 
of the information collection and its expected cost and burden, and it 
includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent by November 20, 2026.

ADDRESSES: To submit comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection, please type the following link into your 
browser: <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>, select ``Currently under 
Review--Open for Public Comments'', then search the list for the 
information collection by Title or ``OMB Control No. 2900-0770.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: VA PRA information: Dorothy Glasgow, 
202-461-1084, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1d4b5c4d4f5c5d6b7c337a726b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0b5d4a5b594a4b7d6a256c647d">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 
on Agency Service Delivery (VBA, VHA, NCA).
    OMB Control Number: 2900-0770. <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch</a>.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to provide service 
to the public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the 
private sector. In order to work continuously to ensure that our 
programs are effective and meet our customers' needs, the Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) seeks to obtain OMB approval of a generic 
clearance to collect qualitative feedback on our service delivery for 
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA); Veterans Health Administration 
(VHA); and National Cemetery Administration (NCA). By qualitative 
feedback, we mean information that provides useful insights on 
perceptions and opinions, but not statistical surveys that yield 
quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of 
study.
    The proposed information collection activity provides a means to 
garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, 
timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to 
improving service delivery. This feedback will provide insights into 
customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and expectations, 
provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on 
areas where communication, training, or changes in operations might 
improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow 
for ongoing, collaborative, and actionable communications between the 
VA and its customers and stakeholders. They will also provide feedback 
to contribute directly to the improvement of program management.
    The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as timeliness, 
appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of 
service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. 
Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or 
maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this 
information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on the provision of services will be unavailable to the 
Agency.
    The Agency will only submit information collections for approval 
under this generic clearance if they meet the following conditions:
    <bullet> The collections are voluntary;
    <bullet> The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government;
    <bullet> The collections are noncontroversial and do not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
    <bullet> Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
    <bullet> Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected 
only to the extent necessary and is not retained;
    <bullet> Information gathered will be used only internally for 
general service improvement and program management purposes and is not 
intended for release outside of the agency;
    <bullet> Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
    <bullet> Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically 
reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the 
population of study.
    The types of collections that this generic clearance covers 
include, but are not limited to, Program Satisfaction Surveys; Focus 
Groups; Customer Comment Cards; Small Discussion Groups of customers, 
potential customers, delivery partners, or other stakeholders; 
Qualitative Customer Satisfaction Surveys, such as post-transaction 
surveys and opt-out web surveys; In-person Observation Testing, such as 
website or software usability tests; and Patient Surveys. As a general 
matter, information collections under this clearance will not result in 
any new system of records containing privacy information and will not 
ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and 
attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly

[[Page 66624]]

considered private. There is an overall decrease in the anticipated 
number of respondents and burden hours due to adjustments based on 
agency program data.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households; Businesses and 
Organizations; State, Local or Tribal Government.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. The Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of 
information was published at 91 FR 48508, July 31, 2026.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households; Businesses and 
Organizations; State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 201,250 total hours.
    Program Satisfaction Surveys: 62,500.
    Focus Groups: 35,000.
    Customer Comment Cards: 3,750.
    Small Discussion Groups: 5,000.
    Qualitative Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 62,500.
    In-Person Observation Testing: 7,500.
    Patient Surveys: 25,000.
    Estimated Average Burden per Respondent:
    Program Satisfaction Surveys: 30 minutes.
    Focus Groups: 60 minutes.
    Customer Comment Cards: 15 minutes.
    Small Discussion Groups: 30 minutes.
    Qualitative Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 30 minutes.
    In-Person Observation Testing: 30 minutes.
    Patient Surveys: 15 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: Once.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 425,000 total.
    Program Satisfaction Surveys: 125,000.
    Focus Groups: 35,000.
    Customer Comment Cards: 15,000.
    Small Discussion Groups: 10,000.
    Qualitative Customer Satisfaction Surveys: 125,000.
    In-Person Observation Testing: 15,000.
    Patient Surveys: 100,000.
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

Lanea Haynes,
Alternate, VA PRA Clearance Officer, Office of Information and 
Technology, Office of Data Governance and Analytics, Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2026-21483 Filed 10-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P







</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>