Supporting Statement - IV-E-1 - Jan 2009 rev (2)

Page 3 – Supporting Statement January 2009

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

January 2009

Form ACF-IV-E-1

Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Financial Report

A. Justification

1. Legal or Administrative Requirements to Collect Information.

The authorities to collect and report the information requested on these forms are found in the following sections of the Social Security Act (Act): 471(a)(6), 471(a)(7), 471(a)(13) and 474(a) and (b).

State agencies administering State Plans approved under Title IV-E of the Act are required to maintain complete records and a system to report: the amounts expended to administer and operate the program and foster care maintenance payments.

2. Purpose for Which Information Will Be Used

The information collected through the use of these forms is used to:

• Monitor program operations and prepare technical assistance and guidance as needed;

• Compute the quarterly grant awards pursuant to section 474(b)(2) of the Act;

3. Use of Technological Collection Techniques

ACF maintains and operates an “On-Line Data Collection” (OLDC) system which is available to every State through an Internet connection. Although OMB guidelines do not allow us to make this collection technique a requirement, ACF strongly encourages every State to enter its financial reports in this manner. This information is compatible with the “Grants Administration Tracking and Evaluation System” (GATES) used within ACF to compute quarterly grant awards to each State.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Information collected in these reports is not available through any other Federal source.

5. Impact on Small Businesses

This form applies only to State governments. Small businesses are not involved.

6. Impact of Less Frequent Collection

This data is used quarterly to compute grant awards. Failure to collect expenditure, estimate and collection data on a quarterly basis would preclude the Department from accurately calculating these quarterly awards.

7. Explanation of Special Circumstances of Information Collection

Collection of State financial data is consistent with guidelines. The information requested is necessary to satisfy statutory requirements.

8. Outside Consultation Regarding Data Collection

Comments were solicited directly from the directors of every State child support agency and from interested members of the general public with the publication of a Federal Register notice, published Oct 10, 2008 (73 FR 60298), copy attached.

Since the purpose of this request was to simply extend an existing approval, few comments were received

9. Payment or Gifts to Respondents

No member of the Federal-State Task Force or any respondent to our requests for comments received any remuneration for their participation.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

There are no data collected that require confidentiality.

11. Questions of a Sensitive Nature

Data collected are not of a sensitive nature.

12. Burden Hour/Cost Estimate

Number of Respondents	52
Responses per Respondent	4
Burden Hours per Response	16
Total Burden Hours	3,328

This burden hour estimate represents is a minor reduction of approximately 6 percent from the previous estimate of 3,536 hours. The reduction is the result of the elimination of a portion of the data previously reported on a semiannual basis.

Assuming the average value of respondents’ time at $20.00 per hour, the estimated annual cost to the States is $66,560 (3,328 hours @ $20).

13. Estimated Annual Cost Burden to Respondents

We estimate that this request will impose no additional financial cost burden on the respondents.

14. Estimate of Federal Government Cost

We estimate that this request will impose no additional financial cost on the Federal government.

15. Program Changes or Adjustments

We are proposing a burden reduction of 208 hours. This is the result of the elimination of the agency requirement that each State provide semiannual budget projections. These projections are no longer required as the agency is now able to compile the agency budget through other data sources and through other estimating techniques.

16. Analytical Techniques Needed For Publication of Information

Information on these forms is published in aggregate and State-by-State formats and in combination with other data collected by this Agency. The data are published following each fiscal year as received from the States in an annual report available to the general public. No complex analytical techniques are required.

17. Approval to Not Display Expiration Date

Such approval is not being sought; the expiration date will be shown as needed.

18. Exception to Certification Statement

None.

B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

Statistical methods are not used in collecting this financial information. The information supplied by the States must be auditable and in conformance with generally accepted accounting principles and cannot be reported using sampling, estimating or other statistical methodologies