Template - TTW Outreach Materials Interviews

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0960-0788)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Ticket to Work (TTW) Program Outreach Materials Interviews

PURPOSE:

Since 2010, SSA has developed a variety of materials to support outreach to Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients eligible for and participating in the TTW program. These materials focus on providing relevant and meaningful messages that convey to recipients the benefits of obtaining or returning to work via the program. The materials use a common-themed appearance to maintain an association with the TTW program.

In late 2013, SSA introduced a 4-minute motion graphics video, titled “Meet Ben!” featuring Ben, an animated character beneficiary, who takes the audience with him on his journey to financial independence via the TTW program. Encouraged by the positive reception Ben has received, SSA started including Ben in other outreach materials, including self-paced work incentives seminar event training modules and the program’s email campaign.

The purpose of these in-depth interviews is to test Ben’s believability and effectiveness with persons with disabilities before adopting Ben as the “face” of the TTW program. Confirming Ben’s appeal among stakeholders is important to provide consistent, useful messaging and materials for SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients.

The qualitative analysis from these interviews will provide SSA with the necessary insights and recommendations to improve TTW program outreach efforts.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

We will recruit: (1) individuals currently participating in the TTW program; (2) individuals who are not participating in the program and (3) individuals with disabilities who are not SSDI or SSI recipients. Respondents will be fluent in English and exhibit diversity across disability type, age, gender, and race.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group

X Other: In-depth (One-on-one) Interviews___

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The 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 future.

Name: Faye Lipsky, Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [x] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No N/A

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No N/A

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [X] Yes [ ] No

We will pay a cash incentive of $25 to each in-depth interview participant.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
In-depth interviews	15	30	8
Totals	15	30	8

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $375. Participants will receive $25 as compensation for their participation

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ No.]

Source America, a nonprofit organization that creates employment opportunities for people with disabilities through a network of nonprofit agency partners, will identify participants for this study. Recruitment will take place approximately 30 days prior to the date of interviews. Persons recruited are employees of Source America’s nonprofit affiliates and chosen based on the following criteria: SSDI and SSI recipients currently participating in the TTW program; SSDI and SSI recipients not participating in the program; and persons with disabilities who are not SSDI or SSI recipients. Additional recruitment criteria includes fluency in English, and demographic considerations such as age, gender, ethnicity, etc. As the first line of recruitment, Source America will telephone affiliate agencies that have expressed an interest in assessing the TTW program on behalf of the individuals they serve. The affiliate agencies will, in turn, provide voluntary participants for the interviews.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[x] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [x] Yes [ ] No

USE OF SURVEY RESULTS: Feedback from the interviews will be analyzed to achieve an understanding of the believability of the animated character featured in a motion graphics video and related material and the effectiveness of the messaging. The qualitative analysis from these interviews will provide SSA with insights and potential recommendations to improve the TTW outreach efforts.

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