PROPOSED CHANGES TO CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) DISABILITY SUPPLEMENT

by Art Gutman Ph.D., Professor, Florida Institute of Technology

In a release dated 10/19/11, the DOL announced proposed changes to the CPS Disability Supplement survey. The proposed changes are in accord with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C.3506(c)(2)(A)]. According to the announcement, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will issue an information collection request (ICR). Comments should be sent to:

Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer, Division of Management Systems
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080
2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C. 20212.
Phone: 202-691-7628
Fax: 202-691-5111

According to the announcement, the May 2012 Disability Supplement will be conducted at the request of the DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, and is designed to:

[P]rovide information on the low labor force participation rates for people with disabilities; the use of and satisfaction with programs that prepare people with disabilities for employment; the work history, barriers to employment, and workplace accommodations reported by persons with a disability; and the effect of financial assistance programs on the likelihood of working.

The BLS 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.





• 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.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the information
collection request; they also will become a matter of public record.