USDA Customer Experience Collection PRA Notice, Comments Due May 8, 2026

Content

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Office of the Chief Information Officer, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites
the public to comment on the “Collection of Generic Clearance for Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section
280 Implementation)” for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose of this request is to facilitate the Agency's
ability to collect feedback from the public to continue to improve its services, thereby facilitating its compliance with
statutory requirements and general principles of good governance. This notice announces our intent to submit this collection
to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval and solicit comments on specific aspects for the proposed information
collection.

DATES:

Submit comments on or before: May 8, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for this information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the
search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Levi S. Harrell, Departmental Clearance Officer; Information Management Division; Office of the Chief Information Officer
(OCIO), 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250; email: SM.IO.InfoCollection@usda.gov. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication should contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600
(voice) or 844-433-2774 (toll-free nationwide).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Collection of Generic Clearance for Improving Customer Experience (OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation).

OMB Number: 0503-0024.

Abstract: Under the PRA, (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information
they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes Agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information
to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information,
before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, the Agency is publishing notice of
the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.

Under the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act and the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, along with OMB
guidance, agencies are obligated to continually improve the services they provide the public and to collect qualitative and
quantitative data from the public to do so.

The purpose of this request is to facilitate the Agency's ability to collect feedback from the public to continue to improve
its services, thereby facilitating its compliance with statutory requirements and general principles of good governance.

The Agency will only submit collections if they meet the following criteria.

• The collections are voluntary;
• The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;
• The collections are non-controversial, meaning they do not raise issues that warrant public comment;
• 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;
• Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and the Agency will comply with applicable legal and policy requirements to ensure its protection;
• Information gathered is intended to be used for general service improvement and program management purposes;
• The Agency will follow the procedures specified in any relevant OMB guidance for the required reporting to OMB of data from surveys; Outside of the reporting mentioned in the bullet immediately above, if the Agency intends to release journey maps, user personas, reports, or other data-related summaries stemming from this collection, the Agency must include appropriate caveats around those summaries, noting that conclusions should not be generalized beyond the sample, considering the sample size and response rates. The Agency must submit the data summary itself (e.g., the report) and the caveat language mentioned above to OMB before it releases them outside the Agency. OMB will engage in a passback process with the Agency. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communication between the Agency, its customers and stakeholders, and OMB as it monitors agency compliance on Section 280. These responses will 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 services will be unavailable.

Current Action: Collection of Information.

Type of Review: Renewal and Extension.

Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,040,000.

Burden Hours: 178,750.

Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. Comments
are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the
agency, including

  whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection
  of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize
  the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or
  other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance,
  and purchase of services to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons
  to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed
  to review instructions to (1) develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting,
  validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; (2)
  train personnel and be able to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, (3) complete and review the
  collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information. All written comments will be available for
  public inspection at *Regulations.gov*. 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 Office of Management and Budget control number.

Levi S. Harrell, Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2026-06756 Filed 4-7-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-KR-P

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