SUPPORTING STATEMENT - PART A
DoD-wide Data Collection and Analysis for Department of Defense Qualitative Data Collection in Support of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault Recommendations (OMB Control Number 0704-0644)
Title of Collection: Optimization of Harassment Response for Service Members
Expected Fielding Date: 07/2023 – 09/2023
1. Justification/Need for the Information Collection
The Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military (IRC) found the Military Departments’ response to sexual harassment (SH) complaints from Service members is inconsistent and fails to render proper assistance. Specifically, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) approach to SH is fractured across several components and should be addressed in direct coordination with sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) policies to reflect the established continuum of harm, namely that from sexual harassment to sexual assault. The short-term implementation of IRC’s cross-cutting recommendation 1, which states “DoD should immediately make sexual harassment victims eligible for SAPR services and undertake a review of all policies and structures tasked with addressing elements of the military’s sexual harassment response, prescribed a stop gap measure to support SH victims with appropriate SAPR services while the DoD undertakes a review of all policies and structures tasked with addressing elements of the military’s SH response.” More broadly, DoD Instruction 1020.03, Harassment Prevention and Response in the Armed Forces, requires harassment prevention and response policies to address a wide range of misconduct, but does not specify what kinds of response services, care, and support are appropriate for Service members reporting harassment. This project will examine how DoD can best provide harassment response services to Service members.
Data collection is necessary to provide recommendations in order to better address the needs of service members who have experienced harassment. Data from the 2018 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members (WGRA) estimate that a total of 116,300 Service members experienced sexual harassment (SH) in the year prior to taking the survey. However, the Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) workforce receives fewer than 2,000 SH complaints annually. Prevalence rates for other forms of harassment – including hazing, bullying, and incidents based on race and sexual orientation – are not assessed as frequently. However, Service members experiencing all forms of harassment could benefit from support services. Any approach to address harassment within DoD will require a significant commitment of resources. Existing academic literature, data analytics, and research studies cannot serve as a complete guide for determining the ramifications of addressing these important changes.
2. Use of the Information
This information will be collected via online focus groups of 6-8 individual service members. Focus groups will be gender-segregated and stratified by rank: Junior Enlisted (E1-E3), Junior Officer (O1-O3) and Command Team (O5 and E8-E9). Respondents will receive a MS Teams link and will be guided through the protocol by researchers. Notes taken during the focus group will not contain the names of any participants nor any personal identifying information.
Notes will be taken either by hand or using laptops of RAND project personnel. Hand taken notes will be transcribed onto whole disc encrypted and password protected computers of RAND project personnel. They will then be uploaded to a secure RAND server accessed by project personnel. Uploaded data will be stored in a Teams folder accessible only to project staff.
Focus group participants will be recruited via email. The Office of Force Resiliency (OFR) will work with the Services to identify Points of Contact (POCs) from selected career fields in order to identify 3-4 participants from each for each stratification (Junior Enlisted, Junior Officer, Command Team). Selected participants will be asked by email if they choose to participate. Participation will be voluntary and consent is provided by response prior to participation.
Attached please find the focus group protocol, informed consent, and recruitment email.
3. Use of Information Technology
100% of responses will be collected electronically.
4. Non-duplication
The information obtained through this collection is unique and is not already available for use or adaptation from another cleared source.
5. Burden on Small Businesses
This information collection does not impose a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses or entities.
6. Less Frequent Collection
Data will be collected one time. It is only necessary to collect data once in order to make the recommendations.
7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines
This collection of information does not require collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines delineated in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
8. Consultation and Public Comments
Part A: PUBLIC NOTICE
A 30-Day Federal Register Notice for the collection published on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. The 30-Day FRN citation is 88 FR 45890.
Part B: CONSULTATION
No additional consultation apart from soliciting public comments through the Federal Register was conducted for this submission.
9. Gifts or Payment
No payments or gifts are being offered to respondents as an incentive to participate in the collection.
10. Confidentiality
A Privacy Act Statement is not required for this collection because we are not requesting individuals to furnish personal information for a system of records.
A System of Record Notice (SORN) is not required for this collection because records are not retrievable by PII.
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is not required for this collection because PII is not being collected electronically.
Records will be maintained for 30 years in accordance with DAA-0330-2021-0008-0001, after which files will be disposed of by double-deletion from their electronic storage locations.
All electronic records will be double deleted at that time.
11. Sensitive Questions
This study covers topics of harassment, which some participants may find troubling. The intent of this study is not to have individuals discuss personal experiences with harassment, and the protocol reminds them not to. Facilitators are trained to remind participants that they are not being asked to share personal experiences. However, some participants may still become upset during training. All facilitators have received training on how to handle sensitive topics and what to do if a participant becomes upset.
12. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs
Part A: ESTIMATION OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
Collection Instrument(s)
Focus Group Protocol
Number of Respondents: 256.
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 1.
Number of Total Annual Responses: 256.
Response Time: 1 hour.
Respondent Burden Hours: 256.
Total Submission Burden (Summation or average based on collection)
Total Number of Respondents: 256.
Total Number of Annual Responses: 256.
Total Respondent Burden Hours: 256 hours.
Part B: LABOR COST OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
Collection Instrument(s)
Focus Group Protocol
Number of Total Annual Responses: 256.
Response Time: 1 hour.
Respondent Hourly Wage: $23.74.
Labor Burden per Response: $23.74.
Total Labor Burden: $6077.44.
Overall Labor Burden
Total Number of Annual Responses: 256.
Total Labor Burden: $6077.44.
The Respondent hourly wage was determined by using Defense Finance and Accounting Services Military Pay Tables taking the average of groups of respondents pay grades. (available at: https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/military-pay-charts/)
13. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs
There are no annualized costs to respondents other than the labor burden costs addressed in Section 12 of this document to complete this collection.
14. Cost to the Federal Government
Part A: LABOR COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Collection Instrument(s)
Focus Group Protocol
Number of Total Annual Responses: 256.
Response Time: 1 hour.
Respondent Hourly Wage: $23.74.
Labor Burden per Response: $23.74.
Total Labor Burden: $6077.44.
Overall Labor Burden
Total Number of Annual Responses: 256.
Total Labor Burden: $6077.44.
Part B: OPERATIONAL AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
Cost Categories
Equipment: $0
Printing: $0
Postage: $0
Software Purchases: $0
Licensing Costs: $0
Other: $750,000 for RAND contract
Total Operational and Maintenance Cost: $750,000
Part C: TOTAL COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Total Labor Cost to the Federal Government: $6077.44
Total Operational and Maintenance Costs: $750,000
Total Cost to the Federal Government: $756,077.44
15. Reasons for Change in Burden
This is a new collection with a new associated burden.
16. Publication of Results
The results of this publication will be published in a public report by the RAND Corporation on rand.org. Publication is expected by April 2025 on https://www.rand.org/research.html.
17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date
We are not seeking approval to omit the display of the expiration date of the OMB approval on the collection instrument.
18. Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions”
We are not requesting any exemptions to the provisions stated in 5 CFR 1320.9.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Kaitlin Chiarelli |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2026-01-07 |