Do you ever feel like you have to complete a form for many tasks we want to accomplish in the workplace, or life in general? According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the public spent 9.8 billion hours responding to federal information collections in fiscal year 2015 alone. Many of these hours were spent on critically important matters such as providing information needed to protect the public, administering public benefit programs, and sending information to federal agencies so they can fulfill their missions.
The MMAC is no different concerning this requirement to collect information as part of our mission. There are currently 105 Aeronautical Center (AC) forms in the FAA Forms Library. The FAA Forms Library holds a total of 1,173 forms. All organizations across the Center create and maintain forms that are used for various purposes and their subject matter ranges from the obscure to the day-to-day operational occurrence.
Examples of forms which are maintained and processed by MMAC organizations include: Affidavits of Ownership for Amateur-Built and Other Non-Type Certified Aircraft; Key/Electronic Access Requests; Accident Information and Chain of Custody forms; Air Traffic Control Credential forms; Medical Services Requests; Employee Close Out and Clearance forms; and MMAC Energized Electrical Work Permit forms.
Agency form creation and maintenance is governed by prescribing order 1330.1B (the FAA Forms Management Program). Every employee is required to adhere to all rules and regulations set forth in the order when using, issuing, creating, distributing, processing, or maintaining forms. Further, due to the Paperwork Reduction Act, it is mandatory that all forms be made available in electronic format, to the extent possible and as deemed appropriate for business use. The order also states that forms are to be transitioned from paper-based to electronic PDF format, as this format maintains the fidelity and integrity of forms for secure use, back up and retrieval.
Forms must also be written to Plain Language regulations and be 508 compliant. 508 compliance refers to meeting the accessibility standards established in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The purpose of 508 compliance is to allow information and resources to be equally accessible for people with disabilities as it is for those who do not have disabilities.
Fortunately, all Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Power Point, and Excel have accessibility checkers, which ensure that forms and all documents we create for use in our workplaces are 508 compliant. These are free tools available to all employees with computer access.
The FAA Forms Program has several subject manager experts and resources to help your organization adhere to prescribing policies and 508 compliance standards. If your organization has any questions or needs assistance in creating forms, updating existing forms, or bringing existing forms into compliance, please reach out to your organizational forms point of contact, or reach out to the Center Forms Management Officer, Debbie Uglean.
