Notice2021-15912
Agency Information Collection Activities: Assessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants' Fitness for Work
Primary source
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Published
July 28, 2021
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentFood and Nutrition Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for: (1) Documenting the policies and guidelines used for making fitness for work determinations by all 53 State Agencies, which include the States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam; (2) describing the process State Agencies use for making fitness for work determinations; (3) determining any general patterns and trends in fitness for work and good cause determinations within and across four case study States; and (4) determining how closely caseworkers follow the States' fitness for work and good cause determination policies and requirements and the challenges they face in applying the policy in four case study States.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 142 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40454-40461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15912]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Assessing Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants' Fitness for Work
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment
on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for:
(1) Documenting the policies and guidelines used for making fitness for
work determinations by all 53 State Agencies, which include the States,
the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam; (2)
describing the process State Agencies use for making fitness for work
determinations; (3) determining any general patterns and trends in
fitness for work and good cause determinations within and across four
case study States; and (4) determining how closely caseworkers follow
the States' fitness for work and good cause determination policies and
requirements and the challenges they face in applying the policy in
four case study States.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 27,
2021.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Eric Sean Williams, Food and
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place,
Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-305-2640. Comments may also be submitted via
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#086d7a616b267f6164646169657b487d7b6c69266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fc998e959fd28b959090959d918fbc898f989dd29b938a">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments will also be accepted through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, and
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will
be a matter of public record.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the
proposed 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 proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
that were used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Title: Assessing SNAP Participants' Fitness for Work.
Form Number: Not Applicable.
OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
Type of Request: New Collection.
Abstract: The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 requires that
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) participants between
the ages 16 and 59 to meet certain work requirements, unless they are
exempt or show good cause as to why they cannot work. Whether a
participant is required to meet these work requirements is based upon a
SNAP eligibility worker (caseworker) making a determination whether an
individual is exempt from these work requirements, including a
determination whether the individual is physically or mentally unfit
for work. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS) offers general guidance and States develop their own
policies and procedures with little input from FNS. States are given a
great degree of latitude in making determinations regarding unfitness
for work exemptions. FNS has contracted with MEF Associates and its
subcontractor, Mathematica, to conduct a study to better understand how
States determine whether individuals are exempted from work
requirements or have good cause for not meeting work requirements due
to a physical or mental limitation. By surveying all 53 State SNAP
Agencies, which include the States, the District of Columbia, the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and Guam, and conducting in-depth case studies of four
States, this study will provide FNS with valuable insights into how
States develop and implement policies and procedures for making fitness
for work determinations. This information can help FNS assess States'
needs for technical assistance around fitness for work issues and
identify lessons learned to share across all State SNAP Agencies.
Affected Public: Members of the public affected by the data
collection include individuals and households, State and local
governments, and business, not-for-profit, or other for-profit Agencies
administering SNAP E&T programs.
Survey: After survey recruitment, FNS anticipates 100 percent
participation from the State government Agencies. We will reach out to
53 State or territory SNAP directors to complete a survey and
anticipate that all these SNAP directors will agree to participate in
the survey. Each SNAP director may designate up to three staff to
complete sections of the survey, accounting for an additional 159 State
or territory staff participating as respondents (212 survey respondents
total). This is the highest possible number of survey respondents; FNS
expects fewer to participate in the survey.
Case Studies: FNS will reach out to a maximum of six States
Agencies to participate in in-depth case studies and expects four to
participate. The case studies will involve semi-structured interviews
with program administrators and staff of State SNAP agencies, local
offices, and businesses or other agencies that provide SNAP E&T
services. After recruiting the four state SNAP agencies, FNS expects
two selected local SNAP agencies and two local SNAP E&T providers to
participate in each State. The case studies will also include
observations of staff-participant interactions during eligibility
interviews. The eligibility interviews that will be observed will not
be recorded and no personally identifiable information will be recorded
during the observations. FNS expects that approximately 25 percent of
individuals/households invited to participate will choose not to
participate and oversampled to account for nonresponse.
Respondent groups identified for the survey and case studies
include the following:
<bullet> State Agency SNAP Directors (53 survey respondents, 0
survey nonrespondents, 4 case study recruitment respondents, 2 case
study recruitment nonrespondents, 4 case study interview respondents,
and 0 case study nonrespondents).
<bullet> State Agency SNAP policy staff (159 survey respondents, 24
case study interview respondents, and 0 survey or case study
nonrespondents).
<bullet> Local SNAP office administrator (8 case study respondents
and 0 case study nonrespondents).
<bullet> Local SNAP office supervisor (8 case study respondents and
0 case study nonrespondents).
<bullet> Local SNAP office frontline staff (64 case study interview
respondents and 0
[[Page 40455]]
case study interview nonrespondents, 8 case study one-on-one
observation participants, 0 case study observation nonparticipants).
<bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider administrators from business
or other for profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0
case study interview nonrespondents).
<bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider supervisors from business or
other for profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0
case study interview nonrespondents).
<bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from business
or other for profit agencies (32 case study interview respondents and 0
case study interview nonrespondents).
<bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider administrators from not for
profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0 case study
interview nonrespondents).
<bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider supervisors from not for
profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0 case study
interview nonrespondents).
<bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from not for
profit agencies (32 case study interview respondents and 0 case study
interview nonrespondents).
<bullet> Individual/household--SNAP applicants (24 case study one-
on-one observation participants, 6 case study one-on-one observation
nonrespondents).
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 408. This includes:
<bullet> 53 State or territory SNAP directors will be asked to
complete the survey (100 percent of whom will complete the survey
instrument) and a max of 6 of whom will participate in a case study
recruitment call (75 percent of whom will then participate in a semi-
structured interview).
<bullet> 159 State or territory SNAP policy staff will be asked to
complete the survey (100 percent of whom will complete the survey
instrument; 24 of whom will participate in a semi-structured
interview).
<bullet> 8 local SNAP office administrators will participate in a
semi-structured interview.
<bullet> 8 local SNAP office supervisors will participate in a
semi-structured interview.
<bullet> 64 local SNAP office frontline staff will participate in a
semi-structured interview (8 of whom will participate in one-on-one
observations).
<bullet> 4 SNAP E&T provider administrators from business not-for-
profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
<bullet> 4 SNAP E&T supervisors from business not-for-profit
agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
<bullet> 32 SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from business not-
for-profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
<bullet> 4 SNAP E&T provider administrators from business or other
for-profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
<bullet> 4 SNAP E&T supervisors from business or other for-profit
agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
<bullet> 32 SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from business or
other for-profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured
interview.
<bullet> 30 SNAP applicants (individuals/households) will be asked
to participate in one-on-one observation (24 will go on to participate
and 6 will not go on to fully participate).
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.2425. Each
respondent completing a survey section will do so only once. State SNAP
directors recruited for the case studies will each participate in one
recruitment call. Each case study interview respondent will participate
in one semi-structured interview. Staff participating in observations
will participate in one observation. SNAP applicants participating in
observations will participate in one observation each.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 497.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.622 hours.
The estimated time of response varies from 0.1667 to 4 hours (10
minutes to 240 minutes) depending on the respondent group and activity,
as shown in the table below, with an average estimated time of 0.622
hours (37 minutes) for all responses. The average estimated time is
calculated by dividing the 329 estimated total hours for responses in
the table below by the 497 total estimated responses. The estimated
average time for the non-respondent is 0.4 hours (24 minutes) for all
non-responses. The average estimated time is calculated by dividing the
3.2 estimated total hours for non-respondents in the table below by the
8 total estimated non-responses.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 332 hours. See the
table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of
respondent by data collection activity including the non-responses.
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
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Timothy English,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-15912 Filed 7-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-C
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