Notice2021-16642
Agency Information Collection Activities: Fourth Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification Study Series (APEC IV)
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 4, 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 collection is a Reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for which approval has expired (OMB Number 0584-0530, Discontinued: 10/31/ 2020); for the Fourth Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification Study Series (APEC IV).
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 147 (Wednesday, August 4, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41938-41943]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16642]
[[Page 41938]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Fourth Access,
Participation, Eligibility, and Certification Study Series (APEC IV)
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 collection is a
Reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for
which approval has expired (OMB Number 0584-0530, Discontinued: 10/31/
2020); for the Fourth Access, Participation, Eligibility, and
Certification Study Series (APEC IV).
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 4, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Amy Rosenthal, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th
floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be via email to Amy
Rosenthal at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#37565a4e194558445259435f565b774244535619505841"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3c5d5145124e534f595248545d507c494f585d125b534a">[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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection should be directed to Amy
Rosenthal at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#32535f4b1c405d41575c465a535e72474156531c555d44"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e8898591c69a879b8d869c808984a89d9b8c89c68f879e">[email protected]</span></a>, 703-305-2245.
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: Fourth Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification
Study Series (APEC IV).
Form Number: Not applicable.
OMB Number: 0584-0530.
Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously
approved collection for which approval has expired.
Abstract:
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) depends upon the APEC study
series to provide reliable, national estimates of errors and improper
payments made to school districts in which the National School Lunch
Program and School Breakfast Program are operated. This is the fourth
study in the APEC series and it will provide the required information
for school year (SY) 2023-2024.
Program errors fall into three broad categories: Certification
(determining the eligibility of a student for a given level of
reimbursement), aggregation (adding up all the meal counts by
reimbursement category as they are transmitted through the claims
process), and meal claiming (ensuring that meals claimed meet the meal
pattern requirements). Certification and aggregation errors contribute
to improper payments, while meal claiming error is an operational error
that does not result in an improper payment. The majority of improper
payments in the programs result from certification errors, while
aggregation errors are relatively rare.
The Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA) requires that
FNS identify and reduce improper payments in these programs, including
both underpayments and overpayments. In order to comply with the law,
programs must have a statistically valid rate of improper payment below
10 percent, and programs out of compliance with PIIA are subject to
increased scrutiny and reporting requirements.
Beyond statutory improper payment reporting requirements, FNS
recognizes the human and economic costs of program error. For example,
certification error may result in children being certified at a lower
or higher level than the one for which they qualify; aggregation error
may cause school districts to receive a lower or higher reimbursement
than they should have received; and meal claiming error may result in a
participant receiving a less balanced and nutritious meal than they
would have if the meal pattern was followed.
Although the APEC II and the forthcoming APEC III findings show
substantial improvement in certain types of error since APEC I, there
is an ongoing need to identify and correct sources of program error.
The specific study objectives of APEC IV are:
<bullet> Objective 1: Generate a national estimate of the annual
amount of improper payments in the National School Lunch Program and
School Breakfast Program based on SY 2023-2024 by replicating and
refining the methodology used in prior APEC studies.
<bullet> Objective 2: Provide a robust examination of the
relationship between error rates and student (household), school, and
school food authority (SFA) characteristics.
<bullet> Objective 3: Conduct two sub-studies testing the effect
that data collection methods have on responses.
[cir] Electronic Application Sub-study: Evaluate whether USDA's
online application prototype with integrity features generates a more
accurate and complete accounting of household size and income compared
to other online application types and paper applications.
[cir] Mode Effect Sub-Study: Assess the effect of in-person versus
telephone interviews on responses to the household survey.
Consistent with methodology used in the previous studies in the
APEC series, we will collect data to address the study objectives using
a multistage-clustered sample design, which will include:
<bullet> A nationally representative sample of SFAs in the
contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia;
<bullet> A stratified sample of schools within each SFA; and
<bullet> A random sample of students (households) within each
sampled school that applied for free and reduced-price meals, were
categorically eligible for free meals, or were directly certified for
free meals.
APEC IV will collect data to measure certification, aggregation,
and meal claiming errors via in-person visits to SFAs and schools and
surveys of SFA directors and households. Data collection will include
(a) abstraction from income eligibility applications and categorical
eligibility records; (b) abstraction of meal count and claiming records
from SFAs, schools, States, and FNS administrative data; (c) an online
survey of SFA directors; (d) meal observations in schools; and (e) a
telephone survey of households.
[[Page 41939]]
The analysis plan includes the following components: (a)
Calculating error rates; (b) estimating improper payments; (c)
comparisons to previous APEC estimates (APEC I, II, III); and (d)
quantitative analyses to identify factors associated with errors. The
calculation of estimates from APEC IV will include the incidence of
error, the total dollar amount of error, and the dollar based error
rate. The comparisons to prior APEC studies will include tests for
significant changes over time. The quantitative analyses will examine
the sources and causes of errors with a focus on identifying strategies
for reducing errors.
Affected Public: Individuals/Households and State, Local, or Tribal
Governments. Respondent groups identified include: (1) Child Nutrition
State agencies, (2) SFAs, (3) schools, and (4) parents/guardians of
sampled students that are either certified to receive a free or reduced
price meal or who applied for but were denied benefits in SY 2023-24.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The estimated number of
respondents is 13,068. This includes 5,210 responses and 7,858 non-
responses. The number of unique respondents expected to provide data
for this study are 4,112 households and 1,098 State and Local
Governments (44 State Agencies, 295 SFAs, and 759 schools).
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: All respondents will
be asked to respond to each specific data collection activity only
once. The overall average number of responses per respondent across the
entire collection is 5.14.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: The estimated number of total
annual responses is 67,317.
Estimated Time per Response: The estimated time of response varies
from 1 minute to 4 hours depending on the respondent group, as shown in
the burden table below. The estimated time per response is 11.49
minutes (0.191 hours).
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 12,851.4 hours. This
includes 12,419.6 hours for respondents and 431.7 hours for non-
respondents. See the table below for estimated total annual burden for
each type of respondent.
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
[[Page 41940]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN04AU21.255
[[Page 41941]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN04AU21.256
[[Page 41942]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN04AU21.257
[[Page 41943]]
Timothy English,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-16642 Filed 8-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-C
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 4, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.