Notice2021-23600
Agency Information Collection Activities: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefit Expungement and Off-Line Storage
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
October 29, 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 associated with SNAP benefit storage and expungement provisions of the 2008 and 2018 Farm Bills. This collection involves both a new collection and an existing collection in use without an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The new collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice prior to the State agency expunging unused SNAP benefits from the household's Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) account due to nine months of account inactivity. The existing collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice of State agency action to store unused SNAP benefits offline due to three or more months of account inactivity and for those households to seek reinstatement of benefits prior to permanent expungement. A 60- Day Federal Register Notice for this proposed information collection was previously published on February 11, 2020 (85 FR 7716). The Department was unable to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB within a reasonable timeframe following the publication of the 2020 notice. In an effort to be fully transparent, the Department is publishing the notice again for public comment and plans to submit an ICR to OMB following an analysis of comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 207 (Friday, October 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59977-59979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23600]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefit Expungement and Off-Line Storage
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 associated with SNAP benefit
storage and expungement provisions of the 2008 and 2018 Farm Bills.
This collection involves both a new collection and an existing
collection in use without an Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
control number. The new collection is for providing SNAP households
advance or concurrent notice prior to the State agency expunging unused
SNAP benefits from the household's Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
account due to nine months of account inactivity. The existing
collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent
notice of State agency action to store unused SNAP benefits offline due
to three or more months of account inactivity and for those households
to seek reinstatement of benefits prior to permanent expungement. A 60-
Day Federal Register Notice for this proposed information collection
was previously published on February 11, 2020 (85 FR 7716). The
Department was unable to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR)
to OMB within a reasonable timeframe following the publication of the
2020 notice. In an effort to be fully transparent, the Department is
publishing the notice again for public comment and plans to submit an
ICR to OMB following an analysis of comments.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before December 28,
2021.
ADDRESSES: The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, invites interested
persons to submit written comments on this information collection.
Comments may be submitted in writing by one of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
<bullet> Mail: Comments should be addressed to Shanta Swezy, Chief,
Issuance Support Branch, Retailer and Issuance Policy and Innovation
Division, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria,
Virginia 22314.
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 Shanta
Swezy at 703-305-2238.
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: SNAP Benefit Storage and Expungement.
Form Number: Not Applicable.
OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
[[Page 59978]]
Abstract: The Department published the final rule, ``Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program: 2008 Farm Bill Provisions on
Clarification of Split Issuance; Accrual of Benefits and Definition
Changes,'' on August 24, 2020, (85 FR 52025), to implement the
mandatory SNAP benefit storage and expungement provisions of the Food,
Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, Public Law 110-234 (2008 Farm
Bill). In the final rule, the Department also adopted as final the
provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-
334 (2018 Farm Bill), which made additional mandatory changes to the
provisions governing the storage and expungement of unused benefits.
These Farm Bill provisions require State agencies to provide a 30-
day advance notice prior to permanently expunging unused SNAP benefits
after nine months of inactivity. State agencies that opt to take unused
benefits off-line after three months of SNAP EBT account inactivity
must also provide up to 10 days advance or concurrent notice prior to
taking such action and to reinstate benefits stored off-line within 48
hours of a household's request if the benefits have not reached the
expungement timeframe. Currently, only six State agencies are
exercising the option to store unused benefits off-line prior to
expungement. This information is currently being collected without OMB
approval.
1. Expungement Notice
Affected Public: (a) Individuals/Households and (b) State agencies:
Respondent groups identified include: (1) 2,961,834 SNAP households
(Approximately 16 percent of all SNAP households nationwide) who do not
access their benefits within nine months and (2) 53 State SNAP
agencies. Out of the 2,961,834 Individuals/Households involved in this
data collection request, approximately 540,818 will also receive an
Off-line Storage Notice. Of that 540,818, approximately 33,260 will
receive an Off-line Benefit Reinstatement. Therefore, the agency is not
double counting the same respondents for the different activities
involved in this data collection.
a. Individuals/Households Annual Burden
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 2,961,834.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,961,834.
Estimated Annual Time per Response: 2 minutes or 0.0334 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 98,925 hours.
b. State Agency Annual Burden
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 53.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 55,884.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,961,852.
Estimated Annual Time per Response: 30 seconds or 0.0083 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 24,583 hours.
2. Off-Line Storage Notice
Affected Public: (a) Households and (b) State agencies: Respondent
groups identified include: (1) 540,818 SNAP households (Approximately
14 percent of all SNAP households in the six States that currently take
benefits off-line) who do not access their benefits within three months
and (2) Six State SNAP agencies that have opted to store unused
benefits off-line.
a. Individual/Household Annual Burden
Estimated Number of Respondents: 540,818.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 540,818.
Estimated Time per Response: 3.5 minutes or .0583 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 31,530 hours.
b. State Agency Annual Burden
Estimated Number of Respondents: 6.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 90,136.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 540,818.
Estimated Time per Response: 30 seconds or 0.0083 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 4,489 hours.
3. Off-Line Benefit Reinstatement
Affected Public: (a) Households and (b) State agencies: Respondent
groups identified include: (1) 33,260 SNAP households (Approximately 6
percent of the estimated number of households whose benefits are taken
off-line) who get their off-line benefits reinstated and (2) Six State
SNAP agencies that have opted to store unused benefits off-line.
a. Individual/Household Annual Burden
Estimated Number of Respondents: 33,260.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 33,260.
Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes or 0.0835 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,777 hours.
b. State Agency Annual Burden
Estimated Number of Respondents: 6.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5,543.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 33,260.
Estimated Time per Response: 3 minutes or .0501 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,666 hours.
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Estimated
Estimated Responses avg. number Estimated
Respondent CFR citation Activity annual annually per Total annual of hours annual total
number respondent responses per response hours
respondent annually
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Individuals or Households SNAP ................ Expungement Notice..... 2,961,834 1 2,961,834 0.0334 98,925
Recipients.
................ Off-line Storage Notice 540,818 1 540,818 0.0583 31,530
................ Off-line Benefit 33,260 1 33,260 0.0835 2,777
Reinstatement.
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Sub-total of Individual/ ................ ....................... 2,961,834 1 3,535,912 0.1752 133,232
Households SNAP Recipients.
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State Agencies....................... ................ Expungement Notice..... 53 55,884 2,961,834 0.0083 24,583
................ Off-line Storage Notice 6 90,136 540,818 0.0083 4,489
................ Off-line Benefit 6 5,543 33,260 0.0501 1,666
Reinstatement.
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Sub-total of State Agencies...... 53 66,715................. 3,535,912 0.0667 30,738
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[[Page 59979]]
Grand Total Reporting Burden ................ ....................... 2,961,887 2 7,071,824 0.0232 163,970
with both Affect Public.
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This information is currently being collected without OMB approval.
Cynthia Long,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-23600 Filed 10-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 29, 2021.
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