Notice2023-09359
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Award of Excellence
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
May 3, 2023
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 revision of a currently approved collection for awarding local agencies for excellence in WIC breastfeeding services and support.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27857-27859]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09359]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Award of Excellence
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 collection is a revision
of a currently approved collection for awarding local agencies for
excellence in WIC breastfeeding services and support.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 3, 2023.
ADDRESSES: The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, invites interested
persons to submit written comment.
<bullet> Preferred Method: 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.
<bullet> Mail: Send comments to: Kristin Garcia, Director, Food
Safety and Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Pl., Alexandria, VA 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 Valery
Soto, Chief, Nutrition Services and Promotion Branch, Food Safety and
Nutrition Division, FNS, USDA, 1320 Braddock
[[Page 27858]]
Pl., Alexandria, VA 22314. Telephone: (703) 305-2742.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 231 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids
Act of 2010, Public Law 111-296, requires that the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) establish a program to recognize WIC local agencies
and clinics that demonstrate exemplary breastfeeding promotion and
support activities.
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: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants
and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Award of Excellence.
Form Number: Not applicable.
OMB Number: 0584-0591.
Expiration Date: 11/30/2023.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Abstract: This information collection is mandated by section 231 of
the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) (Pub. L. 111-296).
Section 231 of the HHFKA, which requires USDA to implement a program to
recognize exemplary breastfeeding support practices at WIC local
agencies and clinics. The WIC Program provides breastfeeding promotion
and support for pregnant and postpartum mothers as a part of its
mission to improve the health of the approximately 6 million Americans
it serves each month. Breastfeeding is a priority in WIC and WIC
mothers are strongly encouraged to breastfeed their infants unless
medically contraindicated.
In recognizing exemplary local agencies and clinics, the HHFKA
requires the Secretary to consider the following criteria: (1)
performance measurements of breastfeeding; (2) the effectiveness of a
peer counselor program; (3) the extent to which the agency or clinic
has partnered with other entities to build a supportive breastfeeding
environment for women participating in WIC; and (4) other criteria the
Secretary considers appropriate after consultation with State and local
program agencies. The information will be submitted voluntarily by WIC
local agencies who will be applying for an award. FNS will use the
information collected to evaluate the components of existing
breastfeeding programs and support in WIC local agencies and make
decisions about awards. This program is expected to provide models and
motivate local agencies and clinics to strengthen their breastfeeding
promotion and support activities.
A notable improvement from past collection requests is that FNS
hosts the application process for local agencies fully online. The
State agencies continue to conduct their evaluation on PartnerWeb. FNS
plans to explore ways to streamline the evaluation for State agencies
to improve their user experience. The total estimated time to complete
the application is not expected to change.
Affected Public: State, local and Tribal government: Respondent
groups identified include local and State WIC agencies.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
participants is 239: 150 local WIC agencies, 89 State WIC agencies.
WIC Peer Counseling is an FNS initiative that equips WIC programs
with an implementation and management model--the ``WIC Breastfeeding
Model for Peer Counseling''--to serve as a framework for designing,
building, and sustaining peer counseling programs, a requirement for
award eligibility. Since the inception of the program in 2015, a total
of 728 awards have been given. In fiscal year (FY) 2020, 138 eligible
local agencies applied for an award; in FY 2021, 130 eligible local
agencies applied for an award; in FY 2022, 127 eligible local agencies
applied for an award; and in FY 2023, 143 eligible local agencies
applied for awards. FNS estimates the annual submitted applications
will range from 130-150 applications submitted annually. For small
entities WIC estimates that 7-8% (11 applications) of local agency
applications do not come from health departments. The estimated number
of respondents for the State agency application verification is derived
from the total number of State WIC agencies.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The estimated number
of responses per respondent for the WIC local agency is one, as each
eligible WIC local agency can submit one application. The estimated
number of responses per respondent for the WIC State agency is 2.0, as
each WIC State agency will evaluate approximately 2.0 applications
annually. These estimates were derived by dividing the total number of
responses for the WIC Local Agency Application or the State Agency
Evaluation by the respective number of respondents. Overall, the
estimated number of responses per respondent across the entire
collection is 1.4, which is derived by dividing the total number of
responses (328) by the total estimated number of respondents (239).
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 328.
Estimated Time per Response: FNS estimates the WIC local agency
application response is 2.5 hours, and the WIC State agency response is
1.5 hours. Overall, the average estimated time for all of the award
participants is 2 hours. The estimated average number of hours per
response was derived by dividing the number of estimated total hours
(642), by the number of total annual responses by all respondents
(328). The time for the WIC local agency is an estimated time for the
agency to voluntarily review the instructions, fill out the ``WIC
Breastfeeding Award of Excellence'' application, and attach supportive
documentation. The time for the State WIC agency is an estimated time
for the agency to review the instructions, evaluate the components of
the local WIC agencies applications, and make a recommendation for an
award.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 642.0 hours.
See the Burden table below for estimated total annual burden for
each type of respondent.
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Estimated avg.
Estimated Responses Total annual number of Estimated
Respondent number of annually per responses hours per total hours
respondent respondent response *
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Reporting Burden
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Small Entity Application........ 11.0 1.0 11.0 2.5 27.5
WIC Local Agency Application.... 139.0 1.0 139.0 2.5 347.5
WIC State Agency Evaluation..... 89.0 2.0 178.0 1.5 267.0
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Total Reporting Burden...... 239.0 1.4 328.0 2.0 642.0
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* Estimated average # of hours per response includes .5 hours for reviewing instructions.
Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-09359 Filed 5-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
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