Notice2023-15209
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Request-Understanding Risk Assessment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Payment Accuracy Study
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
July 19, 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 new collection. The primary purpose of this study is to provide FNS with information about SNAP State agencies' use of risk assessment (RA) tools to reduce payment errors, the effects of these tools, and best practices for FNS and the SNAP State agencies to consider in the development and use of RA tools. RA tools may apply statistical models using SNAP household characteristics to estimate the relative risk of improper payment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 137 (Wednesday, July 19, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46128-46136]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-15209]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comments Request--Understanding Risk Assessment in Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Payment Accuracy Study
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 new
collection. The primary purpose of this study is to provide FNS with
information about SNAP State agencies' use of risk assessment (RA)
tools to reduce payment errors, the effects of these tools, and best
practices for FNS and the SNAP State agencies to consider in the
development and use of RA tools. RA tools may apply statistical models
using SNAP household characteristics to estimate the relative risk of
improper payment.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 18,
2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Eric Williams, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place,
Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#01647368622f76686d6d68606c7241747265602f666e77"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3752455e5419405e5b5b5e565a44774244535619505841">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments will also be accepted through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, and
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
All written comments will be open for public inspection at the office
of FNS during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday) at 1320 Braddock Place, 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 Eric
Williams at 703-305-2640.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are invited on the following
topics: (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 respondents, including use of
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Title: Understanding Risk Assessment in Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) Payment Accuracy.
Form Number: Not applicable.
OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
Abstract: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is
the largest hunger safety net program in the United States, providing
food assistance benefits to roughly one in eight Americans. SNAP is
administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and
Nutrition Service (FNS). Although the benefits are federally funded and
must be issued in accordance with Federal statutes and regulations,
SNAP State agencies are responsible for determining eligibility and
calculating appropriate benefit amounts for eligible participants. SNAP
State agencies have flexibility in administering the program through a
range of policy options, waivers of regulations, and demonstration
projects. The challenges associated with accurately documenting
households' circumstances and calculating benefits within the context
of complex regulations, options, and waivers lead to a degree of
improper payments.
The Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 continues the work of
previous related legislation in requiring Federal agencies to track and
mitigate improper payments, which are defined as payments that either
should not have been made or were made in an incorrect
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amount. FNS and the SNAP State agencies use SNAP Quality Control (QC)
to closely monitor the program for improper payments. SNAP State
agencies must conduct a QC review of a random sample of current cases
each month (referred to as active cases) to identify underpayments and
overpayments and calculate total payment error. At the end of the
review period for each month's cases, the SNAP State agencies share the
case files and results with Federal SNAP staff, who review a subsample
of the cases for accuracy and use the results to calculate an annual
official payment error rate for each State agency's official payment
error rate.
Some social welfare agencies and criminal justice organizations
have begun using risk assessment (RA) tools. These tools apply a
statistical model to case characteristics to estimate the relative risk
of a particular outcome. Agencies that use RA tools may use the output
to allocate staff resources such that the riskiest cases receive the
most time and attention. This is intended to improve program outcomes
but may have unintended consequences. As RA tool use becomes more
common across social sectors, it is critical to address the risk of
bias in these tools. Bias can enter RA tools through the data used to
build them and the way the tool uses those data to predict risk and may
impinge on civil rights by leading to disparate treatments and/or
disparate impacts.
FNS is conducting a study, Understanding Risk Assessment in
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Payment Accuracy, to
develop a comprehensive picture of whether and how SNAP State agencies
use RA tools and determine if these tools create disparate impacts on
protected classes. The key research objectives follow: (1) determine
which States use RA tools to reduce error rates; (2) determine what
factors and variables are being used in RA tools; (3) identify how SNAP
State agencies act on the results of their RA tools; (4) determine
whether SNAP State agencies' RA tools are successful in reducing error
rates; (5) determine if the RA tools create (or relieve) racial or
other disparities by which individuals are flagged for further review;
and (6) determine best practices in the development and use of RA
tools.
The study approach includes a survey, case studies, and a request
for administrative data from SNAP State agencies. Data will be
collected via a web-based census survey of the 53 SNAP State agencies.
Case studies will be completed with six SNAP State agencies; these case
studies will include telephone interviews with up to five types of
State-level staff and up to two types of local SNAP agency staff (as
applicable). The types of State-level staff will include RA tool
development leads, SNAP Quality Control Directors, SNAP Quality
Assurance Directors, IT systems staff, and data analysis staff. The
types of local SNAP agency staff will include local agency supervisors
and local agency eligibility staff. The study team will also request
administrative data from the SNAP State agencies that use an RA tool.
Affected Public: Respondent groups identified include the
following: (1) individuals/households (pretest participants); and (2)
State, local, and Tribal government (SNAP State agencies and SNAP local
offices).
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated sample size
and the number of respondents is 100. The team expects all sample units
to respond to all relevant data collection activities. The study
includes 53 SNAP State agency directors and up to 5 other staff in 6
selected SNAP State agencies that use RA tools. The study also includes
a SNAP local office supervisor and a local office eligibility staff
member for local offices of relevant selected SNAP State agencies that
use RA tools. The study also has 5 pretest participants from a pool of
5 possible pretest participants. Some pretest participants will pretest
more than one instrument. The study team expects all SNAP State
agencies to respond to the survey. The exact number of SNAP State
agencies that use RA tools is currently unknown, but estimates suggest
the number is 15 or fewer. Under the assumption that 15 SNAP State
agencies have RA tools, the study team expects all 15 of these SNAP
State agencies to respond to the survey and provide data on their RA
tool. The team expects 6 of these 15 SNAP State agencies to also
participate in case study interviews. These estimates assume all
potential respondents will eventually respond to their relevant
information collections.
Estimated Frequency of Response: The estimated frequency of
response is 7.44 annually for respondents.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: The total estimated number of
responses for data collection is 744 from respondents.
Estimated Time per Respondent: The estimated time of response
varies from 2 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes, depending on the
respondent group and activity, as shown in table 1. The average
estimated response is 0.15 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The total public
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 111
hours (annually). The estimated burden for each type of respondent is
provided in table 1.
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
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Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-15209 Filed 7-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-C
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