Notice2024-07164
Agency Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collection: Request for Comments on Evaluating the Interview Requirement for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Certification 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
April 4, 2024
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 information collection for the contract of the study titled "Evaluating the Interview Requirement for SNAP Certification." The purpose of this collection is to help FNS describe the effects of waiving the interview requirement, including SNAP agency processes and staff experiences with implementing the no-interview demonstration, analyzing the differences in outcomes for SNAP applicants and recipients, and identifying key lessons to inform future policy or implementation.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 66 (Thursday, April 4, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 66 (Thursday, April 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23539-23545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07164]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collection:
Request for Comments on Evaluating the Interview Requirement for
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Certification 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 is a new information
collection for the contract of the study titled ``Evaluating the
Interview Requirement for SNAP Certification.'' The purpose of this
collection is to help FNS describe the effects of waiving the interview
requirement, including SNAP agency processes and staff experiences with
implementing the no-interview demonstration, analyzing the differences
in outcomes for SNAP applicants and recipients, and identifying key
lessons to inform future policy or implementation.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 3, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Amanda Wyant, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th
Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via email
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#29684448474d48077e5048475d695c5a4d48074e465f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9adbf7fbf4fefbb4cde3fbf4eedaefe9fefbb4fdf5ec">[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 Amanda
Wyant at 703-305-7537.
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: Evaluating the Interview Requirement for SNAP Certification
Study.
Form Number: N/A.
OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
Abstract: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is
the foundation of the nation's nutrition assistance safety net and is a
core source of support to millions of Americans, particularly during
economic downturns. To help States handle increased need and
participation amid the health risks of the pandemic, the Food and
Nutrition Service (FNS) offered States a range of flexibilities which
provided support to States administering the program and clients in the
application process, including the option to waive the certification
and recertification interview requirement. This allowed States to
continue administering SNAP during the public health emergency with
minimal client contact. FNS required States that waived the interview
requirement to document their experiences processing cases without the
interview. However, more rigorous evidence is needed to confidently
understand the effects of waiving the interview requirement.
The Evaluating the Interview Requirement for SNAP Certification
study will collect information in five States to assess how eliminating
interviews affects outcomes, including administrative efficiency,
costs, benefit accuracy, and client access. The project
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will include a randomized control trial (RCT) to analyze the impacts of
outcomes between those clients assigned to receive an interview (the
regular interview process group) and those assigned to not receive an
interview (the no-interview group). The project will also include
collection of administrative and quality control data, as well as
qualitative information. The qualitative data collection will include
virtual site visits and observations, a workflow analysis, and a time-
use study. During the site visits, the team will conduct interviews
with staff involved with all stages of certification and
recertification processes. Site visitors will observe verification
calls between eligibility workers and no-interview SNAP applicants to
collect information about whether staff carry out policies and
procedures as intended. The workflow analysis will involve small group
interviews with State and local staff and will support the assessment
of the changes required when implementing the no-interview
demonstration and the possible challenges. Finally, the study will
include a staff time-use survey to determine whether application
processing requires more or less time for workers when there is an
interview compared to when there is not.
Affected public. Members of the public affected by the data
collection include State and local government workers from SNAP
agencies in five States, as well as staff at not-for-profit
organizations, and individuals who apply for or participate in SNAP.
Respondent groups identified include (1) State SNAP directors, (2)
State SNAP policy directors, (3) State SNAP field operations managers,
(4) State data systems staff, (5) State quality control (QC) staff, (6)
local SNAP directors, (7) local SNAP office supervisors, (8)
eligibility workers, (9) customer service staff, (10) community based
organizations (CBOs) and advocates, and (11) SNAP applicants and
participants.
Estimated number of respondents. The total estimated number of
unique respondents--which includes everyone contacted for data
collection regardless of whether they participate--is 494. This
includes up to 65 individuals/households, 409 State and local
government staff, and 20 community based organization staff or
advocates. The study team will contact 65 individuals/households, out
of which 50 SNAP applicants or participants will participate in an
observation and 15 SNAP applicants or participants will be considered
nonrespondents. The study team will contact 63 State SNAP agency staff,
which includes SNAP directors, SNAP policy directors, State SNAP field
operations managers, State data systems staff, and State QC staff. The
study team will contact 67 local agency directors/supervisors, out of
which 20 will be considered nonrespondents. The study team will contact
279 local agency direct service staff, out of which 80 will be
considered nonrespondents. Fifteen of the State directors will provide
administrative data. The study team will contact 20 community based
organizations or advocates for virtual interviews.
Respondents will participate in multiple activities as follows:
<bullet> 5 State SNAP directors (one from each State will participate
in the interviews and workflow analysis)
<bullet> 5 State SNAP policy directors (one from each State will
participate in the interviews, document review and workflow analysis)
<bullet> 20 State field operations managers (four from each State will
participate in the interviews and workflow analysis)
<bullet> 15 State data systems staff (three from each State will
participate in the interviews, workflow analysis, and administrative
data collection)
<bullet> 15 Local SNAP directors (three from each State will
participate in the interviews and work flow analysis)
<bullet> 30 Local SNAP office supervisors (6 from each State will
participate in the time-use survey, workflow analysis, and/or the
interviews)
<bullet> 135 Eligibility workers (27 from each State will participate
in the time-use survey, observations, workflow analysis, and/or
interviews. Eligibility workers could participate in one or multiple
activities in the study. Amongst the 135 eligibility workers, 90 will
have participated in the time-use survey, 50 will have participated in
the observations, 45 will have participated in the interviews, and 30
will have participated in the workflow analysis)
<bullet> 60 customer service staff (12 from each State will participate
in the time-use survey, workflow analysis, and/or the interviews.
Customer service staff could participate in the time-use survey and the
interviews or the interviews and observations or only one of these
activities. Amongst the 60 customer service staff, 30 will have
participated in the time-use survey, 30 will have participated in the
workflow analysis, and 30 will have participated in the interviews)
The 15 State QC staff will participate in the interviews. Before
the start of data collection in one non-study State, we will pretest
the semi-structured interview guide with one State SNAP director, one
State SNAP policy director, one State data system staff, one Local SNAP
director, one eligibility worker, and one customer service staff
member. We also will pretest the time-use survey with one eligibility
worker, one customer service staff, and one Local SNAP office
supervisor.
Estimated number of responses per respondent. Across all 494 unique
respondents (379 respondents and 115 non-respondents) and 3,159 annual
responses, the average number of responses is 6.39.
Estimated total annual responses. 3,159.
Estimated time per response. The time per all respondent/non-
respondent group was used to determine the annual frequency estimates.
The estimated time per response varies from 0.0835 hours for activities
related to reading email reminders for the time-use survey to 24 hours
for State data systems staff to provide administrative data. The
response time will vary depending on the respondent group, with an
average estimated time of 105 minutes (1.75 hours).
Estimated total annual burden on respondents. The total estimated
annual burden on respondents is 108,300 minutes (1,805 hours).
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
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Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-07164 Filed 4-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-C
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