Notice2026-08325
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Part 275-Quality Control
Primary source
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Published
April 29, 2026
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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23052-23055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08325]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Part
275--Quality Control
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
reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for
which approval has expired.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 29, 2026,
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: John McCleskey, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th
Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d48799fa929afa879a9584859786a1b8b1a7f99d978694a1a7b0b5fab3bba2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b6e5fb98f0f898e5f8f7e6e7f5e4c3dad3c59bfff5e4f6c3c5d2d798d1d9c0">[email protected]</span></a> or may 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 John
McCleskey at 703-457-7747.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Quality Control (QC) information
collection covering (1) the sampling plan; (2-5) use of third-party
contractors; (6) the arbitration process; (7) the good cause process;
and (8-9) QC-related new investments, is designed to include the
reporting and recordkeeping burden for State agencies to create a QC
sampling plan; report to FNS when engaging with third-party
contractors; participate in the arbitration process, when States deem
necessary; appeal a QC-related liability claim using the good cause
process; and, when settling with FNS, creating a new investment plan
and following up with the new investment progress report process.
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
respondents, including use of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
Title: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Part 275--
Quality Control.
Form Number: FNS-74A and FNS-74B.
OMB Number: This is a reinstatement and revision of 0584-0303.
Expiration Date: July 31, 2025.
Type of Request: Reinstatement and revision request of an expired
information collection.
Abstract: Section 16 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as
amended (the Act), provides the legislative basis for the operation of
the SNAP QC system. SNAP regulations at Part 275, Subpart C, Quality
Control (QC) Reviews, implements the legislative mandates found in
Section 16 of the Act. This information collection includes nine QC
components required by Part 275: (1) the sampling plan; (2-5)
requirements associated with using third-party contractors for QC; (6)
the arbitration process; (7) the good cause process; and (8-9) QC-
related new Investments.
FNS is requesting to reinstate OMB Control Number 0584-0303, which
expired on 07/31/2025. FNS has a continued need to collect this
information under this OMB Control Number. Upon reinstatement and
approval of OMB Control Number 0584-0303, FNS is requesting to revise
the burden hours that were previously approved to capture program
changes and program adjustments.
Each State agency is required to develop a QC sampling plan that
demonstrates the integrity of its case selection process. Per Section
11(d) and (e) of the Act and 7 CFR 275.11(a)(4), State agencies are
required to submit the QC sampling plan as part of the State's plan of
operations. The QC system is designed to measure each State agency's
payment error rate and case and procedural error rate based on a
statistically valid sample of SNAP cases. A State agency's payment
error rate represents the proportion of SNAP benefits that were
overissued and underissued to households. A State agency's case and
procedural error rate represents the proportion of cases in which the
State agency improperly denied an application; or suspended or
terminated the benefits of a participating household. The case and
procedural error rate also measures the accuracy of a State's
compliance with Federal procedural requirements for those actions,
which include the timeliness of the action and adherence to notice
requirements.
The Act requires FNS oversight of State agencies that hire third-
party contractors for QC training or other work. SNAP regulations
codified the Act's requirements at 7 CFR 275.2(c) where the associated
burden requires that State agencies notify FNS of a State's intent to
hire third-party contractors; submit to FNS the signed contracts,
tasks, and deliverables of the contractors; and notify FNS of the date,
time, and location of any training sessions led by the contractor at
least 10 days in advance of the training; and allow the attendance of
FNS at these training sessions.
The QC arbitration process codified at 7 CFR 275.3(d)(4) includes
procedures for resolving differences in review findings between State
agencies and FNS. As part of the QC system, States review a sample of
SNAP cases each month to determine payment accuracy and assess other
measures of program performance. FNS then reviews a sub-sample of each
State's cases to validate the results. If a State agency and FNS
disagree on the finding or disposition of an individual QC case, the
State agency can request arbitration. As part of the arbitration
process, the State agency must submit a written explanation of its
disagreement with the FNS finding and/or disposition of a case to the
arbitrator for a decision.
Section 16(c)(1)(C) of the Act states that a State agency is
assessed a financial liability after two consecutive
[[Page 23053]]
years of meeting the threshold for an excessive payment error rate. An
administrative law judge will assess a State agency's appeal of the
financial liability for good cause per Section 16(c)(8)(H) of the Ac.
Good cause procedures are codified at 7 CFR 275.23(f).
Section 16(c)(1)(D) of the Act authorizes FNS to settle with State
agencies that are assessed a financial liability. State agencies may
settle by investing 50 percent of their total QC liability in new
activities to improve the Program's administration. The new investment
portion of the settlement, codified at 7 CFR 275.23(h), requires the
State agency to use new State funds to target the root causes of their
QC errors through submission of a new investment plan using the FNS
Form 74A. After approval of the new investment plan, the State agency
must submit new investment progress reports using the FNS Form 74B,
biannually or until the plan is complete.
As part of this ICR update, the Program is revising new investment
plan form FNS 74A as follows: (1) in Section 1, revise the signature
statement to be clearer; (2) in Section B, revise the plan description
to include more information on what is needed; (3) revise the affidavit
of assurance to include additional details specifying the plan does not
represent a reallocation of ongoing SNAP resources, does not replace
any expenditures already earmarked for existing efforts, and that no
part of the plan is also a part of any other settlement agreement with
FNS; and (4) revise instructions to include a statement that activities
must not adversely impact clients.
The Program is also revising new investment progress report form
FNS 74B as follows: (1) revise Section 1 to add an initial submission
date, revision submission date, and reporting month to help track
records; (2) revise Section 2 item headings and add fill-in boxes for
financial details to ensure all submissions contain adequate
information on the status of each activity; (3) add instructions to the
overall activities summary to provide clearer expectations to
respondents; (4) add a signature block, which will be required to
submit the progress report; and (5) update the instructions for
clarity.
The burden for the QC system in 7 CFR 275 includes five categories
for reporting and recordkeeping, however there are a total of nine
areas of burden among those categories for State agencies to: (1)
create a QC sampling plan; (2-5) engage with third-party contractors;
(6) participate in the arbitration process; (7) participate in the good
cause process; (8-9) and when settling with FNS, create a new
investment plan and follow up with progress reports.
The estimated annual reporting burdens for the requested revisions
of each component are as follows: (1) 1,060 hours for creating sampling
plans, which is unchanged from its previous burden; (2) 0.25 hours
associated with the use of 3rd party contractors and the notification
of intent to hire, which is a decrease of 0.50 hours due to fewer State
agencies hiring 3rd party contractors; (3) 0.5 hours associated with
the use of 3rd party contractors and the submission of a signed
contract and tasks, which is a decrease of one hour due to fewer State
agencies hiring 3rd party contractors; (4) 0.5 hours associated with
the use of 3rd party contractors and the submission of completed
deliverables, which is a decrease of one hour due to fewer State
agencies hiring 3rd party contractors; (5) 0.4 hours associated with
the use of 3rd party contractors and the notification of training
sessions, which is an increase of 0.16 hours due to an increase in
frequency of notification; (6) 646 hours associated with arbitration,
which is a decrease of 578 hours from the current collection due to
fewer arbitration requests; (7) 320 hours associated with the good
cause process, which is an increase of 160 hours from the current
collection due to more State agencies requesting good cause; (8) 352
hours associated with the new investment plan, which is an increase of
64 hours from the current collection due to more State agencies
required to do new investment; and (9) 150 hours associated with the
new investment progress report, which is an increase of 60 hours from
the current collection due to more State agencies required to do
progress reports.
The requested total estimated reporting burden for this collection
is 2,529.65 hours, a decrease of 296.34 hours.
The estimated annual recordkeeping burdens for the requested
revisions of each component are as follows: (1) 1.25 hours per year to
create the QC sampling plan, which is unchanged from the previous
burden. The revised annual recordkeeping burden associated with
arbitration has decreased from 0.8496 hours to 0.4484 hours, and the
good cause process burden increased from 0.0236 hours to 0.0472 hours
due to less States requesting arbitration and more appealing liability
determinations for good cause. The estimated recordkeeping burden for
the QC-related new investment plan increased from 0.2124 hours to
0.2596 hours and the estimated recordkeeping burden for the QC-related
new investment progress report increased from 0.4248 hours to 0.7080
hours due to more States submitting new investment plans and progress
reports since the collection's last approval. The total burden for
recordkeeping has decreased from 2.76 hours to 2.71 hours.
As a result, the overall annual reporting and recordkeeping burden
for this information collection, as proposed by this notice, decreased
from 2,828.75 hours to 2532.36 hours, which is a decrease of 296.39
hours. A summary of the revised reporting and recordkeeping estimates
are below, along with a revision of the burden table.
Reporting
Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2.3 responses per
respondent.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 123 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 20.57 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,529.65 hours.
Recordkeeping
Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2.2 responses per
respondent.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 115 responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 0.0236 hour.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2.71 hours.
Grand Total Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Annual Burden:
2,532 hours.
[[Page 23054]]
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Revised Revised Difference
Description of Estimated Estimated total Number of estimated Previous due to Difference
Reg. section Affected public activity number of responses per annual burden hours total burden submission program due to
respondents respondent responses per response hours total hours changes adjustments
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275 Regs Reporting OMB 0584-0303
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275.11(a)(1)-(a)(2).............. State Agencies...... Sampling Plan....... 53 1 53 20 1060 1060 0 0
275.2(c)(1)(i)................... State Agencies...... Use of 3rd Party 1 1 1 0.25 0.25 0.75 0 -0.5
Contractors-
Notification of
intent to hire.
275.2(c)(1)(ii).................. State Agencies...... Use of 3rd Party 1 1 1 0.5 0.5 1.5 0 -1
Contractors-
Submission of
signed contract and
tasks.
275.2(c)(1)(iii)................. State Agencies...... Use of 3rd Party 1 1 1 0.5 0.5 1.5 0 -1
Contractors-
Submission of
completed
deliverables.
275.2(c)(1)(iv).................. State Agencies...... Use of 3rd Party 1 5 5 0.08 0.4 0.24 0 0.16
Contractors-
Notification of
training sessions.
275.2(d)(4)...................... State Agencies...... Arbitration Process. 11 1.8 19 34 646 1224 0 -578
273.23(f)........................ State Agencies...... Good Cause Process.. 2 1 2 160 320 160 0 160
275.23(h)........................ State Agencies...... New Investment Plan 11 1 11 32 352 288 0 64
Template Form FNS
74 A.
275.23(h)(4)..................... State Agencies...... New Investment 11 2.7 30 5 150 90 0 60
Progress Report
Template Form FNS
74 B.
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Sub-Total Reporting Burden... .................... .................... 53 2.320754717 123 20.56626016 2,529.65 2,825.99 0 -296.34
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275 Recordkeeping OMB 0584-030
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275.4............................ State Agencies...... Sampling Plan Record 53 1 53 0.0236 1.2508 1.2508 0 0
Retention.
275.4............................ State Agencies...... Arbitration Process 11 5 19 0.0236 0.4484 0.8496 0 -0.4012
Record Retention.
275.4............................ State Agencies...... Good Cause Process 2 1 2 0.0236 0.0472 0.0236 0 0.0236
Record Retention.
275.4............................ State Agencies...... New Investment Plan 11 0 11 0.0236 0.2596 0.2124 0 0.0472
Template Form FNS
74 A Record
Retention.
275.4............................ State Agencies...... New Investment 11 3 30 0.0236 0.708 0.4248 0 0.2832
Progress Report
Template Form FNS
74 B Record
Retention.
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Grand Total Recordkeeping.... .................... .................... 53 2.2 115 0.0236 2.714 2.7612 0 -0.0472
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Grand Total Reporting and .................... .................... 53 4.49 238 20.59 2,532.36 2,828.75 ............ -296.39
Recordkeeping.
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[[Page 23055]]
Patrick A. Penn,
Deputy Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.
[FR Doc. 2026-08325 Filed 4-28-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 29, 2026.
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.