[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 48 (Monday, March 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 12441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4968]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program 
Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification Study (APEC 
Study)

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Food and Nutrition Service's intention to request 
Office of Management and Budget approval of the data collection 
instruments for the APEC study.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by May 10, 
2005, to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Alberta C. Frost, Director, Office 
of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, Food and Nutrition Service, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, 
Alexandria, VA 22302.
    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 will 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 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 through the use of appropriate, automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the 
information collection. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the proposed information collection forms should be directed 
to Alberta C. Frost, (703) 305-2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program 
Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification Study (APEC 
study).
    OMB Number: Not yet assigned.
    Expiration Date: N/A.
    Type of Request: New collection of information.
    Abstract: The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002, Public Law 
107-300, requires the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to 
identify and reduce erroneous payments in various programs, including 
the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program 
(SBP). An OMB directive, issued May 21, 2003, states that an annual 
erroneous payment estimate is the gross (not net) total of both 
overpayments and underpayments, i.e., the sum of the absolute value of 
overpayments and underpayments. To comply with the Improper Payments 
Information Act, USDA needs a reliable measure to estimate NSLP and SBP 
erroneous payments on an annual basis. Therefore, USDA is conducting a 
nationally representative study that will collect data from school 
districts and households in School Year 2005-2006 for calculating 
national estimates of certification and payment errors and provide 
overall national estimates of erroneous payments in NSLP and SBP that 
would be the gross of overpayments and underpayments. It would be cost 
prohibitive to conduct a large nationally representative study on a 
yearly basis. Therefore, estimation models will be developed that will 
utilize the data collected during this study, augmented with available 
extant data sources in future years to generate updated yearly 
estimates of overpayments, underpayments and overall erroneous payments 
in NSLP and SBP until the next large on-site data collection is 
undertaken.
    In addition to the annual national erroneous payment estimate based 
on misclassification of participating students' school meal eligibility 
status, this study will also provide national estimates of payment 
errors due to the improper counting and claiming of meals served under 
the NSLP and the SBP. The on-site data collected for this study, 
including household characteristic data, will also be used for 
informing program access issues including barriers and deterrence to 
participation.
    In School Year 2005-2006 on-site data collection activities will be 
conducted in a nationally representative sample of schools selected 
from school districts across the 48 contiguous States and the District 
of Columbia. Data to be collected will include school administrative 
records, household income from parents/guardians and other information 
that will inform this study. OMB approval will be requested for the 
data collection instruments to be used for the APEC study.
    Respondents:
    Respondents include: (a) State Child Nutrition Agency Directors; 
(b) School Food Service Directors; (c) school financial administrative 
staff; (d) school liaisons; and (e) households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents:
    Respondents include: (a) 51 State Child Nutrition Agency Directors; 
(b) 100 School Food Service Directors; (c) 360 school financial 
administrative staff; (d) 360 school liaisons; and (e) 5,300 
households.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Multiple responses 
will be obtained from most respondents with the exception of the State 
Child Nutrition Agency Directors and 4,300 households, who will be 
interviewed once. One thousand households will be interviewed twice. 
School financial administrative staff and school liaisons will be 
providing the contractor?s field staff the data or the access to 
administrative data on a recurring basis throughout the School Year.
    Estimate of Burden:
    Public reporting burden is estimated to range from 45 minutes for 
the household interview to 170 minutes for School Food Service 
Directors to complete fact sheets, provide claim data and be 
interviewed.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 5,525 hours.
    (a) State Child Nutrition Agency Directors (51 x 90 minutes) = 76.5 
hours; (b) School Food Service Directors (100 x 170 minutes) = 283.3 
hours; (c) school financial administrative staff ((330 x 15 minutes + 
(360 x 60 minutes) + (360 x 15 minutes)) = 532.5 hours; (d) school 
liaisons ((300 x 30 minutes) + (30 x 15 minutes)) = 157.5 hours; and 
(e) households ((5,300 x 45 minutes) + (1,000 x 30 minutes)) = 4,475 
hours.

    Dated: March 8, 2005.
Roberto Salazar,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 05-4968 Filed 3-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P