[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 114 (Thursday, June 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32833-32834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-11482]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Enhancing Food Stamp Certification: Food Stamp 
Modernization Efforts

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, 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 proposed information collections. This notice announces the Food and 
Nutrition Service's (FNS) intent to request approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for new information collection. The Food 
and Nutrition Service plans to systematically examine the range of 
efforts States are undertaking to enhance food stamp certification and 
modernize the Food Stamp Program (FSP). This review will consist of a 
qualitative study relying on the responses of State and local food 
stamp staff, partners, food stamp applicants and participants, and 
eligible non-participants and a quantitative study using extant data. 
Information obtained will inform FNS policy discussions, provide 
technical and procedurally relevant information to States, and provide 
a comprehensive and centralized source of information for assessing 
ways to improve food stamp certification and respond efficiently to the 
variety of stakeholder queries received.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 13, 2007.

ADDRESSES: 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 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

[[Page 32834]]

technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments may be sent via U.S. mail to Carol Olander, Food and 
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center 
Drive, Room 1022, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted 
via fax to the attention of Carol Olander at (703) 305-2576 or via e-
mail to [email protected].
    All written comments will be open for public inspection at the 
office of the Food and Nutrition Service, through prior arrangement 
with Rosemarie Downer, the project officer, during regular business 
hours (8:30 a.m., to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday) at 3101 Park Center 
Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302, Room 1022. Rosemarie Downer can be 
reached at [email protected].
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB 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 Rosemarie 
Downer at (703) 305-2129.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Enhancing Food Stamp Certification: Food Stamp Modernization 
Efforts.
    OMB Number: Not Yet Assigned.
    Expiration Date: To be determined.
    Type of Request: New collection of information.
    Abstract: Over the past decade, increased awareness of the 
importance of the FSP as a basic safety net as well as a critical work 
support has led to a variety of efforts to expand eligibility, increase 
program access and reengineer the FSP. At the same time, States are 
also focusing on ways to increase operational and administrative 
efficiency and program integrity.
    In an effort to document and understand the range of efforts States 
are employing to enhance the FSP certification process and to modernize 
FSP administration, FNS plans to develop a comprehensive, national 
inventory of FSP modernization efforts undertaken in all the States; 
document key features and outcomes associated with food stamp 
modernization; systematically describe and compare techniques States 
are using to modernize the FSP; identify promising practices; and 
create a single, comprehensive information source on State 
modernization initiatives. Results of this study will inform FNS policy 
discussions, provide technical and procedurally relevant information to 
States, and provide a comprehensive and centralized source of 
information for assessing ways to improve food stamp certification and 
responding efficiently to the variety of stakeholder queries received.
    Specifically, the study will focus on four types of modernization 
efforts: policy changes to modernize FSP application, case management, 
and recertification procedures; reengineering of administrative 
functions; increased or enhanced use of technology; and partnering 
arrangements with businesses and nonprofit organizations. The study 
will examine the impact of these modernization efforts on four types of 
outcomes: program access, administrative cost, program integrity, and 
customer services.
    To address these objectives, the study will implement a survey of 
all 50 States (and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the 
Virgin Islands) that includes State and local FSP administrators and 
community organizations and for-profit organizations assisting State 
modernization efforts. Data will also be obtained through: (1) 
Descriptive case studies incorporating qualitative data through 
interviews with local and State-level staff as well as community 
organizations and for-profit contractors; (2) discussion groups with 
food stamp participants and eligible non-participants and (3) a limited 
number of brief in-person exit interviews with food stamp applicants 
and participants. The study will rely on extant data to describe FSP 
performance before and after the implementation of State modernization 
efforts with respect to application approval rates, participation 
rates, payment accuracy, administrative costs and other outcomes.
    Survey, interview and focus group questions will be kept as simple 
and respondent-friendly as possible. Responses to all questions will be 
voluntary. The Food and Nutrition Service will take the following steps 
to treat the data provided in a confidential manner: (1) No data will 
be released in a form that identifies individual respondents by name 
and (2) information collected through interviews will be combined 
across other respondents in the same category and reported in aggregate 
form. Respondents will be notified of the confidentiality measures 
during data collection.
    Affected Public: Staff involved in or knowledgeable about 
modernization efforts at the State level, including FSP directors, 
policy and operations staff, Management Information System (MIS) and 
data reporting staff and call center staff; staff from local food stamp 
offices; State and local staff from community organizations and for-
profit contractors assisting with food stamp modernization efforts; and 
food stamp applicants, participants, and eligible non-participants.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 804. This number represents the 
sum of State-level FSP staff involved in food stamp modernization 
efforts, community organization staff or for-profit contractor staff 
involved in food stamp modernization efforts, food stamp applicants and 
participants, and eligible non-participants.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1. For the State-
level respondents, 14 will be respondents twice (once to a survey and 
once to an in-person interview) and the rest will respond once. For the 
local-level respondents, 28 respondents will be respondents twice and 
the rest will respond once.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 804.
    Estimated Hours per Response: 1.75. All burden estimates include 
respondents' time to prepare for and complete surveys, administrative 
interviews, focus groups, or exit interviews with FSP applicants and 
participants. Surveys: 2 hours each for State and local level FSP 
interviews and 1 hour each for community representative or for-profit 
contractors; in-person administrative interviews: 1 hour each; focus 
groups: 1.5 hours per participant; exit interviews with FSP applicants 
and participants: 10 minutes each.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 1404 hours.

     Dated: June 7, 2007.
Roberto Salazar,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. E7-11482 Filed 6-13-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P