[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 120 (Friday, June 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34427-34428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-3099]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Extension of Proposed 
Collection; Comment Request--Food Stamp Forms: Applications, Periodic 
Reporting, Notices

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 the proposed extension of this collection. The information 
collection requirement described in this notice is OMB Number 0584-
0064: Application and Certification of Food Stamp Households.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 21, 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 
respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Comments may be sent to Patrick Waldron, Branch Chief, 
Certification Policy Branch, Program Development Division, Food and 
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center 
Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to 
the attention of Mr. Waldron at (703) 305-2486 or via e-mail at 
[email protected]. All written comments will be open for 
public inspection at the office of the Food and Nutrition Service 
during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday) at 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, 22302, Room 
800.
    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 
should be directed to Mr. Waldron at (703) 305-2495.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Food Stamp Forms: Applications, Periodic Reporting, Notices.
    OMB Number: 0584-0064.
    Form Number: None.
    Expiration Date: 7/31/07.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: Title 7, Part 273 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) sets forth the Food Stamp Program requirements for the 
application, certification and continued eligibility for food stamp 
benefits.
    Listed below are the components of the forms and requirements 
included in the information collection.
    Application to participate in the Food Stamp Program. The 
application is filed by all applicant households when first applying to 
participate in the program and is used by the State agencies that 
administer the program to determine household eligibility. Based on FY 
2006 data, we estimate that the burden associated with the application 
for certification at 3,473,171 hours for households (10,967,909 
applications x 19 minutes (0.32 hrs) to complete the application). We 
estimate the burden for State agencies at 3,473,171 hours (10,967,909 
applications x 19 minutes (0.32 hrs) to review the application).
    Application for Recertification. All food stamp households are 
assigned finite certification periods. In order to continue 
participating in the Food

[[Page 34428]]

Stamp Program, ongoing households must apply for recertification using 
an application, which is very similar to the above-mentioned 
application for initial certification. The average certification period 
is 10 months in length although the length of the certification period 
may range from 1-month to 24-months depending on household 
circumstances. Based on FY 2006 data, we estimate that the burden 
associated with the application for recertification at 3,205,217 hours 
for households (10,121,739 applications x 19 minutes (0.32 hrs) to 
complete the application). We estimate the burden for State agencies at 
3,205,217 hours (10,121,739 applications x 19 minutes (0.32 hrs) to 
review the application).
    Monthly Report. Three State agencies require a portion of their 
caseload to report changes in household circumstances through monthly 
reports. Because the household does not submit a separate monthly 
report when it submits the application for recertification, households 
are required to submit monthly reports 11 times a year. We estimate a 
total annual household reporting burden of 182,883 hours for the 
monthly report (142,506 households x 11 reports per year x 7 minutes or 
0.12 hrs per report). We estimate a State agency burden of 287,387 
hours (142,506 households x 11 reports per year x 11 minutes or 0.18 
hrs per report).
    Quarterly Report. Currently, only one State, California, requires 
households to report changes in circumstances on a quarterly basis. 
Since households are not required to submit a separate quarterly report 
when they submit an application for recertification, the report is 
submitted three times a year. We estimate a household reporting burden 
of 319,787 hours for the quarterly report (799,469 households x 3 
reports per year x 8 minutes or 0.13 hrs per report). We estimate a 
State agency burden of 479,681 hours (799,469 households x 3 reports 
per year x 12 minutes or 0.2 hrs per report).
    Semiannual or Simplified Reporting. Under the simplified reporting 
option, adopted by 47 States, most households report changes in their 
circumstances through a report that they normally submit every six 
months. In addition to the semiannual report, a household in a 
simplified reporting system must report when its gross income exceeds 
130 percent of the poverty threshold. Based on recent information 
regarding State choices, we estimate that 10,788,683 households are 
currently subject to simplified reporting. Under simplified reporting, 
households submit one report annually (these households submit an 
application for recertification at least once every 12 months), and we 
estimate a household burden of 1,438,491 hours (10,788,683 reports x 8 
minutes or .133 hrs per report) and a State agency burden of 1.977,925 
hours (10,788,683 reports x 11 minutes or .18 hrs per report).
    Change Reporting. Households not subject to monthly, quarterly 
reporting or semiannual reporting must report most changes in household 
circumstances with 10 days of the date that the change becomes known to 
the household. Most households subject to change reporting are 
statutorily exempt from periodic reporting, primarily are those 
households with no earned income in which all adult members are elderly 
or disabled. We estimate a total household burden for change reporting 
at 138,737 hours per year (1,664,843 households submitting an average 
of 1 report per year at 5 minutes or 0.08 hrs per report). We estimate 
the annual State agency burden to process the reports at 305,221 hours 
(1,664,843 households submitting an average of 1 report per year with 
an agency processing time of 11 minutes or 0.18 hrs per report).
    Notice of Eligibility or Denial. Based on an estimated 21,089,658 
notices issued annually, we estimate a total State agency burden of 
632,690 hours based on 2 minutes (.03 hrs) to generate each report.
    We estimate a total annual burden of 367,412 hours to issue the 
following notices: Notice of Late/Incomplete Report, Adequate Notice 
(notice of reduction or termination based on information reported by 
the household), Notice of Adverse Action, Notice of Expiration of 
Certification, Request for Contact, and Notice of Missed Interview. The 
total is based on total of 3,365,104 responses with an average burden 
of 3 minutes or .03 hrs per response for the first five notices and 
953,915 responses with an average burden of 1 minute or 0.167 hrs for 
the Notice of Missed Interview.
    Recordkeeping burden only. Local agencies are required to maintain 
client case records for three years and to perform duplicate 
participation checks on individual household members to ensure the 
member is not participating in more than one household. Data are not 
available on the actual number of local food stamp offices in each 
State or the actual number of workers (recordkeepers) that would be 
maintaining case files and performing duplicate participation checks. 
For the purpose of this burden package, we are using the number of food 
stamp project areas, which equals 2,724.
    (A) Case Files: The caseload to be maintained is equal to the 
number of participating households and their subsequent files. The 
number of times recordkeepers must access these case files is equal to 
the number of documents expected to be filed or noted in the file 
annually. We anticipate minimal filing to involve a burden of 2 minutes 
per document. Including documentation (i.e. electronic files, 
caseworker written entry into the file, or hard copies of the document) 
for notices which were sent to the household and when, we anticipate a 
total of 127,192,305 documents/year. Annual recordkeeping burden 
associated with creating, filing, and maintaining household case files 
is estimated to be 4,239,744 burden hours (127,192,305 x 2/60 = 
4,239,744).
    (B) Monitoring Duplicate Participation: The estimated annual 
recordkeeping burden for maintaining this system that is automated by 
most States is based on the number of total applications (all approved 
and denied initial and recertification applications) expected to be 
received (20,250,469) and the average number of persons (2.3) in each 
applicant household. We estimate the number of duplicate participation 
checks (responses) that must be performed by State agencies at 
46,576,079. Burden is estimated to be 15 seconds (or 0.00416666 hour) 
per response, for a total burden of 194,067 burden hours annually 
(20,250,469 x 2.3 x 15 seconds or 0.00416666 hrs).
    (C) Total recordkeeping burden would be 4,433,811 hours. Burden per 
recordkeeper would be 1,627 hours.
    Summary of burden hours for public--state and local governments, 
potential applicants, and current participants:
    Number of Respondents: 21,089,698.
    Annual responses: 110,196,575.
    Total burden hours: 24,017,997.

    Dated: June 19, 2007.
Roberto Salazar,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 07-3099 Filed 6-20-07; 12:06 pm]
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