[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 25 (Monday, February 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6597-6598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2564]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) Evaluation

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of 
Agriculture (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 new 
collection for the Food and Nutrition Service to examine the impact and 
implementation of the Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) that will begin in 
Hampden County, Massachusetts (MA) in November 2011.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 8, 2011.

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 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.
    Comments may be sent to: Steven Carlson, Office of Research and 
Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service/USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
1014, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to 
the attention of Steven Carlson at 703-305-2576 or via e-mail to 
[email protected]. Comments will also be accepted through the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov, and 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
    All written comments will be open for public inspection at the 
Office of Research and Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service during 
regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) at 
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.
    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 Steven 
Carlson at 703-305-2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) Evaluation.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract: The Healthy Incentive Pilot (HIP) is authorized by the 
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, and it is expected to 
operate for 15 months in Hampden County, MA. HIP will provide financial 
incentives to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
households to encourage their purchase and consumption of fruits and 
vegetables. SNAP households chosen to participate in HIP will be 
eligible to earn incentives equal to 30% of their purchase price for 
eligible fruits and vegetables. The incentive payment will be added to 
the HIP participant's SNAP benefit account. Participants will be able 
to view their accumulated monthly value of incentives on their cash 
register receipt.
    The objectives of the HIP evaluation are to:
     Estimate the impact of HIP on individual food consumption 
of SNAP recipients;
     Understand the factors that influence how HIP impacts SNAP 
recipients;
     Describe the implementation and operation of HIP;
     Understand the effect of HIP on the grantee and its 
partners; and
     Estimate the costs associated with HIP.
    The data collection activities to be undertaken subject to this 
notice include:
     SNAP recipient phone surveys (with in-person follow-up) 
before program implementation, early (3 months) implementation, and 
late (12-months) implementation;
     Three SNAP recipient focus groups at early implementation 
and again at late implementation phase;
     Mail (with phone follow-up) surveys of participating and 
non-participating retailers pre-implementation and late implementation;
     Observations in 10 participating stores at pre-
implementation, early implementation, and late implementation; and
     In-person interviews with HIP stakeholders (State and 
local SNAP officials, State and local partners, Electronic Benefit 
Transfer (EBT) vendors, third party processors, and integrated 
retailers) at pre-implementation, early, and late implementation.
    To evaluate the effect of HIP on participating households, data 
will be collected from SNAP recipients in Hampden County, MA. To 
examine the implementation of the HIP program, data will be collected 
from retailers, State and local SNAP officials, State and local 
partners, EBT vendors, and third party processors.
    Affected Public: Respondent groups identified include: (1) SNAP 
recipients; (2) retailers; (3) state and local officials; (4) state and 
local partners; and (5) EBT vendors, third party processors, and 
integrated retailers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
respondents is 2,945. This includes: 2,638 SNAP recipients who will 
participate in phone surveys (70% will complete baseline interview, 80% 
and 75% will complete round 2 and round 3 interviews respectively; 10% 
subsample or 300 recipients will

[[Page 6598]]

complete a second 24-hour dietary recall in rounds 2 and 3); an 
additional sample of 66 SNAP recipients who will participate in focus 
groups (90% response rate); 207 retailers (80% percent will complete 
survey); 19 State and local SNAP officials (89% will complete the 
interview); 6 State and local partners (83% will complete the 
interview); and 9 EBT vendors/third party processors/integrated 
retailers (89% will complete the interview).
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Data from SNAP 
recipients will be collected three times, through telephone interviews, 
in-person interviews, and focus groups. A 10 percent subsample of the 
SNAP recipients will complete a second 24-hour dietary recall on a 
nonconsecutive day. Stakeholder data will be gathered through retailer 
surveys and observations; in-person interviews will also be conducted 
with State and local officials, State and local partners, EBT vendors, 
third party processors, and integrated retailers.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 8,221.
    Estimated Time per Response: About 35 minutes (0.58 hours). The 
estimated time of response varies from 3 to 90 minutes depending on 
respondent group, as shown in the table below.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 286,154 minutes 
(4769.24 hours). See the table below for estimated total annual burden 
for each type of respondent.

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                                                                                                                                    Estimated
                                                                                    Estimated       Responses     Total annual   average number  Estimated
                           Respondent                                                number       annually per      responses     of hours per     total
                                                                                   respondent      respondent                       response       hours
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SNAP recipients
    Completed..................................................           1,943               3           5,829          0.7672        4,472.01
    Attempted..................................................             695               3           2,085          0.0521          108.63
SNAP recipient focus groups
    Completed..................................................              60               1              60          1.0000           60.00
    Attempted..................................................               6               1               6          0.0500            0.30
Retailers
    Completed..................................................             165               1             165          0.5000           82.50
    Attempted..................................................              42               1              42          0.0500            2.10
Local and State SNAP Officials
    Completed..................................................              17               1              17          1.4118           24.00
    Attempted..................................................               2               1               2          0.0500            0.10
Local and State Partners
    Completed..................................................               5               1               5          1.5000            7.50
    Attempted..................................................               1               1               1          0.0500            0.05
EBT vendors/3rd party processors
    Completed..................................................               8               1               8          1.5000           12.00
    Attempted..................................................               1               1               1          0.0500            0.05
                                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Totals.................................................           2,945  ..............           8,221  ..............        4,769.24
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    Dated: January 25, 2011.
Julia Paradis,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-2564 Filed 2-4-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P