[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 48 (Friday, March 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13339-13340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5620]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Child and Adult Care Food Program Improper Payments 
Meal Claims Assessment

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites the general public and other 
public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. 
This is a new information collection that is designed to conduct a 
feasibility test of a parent-recall interview method, on a national 
basis, to assess the accuracy of meal claims submitted for 
reimbursement by family day care home providers for meals served to 
children who attend the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) day 
care homes. The assessment is tasked with developing nationally 
representative improper payment estimates and rates (percentage) of 
improper payments (in total and by meal type) due to sponsor 
reimbursement of invalid meal claims submitted by family day care homes 
(FDCHs) during FY 2011.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received on or before 
May 10, 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 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: Steve Carlson, Food and Nutrition Service, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014B, 
Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the 
attention of Steve 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 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, 
Room 1014, Alexandria, Virginia 22302. All responses to this notice 
will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All 
comments will also become a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Fred 
Lesnett at 703-605-0811.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Child and Adult Care Food Program Improper Payments Meal 
Claims Assessment
    OMB Number: Not Yet Assigned.
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New collection of information.
    Abstract: The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (Act) (Pub. 
L. 107-300) requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to identify 
and reduce significant improper over- and under-payments in various 
programs, including the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). 
Therefore, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), on behalf of the 
Secretary of Agriculture, is conducting a feasibility evaluation of the 
parent-recall data collection methodology for validating the number and 
type of meals claimed for reimbursement by family day care homes 
(FDCHs) in the CACFP. The feasibility evaluation is scheduled to 
collect data covering the time period of September 2010 through August 
2011. Data collection is to be conducted in sixteen States to evaluate 
whether a parent-recall data collection methodology under evaluation 
can:

[[Page 13340]]

     Validate the meal reimbursement claims submitted by FDCHs 
for the number of children who are CACFP eligible and present in the 
FDCHs during the time period(s) for which the meals/snacks were 
claimed.
     Generate the data required for developing an estimate of 
improper payments, based on the meals claimed for reimbursement by 
FDCHs, that meet the requirements of the Improper Payments Information 
Act of 2002.
     Be implemented nationwide in an efficient and cost 
effective method.
    A feasibility evaluation will be conducted of the parent-recall 
data collection methodology in validating meal claims submitted for 
reimbursement by FDCH providers. Observations conducted on-site in the 
homes of FDCH providers will be used in the feasibility evaluation. The 
methodology compares meal reimbursement claims submitted by FDCHs to 
their sponsors and data collected through each of the following two 
data collection methodologies:
     Recollections of parents/guardians on their children's 
attendance at the FDCHs during the days and times of the claims.
     Observations made during on site visits to FDCHs during 
scheduled meal times.
    Based on the findings from the feasibility evaluation, FNS will 
determine the reliability of using parent-recall information in 
evaluating meal claims submitted by FDCH providers. If determined to be 
reliable, the parent-recall method of data collection shall be tested 
at a national level, and FNS will evaluate the feasibility of 
implementing it nationwide to validate the meals claimed for 
reimbursement.
    Affected Public: 1,024 Individual/Households; 16 State, Local & 
Tribal Government and Business-for-profit (64 CACFP Sponsors and 256 
FDCH providers).
    Respondent type identified: Parent/guardian of each of the sampled 
children attending a sample of FDCHs will be contacted by telephone. 
Request for child enrollment, sponsor agreement and meal claim 
information will be requested of the sampled CACFP sponsors and 
providers. In addition, observations will be conducted in the homes of 
the FDCH providers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The estimated number of 
respondents included in the survey of parents is 1,024. Sixty-four 
sponsors in 16 States and 256 FDCH providers will be sampled and 
requested to provide supporting program information.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The number of 
responses per set of parents/guardians for a sampled child attending a 
FDCH is one. The number of responses per State, sponsor and FDCH 
provider is one.
    Estimated Time per Response: The estimated average time to respond 
to the parent/guardian survey is 10.2 minutes (.17/Hour). The estimated 
average times for a State, sponsor and FDCH provider to respond are 45 
minutes (.75/Hour), 390 minutes (6.50/Hour), and 75 minutes (1.25/Hour) 
respectively. Non-responses or attempted interviews are estimated to 
take 6 minutes (0.10/hour).

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                                                                                                     Estimated
                                     Estimated       Responses                       Estimated     total annual
           Respondent                number of     annually per    Total annual   average number     hours of
                                    respondents     respondent       responses     of hours per      response
                                                                                     response         burden
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                                                  SFA Directors
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States:
    Completed interviews........              16            1.00              16          0.7500        12.00000
    Attempted interviews........               0            1.00               0          0.1000          .00000
Sponsors:
    Completed interviews........              64            1.00              64          6.5000       416.00000
    Attempted interviews........               5            1.00               5          0.1000         0.50000
FDCH Provider
    Completed interviews........             256            1.00             256            1.25       320.00000
    Attempted interviews........              13            1.00              13          0.1000         1.30000
Parents:
    Completed interviews........           1,024            1.00           1,024          0.1700       174.08000
    Attempted interviews........             102            1.00             102          0.1000        10.20000
    Total Responding burden.....           1,480  ..............           1,480  ..............       934.08000
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 934.08000 hours.

    Dated: March 4, 2011.
Julia Paradis,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-5620 Filed 3-10-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P