[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42749-42750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17736]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Proposed Change in State Title V Maternal and Child Health Block 
Grant Allocations

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice seeks comments on proposed changes in the State 
Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant allocations. 
Through the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and 
Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Title V MCH Block Grant funds are allocated 
to States based in part on a calculation of the number of children 
living in poverty (in an individual State) as compared to the total 
number of children living in poverty in the United States, using data 
for the number of children in poverty in each State from the U.S. 
Census Bureau's official decennial census. As the Census Bureau has 
replaced the decennial census long-form sample questionnaire with the 
American Community Survey (ACS), MCHB likewise plans to use the ACS as 
its source for this data. The ACS offers broad, comprehensive 
information on social, economic, and housing data and is designed to 
provide this information at many levels of geography. ACS child poverty 
estimates are produced annually and will allow the Block Grant 
allocation proportions to be updated more frequently than every 10 
years. The Census Bureau produces annual State-level poverty estimates 
based on the most recent 1, 3, and 5 years of ACS data as well as 
annual model-based Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). It 
is proposed that MCHB implement annual changes to the State Title V MCH 
Block Grant allocations using the 3-year ACS poverty estimates, wherein 
each annual change is buffered by sharing 2 of 3 data years in a 3-year 
rolling period estimate.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to comment on this proposed 
change. Submit written comments no later than September 18, 2012. All 
comments received on or before this date will be considered.

ADDRESSES: All written comments concerning this notice should be 
submitted to Cassie Lauver, Director, Division of State and Community 
Health, at the contact information below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anyone requesting additional details 
should contact Cassie Lauver, Health Resources and Services 
Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Ms. Lauver may be 
reached in one of the three following methods: (1) Via a written 
request addressed to: Ms. Cassie Lauver, Health Resources and Services 
Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Parklawn Building, 
Room 18-31, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857; (2) via

[[Page 42750]]

telephone at (301) 443-2204; or (3) via email at [email protected]. 
In addition, an information session with a question and answer period 
on the proposed change in the State Title V Maternal and Child Health 
Block Grant Allocations will be held approximately 2 weeks after 
publication of this notice. Please see http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov for 
more information. Dr. Michael C. Lu, Associate Administrator of MCHB, 
will serve as a presenter for this session.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HRSA is proposing to use the U.S. Census 
Bureau's ACS data to determine the annual poverty-based allocations to 
States under Section 502 of Title V of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 702). Previously, MCHB used the child poverty data obtained from 
the long-form of the decennial census and the poverty-based allocation 
was updated every 10 years. The long-form questionnaire has been 
replaced by the annual ACS. Given the annual availability of updated 
ACS child poverty data, annual changes in the allocation proportion 
would enable incremental change and greater currency than updating at 
periodic non-annual intervals (e.g., every 5 years). State-level 
poverty data are annually released by the Census Bureau based on the 
most recent 1, 3, and 5-year ACS data and single-year Small Area Income 
and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). Researchers in MCHB's Office of 
Epidemiology and Research (OER) evaluated the impact of using 1, 3, and 
5-year ACS data and the single-year SAIPE on annual poverty-based 
allocation changes as well as overall allocation changes. Consistent 
with the Census Bureau documentation and guidelines, the poverty data 
are most current and least precise through the use of 1-year data and 
least current but most precise through the use of 5-year data. OER 
recommends that MCHB implement annual changes to the State Title V MCH 
Block Grant allocations using the 3-year ACS poverty estimates, which 
strike a reasonable balance between reliability (strength of 5-year 
estimates) and currency (strength of 1-year estimates). The 3-year 
estimates provide necessary stability in annual poverty-based 
allocation changes for all States, regardless of size, while still 
allowing the allocations to be responsive to changes in the 
distribution of children in poverty across States. Since they are not 
buffered as a multiyear moving period estimate, the 1-year estimates 
from both ACS and the model-based SAIPE introduce higher levels of 
volatility in annual changes of the poverty-based allocation 
proportions, particularly for smaller States with greater sampling 
error. The 5-year estimates are least current and do not provide 
meaningfully different stability in annual changes in comparison with 
the 3-year estimates. With the 3-year estimates for Fiscal Year 2013 
already available, States will have ample opportunity to plan for the 
adjustment from the existing allocation proportions based on the 2000 
census and will be aware of the poverty-based allocation proportions 
close to a year in advance of each subsequent fiscal year (annually 
released in October).

    Dated: July 12, 2012.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-17736 Filed 7-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P