[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 79 (Thursday, April 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22788-22789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09332]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 79 / Thursday, April 24, 2014 / 
Notices  

[[Page 22788]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Request for Information: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
Program (SNAP) High Performance Bonuses

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Congress allows the Secretary of the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (Secretary) considerable discretion to establish criteria 
and standards for evaluating the performances of State agencies and to 
monetarily reward State agencies that improve or excel in the agency's 
administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 
The recently enacted Agricultural Act of 2014 (Act) includes changes to 
the performance bonus system. States are now required by statute to 
reinvest any SNAP bonuses in the SNAP program. As a complement to these 
changes, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is soliciting ideas for 
performance criteria and standards for high and most improved 
performance from State agencies and organizations that represent State 
interests prior to issuance of any proposed rules regarding changes to 
the criteria in determining SNAP high performance bonuses. FNS 
announces in this notice a request for information about current 
performance measures and data collection capabilities possessed by SNAP 
State agencies; data and information needed to assess other areas of 
SNAP being considered for a future high or most improved performance 
bonuses; and suggestions for linking bonus categories to ensure winners 
in one category meet minimum performance standards in other categories 
in order to qualify for any high or most improved performance bonus. 
FNS will consider this information in developing a proposed rule to 
revise the current high or most improved performance bonus structure.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 23, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Patrick Lucrezio, Chief, Program 
Accountability and Administration Division, Food and Nutrition Service 
(FNS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
822, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be faxed to the attention 
of Mr. Lucrezio at (703) 305-2454, or via email 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 FNS 
office located at 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, 22302, 
Room 800, during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday 
through Friday).
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All 
comments will be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this request for information should be directed to Mr. 
Lucrezio at (703) 305-2498.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 16(d)(2)(A) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 requires the Secretary to issue regulations to 
award a total of $48 million to States that demonstrate high or most 
improved performance in administering SNAP.
    Section 16(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 was amended by 
the Act to require that bonus monies had to be invested in the program 
established by the Food and Nutrition Act. While not an exclusive list, 
the Act specified areas where the bonus monies could be used. These 
areas included: investments in technology; improvements in 
administration and distribution; and actions to prevent fraud, waste 
and abuse. High or most improved performance bonus regulations at 7 CFR 
275.24, currently provides four categories for SNAP bonus awards: 
payment accuracy, case and procedural error rates (formerly known as 
the negative error rates), program access index, and application 
processing timeliness. In order to address performance in other SNAP 
priority areas, FNS is considering changes to the current bonus 
structure. First, FNS is considering expanding the scope of performance 
bonuses to three new categories, employment and training; recipient 
integrity; and SNAP nutrition education. Second, FNS is considering how 
to address the concern that, in past years, some State agencies have 
received bonuses in some areas of SNAP, but have not performed well in 
other bonus category areas. Linking performance awards to a certain 
minimum level of performance in every category could avoid such 
inconsistencies.
    With regards to the new categories, additional metrics would need 
to be developed as well as additional methods of determining 
performance, because not all categories under consideration are solely 
quantitative in nature. Some evaluation criteria may require using 
qualitative metrics. In light of these challenges, FNS welcomes all 
ideas that might contribute to developing a system to measure and award 
the best performance in these categories.
    Per Section 16(d) (2)(A)(iii) of the Act, FNS must solicit 
information from State agencies and organizations that represent State 
interests on these issues before publishing a proposed regulation. In 
requesting ideas, FNS would like to remind responders that the Food and 
Nutrition Act specifies that $48 million are available for SNAP high or 
most improved performance bonuses and that payment accuracy bonuses are 
required by law. A change in the total bonus amount may only be made 
through an act of Congress.
    In particular, FNS is seeking information on the following 
questions:
    1. Do State agencies currently utilize or possess performance 
measurement methods or tools to evaluate new categories such as 
employment and training, recipient integrity, and SNAP nutrition 
education?
    2. What evaluation tools should be developed in order to analyze 
new issue categories such as employment and training, recipient 
integrity, and SNAP nutrition education?
    3. Are there any other areas of SNAP that should be considered as a 
possible category that is eligible for a high or most improved 
performance bonus?
    4. What changes to the bonus system would States agencies suggest 
to ensure

[[Page 22789]]

that minimum performance standards were met in all categories by 
awardees?
    5. What minimum performance levels do States suggest for all high 
or most improved performance bonus categories, including those new 
categories under consideration by FNS?
    6. How do States suggest that the $48 million be distributed among 
the current and new categories?
    7. Do States suggest the elimination or changes in any of the 
current categories evaluated for performance: application timeliness, 
case and procedural error rate, and program access index?
    8. Do States anticipate an increase in administrative expenditures 
or other impact if SNAP restructures its current high or most improved 
performance bonus system? If yes, please explain.
    9. How much time would be required for State agencies to adjust 
their systems and reporting mechanisms in order to provide sufficient 
information to evaluate performance in the new categories of employment 
and training, recipient integrity, and SNAP nutrition education?

    Dated: April 11, 2014.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-09332 Filed 4-23-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P