[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12431-12432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05312]



[[Page 12431]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Study

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 collection is a new collection for the WIC Participant and Program 
Characteristics study.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received on or before 
May 8, 2015.

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: Jinee Burdg, Policy 
Analyst, Office of Policy Support, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, 
Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the 
attention of Jinee Burdg at 703-305-2576 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 
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, VA 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 Jinee Burdg 
at 703-305-2744.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 2016 & 2018 WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 
Study.
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children (WIC) is administered by the Food and Nutrition 
Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). WIC 
benefits include nutritious supplemental foods; nutrition education; 
counseling, including breastfeeding promotion and support; and 
referrals to health care, social service, and other community providers 
for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and 
children up to the age of 5 years. For pregnant women, WIC seeks to 
improve fetal development and reduce the incidence of low birth weight, 
short gestation, and anemia through intervention during the prenatal 
period. For infants and children, WIC seeks to provide nutritious foods 
during critical times of growth and development in an effort to prevent 
health problems and to improve the health status of these children.
    WIC was established in 1972 by an amendment to the Child Nutrition 
Act of 1966. WIC is not an entitlement program. To receive WIC 
benefits, an individual must be categorically eligible: A pregnant, 
breastfeeding, or postpartum woman; an infant up to the age of 1 year; 
or a child age 1 through his or her fifth birthday. In addition, each 
applicant must be found to be income eligible and at nutritional risk. 
Eligible applicants receive supplemental food, usually in the form of 
vouchers, checks, or Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards that 
allow them to obtain specific types of food (for example, milk, juice, 
and cereal) from participating retail vendors at no charge.
    Since 1988, FNS has produced biennial reports on participant and 
program characteristics in WIC. This information is used for general 
program monitoring as well as for managing the information needs of the 
program. FNS uses this regularly updated WIC information to estimate 
budgets, submit civil rights reporting, identify needs for research, 
and review current and proposed WIC policies and procedures. This study 
will be the 15th and 16th completed in the WIC Participant and Program 
Characteristics (PC) Study series.
    Like all biennial WIC PC reports since 1992, the 2016 and the 2018 
reports (PC2016 and PC2018) employ the prototype reporting system 
developed by FNS in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC) and WIC State Agencies that uses participant 
information compiled from State WIC administrative records. The 
reports, including PC2016 and PC 2018, contain information on a census 
of WIC participants in April of the reporting year, and provide 
information as summary statistics and maps.
    The current system for reporting participant data is based on the 
automated transfer of an agreed-upon set of data elements. State WIC 
agencies download routinely collected information from their existing 
automated client and management information systems. State and local 
WIC staff use these data to certify applicant eligibility for WIC 
benefits and to issue food vouchers and checks. This set of 20 agreed-
upon items is called the Minimum Data Set (MDS) and was developed by 
FNS working with the Information Committee of the National WIC 
Association (formerly the National Association of WIC Directors) and 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This minimum data 
set will be used for this study. The MDS consists of 20 items, and the 
Supplemental Data Set (SDS) consists of 11 items. State agencies can 
provide supplemental data if they are available.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Government.
    Type of Respondents: State WIC Officials.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 90.
    Frequency of Response: 8 annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 712.
    Estimated Time per Respondent and Annual Burden: 31 minutes (0.52 
hours). The estimated time of response varies from 3 minutes (0.05 
hours) for reminders to 60 minutes (1 hour) for running the reports. 
The total estimated annual burden is 370 hours.

[[Page 12432]]



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                           Total annual
                                                                             Estimated     Frequency of    Total annual   Average burden      burden
      Affected public/respondents            Data collection activity        number of       response        responses       hours per       estimate
                                                                            respondents                                      response         (hours)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State WIC Agency Officials (2016)......  MDS Reports....................              90               1              90            1              90
                                         SDS Reports....................              86               1              86            1              86
                                         Advance/Follow-up Communication              90               1              90            0.05            4.50
                                         Advance/Follow-up Communication              90               1              90            0.05            4.50
State WIC Agency Officials (2018)......  MDS Reports....................              90               1              90            1              90
                                         SDS Reports....................              86               1              86            1              86
                                         Advance/Follow-up Communication              90               1              90            0.05            4.50
                                         Advance/Follow-up Communication              90               1              90            0.05            4.50
                                                                         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total..............................  ...............................              90               8             712            0.52          370
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: February 24, 2015.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-05312 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P