[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12423-12425]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05314]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Request for Information: Summer Meal Programs Data Reporting 
Requirements

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this Request for Information is to help the 
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) better understand what sponsors and 
State agencies could regularly report to FNS to more adequately track 
participation in the summer meal programs. The current data reporting 
system for sponsors and State agencies was designed primarily to 
process meal claims and not to track program participation. FNS is 
interested in modifying the current reporting system to better identify 
the number of eligible children the programs are serving and assess the 
impacts of efforts to increase program participation. In order to 
develop proposed changes to reporting requirements, FNS is seeking 
information from all affected parties regarding current State agency 
and sponsor data reporting requirements. Specifically, FNS is 
interested in information about data that sites, sponsors, and State 
agencies currently collect but do not report to FNS, as well as the 
feasibility of obtaining currently reported data in a timelier manner. 
FNS is particularly interested in the opportunities and challenges 
associated with these changes.

DATES: To be assured of consideration, written information must be 
submitted or postmarked on or before June 8, 2015.

ADDRESSES: The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, invites the submission 
of the requested information through one of the following methods:
     Preferred method: Submit information through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submissions.
     Mail: Submissions should be addressed to Mandana Yousefi, 
Program Analyst, Child Nutrition Programs, Food and Nutrition Service, 
P.O. Box 66740, Saint Louis, MO 63166-6740.
    All information properly and timely submitted, using one of the two 
methods described above, in response to this request for information 
will be included in the record and will be made available to the public 
on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov. Please be advised that 
the substance of the information provided and the identity of the 
individuals or entities submitting it will be subject to public 
disclosure.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mandana Yousefi, Program Analyst, 
Child Nutrition Programs, Food and Nutrition Service, at 703-305-2590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) 
summer meal programs play a critical role in ensuring that America's 
children have access to nutritious food. The summer meal programs 
include meals served to children during the summer through either the 
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the National School Lunch Program 
(NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The SFSP is a Federal 
program, administered by State agencies, and operated locally by 
approved sponsors who provide free meals to children in low-income 
areas when school is not in session. Schools may provide meals to 
eligible children during the summer through either the SFSP or the NSLP 
and SBP. Schools that serve children meals during the summer through 
the NSLP and SBP can choose to only serve meals to children enrolled in 
summer school or utilize the Seamless Summer Option to provide meals to 
children in the general community.
    The current data reporting system for sponsors and State agencies 
was designed primarily to process meal claims and not to track program 
participation. FNS is interested in modifying the current reporting 
system to better identify the number of eligible children the programs 
are serving and assess the impacts of efforts to increase program 
participation.
    In addition to increasing the utility and accuracy of summer meal 
program data collection, FNS is also interested in ensuring that data 
is collected and reported to FNS in a timely manner. Although anecdotal 
information is collected during program operations, the current data 
reporting timeline does not provide FNS with accurate program 
participation information until several months after the programs are 
completed. Receiving more timely data would help FNS in its efforts to 
improve program access. FNS recognizes that because many State 
operating systems are more technologically advanced than when reporting 
requirements were first implemented, changes to improve the timeliness 
and utility of reporting requirements may be possible without imposing 
significant additional burden on sponsors or State agencies.
    In order to assess FNS efforts to increase access to the summer 
meal programs, FNS would like to reexamine the current sponsor and 
State agency reporting requirements for meal claims and participation 
data, and the timeline for submitting this information. FNS is 
interested in obtaining feedback about the reporting requirements for 
the SFSP and for meals served during the summer through the NSLP and 
SBP.
    In accordance with SFSP regulations at 7 CFR part 225, sponsors 
currently submit monthly claims to their State administering agencies 
to receive reimbursement. These are due within 60 days following the 
claim month. State agencies are required to submit data on SFSP 
participation using the FNS-418--Report of the Summer Food Service 
Program for Children--30 and 90 days following the month being 
reported.
    Schools that provide summer meals to eligible children through the 
NSLP and SBP submit claims to the State agency using the same process 
as that used during the regular school year. State agencies report 
participation data on a monthly basis using the form FNS-10--Report of 
School Program Operations. This is the same form submitted by schools 
providing NSLP and SBP meals during the school year.
    FNS' objective with this Request for Information is to receive 
input from a broad spectrum of parties that may be affected by changes 
to reporting requirements. These include site supervisors, sponsors, 
school food authorities, State agency officials, summer partners, and 
the general public. We are especially interested in current reporting 
and data collection purposes, methods, and outcomes used by State 
agencies, sponsors, and sites, which are in addition to those required 
for completing and submitting FNS-10 and FNS-418. Finally, FNS has an 
interest in working with sponsors and State agencies to collect data in 
a more comprehensive, timely manner while also minimizing additional 
reporting burden.
    FNS intends to use the information it receives to propose 
modifications to the current reporting requirements. Information 
submitted will help FNS to modify the FNS-418 and FNS-10 to receive 
more concrete data at an earlier stage in the reporting process. FNS 
expects such changes to also require amendments to Program regulations.
    To assist in the development of these changes, FNS is seeking input 
regarding the following questions. FNS welcomes comments to all 
questions below.

Summer Food Service Program Reporting

    1. In order to more quickly assess participation during the summer, 
would it be possible for sponsors to submit meal claims fewer than 60 
days from the month being claimed?
    a. Would it be possible for them to submit meal claims within 30 
days of the close of the claim month?
    b. Would reducing this time frame impact the accuracy of the claims 
submitted? Please explain.
    c. What challenges would arise due to a reduced submission period?
    d. What additional technology and guidance would be required for 
State

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agencies and sponsors to comply with new timeframes?
    2. On average, what percentage of final meal claims have been 
modified annually since the initial claim? Are modified final meal 
claims usually higher or lower than the initial claims?
    a. How often are meal claims revised?
    b. Why are meal claims revised?
    c. How often do sponsors appeal State imposed meal claim 
disallowances? What are the outcomes of these appeals?
    3. a. How accurate is the data for meals served which is submitted 
by the State agency in the 30-day report when compared with the 
subsequent 90-day report?
    b. What accounts for the difference in actual (versus estimated) 
meals served between the 30-day and 90-day reports?
    4. The FNS-418 only requires State agencies to report the number of 
sponsors, the number of sites, and the average daily attendance (ADA) 
of sponsors for the month of July.
    a. Would it be feasible for States to report this for every month 
during the summer?
    b. How much time would States need to report this to FNS after each 
month?
    5. FNS currently collects the ADA of sponsors, which is calculated 
as the total number of meals served in a sponsor's primary meal service 
during the claim period divided by the number of operating or meal 
service days for that claim period.
    a. Is this an effective method for calculating ADA?
    b. Is the current reporting of ADA accurate at the sponsor and/or 
State level?
    c. How could ADA be calculated more accurately?
    6. FNS is interested in tracking the number of unique children that 
participate in the SFSP each day. Do you have any suggestions for how 
this information could be captured and reported?
    7. FNS is interested in tracking the number of meals served through 
rural sites. Would it be feasible to separate ``self-prep'' meals 
served from ``rural'' meals served on the FNS-418?
    8. In your State, do sponsors submit meal claims electronically or 
manually?
    9. Are there any data that sponsors or State agencies currently 
collect that are not reported to FNS?
    a. If yes, please describe these data and how they are used.
    b. Would sponsors and State agencies be able to regularly report 
these data to FNS?
    10. What are the best indicators or data elements to track changes 
to program participation from the previous summer?
    11. Please provide any additional information that would assist FNS 
with understanding State agency and sponsor administrative capacities, 
and how to enhance the quality and utility of the data collected while 
also minimizing any additional reporting burden.

National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program Summer Meal 
Reporting

Seamless Summer Option

    1. Are schools able to easily separate the meal claims for children 
served during the regular school year and children served through the 
Seamless Summer Option? Could these meals be separately tracked on the 
FNS-10?
    2. Are there any State agency concerns about separately reporting 
meals served to children through the Seamless Summer Option?
    3. Please provide any additional information that would assist FNS 
with understanding State agency and school administrative capacities, 
and how to enhance the quality and utility of the data collected while 
also minimizing the reporting burden. FNS is particularly interested in 
receiving feedback from State agencies that already separately track 
meals served through the Seamless Summer Option from those served 
through NSLP during the traditional school year.

Serving Meals to Children Enrolled in Summer School

    1. For schools that do not participate in the SFSP or the Seamless 
Summer Option, but serve meals to children enrolled in summer school 
through the NSLP and SBP, would it be feasible to separately report the 
meals served to these children? Could these meals be separately tracked 
on the FNS-10?
    2. Please provide any additional information that would assist FNS 
with understanding State agency and school administrative capacities, 
and how to enhance the quality and utility of the data collected while 
also minimizing any additional reporting burden.

    FNS appreciates your thoughtful and responsive comments.

    Dated: February 24, 2015.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-05314 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P