[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 122 (Friday, June 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41287-41288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14993]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 122 / Friday, June 24, 2016 / 
Notices  

[[Page 41287]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--Trafficking 
Controls and Fraud Investigations

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on the proposed collection. This is a revision of a currently approved 
collection codified by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
regulations at 7 CFR 274.6(b)(5) and 274.6(b)(6).
    Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) regulations at 7 CFR 274.6(b)(5) 
allow State agencies to deny a request for a replacement SNAP 
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card until the household makes 
contact with the State agency if the requests for replacement cards are 
determined to be excessive. The State agency may determine the 
threshold for excessive card replacments, not to be less than four 
replacement cards in a 12-month period.
    FNS regulations at 274.6(b)(6) require State agencies to monitor 
EBT card replacement requests and send notices to households when they 
request four cards within a 12-month period. The State agency shall be 
exempt from sending this Excessive Replacement Card Notice if it adopts 
the card withholding option in accordance with 7 CFR 274.6(b)(5) and 
sends the requisite Withholding Replacement Card Warning Notice on the 
fourth replacement card request.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 23, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the 
functions of the agency, including whether the information has 
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimated burden 
for the proposed information collection, 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 information collection on those who are 
to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Comments may be sent to Jane Duffield, Branch Chief, State 
Administration Branch, Program Accountability and Administration 
Division, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 818, Alexandria, VA 22302. You may also 
download an electronic version of this notice at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/federal-register-documents/rules/view-all and 
comment via email at [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 822, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.
    All comments to this notice will be included in the request for 
Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will also become 
a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Request for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Clyde 
Thompson at (703) 305-2461.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Trafficking 
Controls and Fraud Investigations.
    OMB Number: 0584-0587.
    Expiration Date: 9/30/2016.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: FNS regulations at 7 CFR 274.6 requires State Agencies to 
issue warning notices to withhold replacement cards or a notice for 
excessive replacement cards.
    Withhold Replacement Card Warning Notice: State agencies may 
require an individual member of a household to contact the State agency 
to provide an explanation in cases where the number of requests for 
card replacements is determined excessive. The State agency must notify 
the household in writing when it has reached the threshold, indicating 
that the next request for card replacement will require the client to 
contact the State agency to provide an explanation for the requests, 
before the replacement card will be issued. The State agency must also 
notify the household in writing once the threshold has been exceeded 
and the State agency is withholding the card until contact is made.
    Excessive Replacement Card Notice: State agencies must monitor all 
client requests for EBT card replacements and send a notice, upon the 
fourth request in a 12-month period, alerting the household their 
account is being monitored for potential, suspicious activity. The 
State agency is exempt from sending this notice if they have chosen to 
exercise the option to withhold the replacement card until contact is 
made with the State agency.
    The current approval annual burden is 8,336 hours. The updated 
estimated annual burden is approximately 21,940.41 hours. This revised 
estimate reflects an increase since the last OMB approval, due to 
having more accurate figures of State participation and household card 
request. This updated version also includes the time it takes a 
household to read the notice required by 274.6(b)(6), which was not 
included in the original burden. FNS estimates that it will take State 
personnel approximately 2 minutes to generate and mail each required 
notice to the client, to comply with 7 CFR 274.6; and that it will take 
SNAP recipients approximately 2 minutes to read each notice they 
receive and 28 minutes to make contact with the State agency when 
required. FNS is currently aware of two State agencies which have opted 
to follow our regulations at 274.6(b)(5) to withhold replacement cards, 
with an additional State agency considering the option. All other State 
agencies follow

[[Page 41288]]

our regulations at 274.6(b)(6) for the Excessive Replacement Card 
Notice. Available data from 2015 shows that on average 2,527.5 
households in a State request five or more replacement cards within 12 
months. FNS estimates that half of all recipients who receive a notice 
upon issuance of their fourth card (5,055) will not request a fifth 
card.

Annual Reporting Burden Estimates

    Affected Public: Individual/Household; and State and Local 
Government Agencies.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 275,549.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 550,994.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 21,940.

               Estimated Annual Burden for 0584-0587 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Trafficking Controls and Fraud, 7 CFR 274
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                              Annual
                    CFR                                 Title                Number of     responses per   Total annual    Burden hours    Total burden
                                                                            respondents     respondent       responses     per response        hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Affected Public: State and Local Agencies
    274.6(b)(5)...........................  Withhold Replacement Card                  3           5,055          15,165          0.0334           506.5
                                             Warning Notice.
    274.6(b)(5)...........................  Replacement Card Withheld                  3         2,527.5           7,583          0.0334           253.2
                                             Notice.
    274.6(b)(6)...........................  Excessive Replacement Card                50           5,055         252,750          0.0334        8,441.85
                                             Notice.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
        Subtotal..........................  ............................              53           5,198         275,498          0.0334        9,201.55
Affected Public: Households
    274.6(b)(5)...........................  Withhold Replacement Card             15,165               1          15,165          0.0334           506.5
                                             Warning Notice.
    274.6(b)(5)...........................  Replacement Card Withheld              7,581               1           7,581             0.5         3,790.5
                                             Notice.
    274.6(b)(5)...........................  Excessive Replacement Card           252,750               1         252,750          0.0334        8,441.85
                                             Notice.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
        Subtotal..........................  ............................         275,496               1         275,496           .0462       12,738.85
                                                                         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Grand Total...................  ............................         275,549               2         550,994          0.0796       21,940.41
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    Dated: June 16, 2016.
Yvette S. Jackson,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-14993 Filed 6-23-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P