[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 169 (Thursday, August 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44258-44260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18787]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--Disaster 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and

[[Page 44259]]

other public agencies to comment on the proposed information 
collection. This is a revision of a currently approved collection 
associated with requests by State agencies to operate a Disaster 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) to temporarily 
provide food assistance to households following a disaster.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 29, 2018.

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; (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments may be sent to Sasha Gersten-Paal, Chief, Certification 
Policy Branch, Program Development Division, Food and Nutrition 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 
812, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be faxed to the attention 
of Ms. Gersten-Paal at (703) 305-2507 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 FNS during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m., Monday through Friday) at 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 800, 
Alexandria, Virginia 22302.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will be a matter of public 
record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Ms. Gersten-Paal at (703) 305-2507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).
    OMB Number: 0584-0336.
    Expiration Date: 1/31/2019.
    Type of Request: Revision of a previously approved collection.
    Abstract: Pursuant to Sec.  412 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5179, and Sec.  5(h)(1) 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, 7 U.S.C. 2014(h), the Secretary of 
Agriculture has the authority to establish a Disaster Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), which is a temporary program 
State agencies may operate to provide food assistance to households 
affected by disasters. D-SNAP is separate and distinct from the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because it has 
different standards of eligibility, is operated for a limited duration, 
and only provides one month's worth of benefits to eligible households.
    State agencies must submit formal requests to operate D-SNAP to the 
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for approval, and may only request to 
operate D-SNAP in areas that have received a Presidential Disaster 
Declaration with authorization for Individual Assistance, also known as 
an IA declaration, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 
In their D-SNAP requests, State agencies must outline their proposed 
procedures for conducting D-SNAP, designate the areas where they wish 
to operate, and provide sufficient supporting information. FNS reviews 
all D-SNAP requests and supporting information to ensure that all 
necessary requirements to operate D-SNAP are met. The information 
collected under this notice is required for State agencies to obtain 
FNS approval to operate D-SNAP.
    The burden associated with the certification of D-SNAP applicants 
by State agencies is included under currently approved OMB information 
collection 0584-0064 (SNAP Forms: Applications, Periodic Reporting, 
Notices; expiration date: 07/31/2020), and the burden associated with 
the submission of form FNS-292B: Report of Disaster Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Benefit Issuance by State agencies is covered 
under the currently approved OMB information collection 0584-0037 
(Report of D-SNAP Benefit Issuance and Commodity Distribution for 
Disaster Relief; expiration date: 02/28/2021). Neither of these burden 
activities will be reflected in this submission.
    Because it is impossible to predict the number of natural disasters 
and extreme weather events that result in an IA declaration in a given 
year, and because some State agencies may find that operation of a D-
SNAP is not warranted even upon receipt of an IA declaration, FNS is 
revising this burden estimate based on the annual average number of 
formal D-SNAP requests that were submitted and approved since this 
collection was last approved. From fiscal year 2015 to 2017, and 
average of 5 State agencies requested and were approved to operate D-
SNAP each year.
    Once approved by FNS to operate D-SNAP, State agencies must submit 
any subsequent request to modify or expand operations to newly eligible 
areas to FNS for approval. These modification or expansion requests are 
typically reserved for when a large-scale disaster impacts different 
areas of a State in different ways or at different times. While these 
subsequent modification and expansion requests require substantially 
less time to prepare than initial D-SNAP requests, FNS is revising this 
burden estimate to account for these is slight increase in total annual 
burden.
    Summary of burden hours:
    Affected Public: State agencies and local governments.
    Estimated Total Annual Number of Respondents: The total estimated 
number of respondents is 7. This includes: An average of 5 State 
agencies that submit D-SNAP requests, and 2 State agencies that submit 
subsequent requests to modify or expand approved D-SNAPs.
    Estimated Frequency of Responses per Respondent: State agencies 
usually submit 1 D-SNAP request per year, and may occasionally submit 1 
subsequent modification or expansion request.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 7.
    Estimated Total Hours per Response: Approximately 10 hours for 
State agency D-SNAP requests, and approximately 3 hours for each 
subsequent modification or expansion request.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 56.

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                                                                                     Estimated
                                     Estimated       Responses     Total annual   average number     Estimated
           Respondent                number of     annually per      responses     of hours per     total hours
                                    respondents     respondent                       response       (col. dxe)
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State Agency--Submission of D-                 5               1               5              10              50
 SNAP Request...................
State Agency--Submission of D-                 2               1               2               3               6
 SNAP modification or expansion
 request........................
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    Total reporting burden......               7  ..............               7  ..............              56
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    Dated: August 21, 2018.
Brandon Lipps,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-18787 Filed 8-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P