[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 28 (Monday, February 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3138-3139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-01726]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Annual State Report on Verification of Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program Participation

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This is an extension, without change, of a currently approved 
information collection request (ICR). In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other 
public agencies to comment on the proposed information collection for 
the Annual State Report of Verification of Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation. The purpose of the Annual 
State Report of Verification of SNAP Participants is to ensure that no 
person who is deceased, or has been permanently disqualified from SNAP, 
improperly received SNAP benefits for the fiscal year preceding the 
report submission. Section 4032 of the Agriculture Act of 2014 is the 
basis for this collection. Section 4032 mandates that States will 
``submit to the Secretary a report containing sufficient information 
for the Secretary to determine whether the State agency has, for the 
most recently concluded fiscal year preceding that annual date, 
verified that the State agency in that fiscal year--(1) did not issue 
benefits to a deceased individual; and (2) did not issue benefits to an 
individual who had been permanently disqualified from receiving 
benefits.'' An email from each State agency to the corresponding Food 
and Nutrition Service (FNS) Regional SNAP Program Director containing 
the answers to the above questions will be used as the mechanism for 
State agencies to report their compliance with Sec.  4032 of the 
Agriculture Act of 2014.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before April 12, 2019.

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] or the Federal e-Rulemaking 
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: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Tamieka 
Muns at (703) 305-2636.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Annual State Report on Verification of SNAP Participation.
    OMB Number: 0584-0605.
    Expiration Date: March 30, 2019.
    Type of Request: Extension, without change, of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: SNAP regulations at 7 CFR 273.16 require that State 
agencies disqualify an individual who has committed an intentional 
program violation (IPV). Paragraph 7 CFR 273.16(e)(8) requires that 
these individuals ``be disqualified in accordance with the 
disqualification periods and procedures in paragraph (b) of this 
section'' (273.16(b)). Paragraph 7 CFR 273.16(i) requires State 
agencies to report information concerning each individual disqualified 
for an IPV to the disqualified recipient database, the electronic 
Disqualified Recipient System (eDRS), and to use eDRS data to determine 
the eligibility of individual applicants prior to certification. SNAP 
regulations at 7 CFR 272.14 require that each State agency establish a 
system to

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verify and ensure that benefits are not issued to individuals who are 
deceased, and that data source is the Social Security Administration's 
(SSA) Death Master File. The information required for the Annual State 
Report on Verification of SNAP Participation is obtained by validating 
that the State had the appropriate systems in place and followed 
procedures currently mandated at 7 CFR 272.14 and 7 CFR 273.16 for the 
preceding fiscal year. The burdens associated with establishing a 
system to verify and ensure that benefits are not issued to deceased 
individuals or those permanently disqualified from SNAP using both the 
SSA Death Master File and eDRS are already approved under OMB burden 
number 0584-0064, expiration date July 31, 2020.
    In order to meet the reporting requirements specified in section 
4032 of the Act, States are required to confirm via email to their FNS 
Regional SNAP Program Director that in the immediately preceding 
Federal fiscal year, they had the appropriate systems in place to meet 
the requirements of regulations at 7 CFR 272.14 and 273.16(i)(4) and 
that they conducted the matches required by these regulations. States 
are required to submit their section 4032 reports to the FNS Regional 
SNAP Director by March 31 each year for the preceding Federal fiscal 
year. The estimated annual burden for this collection is 57.41 hours. 
This estimate includes the time it takes each State agency to confirm 
that they have complied with FNS regulations for performing mandated 
checks against both eDRS and the SSA Death Master File, send an email 
to their FNS Regional Office SNAP Program Director to provide the 
verification, and any additional recordkeeping associated with this 
burden. States must perform this verification once a year and must 
retain these records for 3 years.

Annual Reporting Burden Estimates

    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government Agencies.
    Number of Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
    Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Total Annual Responses: 53.
    Reporting time per Response: 1 Hour.
    Estimated Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 53.

Annual Recordkeeping Burden Estimates

    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government Agencies.
    Number of Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
    Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Total Annual Responses: 53.
    Reporting time per Response: 0.08333 Hours or 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 4.41649.
    Annual Grand Total Burden Estimates for Reporting and 
Recordkeeping: 57.41 hours.

    Dated: February 1, 2019.
Brandon Lipps,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-01726 Filed 2-8-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P