[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 56 (Friday, March 22, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10780-10782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05525]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Study 2020 
and 2022

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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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 for 
the WIC Participant and Program Characteristics study. This collection 
is an extension, without change, of a currently approved collection and 
the data collected from this study will be used to produce biennial 
reports on participant and program characteristics in WIC for 2020 and 
2022.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received on or before 
May 21, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Anna Potter Clifford, 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 Anna Potter Clifford at 703-305-2719 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 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 Anna Potter 
Clifford at 703-305-2719.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
    Title: WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Study 2020 and 
2022.
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-0609.
    Expiration Date: August 31, 2019.
    Type of Request: Extension without change, of a currently approved 
collection.
    The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and 
Children (WIC) is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 
(USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). 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 cards that allow them 
to obtain specific types of food (for example, milk, juice, and cereal) 
from participating retail vendors at no charge.

[[Page 10781]]

    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 research needs, and 
review current and proposed WIC policies and procedures. This study 
will be the 17th and 18th completed in the WIC Participant and Program 
Characteristics (PC) Study series.
    Like all biennial WIC PC reports since 1992, the 2020 and the 2022 
reports (PC2020 and PC2022) 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 PC2020 and PC2022, 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. WIC State 
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 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: 360.
    Frequency of Response: 2.37.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 852.
    Estimated Time per Response: The average estimated time per 
response is 0.62 hours for all participants. The estimated time of 
response varies from 3 minutes (0.05 hours) for reminder emails to 60 
minutes (1 hour) for running the reports.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The total estimated 
annual burden is 530 hours. See the table below for the estimated total 
annual burden for the State WIC officials.

                                                      Table 1--Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                                                                                                Total
                                                                                          Estimated                   Total       Average       annual
         Respondent category              Type of respondent        Data collection       number of    Frequency      annual       burden       burden
                                                                        activity         respondents  of response   responses    hours per     estimate
                                                                                                                                  response     (hours)
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State Agency Officials (2020)........  Office and               Guidance (and Cover               90            1           90         0.25        22.50
                                        Administrative Support   Letter).
                                        Staff.
                                       Office and               Nutritional Risk                  40            1           40          0.5        20.00
                                        Administrative Support   Crosswalk.
                                        Staff.
                                       Office and               Reminder Email.........           30            1           30         0.05          1.5
                                        Administrative Support
                                        Staff.
                                       Office and               Follow-Up Email........           90            1           90          0.5        45.00
                                        Administrative Support
                                        Staff.
                                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Subtotal for Office and Administrative Support             90         2.78          250         0.36        89.00
                                        Staff
                                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       State Database           MDS Reports............           90            1           90            1        90.00
                                        Administrator.
                                       State Database           SDS Reports............           86            1           86            1        86.00
                                        Administrator.
                                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Subtotal for State Database Administrator                  90         1.96          176         1.00       176.00
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Total for PC2020.....................  .......................  .......................          180         2.37          426         0.62       265.00
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State Agency Officials (2022)........  Office and               Guidance (and Cover               90            1           90         0.25        22.50
                                        Administrative Support   Letter).
                                        Staff.
                                       Office and               Nutritional Risk                  40            1           40          0.5        20.00
                                        Administrative Support   Crosswalk.
                                        Staff.
                                       Office and               Reminder Email.........           30            1           30         0.05          1.5
                                        Administrative Support
                                        Staff.
                                       Office and               Follow-Up Email........           90            1           90          0.5        45.00
                                        Administrative Support
                                        Staff.
                                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Subtotal for Office and Administrative Support             90         2.78          250         0.36        89.00
                                        Staff
                                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       State Database           MDS Reports............           90            1           90            1        90.00
                                        Administrator.
                                       State Database           SDS Reports............           86            1           86            1        86.00
                                        Administrator.
                                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Subtotal for State Database Administrator                  90         1.96          176         1.00       176.00
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Total for PC2022.....................  .......................  .......................          180         2.37          426         0.62       265.00
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Total for PC2020 and PC2022..........  .......................  .......................          360         2.37          852         0.62       530.00
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[[Page 10782]]

    Dated: March 11, 2019.
Brandon Lipps,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-05525 Filed 3-21-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P