[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]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total for PC2020..................... ....................... ....................... 180 2.37 426 0.62 265.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total for PC2022..................... ....................... ....................... 180 2.37 426 0.62 265.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total for PC2020 and PC2022.......... ....................... ....................... 360 2.37 852 0.62 530.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[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