[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59764-59765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24097]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 215 / Wednesday, November 6, 2019 / 
Notices  

[[Page 59764]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


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

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This is a revision of a 
currently approved collection codified in Food and Nutrition Service 
(FNS) regulations.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before January 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: 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. Comments may 
also be submitted 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 Richard 
Duckworth at 703-305-4271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a revision of a currently approved 
collection codified in FNS regulations at 7 CFR 274.6(b)(5) and 
274.6(b)(6).
    FNS' Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 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' SNAP 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.
    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 that were 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: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Trafficking 
Controls and Fraud Investigations.
    OMB Number: 0584-0587.
    Expiration Date: 1/31/2020.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: FNS regulations at 7 CFR 274.6(b) 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 request, 
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.
    FNS is currently aware out of the 53 State agencies, six State 
agencies have opted to follow our regulations at 274.6(b)(5) to 
withhold replacement cards. All other State agencies follow our 
regulations at 274.6(b)(6) for the Excessive Replacement Card Notice.
    Affected Public: Individuals/Households participating in SNAP and 
State, Local or Tribal Government Agencies that administer SNAP.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 238,697. Card replacement data, 
adjusted for changes in SNAP caseload, suggest that about 238,644 
households request four replacement EBT cards within a 12-month period 
annually. These households, plus the 53 State agencies that must send 
the notices required by 7 CFR 274.6(b) make up the respondents.
    Estimated of Responses per Respondent: There is an average 
estimated 2.11 responses for each respondent. See the table below for 
estimated responses for each type of respondent.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 503,712 (251,856 individuals/
households total annual response + 251,856 States agencies total annual 
response). See the table below for estimated responses for each type of

[[Page 59765]]

respondent. Of the 238,644 households requesting four replacement EBT 
cards, about 26,424 are estimated to be in the six States where the 
agencies have opted to follow our regulations at 274.6(b)(5) to 
withhold replacement cards. FNS estimates that half of all recipients 
who receive a notice upon issuance of their fourth card will request a 
fifth card.
    Estimated Time per Response: 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. There is an average estimated time of 0.04557373 hours for 
each response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 22,956 hours 
(14,560.85 burden hours for individuals/households and 8,396.20 for 
State agencies). The currently approved annual burden is 21,941 hours. 
The revision reflects two adjustments, neither of which is related to 
an FNS program change:

    (1) Because the number of households participating in SNAP has 
decreased, we have fewer excessive replacement EBT card requests and 
therefore fewer notices, and
    (2) more States opt to follow our regulations at 274.6(b)(5) to 
withhold replacement cards, which requires some households to make 
contact with the State agency if they request excessive replacement 
cards

See the table below for estimated total reporting annual burden for 
each type of respondent.
    There is no recordkeeping or third-party disclosure burden 
contained in this information collection request.

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                                                                                                                                Estimated
                                                                                      Estimated     Responses                    average
                   Respondent                                 Activity                 number     annually per  Total annual    number of     Estimated
                                                                                     respondents    respondent    responses     hours per    total hours
                                                                                                                                response
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Individuals or Household (I/H).................  Read Withhold Replacement Card           26,424          1.00        26,424          0.03        880.81
                                                  Warning Notice (274.6(b)(5)).
                                                 Read Replacement Card Withheld         * 13,212          1.00        13,212          0.50      6,606.05
                                                  Notice & Contact State Agency
                                                  (274.6(b)(5)).
                                                 Read Excessive Replacement Card         212,220          1.00       212,220          0.03      7,073.99
                                                  Notice (274.6(b)(6)).
                                                                                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    Individuals/Households Subtotal............  .................................       238,644  ............       251,856  ............     14,560.85
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State Agency...................................  Send Withhold Replacement Card                6      4,404.03        26,424          0.03        880.81
                                                  Warning Notice (274.6(b)(5)).
                                                 Send Replacement Card Withheld                6      2,202.02        13,212          0.03        440.40
                                                  Notice (274.6(b)(5)).
                                                 Send Excessive Replacement Card              47      4,515.31       212,220          0.03      7,073.99
                                                  Notice (274.6(b)(6)).
                                                                                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    State Agencies Subtotal....................  .................................            53  ............       251,856  ............      8,395.20
                                                                                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------
        Overall Grand Total Burden.............  .................................       238,697          2.11       503,712     0.0455737     22,956.05
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* Note: The 13,212 Individuals/Households SNAP participants are the same I/H accounted for in the 26,424 and therefore not double counted.


    Dated: October 18, 2019.
Pamilyn Miller,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-24097 Filed 11-5-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P