[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7716-7718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02687]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program: 2008 Farm Bill Provisions on Clarification of Split 
Issuance; Accrual of Benefits and Definition Changes

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

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 associated with SNAP benefit 
storage and expungement provisions of the 2008 and 2018 Farm Bills. 
This collection involves both a new collection and an existing 
collection in use without an OMB control number which is in violation 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act. The new collection is for providing 
SNAP households advance or concurrent notice prior to the State agency 
expunging unused SNAP benefits from the household's Electronic Benefit 
Transfer (EBT) account due to nine months of account inactivity. The 
existing collection is for providing SNAP households advance or 
concurrent notice of State agency action to store unused SNAP benefits 
offline due to three or more months of account inactivity and for those 
households to seek reinstatement of benefits prior to permanent 
expungement.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, invites interested 
persons to submit written comments on this information collection. 
Comments may be submitted in writing by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Comments should be addressed to Vicky Robinson, 
Chief, Retailer Management and Issuance Branch, Retailer Policy and 
Management Division, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.
    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 Vicky 
Robinson at 703-305-2476.

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 
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: SNAP Benefit Storage and Expungement.
    Form Number: Not Applicable.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Abstract: The Department published a proposed rule, titled ``RIN-
0584-AD02 2008 Farm Bill Provisions on Clarification of Split Issuance; 
Accrual of Benefits and Definition Changes,'' published on September 
29, 2016, (81 FR 66866), to implement the mandatory Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit storage and expungement 
provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, Public Law 
110-234 (2008 Farm Bill). However, the Department published the 
proposed rule without taking into consideration the paperwork reduction 
act burden activities and publishing a 60-day notice to allow the 
public to provide comments. While the off-line notice and reinstatement 
provisions had already been codified in SNAP regulations and, 
therefore, are not new requirements, the 2008 Farm Bill makes the State 
option to take inactive SNAP benefits off-line and the associated 
requirements statutory. In the final rule, the Department also intends 
to adopt as final the provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 
2018, Public Law 115-334 (2018 Farm Bill), which makes additional 
mandatory changes to the provisions governing the storage and 
expungement of unused benefits.
    These Farm Bill provisions require State agencies to provide a 30-
day advance notice to Individuals/Households (SNAP recipients) in order 
to permanently expunging unused SNAP benefits after nine months of

[[Page 7717]]

inactivity. State agencies that opt to take unused benefits off-line 
after three months of SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) account 
inactivity must also provide up to 10 days advance or concurrent notice 
to the SNAP recipient before taking such action and to reinstate 
benefits stored off-line within 48 hours of an Individual/Household's 
request if the benefits have not reached the expungement timeframe. 
Currently, only six State agencies are exercising the option to store 
unused benefits off-line prior to expungement, which is depicted in the 
burden estimates.
    The Department has identified and outlined these activities and the 
estimated burden hours associated with (1) Expungement Notice (2) Off-
line Storage Notice and (3) Off-line Benefit Reinstatement for 
Individuals/Households and State Agencies.

1. Expungement Notice

    Affected Public: (a) Individuals/Households and (b) State agencies: 
Respondent groups identified include: (1) 2,961,834 Households 
(Approximately 16 percent of all SNAP households nationwide) who do not 
access their benefits within nine months and (2) 53 State SNAP 
agencies.

a. Individuals/Households Annual Burden

    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 2,961,834.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,961,834.
    Estimated Annual Time per Response: 2 minutes or 0.0334 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 98,925 hours.

b. State Agency Annual Burden

    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 53.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 55,884.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,961,852.
    Estimated Annual Time per Response: 30 seconds or 0.0083 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 24,583 hours.

2. Off-Line Storage Notice

    Affected Public: (a) Households and (b) State agencies: Respondent 
groups identified include: (1) 540,818 SNAP households (Approximately 
14 percent of all SNAP households in the six States that currently take 
benefits off-line) who do not access their benefits within three months 
and (2) Six State SNAP agencies that have opted to store unused 
benefits off-line.

a. Indvidual/Household Annual Burden

    Estimated Number of Respondents: 540,818.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 540,818.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3.5 minutes or .0583 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 31,530 hours.

b. State Agency Annual Burden

    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 90,136.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 540,818.
    Estimated Time per Response: 30 seconds or 0.0083 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 4,489 hours.

3. Off-line Benefit Reinstatement

    Affected Public: (a) Households and (b) State agencies: Respondent 
groups identified include: (1) 33,260 SNAP households (Approximately 6 
percent of the estimated number of households whose benefits are taken 
off-line) who get their off-line benefits reinstated and (2) Six State 
SNAP agencies that have opted to store unused benefits off-line.

a. Individual/Household Annual Burden

    Estimated Number of Respondents: 33,260.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 33,260.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes or 0.0835 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,777 hours.

b. State Agency Annual Burden

    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5,543.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 33,260.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 minutes or .0501 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,666 hours.
    The grand total annual burden hours is 163,970.49 (133,232.16 for 
individuals/households + 30,738.34 for State agencies) and 5,923,688 
total annual responses (2,961,834 for individuals/household + 2,961,834 
for State agencies).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                Estimated
                                                                                    Estimated                                    average
                                                                                     annual       Responses    Total annual     number of     Estimated
              Respondent                 CFR citation            Activity            number     annually per     responses      hours per   annual total
                                                                                   respondent    respondent                     response        hours
                                                                                                                                annually
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Individuals or Households SNAP         TBD               Expungement Notice.....     2,961,834             1       2,961,834        0.0334        98,925
 Recipients.
                                       TBD               Off-line Storage Notice       540,818             1         540,818        0.0583        31,530
                                       TBD               Off-line Benefit               33,260             1          33,260        0.0835         2,777
                                                          Reinstatement.
                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sub-total of Individual/           ................  .......................     2,961,834             1       2,961,834        0.1752       133,232
     Households SNAP Recipients.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Agencies.......................  TBD               Expungement Notice.....            53        55,884       2,961,834        0.0083        24,583
                                       TBD               Off-line Storage Notice             6        90,136         540,818        0.0083         4,489
                                       TBD               Off-line Benefit                    6         5,543          33,260        0.0501         1,666
                                                          Reinstatement.
                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sub-total of State Agencies......  ................  .......................            53        55,884       2,961,834        0.0677        30,738
                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
        Grand Total Reporting Burden   ................  .......................     2,961,887             2       5,923,668        0.0277       163,970
         with both Affect Public.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



[[Page 7718]]

    Dated: February 5, 2020.
Pamilyn Miller,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-02687 Filed 2-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P