[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35731-35733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14435]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment 
Rates, Day Care Home Food Service Payment Rates, and Administrative 
Reimbursement Rates for Sponsoring Organizations of Day Care Homes for 
the Period July 1, 2021 Through June 30, 2022

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the annual adjustments to the national 
average payment rates for meals and snacks served in child care 
centers, outside-school-hours care centers, at-risk afterschool care 
centers, and adult day care centers; the food service payment rates for 
meals and snacks served in day care homes; and the administrative 
reimbursement rates for sponsoring organizations of day care homes, to 
reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. Further adjustments are 
made to these rates to reflect the higher costs of providing meals in 
Alaska and Hawaii. The adjustments contained in this notice are made on 
an annual basis each July, as required by the laws and regulations 
governing the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

DATES: These rates are effective from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 
2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J. Kevin Maskornick, Branch Chief, 
Program Monitoring and Operational Support Division, (703) 305-2537, 
Child Nutrition Programs, Food and Nutrition Service, United States 
Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, Suite 401, Alexandria, 
Virginia 22314.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Pursuant to sections 4, 11, and 17 of the Richard B. Russell 
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1753, 1759a and 1766), section 4 
of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773) and 7 CFR 226.4, 
226.12 and 226.13 of the Program regulations, notice is hereby given of 
the new payment rates for institutions participating in the Child and 
Adult

[[Page 35732]]

Care Food Program (CACFP). As provided for under the law, all rates in 
the CACFP must be revised annually, on July 1, to reflect changes in 
the Consumer Price Index (CPI), published by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics of the United States Department of Labor, for the most 
recent 12-month period. These rates are in effect during the period 
July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.

Adjusted Payments

    The following national average payment factors and food service 
payment rates for meals and snacks are in effect from July 1, 2021 
through June 30, 2022. All amounts are expressed in dollars or 
fractions thereof. Due to a higher cost of living, the reimbursements 
for Alaska and Hawaii are higher than those for all other States. The 
District of Columbia, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam use the 
figures specified for the contiguous States. These rates do not include 
the value of USDA Foods or cash-in-lieu of USDA Foods, which 
institutions receive as additional assistance for each lunch or supper 
served to participants under the Program. A notice announcing the value 
of USDA Foods and cash-in-lieu of USDA Foods is published separately in 
the Federal Register.
    Adjustments to the national average payment rates for all meals 
served under the Child and Adult Care Food Program are rounded down to 
the nearest whole cent.

National Average Payment Rates for Centers

    The changes in the national average payment rates for centers 
reflect a 4.04 percent increase during the 12-month period from May 
2020 to May 2021 (from 291.709 in May 2020, as previously published in 
the Federal Register, to 303.481 in May 2021) in the food away from 
home series of the CPI for All Urban Consumers.
    Payments for breakfasts served are: Contiguous States--paid rate--
33 cents (1 cent increase from 2020-2021 annual level), reduced price 
rate--1 dollar and 67 cents (8 cents increase), free rate--1 dollar and 
97 cents (8 cents increase); Alaska--paid rate--50 cents (1 cent 
increase), reduced price rate--2 dollars and 85 cents (12 cents 
increase), free rate--3 dollars and 15 cents (12 cents increase); 
Hawaii--paid rate--38 cents (1 cent increase), reduced price rate--1 
dollar and 99 cents (8 cents increase), free rate--2 dollars and 29 
cents (8 cents increase).
    Payments for lunch or supper served are: Contiguous States--paid 
rate--35 cents (2 cents increase from 2020-2021 annual level), reduced 
price rate--3 dollars and 26 cents (15 cents increase), free rate--3 
dollars and 66 cents (15 cents increase); Alaska--paid rate--57 cents 
(3 cents increase), reduced price rate--5 dollars and 54 cents (24 
cents increase), free rate--5 dollars and 94 cents (24 cents increase); 
Hawaii--paid rate--41 cents (2 cents increase), reduced price rate--3 
dollars and 88 cents (17 cents increase), free rate--4 dollars and 28 
cents (17 cents increase).
    Payments for snack served are: Contiguous States--paid rate--9 
cents (1 cent change from 2020-2021 annual level), reduced price rate--
50 cents (2 cents increase), free rate--1 dollar (4 cents increase); 
Alaska--paid rate--14 cents (no change), reduced price rate--81 cents 
(3 cents increase), free rate--1 dollar and 63 cents (7 cents 
increase); Hawaii--paid rate--10 cents (no change), reduced price 
rate--58 cents (2 cents increase), free rate--1 dollar and 17 cents (4 
cents increase).

Food Service Payment Rates for Day Care Homes

    The changes in the food service payment rates for day care homes 
reflect a 0.67 percent increase during the 12-month period from May 
2020 to May 2021 (from 253.827 in May 2020, as previously published in 
the Federal Register, to 255.516 in May 2021) in the food at home 
series of the CPI for All Urban Consumers.
    Payments for breakfast served are: Contiguous States--Tier I--1 
dollar and 40 cents (1 cent increase from 2020-2021 annual level) and 
Tier II--51 cents (1 cent increase); Alaska--Tier I--2 dollars and 23 
cents (1 cent increase) and Tier II--79 cents (1 cent increase); 
Hawaii--Tier I--1 dollar and 63 cents (1 cent increase) and Tier II--58 
cents (no change).
    Payments for lunch and supper served are: Contiguous States--Tier 
I--2 dollars and 63 cents (2 cents increase from 2020-2021 annual 
level) and Tier II--1 dollar and 59 cents (1 cent increase); Alaska--
Tier I--4 dollars and 26 cents (2 cents increase) and Tier II--2 
dollars and 57 cents (2 cents increase); Hawaii--Tier I--3 dollars and 
8 cents (2 cents increase) and Tier II--1 dollar and 86 cents (2 cents 
increase).
    Payments for snack served are: Contiguous States--Tier I--78 cents 
(no change from 2020-2021 annual level) and Tier II--21 cents (no 
change); Alaska--Tier I--1 dollar and 27 cents (1 cent increase) and 
Tier II--35 cents (no change); Hawaii--Tier I--91 cents (no change) and 
Tier II--25 cents (no change).

Administrative Reimbursement Rates for Sponsoring Organizations of Day 
Care Homes

    The changes in the administrative reimbursement rates for 
sponsoring organizations of day care homes reflect a 4.99 percent 
increase during the 12-month period, May 2020 to May 2021 (from 256.394 
in May 2019, as previously published in the Federal Register, to 
269.195 in May 2021) in the series for all items of the CPI for All 
Urban Consumers.
    Monthly administrative payments to sponsors for each sponsored day 
care home are: Contiguous States--Initial 50 homes--126 dollars (6 
dollars increase from 2020-2021 annual level), next 150 homes--96 
dollars (5 dollars increase), next 800 homes--75 dollars (4 dollars 
increase), each additional home--66 dollars (3 dollars increase); 
Alaska--Initial 50 homes--204 dollars (10 dollars increase), next 150 
homes--155 dollars (7 dollars increase), next 800 homes--121 dollars (5 
dollars increase), each additional home--107 dollars (5 dollars 
increase); Hawaii--Initial 50 homes--147 dollars (7 dollars increase), 
next 150 homes--112 dollars (5 dollars increase), next 800 homes--88 
dollars (4 dollars increase), each additional home--77 dollars (4 
dollars increase).

Payment Chart

    The following chart illustrates the national average payment 
factors and food service payment rates for meals and snacks in effect 
from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.

                                    Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
        [Per meal rates in whole or fractions of U.S. dollars; effective from July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022]
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                                                                                     Lunch and
                             Centers                                 Breakfast       supper 1       Supplement
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CONTIGUOUS STATES:
    PAID........................................................            0.33            0.35            0.09
    REDUCED PRICE...............................................            1.67            3.26            0.05

[[Page 35733]]

 
    FREE........................................................            1.97            3.66            1.00
ALASKA:
    PAID........................................................            0.50            0.57            0.14
    REDUCED PRICE...............................................            2.85            5.54            0.81
    FREE........................................................            3.15            5.94            1.63
HAWAII:
    PAID........................................................            0.38            0.41            0.10
    REDUCED PRICE...............................................            1.99            3.88            0.58
    FREE........................................................            2.29            4.28            1.17
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                                                                     Breakfast                   Lunch and supper                   Supplement
                     Day care homes                      -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Tier I          Tier II         Tier I          Tier II         Tier I          Tier II
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CONTIGUOUS STATES.......................................            1.40            0.51            2.63            1.59            0.78            0.21
ALASKA..................................................            2.23            0.79            4.26            2.57            1.27            0.35
HAWAII..................................................            1.63            0.58            3.08            1.86            0.91            0.25
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     Administrative reimbursement rates for
 sponsoring organizations of day care homes (per    Initial 50       Next 150        Next 800          Each
      home/per month rates in U.S. dollars)                                                         additional
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CONTINGUOUS STATES..............................             126              96              75              66
ALASKA..........................................             204             155             121             107
HAWAII..........................................             147             112              88              77
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1 These rates do not include the value of USDA Foods or cash-in-lieu of USDA Foods which institutions receive as
  additional assistance for each CACFP lunch or supper served to participants. A notice announcing the value of
  USDA Foods and cash-in-lieu of USDA Foods is published separately in the Federal Register.

    This action is not a rule as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) and thus is exempt from the provisions of that 
Act. This notice has been determined to be exempt under Executive Order 
12866.
    CACFP is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under 
No. 10.558 and is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, 
which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local 
officials. (See 2 CFR 415.3-415.6).
    This notice imposes no new reporting or recordkeeping provisions 
that are subject to OMB review in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3518).

    Authority: Sections 4(b)(2), 11a, 17(c) and 17(f)(3)(B) of the 
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1753(b)(2), 
1759a, 1766(f)(3)(B)) and section 4(b)(1)(B) of the Child Nutrition 
Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773(b)(1)(B)).

Cynthia Long,
Acting Administrator, USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-14435 Filed 7-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P