[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 166 (Tuesday, August 31, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48663-48664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18740]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Annual State Report on Verification of Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program Participation

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, 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 the proposed information collection for the Annual State Report of 
Verification of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
Participation. This is a revision of a currently approved information 
collection request. The purpose of the Annual State Report of 
Verification of SNAP Participants is to ensure that no person who is 
deceased, or has been permanently disqualified from SNAP, improperly 
received SNAP benefits for the fiscal year preceding the report 
submission. Section 4032 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 is the basis 
for this collection. Section 4032 mandates that States will ``submit to 
the Secretary a report containing sufficient information for the 
Secretary to determine whether the State agency has, for the most 
recently concluded fiscal year preceding that annual date, verified 
that the State agency in that fiscal year (1) did not issue benefits to 
a deceased individual; and (2) did not issue benefits to an individual 
who had been permanently disqualified from receiving benefits.'' An 
email from each State agency to the corresponding Food and Nutrition 
Service (FNS) Regional SNAP Program Director containing the answers to 
the above questions will be used as the mechanism for State agencies to 
report their compliance with the Agriculture Act of 2014.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 1, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the 
functions of the agency, including whether the information has 
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimated burden 
for the proposed information collection, 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 information collection on those who are 
to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Comments may be sent to Maribelle Balbes, Branch Chief, State 
Administration Branch, Program Accountability and Administration 
Division, Food and Nutrition Service, 5th floor, 703-605-4272, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314. 
You may also download an electronic version of this notice at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/federal-register-documents/rules/view-all and 
comment via email at [email protected] or the Federal e-Rulemaking 
Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments electronically.
    All written comments will be open for public inspection at the 
office of the Food and Nutrition Service during regular business hours 
(8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday) at 1320 Braddock Place, 
Alexandria, VA 22314, 5th floor.
    All comments to this notice will be included in the request for 
Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will also become 
a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Evan 
Sieradzki at 703-605-3212.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Annual State Report on Verification of SNAP Participation.
    OMB Number: 0584-0605.
    Expiration Date: July 31, 2022.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: SNAP regulations at 7 CFR 273.16 require that State 
agencies disqualify an individual who has committed an intentional 
program violation (IPV). Paragraph 7 CFR 273.16(e)(8) requires that 
these individuals ``be disqualified in accordance with the 
disqualification periods and procedures in paragraph (b) of this 
section'' (273.16(b)). Paragraph 7 CFR 273.16(i) requires State 
agencies to report information concerning each individual disqualified 
for an IPV to the disqualified recipient database, the electronic 
Disqualified Recipient System (eDRS), and to use eDRS data to determine 
the eligibility of individual applicants prior to certification. SNAP 
regulations at 7 CFR 272.14 require that each State agency establish a 
system to verify and ensure that benefits are not issued to individuals 
who are deceased, and that data source is the Social Security 
Administration's (SSA) Death Master File. The information required for 
the Annual State Report on Verification of SNAP Participation is 
obtained by validating that the State had the appropriate systems in 
place and followed procedures currently mandated at 7 CFR 272.14 and 7 
CFR 273.16 for the preceding fiscal year. The burdens associated with 
establishing a system to verify and ensure that benefits are not issued 
to deceased individuals or those permanently disqualified from SNAP 
using both the SSA Death Master File and eDRS are already approved 
under OMB burden number 0584-0064, expiration date August 31, 2021. 
Upon OMB approval of the renewal of the information collection for 
0584-0605, FNS intends to merge the hours associated with 0584-0605 
into OMB Control Number 0584-0083, expiration 08/31/2023.
    In order to meet the reporting requirements specified in section 
4032 of the Act, States are required to confirm via email to their FNS 
Regional SNAP Program Director that in the immediately preceding 
Federal fiscal year, they had the appropriate systems in place to meet 
the requirements of regulations at 7 CFR 272.14 and 273.16(i)(4) and 
that they conducted the matches required by these regulations. States 
are required to submit their section 4032 reports to the FNS Regional 
SNAP Director by March 31 each year for the preceding Federal fiscal 
year. The estimated annual burden for this collection is 57.4255 hours. 
This estimate includes the time it takes each State agency to confirm 
that they have complied with FNS regulations for performing mandated 
checks against both eDRS and the SSA Death Master File, send an email 
to their FNS Regional Office SNAP Program Director to provide the 
verification, and any additional recordkeeping associated with this 
burden. States must perform this verification once a year and must 
retain these records for 3 years.
    Burden Estimates: The previous burden for this collection was 53 
reporting hours. The requested burden is 53 reporting hours. There is 
no change in reporting hours. The previous burden reported for 
recordkeeping was 4.41649. The requested recordkeeping

[[Page 48664]]

hours is 4.4255, a decrease of .00901 hours, due to program calculation 
adjustment.
    Affected Public: State and local agencies, households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 53.
    Annual Reporting Burden Estimates:

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                                                                             Estimated       Estimated       Estimated       Estimated       Estimated
               Regulation                        Burden activity             number of     responses per   total annual      hours per     total annual
                                                                            respondents     respondent       responses       response          hours
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                                                              State Agency Reporting Burden
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272.14.................................  Deceased Matching System.......              53               1              53              53              53
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    State Agency Total.................  ...............................              53               1              53               1              53
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                                                                      Recordkeeping
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273.16(i)(4)...........................  Recordkeeping for matching                   53               1              53           .0835          4.4255
                                          agreement and data sharing.
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    Recordkeeping Total................  ...............................              53               1              53           .0835              53
                                                                         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Grand Totals...................  ...............................              53               1              53               1         57.4255
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    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government Agencies.
    Number of Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
    Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Total Annual Responses: 53.
    Reporting time per Response: 1 Hour.
    Estimated Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 53.
    Annual Recordkeeping Burden Estimates:
    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government Agencies.
    Number of Respondents: 53 State Agencies.
    Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Total Annual Responses: 53.
    Reporting time per Response: 0.0835 Hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 4.4255.
    Annual Grand Total Burden Estimates for Reporting and 
Recordkeeping: 57.4255 hours.

Cynthia Long,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-18740 Filed 8-30-21; 8:45 am]
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