[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 168 (Thursday, September 2, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 49229-49230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18743]



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 Rules and Regulations
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 168 / Thursday, September 2, 2021 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 49229]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service

7 CFR Part 275

[FNS-2018-0043]
RIN 0584-AE64


Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Non-Discretionary 
Quality Control Provisions of Title IV of the Agricultural Improvement 
Act of 2018; Correction

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

ACTION: Correcting amendment and extension of comment period for 
interim final rule.

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

SUMMARY: This document contains a correction to an interim final rule 
published in the Federal Register on Friday, August 13, 2021. The rule 
codifies statutory requirements enacted by the Agriculture Improvement 
Act of 2018. This document also extends the comment period for the 
interim final rule.

DATES: 
    Effective date: The correction is effective September 2, 2021.
    Comment date: The comment period for the interim final rule 
published August 13, 2021 (86 FR 44575), is extended. Written comments 
on the interim final rule must be received on or before November 1, 
2021 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, invites interested 
persons to submit written comments on the interim final rule. 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: Send comments to Stephanie Proska, Branch Chief, 
Quality Control Branch, Program Accountability and Administration 
Division; Food and Nutrition Service; 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor; 
Alexandria, Virginia 22314.
     Email: Send comments to [email protected]. Include 
Docket ID Number FNS-2018-0043, ``SNAP: Non-Discretionary QC provisions 
of Title IV of PL 115-334'' in the subject line of the message.
     All written comments submitted in response to the interim 
final rule will be included in the record and will be made available to 
the public. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and 
the identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments 
will be subject to public disclosure. FNS will make the written 
comments publicly available on the internet via http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Proska, Food and Nutrition 
Service, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor; Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 
via phone at (703) 305-2437 or email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In an interim final rule published on 
Friday, August 13, 2021 (86 FR 44575), amendatory instruction 8b 
incorrectly called for revising paragraph (b) in Sec.  275.21. It 
should have instructed a revision to paragraph (b) introductory text. 
This led to the erroneous removal of paragraphs (b)(1) through (4). In 
addition, the preamble of the interim final rule discussed amending 
paragraph (b)(1) to update language associated with State agencies 
submitting ``edited findings'' for the FNS Form-380-1 and FNS Form 245 
and to update outdated language regarding the technology used for 
submitting findings to FNS. However, the amendatory text for these 
changes were erroneously excluded from the published rule. Therefore, 
this document makes a correcting amendment to Sec.  275.21(b) to 
restore and revise the text for paragraph (b)(1) and restore the 
erroneously lost regulatory text for paragraphs (b)(2) through (4). All 
other regulatory provisions in the August 13, 2021, interim final rule 
remain unchanged. This document also extends the comment period for the 
interim final rule until November 1, 2021 to provide the public ample 
time to consider these amendments.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 275

    Grant programs--social programs, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

    Accordingly, 7 CFR part 275 is corrected by making the following 
correcting amendment:

PART 275--PERFORMANCE REPORTING SYSTEM

0
1. The authority citation for part 275 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 2011-2036.


0
2. Section 275.21 is amended by adding paragraphs (b)(1) through (4) to 
read as follows:


Sec.  275.21  Quality control review reports.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (1) The State agency shall utilize SNAPQCS, FNS' automated, web-
based QC System, to report all required QC forms, supporting evidence, 
and information necessary to understand the disposition and final 
findings for active and negative sampled cases to FNS. Upon State 
agency request, FNS will consider approval of any technical changes in 
the review results after they have been reported to FNS.
    (2) The State agency shall have at least 115 days from the end of 
the sample month to dispose of and report the findings of all cases 
selected in a sample month. FNS may grant additional time as warranted 
upon request by a State agency for cause shown to complete and dispose 
of individual cases.
    (3) The State agency shall supply the FNS Regional Office with 
individual household case records and the pertinent information 
contained in the individual case records, or legible copies of that 
material, as well as legible hard copies of individual Forms FNS-380, 
FNS-380-1, and FNS-245 or other FNS-approved report forms, within 10 
days of receipt of a request for such information.
    (4) For each case that remains pending 115 days after the end of 
the sample month, the State agency shall immediately submit a report 
that includes an explanation of why the case has not been disposed of, 
documentation describing the progress of the review to date, and the 
date by which it will be completed. If FNS extends the time frames in 
paragraph

[[Page 49230]]

(b)(2) of this section, this date will be extended accordingly. If FNS 
determines that the report in the first sentence of this paragraph 
(b)(4) does not sufficiently justify the case's pending status, the 
case shall be considered overdue. Depending upon the number of overdue 
cases, FNS may find the State agency's QC system to be inefficient or 
ineffective and suspend and/or disallow the State agency's Federal 
share of administrative funds in accordance with the provisions of 
Sec.  276.4.
* * * * *

Cynthia Long,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-18743 Filed 9-1-21; 8:45 am]
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