[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5457-5459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02002]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--Disaster 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)

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 planned information collection. This is a revision of a 
currently approved collection associated with requests by State 
agencies to operate a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
Program (D-SNAP) to temporarily provide food assistance to households 
following a disaster.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 4, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Certification Policy Branch, 
Program Development Division, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, 
VA 22314. 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 OMB approval. All comments will be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to the Certification Policy Branch at (703) 305-
2022.

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 
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who respond, including through the 
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other 
technological collection

[[Page 5458]]

techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Title: Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).
    Form: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-0336.
    Expiration Date: 10/31/2022.
    Type of Request: Revision of a previously approved collection.
    Abstract: Pursuant to Sec.  412 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5179) and Sec.  5(h)(1) 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(h)), the Secretary of 
Agriculture has the authority to establish a Disaster Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), which is a temporary program 
that State agencies may operate to provide food assistance to 
households affected by disasters. D-SNAP is separate and distinct from 
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because it has 
different standards of eligibility, is operated for a limited duration, 
and only provides one month's worth of benefits to eligible households.
    State agencies submit formal requests to operate D-SNAP to the Food 
and Nutrition Service (FNS) for approval and may only request to 
operate D-SNAP in areas that have received a Presidential Disaster 
Declaration with authorization for Individual Assistance, also known as 
an IA declaration, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 
In their D-SNAP requests, State agencies outline their proposed 
procedures for conducting D-SNAP facility, designate the areas where 
they wish to operate, and provide sufficient supporting information. 
FNS reviews all D-SNAP requests and supporting information to ensure 
that all necessary requirements to operate D-SNAP are met. Using 
clearly defined FNS' criteria, FNS created a template for State 
agencies submit their D-SNAP requests electronically through the Waiver 
Information Management System (WIMS).
    Once the original request to operate D-SNAP is approved by FNS to 
operate D-SNAP, State agencies will submit any subsequent request to 
modify or expand operations to newly eligible areas via WIMS to FNS for 
approval. These modification or expansion requests are typically 
reserved for when a large-scale disaster impacts different areas of a 
State in different ways or at different times. Subsequent modification 
and expansion requests require substantially less time to prepare than 
initial D-SNAP requests.
    This information collection request contains only burden estimates 
associated with the State agency request to operate a D-SNAP. All 
burden imposed on State agencies and households associated with the 
certification of D-SNAP households performed by State agencies is 
approved under OMB Control Number 0584-0064 (SNAP Forms: Applications, 
Periodic Reporting, Notices; expiration date: 2/29/2024).
    Burden for State reporting of both the D-SNAP data on the FNS-292A 
(Report of Commodity Distribution for Disaster Relief) and FNS-292B 
(Report of Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefit Issuance) 
are approved under two separate OMB Control Numbers. The recordkeeping 
burden for FNS-292A and FNS-292B is approved under OMB Control Number 
0584-0037 (expiration date: 05/31/2024), and the reporting burden for 
the FNS-292A and FNS-292B is approved under OMB Control Number 0584-
0594 (Food Programs Reporting System; expiration date: 07/31/2023). 
None of the burden activities for the other approved OMB control 
numbers cited in this notice have been outlined in this submission.
    Because it is impossible to predict the number of natural disasters 
and extreme weather events that result in an IA declaration in a given 
year, and because some State agencies may find that operation of a D-
SNAP is not warranted even upon receipt of an IA declaration, FNS is 
revising this burden estimate based on the annual average number of 
formal D-SNAP requests submitted and approved since this collection was 
last approved. From Federal Fiscal Year 2019 to 2021 an average of 5 
State agencies requested and were approved to operate D-SNAP each year 
and an average of 2 State agencies requested and were approved for a 
modification or extension. The number of hours per response has not 
changed, but the estimated total burden hours has increased due to the 
higher number of State agency requests. The agency understands based on 
respondent threshold outlined in the Paperwork Reduction Act, 1995 FNS 
does not need to submit a request to OMB; however, to err on the side 
of caution, the agency is seeking OMB approval in case more than nine 
States need to submit D-SNAP requests, which will require the agency to 
seek OMB approval.
    In light of this, we also understand seeking and obtaining OMB 
approval now will allow the agency to request a change justification 
for any modifications in the burden estimates due to increase of the 
number of State agency respondents rather than complete the entire 
full-blown OMB process again for any changes in burden estimates due to 
an increase in respondents.

Summary of Burden Hours

    Affected Public: State agencies and local governments.
    Estimated Total Annual Number of Respondents: 5. The total 
estimated number of respondents is 5. An average of 5 State agencies 
submit D-SNAP requests each year, and out of those original 5 State 
agencies, an average of 2 State agencies will submit subsequent 
requests to modify or expand those already approved D-SNAPs. Therefore, 
the agency is not double counting these 5 State agencies in our 
estimates.
    Estimated Frequency of Responses per Respondents: 2.8. State 
agencies submit an average of 2 D-SNAP requests per year and average of 
2 subsequent modification or expansion requests per year.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 14.
    Estimated Total Hours per Response: 8. Approximately 10 hours for 
State agency D-SNAP requests, and approximately 3 hours for each 
subsequent modification or expansion request.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 112.

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                                                                                  Estimated avg.
                                     Estimated       Responses     Total annual      number of       Estimated
           Respondent                number of     annually per      responses       hours per      total hours
                                    respondents     respondent                       response
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State Agency--Submission of D-                 5               2              10              10             100
 SNAP Request...................
State Agency--Submission of D-                 2               2               4               3              12
 SNAP modification or expansion
 request........................
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    Total Reporting Burden......               5             2.8              14               8             112
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[[Page 5459]]

Cynthia Long,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-02002 Filed 1-31-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P