[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 42 (Thursday, March 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12076-12077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04478]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

February 28, 2022.
    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments 
are requested regarding; whether the collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used; ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments regarding this information collection received by April 4, 
2022 will be considered. Written comments and recommendations for the 
proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of 
the publication of this notice on the following website 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: Fourth Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification 
Study (APEC IV).
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0530.

[[Page 12077]]

    Summary of Collection: USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) 
depends upon the APEC study series to provide reliable, national 
estimates of errors and improper payments made to school districts in 
which the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast 
Program (SBP) are operated. This is the fourth study in the APEC series 
and it will provide the required information for school year (SY) 2023-
2024.
    The Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA) requires that 
FNS identify and reduce improper payments in these programs, including 
both underpayments and overpayments. In order to comply with the law, 
programs must have a statistically valid rate of improper payment below 
10 percent, and programs out of compliance with PIIA are subject to 
increased scrutiny and reporting requirements.
    Need and Use of the Information: The specific study objectives of 
APEC IV are: Objective 1: Generate a national estimate of the annual 
amount of improper payments in the National School Lunch Program and 
School Breakfast Program based on SY 2023-2024 by replicating and 
refining the methodology used in prior APEC studies. Objective 2: 
Provide a robust examination of the relationship between error rates 
and student (household), school, and school food authority (SFA) 
characteristics. Objective 3: Conduct two sub-studies testing the 
effect that data collection methods have on responses.
    APEC IV will collect data to measure certification, aggregation, 
and meal claiming errors via in-person visits to SFAs and schools and 
surveys of SFA directors and households. Data collection will include 
(a) abstraction from income eligibility applications and categorical 
eligibility records; (b) abstraction of meal count and claiming records 
from SFAs, schools, States, and FNS administrative data; (c) an online 
survey of SFA directors; (d) meal observations in schools; and (e) a 
telephone survey of households.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals/Households, State, Local, 
or Tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 13,068.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Once, Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 21,013.

Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-04478 Filed 3-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P