[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42180-42181]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15057]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Racial and Ethnic 
Disparities in Human Services Analysis Execution Project (New 
Collection)

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration 
for Children and Families, Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing to collect 
data to explore how one state's changes to Temporary Assistance for 
Needy Families (TANF) policies and services in response to the COVID-19 
pandemic were experienced by different racial and ethnic groups in that 
state. The goal is to obtain an in-depth understanding of how TANF 
participants of different racial and ethnic backgrounds experienced 
these policy and programmatic changes by comparing those experiences 
within one state, and to assess whether those changes may have helped 
to ameliorate challenges

[[Page 42181]]

around program and benefit access for different populations or 
potentially created new challenges.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is 
soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information 
collection described above.

ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of 
information and submit comments by emailing 
[email protected]. Identify all requests by the title of 
the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: The Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Human Services 
Analysis Execution project is proposing to collect information for a 
qualitative study to explore how families of different ethnic and 
racial backgrounds have experienced changes that one state made to TANF 
policies and services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will 
explore policies such as job-search and other participation 
requirements, virtual resources and services, and the provision of 
tablet computers to TANF participants. We will collect information at 
the state level and from three purposively selected sites in one state, 
selected to represent the racial and ethnic diversity within the state. 
The state-level data collection will include (1) TANF program 
administrators and (2) representatives from the program partnering with 
the state in the provision of tablet computers to TANF program 
participants. Information collection at each of the three sites will 
include semi-structured interviews or focus groups with: (1) TANF 
program administrators, frontline staff, and participants; and (2) 
community partner organizations that serve TANF-eligible families and 
individuals served by those organizations. Site visits will be 
conducted in-person or virtually, depending on the state of the COVID-
19 pandemic at the time of the site visits.
    This study is part of a larger project to help ACF identify racial 
and ethnic disparities related to the delivery of human services.
    This study is intended to present an internally-valid description 
of how different racial and ethnic groups experience TANF policies, 
practices, and service delivery in one state at selected sites, not to 
promote statistical generalization to other sites or service 
populations.
    Respondents: (1) State and regional TANF agency administrators, (2) 
TANF frontline staff at the site-level, (3) staff at community agencies 
that serve TANF-eligible families, (4) staff from the computer tablet 
program and from program partner organizations, (5) TANF participants, 
(6) tablet program participants, and (7) individuals who are eligible 
for TANF but not enrolled.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                     Number of
                                     Number of     responses per
                                    respondents     respondent      Avg. burden    Total burden    Annual burden
           Instrument               (total over     (total over    per response     (in hours)      (in hours)
                                      request         request       (in hours)
                                      period)         period)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instrument A: State and Regional               8               1               1               8               4
 TANF Administrators Guide
 (Interviews)...................
Instrument B: Local Frontline                 10               1               1              10               5
 Staff Guide (Interviews).......
Instrument B: Local Frontline                 10               1             1.5              15               8
 Staff Guide (Focus Groups).....
Instrument C: Community-Based                  6               1               1               6               3
 Organizations Guide
 (Interviews)...................
Instrument D: Tablet Providers                 6               1               1               6               3
 and Program Partners Guide
 (Interviews)...................
Instrument E: TANF Participants               40               1               1              40              20
 Guide (Interviews).............
Instrument E: TANF Participants               20               1             1.5              30              15
 Guide(Focus Groups)............
Instrument F: Tablet Program                  10               1             1.5              15               8
 Participants Guide (Focus
 Groups)........................
Instrument G: Individuals                     15               1               1              15               8
 Eligible but Not Receiving TANF
 Guide (Interviews).............
Instrument G: Individuals                     15               1             1.5              23              12
 Eligible but Not Receiving TANF
 Guide (Focus Groups)...........
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 86.
    Comments: The Department specifically requests comments 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; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.
    Authority: Section 413 of the Social Security Act, as amended by 
the FY 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 115-31).

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-15057 Filed 7-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-09-P