[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 174 (Friday, September 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55447-55448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19477]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Notice of Intent To Make Temporary Changes in the State Title V 
Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Allocations

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Response to solicitation of comments.

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SUMMARY: HRSA plans to move forward in implementing temporary changes 
to the method of calculating poverty-based allocations under Title V of 
the Social Security Act for HRSA's State Title V Maternal and Child 
Health (MCH) Services Block Grant, beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. 
Since FY 2017, the poverty-based allocation has been based on the U.S. 
Census Bureau's 3-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates using 
three pooled 1-year estimates. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 
there were disruptions in the ACS data collection in 2020 resulting in 
data quality issues that prevented the Census Bureau from releasing 
standard 1-year ACS estimates; instead, the Census Bureau released 
experimental estimates. The ACS 2020 experimental estimates will be 
excluded from calculating Title V MCH Services Block Grant allocations, 
and the FY 2023 funding allocation will be based on the same poverty 
data used in the FY 2022 allocation (i.e., pooled 1-year estimates for 
2017, 2018, and 2019 ACS). Funding allocations for FY 2024 and FY 2025 
will continue to incorporate the latest 1-year ACS data while skipping 
2020 (i.e., for FY 2024, the 2018, 2019, and 2021 ACS data will be 
used; for FY 2025, the 2019, 2021, and 2022 ACS data will be used). In 
FY 2026, the temporary change to the method for calculating allocations 
will no longer be necessary, and HRSA will resume pooling of three 
consecutive 1-year estimates (2021-2023).

DATES: Effective Date: October 1, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Dykton, Acting Director of 
the Division of State and Community Health, Maternal and Child Health 
Bureau, HRSA, Room 18N35, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857; 
telephone: (301) 433-2204; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Beginning in FY 2023, HRSA will temporarily 
change the method of calculating the poverty-based allocation to States 
and the District of Columbia under section 502(c) of Title V of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 702(c)). Because of data collection 
disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census Bureau did not 
release standard 1-year ACS estimates for 2020. Survey administration 
methods (mailed questionnaires and interviewing in-person) were 
impacted beginning in March 2020, which affected response rates, in 
terms of who was most likely to complete mailed surveys or participate 
in interviews, etc.\1\ The Census Bureau concluded that the 2020 ACS 1-
year data were not ``reasonable'' as respondents disproportionately 
``had higher levels of education, had more married couples and few 
never married citizens, had less Medicaid coverage, had higher median 
household incomes, and fewer non-citizens, and were more likely to live 
in single-family housing units'' than respondents in previous years. 
Instead, the Census Bureau decided to provide only experimental 
estimates for 2020 ACS 1-year data.\2\
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    \1\ https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2021/acs/2021_CensusBureau_01.html.
    \2\ The Census Bureau defines experimental data products as 
``innovative statistical products created using new data sources or 
methodologies that benefit data users in the absence of other data 
products . . . Census Bureau experimental data may not meet all of 
HRSA's data quality standards. Because of this, HRSA clearly 
identifies experimental data products and includes methodology and 
supporting research with their release.'' https://www.census.gov/data/experimental-data-products.html.
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    HRSA examined the 2020 ACS experimental estimates and compared the 
change in poverty share using a 3-

[[Page 55448]]

year estimate incorporating the 2020 experimental estimate with prior 
year-to-year changes since 2014--the first year of annual updates to 
poverty share data using 3-year ACS estimates. HRSA noted greater 
observed data variability and a greater number of States that would 
experience large decreases in their poverty share. HRSA was concerned 
about the accuracy of the 2020 experimental estimates as applied to the 
Title V MCH Services Block Grant allocation.
    In order to ameliorate these concerns and because of the nature of 
the data, the ACS 2020 experimental estimates will not be used in 
calculating Title V MCH Services Block Grant allocations. Instead, HRSA 
will base the FY 2023 funding allocation on the same poverty data used 
in the FY 2022 allocation (i.e., pooled 1-year estimates for 2017, 
2018, and 2019 ACS). Funding allocations for FY 2024 and FY 2025 will 
continue to incorporate the latest 1-year ACS data while skipping the 
2020 experimental data (i.e., for FY 2024, the 2018, 2019, and 2021 ACS 
data will be used; for FY 2025, the 2019, 2021, and 2022 ACS data will 
be used). In FY 2026, the temporary change to the method for 
calculating allocations will no longer be necessary, and HRSA will 
resume pooling of three consecutive 1-year estimates (2021-2023).
    The proposed temporary change in State Title V MCH Services Block 
Grant allocations was announced in the Federal Register at 87 FR 37873 
on June 24, 2022. A comment period of 30 days was established to allow 
interested parties to submit comments. HRSA received two responses. One 
comment expressed support for the proposed temporary change. HRSA 
appreciates this comment. The other comment is beyond the scope of this 
notice, as it did not specifically address the proposed changes in the 
State Title V MCH Services Block Grant allocation, but instead 
expressed concern about child vaccinations.

Diana Espinosa,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2022-19477 Filed 9-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P