[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25362-25369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08817]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collection: 
Request for Comments on How Have SNAP State Agencies Shifted Operations 
in the Aftermath of COVID-19? (SNAP COVID Study)

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), 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 this proposed information collection. This is a new information 
collection for the contract of the study titled ``How Have Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) State Agencies Shifted Operations 
in the Aftermath of COVID-19? (SNAP COVID study)''. The purpose of the 
SNAP COVID study is to help FNS develop a comprehensive understanding 
of how SNAP agencies have adapted their operations and norms during the 
COVID-19 pandemic and increased their preparedness for another major 
disruption.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 26, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Amanda Wyant, 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 Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Amanda 
Wyant at 703-305-7537.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are invited on: (a) whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions, 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 
that were used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other 
technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Title: How Have SNAP State Agencies Shifted Operations in the 
Aftermath of COVID-19? (SNAP COVID study).
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract. As the cornerstone of the nation's nutrition safety net, 
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly 
benefits to households with low incomes to reduce food insecurity and 
improve health and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic 
fallout created extraordinary challenges for SNAP and the broader 
safety net as whole. To keep processing applications and issuing 
benefits, SNAP agencies had to pivot sharply to adapt their core 
operations and deliver services primarily or entirely virtually. 
Drawing on both new and existing waivers and policy options in this 
uncharted environment required a host of complicated decisions and 
choices on the part of State SNAP agencies. The study titled ``How Have 
SNAP State Agencies Shifted Operations in the Aftermath of COVID-19? 
(SNAP COVID study)'' will provide the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) with a comprehensive picture of 
how State SNAP agencies responded to the pandemic, including their 
decision-making processes, experiences with program changes in the 
short and long terms, and how these experiences have prepared States 
for major disruptions in the future.
    The SNAP COVID study will provide information about State SNAP 
agencies' experiences with the wide range and mix of operational 
changes made in response to the evolving pandemic. This gives FNS and 
State SNAP agencies an important opportunity to assess what did and did 
not work and why; to describe the decision-making processes that led to 
States' responses to date and their plans for the period after the 
public health emergency; to identify changes that are here to stay for 
the foreseeable future; and to consider the lessons learned to inform 
continued program improvement and increase preparedness for any future 
disruptions that affect service delivery.
    The study will gather detailed data from all 53 State SNAP agencies 
via a web-based survey and will conduct case studies in five States. In 
each of the five site visit States, the study team will conduct 
interviews with State and local SNAP staff and collect individual-level 
application and case records and/or aggregate performance data. These 
data will provide insight on how key metrics such as SNAP caseload size 
and composition changed after the implementation of program changes. 
The study team will systematically collect publicly available documents 
through FNS and web searches to inform the development of data 
collection instruments for the survey and site visit interviews. The 
team will use these along with non-public documents (for example, State 
policy guidance) we will collect from States to confirm and clarify 
survey responses.
    Affected public. Members of the public affected by the data 
collection include State, local, and Tribal governments from 53 State 
SNAP agencies. Respondent groups identified include: (1) State or 
territory agency directors; (2) State or territory data and IT staff; 
(3) State or territory operations and policy staff; (4) Local 
directors; (5) Local agency supervisors; (4) Local agency frontline 
staff.
    A survey will be conducted with all 53 State SNAP agency directors 
and staff. Case studies will be conducted with five of the States, 
affecting State and local SNAP agency directors and staff.
    Estimated number of respondents. The total estimated number of 
unique respondents for both the pretest and study data collection 
activities is 284, with four nonrespondents. There are 243 State level 
staff who will participate. This includes 53 State or territory SNAP 
directors; 127 State or territory SNAP policy and operations staff; 5 
State or territory data staff; and 58 State or territory IT staff. 
There are 41 local level staff who will participate in the study: 11 
local SNAP agency directors; 15 local SNAP agency supervisors, and 15 
local SNAP agency frontline staff.
    The State or territory SNAP agency directors include respondents 
from 53 U.S. States and territories (50 U.S. States, the District of 
Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam). Each State or territory 
SNAP agency director may designate up to three staff to complete

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sections of the survey, accounting for up to an additional 159 State or 
territory staff participating as respondents (212 survey respondents 
total). This is the highest possible number of survey respondents; FNS 
expects fewer to participate in the survey. Prior to data collection we 
expect three of the State or territory SNAP agency directors will 
participate in the pretest.
    Five States will be selected for the case study. Here is a summary 
of the respondents for the case study:
     5 State SNAP agency directors (one from each of the five 
case study States) will participate in the case study. We expect to 
reach out to 9 SNAP agency directors about the case study but expect 
that four States will not be able to participate.
     20 State SNAP policy and operations staff (four from each 
of the five States).
     5 State SNAP data staff (one from each of the five 
States).
     5 State SNAP IT staff (one from each of the five States).
     10 local SNAP agency directors (two from each of the five 
States).
     15 local SNAP agency supervisors (three from each of the 
five States).
     15 local SNAP agency frontline staff (three from each of 
the five States).
    Prior to the start of data collection, we expect that one State 
SNAP agency director, one State operations and policy staff person, and 
one local SNAP agency director will participate in the pretest.
    Estimated number of responses per respondent. Across all 284 \1\ 
unique respondents (284 respondents and 4 non-respondents) and 2,373 
annual responses, the average number of responses is 8.24. State or 
territory SNAP directors will respond once to a web-based survey with 
five modules. State or territory SNAP directors will receive an FNS 
State outreach email to notify them about the web survey. The 
contractor will then email the States a study description and 
invitation to complete the web survey. State or territory SNAP agency 
directors, SNAP operations and policy staff and SNAP IT staff who have 
not completed the survey will be emailed biweekly to complete the 
survey (for a total of five possible emails). Those who have not 
completed the survey in the last four weeks of data collection will 
receive an urgent survey reminder email every week (for a total of four 
possible emails). State or territory SNAP directors, SNAP operations 
and policy staff and SNAP IT staff will be asked to submit documents 
related to their COVID-19 procedures as part of the survey. If they do 
not submit their documents, they will be sent reminder emails (for a 
total of nine possible emails). Starting in Week 6 of data collection, 
State or territory SNAP directors will receive reminder phone calls.
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    \1\ There are a total of 284 unique respondents estimated to 
participate in this study. The same 5 State SNAP directors who 
participate in the web survey will also participate in the case 
studies. We estimate that we will need to reach out to a total of 9 
State SNAP directors to ask if they can participate in the study. Of 
these, we expect 4 State SNAP directors will be non-respondents for 
the case studies. The 9 State SNAP directors who will be reached out 
for the case studies are only counted once in the sample size 
totals.
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    Five State SNAP agencies that participated in the initial survey 
will be selected in collaboration with FNS for a case study. The case 
study will involve interviews with five State SNAP directors, 20 State 
SNAP operations and policy staff, 5 State SNAP data staff, 5 State SNAP 
IT staff, 10 local SNAP agency directors, 15 local SNAP agency 
supervisors, and 15 local SNAP agency frontline staff. The State or 
territory SNAP directors will receive an initial email from FNS 
notifying them about the case studies. Following that, an email will 
come from the research team introducing the directors to the case 
studies and asking them to schedule a call with the research team to 
discuss the case studies. State SNAP directors that do not respond to 
this initial email will receive a reminder email and, if needed, a 
reminder call to schedule a time to discuss the case studies with the 
research team. The State SNAP directors will then participate in an 
hour-long call to discuss the case study. Once the local agencies are 
identified in collaboration with the State, the research team will 
reach out to the local agencies by email to schedule their portion of 
the site visit.
    Prior to the start of data collection, we expect that one State 
SNAP agency director, one State operations and policy staff person, and 
one local SNAP agency director will participate in the pretest.
    Estimated total annual responses. 2,373
    Estimated time per response. The estimated time per response varies 
from 0.03 hours for activities related to reading email reminders for 
the survey and case studies to 20 hours for state IT staff to provide 
administrative data. The response time will vary depending on the 
respondent group, as shown in the attached table, with an average 
estimated time of 33.53 minutes (0.56 hours).
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents. The total estimated 
burden on respondents is 22,564.20 minutes (376.07 hours). See the 
table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of 
respondent.
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Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-08817 Filed 4-25-23; 8:45 am]
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