[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 187 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66796-66797]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21515]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 187 / Thursday, September 28, 2023 /
Notices
[[Page 66796]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Pandemic EBT (OMB
#0584-0660)
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 revision of a
currently approved information collection for Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) for
the reporting burden associated with administering P-EBT. This revision
is limited in nature and only includes collection activities essential
to facilitating the orderly wind-down and close-out of the P-EBT
program.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before November 27,
2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: J. Kevin Maskornick, Director,
Community Meals Policy Division, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Braddock Metro Center II, 1320 Braddock
Place, 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 https://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 J. Kevin
Maskornick at 703-305-2537 or via email to [email protected].
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
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: Pandemic EBT.
Form Number: FNS-292B, FNS-388, FNS-46, FNS-366A, and SF-425 (under
OMB Control Number 0584-0594) is associated with this collection.
OMB Number: 0584-0660.
Expiration Date: November 30, 2023.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Abstract: The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) is part
of the U.S. government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Families
First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-127), as amended by
the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260), the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-2), and the Consolidated
Appropriations Act 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328) provides the Secretary of
Agriculture authority to administer, through State agencies, the PEBT
programs.
Per Public Law 116-159, each State must submit an operational plan
to FNS Regional Office for approval. With the expiration of the COVID-
19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023, States will not
receive approval for operational plans submitted after federal Fiscal
Year (FY) 2023 (i.e., September 30, 2023), although States may issue
some benefits retroactively to households after September 30, 2023,
based on prior plan approvals. However, FNS proposes an extension for
limited elements of the currently approved information collection to
facilitate the orderly wind-down and close-out of the P-EBT program.
Once operational plans are approved, each State SNAP agency will
also be required to provide monthly reports via the FNS-292B (Disaster
Relief) to the FNS Regional Office, regarding the number of eligible
children receiving P-EBT benefits, number of households receiving such
benefits, and the total value of the benefits.
Each State is also expected to separately identify P-EBT
participation and benefit issuance on the FNS-388 (State Issuance and
Participation Estimates) and FNS-46 (Issuance Reconciliation Report)
reports. There is no additional burden associated with this
requirement, as the States already report participation data to FNS on
the FNS-388 and FNS-46 on a monthly basis.
FNS will provide funding to each State's SNAP State agency for 100%
of P-EBT-related administrative costs. Such funding will be available
for the necessary, allowable, and reasonable State agency costs
associated with the administration of P-EBT incurred during FY 2023 and
through FY 2024. This includes administrative costs associated with the
issuance of retroactive FY 2020-2023 benefits incurred in FY 2024.
States interested in the 100% funding will be expected to submit a FY
2023 P-EBT administrative cost plan for the intended period of
operations for USDA approval using the FNS-366A (Program and Budget
Summary Statement: Budget Projection) by September 30, 2023. The period
of performance for the FY 2023 administrative cost plan will end on
March 31, 2024, and FNS will consider well-supported requests for
period of performance extensions past this date, not to exceed
September 30, 2024. During the period of performance of the 100%
funding, the SNAP State agency will be expected to aggregate obligation
and outlay data from all State agencies utilizing the 100% funding and
report quarterly to USDA using a P-EBT specific instance of the SF-425
(Federal Financial Report).
The current burden for a State agency to submit FNS-292B, FNS-388,
FNS-46, FNS-366A and SF-425 reports is currently captured under the
information collection for the Food Programs Reporting System (FPRS),
OMB Control Number 0584-0594
[[Page 66797]]
(expiration date 9/30/26). The Food Programs Reporting System is the
Federal system State agencies use to report FNS Program data to FNS.
Therefore, this information collection estimates burden hours
associated with P-EBT that are above the currently approved hours in
0584-0594 for forms FNS-292B, FNS-366A, and SF-425 for normal Program
operations.
In order to determine eligibility and benefit levels for P-EBT,
State agencies must collect data from schools, including lists of
students that have been determined eligible for free and reduced price
meals. This information is used to determine the benefit levels
children are eligible to receive, which will vary depending on the FY
of the approved plan. Per Public Law 117-2, during the summer months
all children eligible for free or reduced price meals that are enrolled
in schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program are
considered eligible for P-EBT. This requires all schools to provide the
State agency with a list of children who have been determined eligible
for free and reduced price meals.
FNS will provide funding to each State's SNAP State agency for 100%
of P-EBT-related school level administrative costs. Such funding will
be available for the necessary, allowable, and reasonable State agency
costs associated with the administration of P-EBT incurred during FY
2020-2023. In order to receive this funding, schools must report to
their State agency on the school level costs incurred to administer P-
EBT.
This submission seeks OMB approval of this revision to an existing
collection (OMB Control #0584-0660, expiration 11/30/2023) for
activities associated with administering P-EBT.
The currently approved burden for this collection is 3,684,928
burden hours. Because the majority of State and territories are
expected to have completed normal issuance of benefits by November 30,
2023, FNS estimates the new burden at 20,109 burden hours, which is a
decrease of approximately 3,664,849 hours. Only one State has an
approved plan that entails data collection and eligibility verification
from schools past November 30, 2023; the burdens of the remaining
States past this date are only for monthly reporting of benefit
issuances due to contingencies or corrections.
The currently approved total annual responses are 10,379,211; we
are requesting 20,109, which is a decrease of 10,359,102 total annual
responses.
Affected Public: State Government, Schools, Individual/Households.
Respondents include State agencies (including District of Columbia, and
Territories), schools, and participants.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 114,336. This includes: State agencies (49), schools
(287), Individuals/Households (114,000 participants).
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The total estimated
number of responses per respondent for this collection is 8.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: The total estimated number of
annual responses for this collection is 115,374.
Estimated Time per Response: The estimated time per response
averages approximately 10.6 minutes (0.176 hours) for all participants.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The estimated total
annual burden on respondents for this collection is 20,109 hours.
See the table below for the estimated total annual burden for each
type of respondent.
Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
Table--Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents
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Number of Frequency of Total annual Responses per Hours per Annual burden
Respondent category Instruments Form respondents response responses respondent response (hours)
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Individuals/Households.................. P-EBT Application N/A...................... 114,000 1 114,000 1 0.166666667 19,038
Submission.
Schools................................. Student Eligibility Data... N/A...................... 287 1 287 1 0.5 143.5
P-EBT Local Level N/A...................... 287 1 287 1 1 143.5
Administrative Cost
Reporting to State.
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Schools Subtotal.................... ........................... ......................... 287 2 574 2 1.5 287
State Agencies.......................... Monthly P-EBT Reporting to FNS-292B................. 49 12 588 1 1 588
FNS.
P-EBT Quarterly SF-425................... 49 4 196 4 1 196
Administrative Cost Report
(100% funding).
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SA Subtotal......................... ........................... ......................... 49 16 800 5 2 784
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Grand Total..................... ........................... ......................... 114,336 19 115,374 8 3.67 20,109
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[FR Doc. 2023-21515 Filed 9-27-23; 8:45 am]
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