[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 51 (Thursday, March 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18593-18594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05436]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program (SNAP) Requirements for National Directory of New 
Hires for Employment Verification

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 collection is a revision 
of a currently approved collection.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 13, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Maribelle Balbes, 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 Jennifer 
Ragan at 703-457-6786.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2016, an Interim Final Rule titled 
``Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Requirement for National 
Directory of New Hires Employment Verification and Annual Program 
Activity Reporting,'' was published in the Federal Register. This rule 
codified section 4013 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, requiring State 
agencies to access employment data through the National Directory of 
New Hires (NDNH) at the time of certification, including 
recertification, to determine eligibility status and correct benefit 
amount for SNAP applicants.
    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: SNAP Requirement for National Directory of New Hires 
Employment Verification.
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0608.
    Expiration Date: 07/31/2024.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 
regulations at 7 CFR 272.16 require that each State agency must compare 
identifiable information about each adult household member against data 
from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) National 
Directory of New Hires (NDNH). This comparison will be used to 
determine the eligibility status of the household and determine the 
correct benefit amount the household should receive. Following OMB 
approval of this collection, FNS intends to merge this collection with 
OMB control number 0584-0064.
    Verification of Match; Notice of Match Results: The State agency 
must independently verify the information prior to taking any adverse 
action against an individual. Should the State agency receive 
employment information via the NDNH that was previously unreported by 
the household, the State agency must issue a notice of match results 
informing the household of the match and providing them with the 
opportunity to verify the information. The State agency may contact the 
employer directly, depending upon applicable reporting requirements as 
defined at 7 CFR 273.12.
    Notice of Adverse action or Notice of Denial: The Notice of Adverse 
Action or Notice of Denial is issued by State agencies to participating 
households whose benefits will be reduced or terminated as the result 
of a change in household circumstances. Should the State agency 
independently verify unreported or underreported income discovered 
through NDNH, and that income results in a reduction of benefits or 
change in eligibility, the State agency must take action by issuing the 
household a Notice of Adverse Action or Notice of Denial and adjust or 
deny benefits accordingly.
    Burden Estimates: The previous burden for this collection was 
521,719.02 reporting hours (482,290.88 reporting burden hours for State 
agencies + 39,428.14 reporting burden hours for households). The 
requested burden is 3,365,064.98 (1,261,899.37 reporting burden hours 
for State agencies + 2,103,165.61 reporting burden hours for 
households), which represents an increase of 2,843,345.96 hours due to 
program adjustments. These program adjustments result from the 
availability of State usage data and an increase in the number of State 
agencies utilizing NDNH database. There are no recordkeeping or third 
party/disclosure requirements associated with this collection.
    Reporting
    Affected Public: State and local agencies, households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 25,187,665.15.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.99.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 50,375,224.29.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.0668.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 3,365,064.98.

[[Page 18594]]



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                                                                             Estimated       Estimated       Estimated       Estimated       Estimated
                Regulation                         Burden activity           number of     responses per   total annual      hours per     total annual
                                                                            respondents     respondent       responses       response          hours
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                                                              State Agency Reporting Burden
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272.16....................................  Verification of Match;                    53      316,825.31   16,791,741.43          0.0501      841,266.25
                                             Notice of Match results.
272.16....................................  NDNH--Notice of Adverse                   53      158,412.66    8,395,870.72          0.0501      420,633.12
                                             Action or Notice of Denial.
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    State Agency Reporting Total........................................              53      475,237.97   25,187,612.15          0.0501    1,261,899.37
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                                                               Household Reporting Burden
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272.16....................................  NDNH--Response to Notice of    16,791,741.43            1.00   16,791,741.43          0.0835    1,402,110.41
                                             Match Results.
272.16....................................  NDNH--Response to Notice of     8,395,870.72            1.00    8,395,870.72          0.0835      701,055.20
                                             Adverse Action or Notice of
                                             Denial.
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    Household Reporting Total...........................................   25,187,612.15            1.00   25,187,612.15          0.0835    2,103,165.61
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        Grand Totals....................................................   25,187,665.15     1.999995792   50,375,224.29          0.0668    3,365,064.98
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Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-05436 Filed 3-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P