[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42749-42750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17736]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Proposed Change in State Title V Maternal and Child Health Block
Grant Allocations
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice seeks comments on proposed changes in the State
Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant allocations.
Through the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and
Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Title V MCH Block Grant funds are allocated
to States based in part on a calculation of the number of children
living in poverty (in an individual State) as compared to the total
number of children living in poverty in the United States, using data
for the number of children in poverty in each State from the U.S.
Census Bureau's official decennial census. As the Census Bureau has
replaced the decennial census long-form sample questionnaire with the
American Community Survey (ACS), MCHB likewise plans to use the ACS as
its source for this data. The ACS offers broad, comprehensive
information on social, economic, and housing data and is designed to
provide this information at many levels of geography. ACS child poverty
estimates are produced annually and will allow the Block Grant
allocation proportions to be updated more frequently than every 10
years. The Census Bureau produces annual State-level poverty estimates
based on the most recent 1, 3, and 5 years of ACS data as well as
annual model-based Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). It
is proposed that MCHB implement annual changes to the State Title V MCH
Block Grant allocations using the 3-year ACS poverty estimates, wherein
each annual change is buffered by sharing 2 of 3 data years in a 3-year
rolling period estimate.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to comment on this proposed
change. Submit written comments no later than September 18, 2012. All
comments received on or before this date will be considered.
ADDRESSES: All written comments concerning this notice should be
submitted to Cassie Lauver, Director, Division of State and Community
Health, at the contact information below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anyone requesting additional details
should contact Cassie Lauver, Health Resources and Services
Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Ms. Lauver may be
reached in one of the three following methods: (1) Via a written
request addressed to: Ms. Cassie Lauver, Health Resources and Services
Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Parklawn Building,
Room 18-31, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857; (2) via
[[Page 42750]]
telephone at (301) 443-2204; or (3) via email at [email protected].
In addition, an information session with a question and answer period
on the proposed change in the State Title V Maternal and Child Health
Block Grant Allocations will be held approximately 2 weeks after
publication of this notice. Please see http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov for
more information. Dr. Michael C. Lu, Associate Administrator of MCHB,
will serve as a presenter for this session.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HRSA is proposing to use the U.S. Census
Bureau's ACS data to determine the annual poverty-based allocations to
States under Section 502 of Title V of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 702). Previously, MCHB used the child poverty data obtained from
the long-form of the decennial census and the poverty-based allocation
was updated every 10 years. The long-form questionnaire has been
replaced by the annual ACS. Given the annual availability of updated
ACS child poverty data, annual changes in the allocation proportion
would enable incremental change and greater currency than updating at
periodic non-annual intervals (e.g., every 5 years). State-level
poverty data are annually released by the Census Bureau based on the
most recent 1, 3, and 5-year ACS data and single-year Small Area Income
and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). Researchers in MCHB's Office of
Epidemiology and Research (OER) evaluated the impact of using 1, 3, and
5-year ACS data and the single-year SAIPE on annual poverty-based
allocation changes as well as overall allocation changes. Consistent
with the Census Bureau documentation and guidelines, the poverty data
are most current and least precise through the use of 1-year data and
least current but most precise through the use of 5-year data. OER
recommends that MCHB implement annual changes to the State Title V MCH
Block Grant allocations using the 3-year ACS poverty estimates, which
strike a reasonable balance between reliability (strength of 5-year
estimates) and currency (strength of 1-year estimates). The 3-year
estimates provide necessary stability in annual poverty-based
allocation changes for all States, regardless of size, while still
allowing the allocations to be responsive to changes in the
distribution of children in poverty across States. Since they are not
buffered as a multiyear moving period estimate, the 1-year estimates
from both ACS and the model-based SAIPE introduce higher levels of
volatility in annual changes of the poverty-based allocation
proportions, particularly for smaller States with greater sampling
error. The 5-year estimates are least current and do not provide
meaningfully different stability in annual changes in comparison with
the 3-year estimates. With the 3-year estimates for Fiscal Year 2013
already available, States will have ample opportunity to plan for the
adjustment from the existing allocation proportions based on the 2000
census and will be aware of the poverty-based allocation proportions
close to a year in advance of each subsequent fiscal year (annually
released in October).
Dated: July 12, 2012.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-17736 Filed 7-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P