[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 100 (Thursday, May 23, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30844-30846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12245]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Regulations,
Quality Control
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment
on the proposed information collection for the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program's Regulations, Part 275--Quality Control.
Specifically, the burden associated with the collection of information
for the sampling plan, arbitration process and the good cause process.
This is a revision of a currently approved collection, OMB No. 0584-
0303.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 22, 2013.
ADDRESSES: 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 the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical or other technological
[[Page 30845]]
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments may be sent to Patrick Lucrezio, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room
822, Alexandria, VA 22302. 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 Patrick
Lucrezio at 703-305-2498.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's (SNAP) Quality
Control Regulations, Part 275.
OMB Number: 0584-0303.
Expiration Date: December 31, 2013.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Abstract: There are three components of the Quality Control (QC)
system that are covered in this proposed information collection. They
are: (1) The sampling plan; (2) the arbitration process; and (3) the
good cause process. Each State is required to develop a sampling plan
that demonstrates the integrity of its case selection procedures. The
QC system is designed to measure each State agency's payment error rate
based on a statistically valid sample of SNAP cases. A State agency's
payment error rate represents the proportion of cases that were
reported through a QC review as being ineligible, overissued and
underissued SNAP benefits.
The QC system contains procedures for resolving differences in
review findings between State agencies and FNS. This is referred to as
the arbitration process. The QC system also contains procedures that
provide relief for State agencies from all or a part of a QC liability
when a State agency can demonstrate that a part or all of an excessive
error rate was due to an unusual event that had an uncontrollable
impact on the State agency's payment error rate. This is referred to as
the good cause process.
The approved burden for the QC system includes the burden for the
QC sampling plan, the arbitration process and the good cause process.
The annual reporting burden associated with the QC sampling plan
remains at 265 hours. We estimate the annual reporting burdens
associated with arbitration and good cause processes to total 792 and
320 hours, respectively. The decrease in the proposed burden from the
currently approved 936 to 792 hours for the arbitration process is due
to a decrease in the estimated number of responses per State agency
from 2.6 to 2.2. These decreases are a result of State agencies less
frequently disagreeing with FNS' findings. The proposed annual
reporting burden for the good cause process has increased from 160
hours to 320 hours due to an increase in the number of states using the
good cause rule from 1 to 2 per year. The total reporting burden for
the QC system is, therefore, 1,377 hours, a decrease of 144 hours from
the previously approved burden.
The proposed annual recordkeeping burden associated with the QC
sampling plan remains at 1.25 hours per year. The proposed annual
recordkeeping burdens associated with arbitration has decreased from
0.92 to 0.7788 hour and the good cause process has increased to 0.0472
hour. The recordkeeping burden for the arbitration process was due to
the decrease in estimated number of responses per State from 2.6 to
2.2. The recordkeeping burden for the good cause process has increased
from 0.0236 to 0.0472 hour due to an additional State's use of the
rule. The total burden for recordkeeping has decreased from 2.19 hours
to 2.076 hours. As a result, the total annual burden for the QC system,
as proposed by this notice, increased from 1,363 hours to 1,379.076
hours; a total increase of 16.076 hours. We are requesting a three-year
approval from OMB for this information collection.
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Estimated avg.
Estimated Responses Total annual of Estimated
Affected public Requirement of annually per responses hours per total hours
respondents respondent (col. bxc) response (col. dxe)
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Reporting Burden
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State Agencies............................ Sampling Plan............... 53 1 53 5 265
State Agencies............................ Arbitration Process......... 15 2.2 33 24 792
State Agencies............................ Good Cause Process.......... 2 1 2 160 320
Grand Total Reporting................. ............................ 53 .............. 88 .............. 1,377
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Recordkeeping Burden
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State Agencies............................ Sampling Plan............... 53 1 53 0.0236 1.25
State Agencies............................ Arbitration Process......... 15 2.2 33 0.0236 0.7788
State Agencies............................ Good Cause Process.......... 2 1 2 0.0236 0.0472
Grand Total Recordkeeping............. ............................ 53 .............. 88 .............. 2.076
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Estimated
Total annual total
Affected public Requirement responses for reporting
reporting & recordkeeping
recordkeeping hours
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Overall Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden
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State Agencies................................ Sampling Plan................... 106 266.25
State Agencies................................ Arbitration Process............. 99 792.7788
State Agencies................................ Good Cause Process.............. 4 320.0472
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OVERALL TOTAL BURDEN...................... ................................ 209 1,379.08
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The Combined Quality Control System's Estimated Burden (includes
the burdens associated with the Sampling Plan, Arbitration, and Good
Cause): (Reporting 1,377 + Recordkeeping Burden Hour) = 1,379.076
hours.
Dated: May 14, 2013.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-12245 Filed 5-22-13; 8:45 am]
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