[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 10, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52820-52821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18980]
[[Page 52820]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: State
Agency Options
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 the proposed collection. This is a revision of the currently
approved burden for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP): State Agency Options information collection.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 11, 2016.
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 through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments may be sent to: Sasha Gersten-Paal, Food and Nutrition
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room
812, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to
the attention of Ms. Gersten-Paal at 703-305-2507 or 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 (OMB) 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 Ms.
Gersten-Paal at 703-305-2486
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: State Agency
Options.
OMB Number: 0584-0496.
Form Number: None.
Expiration Date: December 31, 2016.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information
collection.
Abstract: The collections covered under OMB Number 0584-0496
address information and burden estimates associated with the following
State Agency Options: Establishing and reviewing standard utility
allowances and establishing methodology for offsetting cost of
producing self-employment income.
This notice revises the State Agency Options information collection
for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to reflect
changes in the number of States that have implemented the options
herein and the change in burden since the previous revision. Federal
regulations implementing SNAP application and certification procedures
are contained in parts 271, 272 and 273 of title 7 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR). The regulations addressing State agency
options specified in this collection are contained in 7 CFR 273.
Using FNS-388 and 388A, (approved under OMB# 0584-0594 expiration
date 6/30/2019), States send aggregate level data on participation,
benefits issued, and other basic program information to FNS using the
Food Programs Reporting System (FPRS) via this Web site: https://fprs.fns.usda.gov. These FNS approved forms are used as supplemental
data only and this collection is not seeking any additional burden
hours for the use of these forms.
Since the last renewal, there have been changes in the number of
States that implement the options in this collection. This collection
revises the number of State agencies that have implemented the options
herein as well as the burden associated with the collection.
Establishing and Reviewing Standard Utility Allowances
The regulations at 7 CFR 273.9(d)(6)(iii) allow State agencies to
establish standard utility allowances (SUA) in place of the actual
utility costs incurred by a household. State agencies are required to
review and adjust SUAs annually to reflect changes in the costs of
utilities. State agencies are required to submit the amounts of
standards when they are changed and methodologies used to develop and
update the standards to FNS for approval when they are developed or
changed.
Estimates of burden: FNS estimates 53 State agencies will submit
one request each to adjust the SUAs, for a total annual response of 53
requests at a minimum of 2.5 hours annually (53 State agencies x 1 SUAs
request = 53 total annual responses x 2.5 hours = 132.5 hours). The
total burden for this provision is estimated to be 132.5 hours per
year. This is an increase of 2.5 hours from the previous submission,
due to an increase in State agencies implementing this option.
Self-Employment Costs
The regulations at 7 CFR 273.11(b) allow self-employment income to
be reduced by the cost of producing such income. The regulations allow
the State agencies, with approval from FNS, to establish the
methodology for offsetting the costs of producing self-employment
income, as long as the procedure does not increase program costs.
Estimates of burden: Based on the information provided in the
Twelfth Edition of the SNAP State Options Report, out of the 53 State
agencies, 21 State agencies have incorporated a methodology for
determining the cost of doing business in self-employment cases. This
is an increase from 18 States in the previously approved information
collection. It is estimated that these 21 States will submit one
request each, totaling 21 annual responses. States will incur a burden
of at least 10 working hours gathering and analyzing data, developing
the methodology, determining the cost implication and submitting a
request to FNS, for a total burden of 210 hours annually (21 State
agencies x 1 request = 21 total annual responses x 10 working hours =
210 burden hours). This is an increase of 30 burden hours from the
previous submission.
Record Keeping Burden Only
All 53 State agencies are required to keep and maintain one record
of the information gathered and submitted to FNS for the SUA and self-
employment options. It is estimated that this process will take 7
minutes or .1169 hours per year for each State agency, resulting in a
total annual burden of 6 hours (53 State agencies x 1 record = 53 total
annual records x .1169 hours = 6 hours). This burden remains unchanged
from the previous submission.
The following table illustrates the burden estimates associated
with the State agency options included in this collection.
[[Page 52821]]
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Estimated
Respondent and reporting Estimated Responses Total annual average number Estimated
activities number of annually per responses of hours per total hours
respondents respondent response (Col. dxe)
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Reporting Burden--Establishing
and Reviewing Standard Utility
Allowances (SUAs)
State, Local or Tribal 53 1 53 2.50 132.5
Agencies...................
Reporting Burden--Establishing
Self-Employment Costs
Methodology
State, Local or Tribal 21 1 21 10 210
Agencies...................
Total Reporting Burden.. 53 .............. 74 .............. 342.5
Recordkeeping Burden
State, Local or Tribal 53 1 53 0.1169 6
Agencies...................
Total Recordkeeping 53 .............. 53 .............. 6
Burden.................
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Total Burden Summary for 53 .............. 127 .............. 348.5
Reporting and
Recordkeeping..........
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Dated: August 2, 2016.
Yvette S. Jackson,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-18980 Filed 8-9-16; 8:45 am]
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