52 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of this information collection 

should be directed to Stephanie Proska 

at 703–305–2437. 

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: Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP). 

OMB Number: 0584–0034. 

Expiration Date: April 30, 2021. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: The FNS–245, Negative Case 

Action Review Schedule, is designed to 

collect quality control (QC) data and 

serve as the data entry form for negative 

case action QC reviews in the 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP). State agencies 

complete the FNS–245 for each negative 

case in their QC sample. The reporting 

and recordkeeping burden associated 

with the completion of the FNS–245 has 

decreased from approximately 

115,514.87 hours to 102,001 hours. The 

13,513.87 hour decrease in the total 

burden is largely a result of the decrease 

in total SNAP negative case selections 

from 38,970 cases in FY 2015 to 34,322 

cases in FY 2018. 

Reg. section Affected public Description of 

activity 

Estimated 

number of 

respondents 

Estimated 

responses per 

respondent 

Total annual 

responses 

Number of 

burden hours 

per response 

Estimated total 

burden hours 

Reporting Burden 

Reporting Burden for State Agencies FNS 245, OMB 0584–0034 

275.13 (b) ........... State Agencies ... Household Case 

Record Review.

53 647.5849 34,322.00 1.75 60,063.50 

275.12 (b) ........... State Agencies ... Variance identification.53 647.5849 34,322.00 0.6906 23,702.77 

275.13 (c) ........... State Agencies ... Error analysis ..... 53 647.5849 34,322.00 0.5 17,161.00 

Grand Totals Reporting Burden ................................... 53.00 ........................ 102,966.00 2.9406 100,927.27 

Record Keeping Burden 

Recordkeeping Burden for State Agencies FNS 245, OMB 0584–0034 

275.4 ................... State Agencies ... Record Retention 53 647.5849 34,322 0.0236 1,073.73 

Overall Grand Total Reporting and Recordkeeping ..... 53.00 ........................ 137,288.00 2.96 102,001.00 

Affected Public: State, Local and 

Tribal Government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 53 

State Agencies. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 647.59. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

102,966. 

Estimated Time per Response: 2.9406 

hours. 

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 

100,927.27. 

Number of Record Keepers: 53. 

Number of Records per Record 

Keeper: 647.59 Records. 

Estimated Number of Records/ 

Response to Keep: 34,322 Records. 

Recordkeeping Time per Response: 

.0236 hours. 

Total Estimated Recordkeeping 

Burden Hours: 1,073.73 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Reporting 

and Recordkeeping Burden on 

Respondents: 137,288 hours. 

Pamilyn Miller, 

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–29005 Filed 12–31–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP) 

Requirement for National Directory of 

New Hires Employment Verification 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service 

(FNS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

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. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before March 5, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: 

Maribelle Balbes, Food and Nutrition 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, 

Virginia 22314. Comments may also be 

submitted via email to SNAPSAB@

FNS.USDA.GOV. 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 Evan Sieradzki at 

703–605–3212. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

collection is a revision of an expired 

collection at 84 FR 11928. 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 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 53 

status and correct benefit amount for 

SNAP applicants. The rule also 

amended regulations to increase the 

frequency of the requirement for State 

agency submission of the Program 

Activity Statement from an annual 

requirement based on the State fiscal 

year to a quarterly requirement. The 

burden hours for the increase in 

submission frequency for the Program 

Activity Statement, form FNS–366B, 

have been merged into the Food 

Programs Reporting System (FPRS) 

information collection, OMB #0584– 

0594 (expiration 7/31/2023). Therefore, 

this notice seeks to renew the burden 

hours associated with the National 

Directory of New Hires portion of this 

information collection only and 

removes burden hours and references 

for the Program Activity Statement, 

form FNS–366B. 

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 Number: 0584–0608. 

Expiration Date: 5/31/2019. 

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 establish a system to 

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. 

Applicant and Recipient Screening: 

The State agency must compare 

identifiable information about each 

adult household member against 

information from the NDNH. States 

must make the comparison of matched 

data at the time of application and 

recertification and must independently 

verify any positive match results. 

Verification of Match: 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 may issue 

a Request for Contact to the household 

to verify the information or contact the 

employer directly, depending upon 

applicable reporting requirements as 

defined at 7 CFR 273.12. 

Notice: 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 adjusting 

benefits accordingly. 

Burden Estimates: The previous 

burden for this collection was 252,432 

reporting hours (209,899 reporting 

burden hours for State agencies + 41,583 

reporting burden hours for households). 

The requested burden is 521,719.02 

(482,290.88 reporting burden hours for 

State agencies + 39,428.14 reporting 

burden hours for households), which 

represents an increase of 269,287.02 

hours due to program adjustments. 

There are no recordkeeping 

requirements associated with this 

collection. 

Affected Public: State and local 

agencies, households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

1,180,536.20. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 8.8567. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

10,455,713.40. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

0.04989. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 521,719.02 hours. See the 

table below for estimated total annual 

burden for each type of respondent. 

Regulation Burden activity 

Estimated 

number of 

respondents 

Estimated 

responses per 

respondent 

Estimated 

total 

annual 

responses 

Estimated 

hours per 

response 

Estimated 

total annual 

hours 

State Agency Reporting Burden 

272.2 ............................... Program Activity Statement ..................................... 0 0 0 0 0 

272.15 ............................. NDNH—Applicant/Recipient Screening ................... 53 147,162.75 7,799,626.00 0.0501 390,761.26 

272.15 ............................. NDNH—Verification of Match .................................. 53 19,886.85 1,054,003.00 0.0668 70,407.40 

272.15 ............................. NDND—Notice of Adverse Action or Notice of Denial.53 7,954.74 421,601.20 0.0501 21,122.22 

State Agency Total ........................................................................................ 53 175,004.34 9,275,230.20 0.051997726 482,290.88 

Household Reporting Burden 

272.15 ............................. NDNH—Response to Request for Contact ............. 758,882.00 1.00 758,882.00 0.0334 25,346.66

272.15 ............................. NDNH—Response to Notice of Adverse Action or 

Notice of Denial.

421,601.20 1.00 421,601.20 0.0334 14,081.48 

Household Reporting Total ............................................................................ 1,180,483.20 1 1,180,483.20 0.0334 39,428.14 

Grand Totals ........................................................................................... 1,180,536.20 8.856749501 10,455,713.40 0.049897984 521,719.02 

54 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 

Pamilyn Miller, 

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–29007 Filed 12–31–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Privacy Act of 1974; Computer 

Matching Program 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service 

(FNS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of reestablished 

matching program. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Privacy Act of 1974, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food 

and Nutrition Service (FNS) is 

providing notice of a reestablished 

computer matching program between 

FNS and the State agencies that 

administer the Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP). The 

matching program allows State agencies 

access to the Electronic Disqualified 

Recipient System (eDRS), a national 

database operated by FNS. The system 

maintains records of SNAP 

disqualifications imposed by State 

agencies on individuals who have been 

found to have committed an intentional 

program violation (IPV). State agencies 

need access to nationwide 

disqualification information to meet 

program integrity requirements because 

a disqualification in any State applies to 

SNAP nationally. Matches against eDRS 

enhance program integrity by providing 

State agencies assistance in determining 

eligibility for SNAP benefits and the 

proper disqualification length when 

imposing a new disqualification. 

DATES: The deadline for comments on 

this notice is February 3, 2021. The 

effective date of the reestablished 

matching program will be not sooner 

than 30 days from the publication of 

this notice, provided no comments are 

received that result in a contrary 

determination. The matching program 

will be conducted for an initial term of 

18 months and, within three months of 

expiration, may be renewed for one 

additional year if the parties make no 

change to the matching program and 

certify that the program has been 

conducted in compliance with the 

agreement. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may 

submit written comments on this notice 

to Maribelle Balbes, Chief, State 

Administration Branch, Program 

Accountability and Administration 

Division, SNAP, by email at 

SM.FN.SNAPSAB@usda.gov, or by mail 

at 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, 

Virginia 22314. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If 

you have questions about the matching 

program, you may contact Maribelle 

Balbes, (703) 605–4272. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 

U.S.C. 552a, provides certain 

protections for individuals applying for 

and receiving federal benefits. The law 

governs the use of computer matching 

by federal agencies when records in a 

system of records, which contains 

information about individuals that are 

retrieved by name or other personal 

identifier, are matched with records of 

other Federal, State, or local government 

records. The Privacy Act requires 

agencies involved in a matching 

program to: 

1. Obtain approval of a Computer 

Matching Agreement, prepared in 

accordance with the Privacy Act, by the 

Data Integrity Board of any Federal 

agency participating in a matching 

program. 

2. Enter into a written Computer 

Matching Agreement. 

3. Provide a report of the matching 

program to Congress and the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB), and 

make it available to the public, as 

required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o), (u)(3)(A), 

and (u)(4). 

4. Publish a notice of the matching 

program in the Federal Register as 

required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12) after 

OMB and Congress complete their 

review of the report, as provided by 

OMB Circular A–108, Federal Agency 

Responsibilities for Review, Reporting, 

and Publication under the Privacy Act. 

5. Notify the individuals whose 

information will be used in the 

matching program that the information 

they provide is subject to verification 

through matching, as required by 5 

U.S.C. 552a(o)(1)(D). 

6. Verify match findings before 

suspending, terminating, reducing, or 

making a final denial of an individual’s 

benefits or payments or taking other 

adverse action against the individual, as 

required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(p). 

This matching program meets these 

requirements. 

Participating Agencies: FNS and the 

State agencies that administer SNAP to 

include all 50 States, the District of 

Columbia, and the territories of Guam 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Authority for Conducting the 

Matching Program: The Food and 

Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act), as 

amended, 7 U.S.C. 2015(b), provides the 

legal authority for conducting the 

matching program. Section 6(b) of the 

Act, prescribes mandatory periods of 

ineligibility for persons found to have 

committed an IPV such as fraud, 

misrepresentation, or other violation of 

statute or regulation in connection with 

SNAP. Section 6(b)(4) prescribes 

regulations to ensure that appropriate 

State and Federal entities forward 

information concerning determinations 

arising out of such proscribed activity 

by a specific individual. 

Purpose: The eDRS matching program 

maintains program integrity and reduces 

payment errors by providing 

information to assist State agencies with 

establishing or verifying the eligibility 

of individuals for SNAP benefits and 

determining the appropriate 

disqualification period to be imposed 

for a new IPV as required in regulations 

at 7 CFR 273.16, Disqualification for 

intentional Program violation. Each 

State agency must submit information 

about individuals who have been 

disqualified from SNAP within their 

State to eDRS. As a participant in this 

matching program, each State agency 

has access to this national system to 

both submit the required information for 

their State and perform the required 

matches against information provided 

by all State agencies. 

Categories of Individuals: SNAP 

applicants and new household members 

are matched against eDRS as part of the 

eligibility determination process to 

ensure the individual is not currently 

disqualified from receiving benefits due 

to an IPV. Individuals who are being 

disqualified by a State agency due to a 

new IPV finding are matched against 

eDRS to assist the State agency in 

determining the appropriate duration of 

the new disqualification. 

Categories of Records: The data 

elements in eDRS provide information 

about individuals who have been 

disqualified, the disqualification details, 

and the agency that imposed the 

disqualification. State agencies submit 

this information about disqualifications 

imposed in their State and this 

information is then available to all 

participating State agencies with access 

to eDRS. State agencies use personally 

identifying information to search eDRS 

for the individual being matched. 

1. Information about the disqualified 

individual: 

• Name 

• Social security number or 

alternative ID 

• Date of birth 

• Gender 

• Alias 

2. Disqualification details: 

• Disqualification number 

• Disqualification decision date