19470 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 64 / Monday, April 4, 2022 / Notices 

7See https://sam.gov/content/assistance-listings. 

1Phillips, D., Bell, L., Morgan, R., & Pooler, J. 

(2014). Transition to EBT in WIC: Review of impact 

and examination of participant redemption 

patterns: Final report. Retrieved from https://

altarum.org/sites/default/files/uploadedpublication-files/Altarum_Transition%20to%20

WIC%20EBT_Final%20Report_071614.pdf. 

2National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 

and Medicine. (2017). Review of WIC food 

participation in ELRP do not constitute 

major Federal actions that would 

significantly affect the quality of the 

human environment, individually or 

cumulatively. Therefore, FSA will not 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement for this 

action and this document serves as 

documentation of the programmatic 

environmental compliance decision for 

this federal action. 

Federal Assistance Programs 

The title and number of the Federal 

assistance programs, as found in the 

Assistance Listing 7 (formerly referred to 

as the Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance), to which this document 

applies is 10.148—Emergency Livestock 

Relief Program. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family or 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (for example, 

braille, large print, audiotape, American 

Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 or 844–433– 

2774 (toll-free nationwide). 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at https://

www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410 or email: OAC@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Zach Ducheneaux, 

Administrator, Farm Service Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06950 Filed 4–1–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Reasons for 

Underredemption of the WIC CashValue Benefit 

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. 

This collection is a NEW information 

collection. This study informs the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s Food and 

Nutrition Service (FNS) about the 

reasons behind underredemption of the 

cash-value benefit (CVB) issued to 

participants in the Special 

Supplemental Nutrition Program for 

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). In 

particular, the American Rescue Plan 

Act of 2021 (ARPA), which was signed 

into law in March 2021, included 

provisions allowing the USDA to 

temporarily increase the CVV/B for 

certain food packages through 

September 30, 2021. This increased CVB 

amount may reduce barriers to full 

utilization of the benefit. FNS is 

particularly interested in how State 

agency policies and practices as well as 

the temporary benefit increase affects 

CVB redemption rates. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before June 3, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to 

Ruth Morgan, Food and Nutrition 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 

22314. Comments may also be 

submitted via fax to the attention of 

Ruth Morgan at 703–305–2576 or via 

email at ruth.morgan@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 Ruth Morgan at 

703–457–7759. 

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: Reasons for Underredemption of 

the WIC Cash-Value Benefit. 

Form Number: N/A. 

OMB Number: Not Yet Assigned. 

Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined. 

Type of Request: New Collection. 

Abstract: The Special Supplemental 

Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, 

and Children (WIC) provides nutritious 

supplemental foods, healthcare 

referrals, breastfeeding support, and 

nutrition education to low-income 

pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum 

women, infants and children up to age 

5 who are at nutritional risk. A Final 

Rule, Special Supplemental Nutrition 

Program for Women, Infants, and 

Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC 

Food Packages, was published in the 

Federal Register on March 4, 2014 (79 

FR 12274) that revised the WIC food 

packages to add a monthly cash-value 

benefit (CVB) for the purchase of fruits 

and vegetables. This rule also detailed 

specific provisions for the value of the 

CVB, the types of fruits and vegetables 

authorized, and other State options for 

providing this benefit. Recent studies 

have estimated that redemption rates for 

CVBs range from 73 percent to 77 

percent; 1 2 however, the reasons for 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 64 / Monday, April 4, 2022 / Notices 19471 

packages: Improving balance and choice: Final 

report. Washington, DC: The National Academies 

Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/23655. 

3USDA FNS (2021). WIC Policy Memorandum 

#2021–3: State Agency Option to Temporarily 

Increase the Cash-Value Voucher/Benefit for Fruit 

and Vegetable Purchases. Retrieved from: https://

www.fns.usda.gov/wic/policy-memorandum-2021- 

3. 

4USDA FNS (2021). WIC Policy Memorandum 

#2022–2: Extending the Temporary Increase in the 

Cash-Value Voucher/Benefit. Retrieved from: 

https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/policy-memo-2022-2- 

extending-temporary-increase-cash-value-voucherbenefit. 

5Local agencies and clinics may be either 

government or nonprofit organizations. It is 

assumed that no contacted local agencies or clinics 

will refuse to participate. 

underredemption of this benefit have 

not been fully explored. FNS has funded 

this study to determine the barriers to 

CVB redemption and the effects of State 

agency policies, practices, and other 

factors on CVB redemption rates. 

There are a variety of WIC State 

agency policies and practices that may 

contribute to CVB underredemption, 

including but not limited to: Vendor 

authorization and selection policies, the 

forms of fruits and vegetables allowed, 

vendor minimum stocking 

requirements, and participant tools and 

training available. Other State and 

household factors may also affect 

redemption rates, such as geographic 

access to WIC vendors or household 

preferences for certain types of fruits 

and vegetables. In addition, the 

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 

(ARPA), which was signed into law on 

March 11, 2021 (Pub. L. 117–2), 

included provisions allowing the USDA 

to temporarily increase the CVV/B for 

certain food packages through 

September 30, 2021. This provision 

increased the current monthly amounts 

from $9 for children and $11 for women 

to up to $35 monthly.3 On September 

30, 2021, Congress passed Public Law 

117–43 (Extending Government 

Funding and Delivering Emergency 

Assistance Act) to extend the CVB 

increase until December 31, 2021. This 

extension aligned WIC benefit levels 

with the National Academies of 

Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 

(NASEM) recommendations of $24/ 

month for children, $43/month for 

pregnant and postpartum participants, 

and $47/month for breastfeeding 

participants. On December 2, 2021, 

Congress passed Public Law 117–70 

(Further Extending Government 

Funding Act) which further extended 

the CVB benefit at the NASEMrecommended amounts through March 

31, 2022.4 These increased CVB 

amounts may reduce barriers to full 

utilization of the benefit. The temporary 

CVB increase offers a unique 

opportunity to test whether CVB 

redemption rates changed after 

implementation and whether certain 

State policy and participant-level factors 

impacted these rate changes. 

In order to identify the factors 

associated with CVB redemption and 

examine the effects of State agency 

policies and practices on CVB 

redemption rates, FNS is conducting a 

study in 12 States, with more in-depth 

data collection occurring in 8 of these 

States. The study will gather data from 

WIC State agency staff, administrative 

records, and WIC participants. 

Administrative record collection will 

include electronic benefit transfer (EBT) 

data previously collected from 12 State 

agencies for the WIC Food Cost 

Containment Practices study (OMB 

Number 0584–0627 WIC Food Package 

Costs and Cost Containment Study, 

Discontinued 09/30/2020) as well as 

EBT and certification data from 8 States 

for a 11-month period during which 

States implemented the CVB increase in 

2021–2022. EBT data will be used to 

calculate rates in each of the 12 study 

State agencies and, in conjunction with 

the policy data, will be used to assess 

the ways in which redemption rates 

vary with differences in policies and 

practices. Participant and State agency 

staff interviews in 8 of the 12 States will 

be used to understand the factors that 

are most salient to participants in 

making decisions about purchasing 

fruits and vegetables with their CVB and 

barriers to redemption. 

Affected Public: (1) State, local, and 

tribal governments; (2) nonprofits; and 

(3) individuals/households. Identified 

respondent groups include the 

following: 

1. State, local, and tribal 

governments: State agency staff and 

database administrators in eight States, 

local agency staff at twelve local 

agencies, and clinic staff at twelve 

clinics. 

2. Nonprofits: Staff at four local 

agencies and four WIC clinics.5

3. Individuals: WIC participants in 

eight study States. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

The total estimated number of 

respondents is 625 (40 State and local 

government staff, 8 nonprofit staff, and 

577 individuals). Of the 625 

respondents to be contacted, 505 are 

expected to be responsive, and 120 are 

expected to be nonresponsive. The 

breakout follows: 

1. 40 State and local government staff: 

Of 16 State agency staff to be contacted 

across 8 States, 16 are expected to be 

responsive; of 12 local agency staff 

contacted across 12 local agencies, 12 

are expected to be responsive; of 12 

clinic staff contacted across 12 clinics, 

12 are expected to be responsive. 

2. 8 nonprofit staff: Of 4 local agency 

staff contacted across 4 local agencies, 4 

are expected to be responsive; of 4 clinic 

staff to be contacted across 4 clinics, 4 

are expected to be responsive. 

3. 577 individuals: 9 individuals are 

expected to participate in a pretest. Of 

577 individuals to be contacted for the 

main study, 457 are expected to be 

responsive, with 120 non-responsive. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 4.01across the entire 

collection. This is based on the 

estimated 2,505 total annual responses 

(2,225 responsive and 280 

nonresponsive) to be made by the 625 

respondents. See table 1 for the 

estimated number of responses per 

respondent for each type of respondent. 

The breakout follows: 

1. WIC State agency staff: Eight WIC 

State agency staff will be asked to 

complete one semi-structured telephone 

interview each. Prior to interviews, 

State agency staff will receive advance 

communications about the study (a 

letter and FAQ sheet); the same State 

agency staff will receive a recruitment 

email and take part in a recruitment 

call. 

2. Database administrator: Database 

administrators from each of the eight 

State agencies will be asked to respond 

to the EBT and certification data 

requests. 

3. WIC local agency staff (including 

state, local, and tribal governments and 

non-profits): 16 WIC local agency staff 

(12 from State, local, or tribal 

government and 4 from non-profits) will 

be asked to assist with coordination of 

WIC participant recruitment for the 

study. These 16 WIC local agency staff 

will receive advance communications 

about the study (a letter and FAQ sheet); 

the same WIC local agency staff will 

receive a recruitment email and take 

part in a recruitment call. 

4. WIC clinic staff (including state, 

local, and tribal governments and nonprofits): 16 WIC clinic staff (12 from 

State, local, or tribal government and 4 

from non-profits) will be asked to assist 

with coordination of WIC participant 

recruitment for the study. These 16 WIC 

clinic staff will receive advance 

communications about the study (a 

letter and FAQ sheet); the same WIC 

clinic staff will receive a recruitment 

email and take part in a recruitment 

call. 

5. Individuals (WIC participants): The 

estimated total number of responses per 

all of the individuals (WIC participants) 

in the study is 4.0. In total, nine 


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19472 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 64 / Monday, April 4, 2022 / Notices 

individuals will participate in a pretest. 

568 individuals will receive a study 

brochure; of these, 448 are expected to 

participate in an eligibility screener for 

a telephone interview. Of the 328 who 

are eligible to participate, 288 are 

expected to participate in a telephone 

interview and complete the consent 

form. Forty individuals are expected to 

decline participation and not complete 

the consent form. All 288 individuals 

who complete consent forms are 

expected to participate in the interviews 

and the demographic survey. A total of 

104 individuals are expected to receive 

reminder calls about participating in a 

telephone interview. FNS estimates that 

120 of the WIC participants will be nonresponsive. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

2,505 (2,225 annual responses for 

responsive participants and 280 annual 

responses for nonresponsive 

participants). 

Estimated Time per Response: The 

estimated average response time is 0.13 

hours for all respondents (0.14 hours for 

responsive participants and 0.05 hours 

for nonresponsive participants). The 

estimated time of response varies from 

30 seconds (0.0083 hours) to 2.5 hours 

depending on respondent group and 

activity, as shown in table 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 327.83 hours (313.80 

hours for responsive participants, and 

14.03 hours for nonresponsive 

participants). See table 1 for estimated 

total annual burden for each type of 

respondent. 

TABLE 1—TOTAL PUBLIC BURDEN HOURS AND RESPONDENT COSTS

Respondent 

category 

Type of 

respondent 

Instruments 

and activi- ties 

Sample 

size 

Responsive Nonresponsive Grand total 

annual 

burden 

estimate 

(hours) 

Number of 

respondents 

Frequency of response Total 

annual 

responses 

Hours per 

response 

Annual 

burden 

(hours) 

Number of non- respondents Frequency of response Total 

annual 

responses 

Hours per 

response 

Annual 

burden 

(hours) 

State, Local, and Tribal Government 

State, 

Local, 

and Tribal 

Government.

WIC State 

agency 

staff.

Advance 

communications 

(letter).

8 8 1 8 0.10 0.80 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.80 

WIC State 

agency 

staff.

Advance 

communications 

(FAQ 

sheet).

8 8 1 8 0.10 0.80 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.80 

WIC State 

agency 

staff.

Recruitment 

call.

8 8 1 8 0.75 6.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 6.00 

WIC State 

agency 

staff.

Reminder 

email.

8 8 1 8 0.05 0.40 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.40 

WIC State 

agency 

staff.

Telephone 

interviews 

with up to 

two staff 

per State.

8 8 1 8 1.00 8.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 8.00 

Database 

administrator.

EBT data ... 8 8 1 8 1.50 12.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 12.00 

Database 

administrator.

Certification 

data.

8 8 1 8 2.50 20.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 20.00 

WIC State agency staff 

subtotal 

16 16 4 56 0.86 48.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 48.00 

WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Advance 

communications 

(letter).

12 12 1 12 0.10 1.20 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 1.20 

WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Advance 

communications 

(FAQ 

sheet).

12 12 1 12 0.10 1.20 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 1.20 

WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Recruitment 

call.

12 12 1 12 0.75 9.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 9.00 

WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Reminder 

email.

12 12 1 12 0.05 0.60 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.60 

WIC local agency staff 

subtotal 

12 12 4 48 0.25 12.01 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 12.01 

Clinic staff Advance 

communications 

(letter).

12 12 1 12 0.10 1.20 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 1.20 

Clinic staff Advance 

communications 

(FAQ 

sheet).

12 12 1 12 0.10 1.20 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 1.20 

Clinic staff Recruitment 

call.

12 12 1 12 0.75 9.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 9.00 

Clinic staff Reminder 

email.

12 12 1 12 0.05 0.60 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.60 

Clinic staff subtotal 12 12 4 48 0.25 12.01 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 12 


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I I I I I I I I I I 
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 64 / Monday, April 4, 2022 / Notices 19473 

TABLE 1—TOTAL PUBLIC BURDEN HOURS AND RESPONDENT COSTS—Continued 

Respondent 

category 

Type of 

respondent 

Instruments 

and activi- ties 

Sample 

size 

Responsive Nonresponsive Grand total 

annual 

burden 

estimate 

(hours) 

Number of 

respondents 

Frequency of response Total 

annual 

responses 

Hours per 

response 

Annual 

burden 

(hours) 

Number of non- respondents Frequency of response Total 

annual 

responses 

Hours per 

response 

Annual 

burden 

(hours) 

State and local government subtotal 40 40 4 152 0.47 72.02 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 72 

Nonprofit 

Nonprofit .... WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Advance 

communications 

(letter).

4 4 1 4 0.10 0.40 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.40 

WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Advance 

communications 

(FAQ 

sheet).

4 4 1 4 0.10 0.40 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.40 

WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Recruitment 

call.

4 4 1 4 0.75 3.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 3.00 

WIC local 

agency 

staff.

Reminder 

email.

4 4 1 4 0.05 0.20 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.20 

WIC local agency staff 

subtotal 

4 4 4 16 0.25 4.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 4.00 

Clinic staff Advance 

communications 

(letter).

4 4 1 4 0.10 0.40 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.40 

Clinic staff Advance 

communications 

(FAQ 

sheet).

4 4 1 4 0.10 0.40 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.40 

Clinic staff Recruitment 

call.

4 4 1 4 0.75 3.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 3.00 

Clinic staff Reminder 

email.

4 4 1 4 0.05 0.20 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.20 

Clinic staff subtotal 4 4 4 16 0.25 4.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 4.00 

Nonprofit subtotal 8 8 4 32 0.25 8.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 8.00 

Individuals 

Individuals WIC participants.Pretest ....... 9 9 1 9 0.75 6.75 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 6.75 

WIC participants.Study brochure.568 448 1 448 0.05 22.44 120 1 120 0.05 6.01 28.46 

WIC participants.Eligibility 

screener 

form.

448 328 1 328 0.05 16.43 120 1 120 0.05 6.01 22.44 

WIC participants.Reminder 

call.

104 104 1 104 0.0083 0.86 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.86 

WIC participants.Consent 

form.

328 288 1 288 0.03 9.62 40 1 40 0.05 2.00 11.62 

WIC participants.Interview 

protocol.

288 288 1 288 0.50 144.00 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 144.00 

WIC participants.Demographic 

survey.

288 288 1 288 0.07 19.24 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 19.24 

WIC participants.Thank-you 

note.

288 288 1 288 0.05 14.43 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 14.43 

Individual subtotal 577 457 4.47 2,041 0.11 233.78 120 2.33 280 0.05 14.03 247.81 

Total 625 505 4.41 2,225 0.14 313.80 120 2.33 280 0.05 14.03 327.83 

Cynthia Long, 

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–07020 Filed 4–1–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Notice of Public Meeting of the Indiana 

Advisory Committee to the U.S. 

Commission on Civil Rights 

AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil 

Rights. 

ACTION: Announcement of meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the U.S. Commission 

on Civil Rights (Commission) and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act that 

the Indiana Advisory Committee 

(Committee) to the U.S. Commission on 

Civil Rights will hold a meeting via 

WebEx on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at 

2:00 p.m. Eastern time for the purpose 

of discussing the concept stage in the 

planning process and exploring civil 

right topics for the Committee’s project. 

DATES: The meeting will take place on 

Thursday, April 7, 2022, from 2:00 

p.m.–3:00 p.m. Eastern time. 

Meeting Link (Audio/Visual): https:// 

bit.ly/35aQ6aE. 

Telephone (Audio Only): Dial 800– 

360–9505 USA Toll Free; Access code: 

2762 940 4465. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ivy 

Davis, DFO, at idavis@usccr.gov or (202) 

376–7533. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES