[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40454-40461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15912]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Assessing Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants' Fitness for Work

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 this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for: 
(1) Documenting the policies and guidelines used for making fitness for 
work determinations by all 53 State Agencies, which include the States, 
the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam; (2) 
describing the process State Agencies use for making fitness for work 
determinations; (3) determining any general patterns and trends in 
fitness for work and good cause determinations within and across four 
case study States; and (4) determining how closely caseworkers follow 
the States' fitness for work and good cause determination policies and 
requirements and the challenges they face in applying the policy in 
four case study States.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 27, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Eric Sean Williams, Food and 
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 
Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-305-2640. Comments may also be submitted via 
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#086d7a616b267f6164646169657b487d7b6c69266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fc998e959fd28b959090959d918fbc898f989dd29b938a">[email protected]</span></a>. 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.

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: Assessing SNAP Participants' Fitness for Work.
    Form Number: Not Applicable.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
    Type of Request: New Collection.
    Abstract: The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 requires that 
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) participants between 
the ages 16 and 59 to meet certain work requirements, unless they are 
exempt or show good cause as to why they cannot work. Whether a 
participant is required to meet these work requirements is based upon a 
SNAP eligibility worker (caseworker) making a determination whether an 
individual is exempt from these work requirements, including a 
determination whether the individual is physically or mentally unfit 
for work. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition 
Service (FNS) offers general guidance and States develop their own 
policies and procedures with little input from FNS. States are given a 
great degree of latitude in making determinations regarding unfitness 
for work exemptions. FNS has contracted with MEF Associates and its 
subcontractor, Mathematica, to conduct a study to better understand how 
States determine whether individuals are exempted from work 
requirements or have good cause for not meeting work requirements due 
to a physical or mental limitation. By surveying all 53 State SNAP 
Agencies, which include the States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. 
Virgin Islands, and Guam, and conducting in-depth case studies of four 
States, this study will provide FNS with valuable insights into how 
States develop and implement policies and procedures for making fitness 
for work determinations. This information can help FNS assess States' 
needs for technical assistance around fitness for work issues and 
identify lessons learned to share across all State SNAP Agencies.
    Affected Public: Members of the public affected by the data 
collection include individuals and households, State and local 
governments, and business, not-for-profit, or other for-profit Agencies 
administering SNAP E&T programs.
    Survey: After survey recruitment, FNS anticipates 100 percent 
participation from the State government Agencies. We will reach out to 
53 State or territory SNAP directors to complete a survey and 
anticipate that all these SNAP directors will agree to participate in 
the survey. Each SNAP director may designate up to three staff to 
complete sections of the survey, accounting for an additional 159 State 
or territory staff participating as respondents (212 survey respondents 
total). This is the highest possible number of survey respondents; FNS 
expects fewer to participate in the survey.
    Case Studies: FNS will reach out to a maximum of six States 
Agencies to participate in in-depth case studies and expects four to 
participate. The case studies will involve semi-structured interviews 
with program administrators and staff of State SNAP agencies, local 
offices, and businesses or other agencies that provide SNAP E&T 
services. After recruiting the four state SNAP agencies, FNS expects 
two selected local SNAP agencies and two local SNAP E&T providers to 
participate in each State. The case studies will also include 
observations of staff-participant interactions during eligibility 
interviews. The eligibility interviews that will be observed will not 
be recorded and no personally identifiable information will be recorded 
during the observations. FNS expects that approximately 25 percent of 
individuals/households invited to participate will choose not to 
participate and oversampled to account for nonresponse.
    Respondent groups identified for the survey and case studies 
include the following:
    <bullet> State Agency SNAP Directors (53 survey respondents, 0 
survey nonrespondents, 4 case study recruitment respondents, 2 case 
study recruitment nonrespondents, 4 case study interview respondents, 
and 0 case study nonrespondents).
    <bullet> State Agency SNAP policy staff (159 survey respondents, 24 
case study interview respondents, and 0 survey or case study 
nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Local SNAP office administrator (8 case study respondents 
and 0 case study nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Local SNAP office supervisor (8 case study respondents and 
0 case study nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Local SNAP office frontline staff (64 case study interview 
respondents and 0

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case study interview nonrespondents, 8 case study one-on-one 
observation participants, 0 case study observation nonparticipants).
    <bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider administrators from business 
or other for profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0 
case study interview nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider supervisors from business or 
other for profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0 
case study interview nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from business 
or other for profit agencies (32 case study interview respondents and 0 
case study interview nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider administrators from not for 
profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0 case study 
interview nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider supervisors from not for 
profit agencies (4 case study interview respondents and 0 case study 
interview nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Business--SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from not for 
profit agencies (32 case study interview respondents and 0 case study 
interview nonrespondents).
    <bullet> Individual/household--SNAP applicants (24 case study one-
on-one observation participants, 6 case study one-on-one observation 
nonrespondents).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
respondents is 408. This includes:
    <bullet> 53 State or territory SNAP directors will be asked to 
complete the survey (100 percent of whom will complete the survey 
instrument) and a max of 6 of whom will participate in a case study 
recruitment call (75 percent of whom will then participate in a semi-
structured interview).
    <bullet> 159 State or territory SNAP policy staff will be asked to 
complete the survey (100 percent of whom will complete the survey 
instrument; 24 of whom will participate in a semi-structured 
interview).
    <bullet> 8 local SNAP office administrators will participate in a 
semi-structured interview.
    <bullet> 8 local SNAP office supervisors will participate in a 
semi-structured interview.
    <bullet> 64 local SNAP office frontline staff will participate in a 
semi-structured interview (8 of whom will participate in one-on-one 
observations).
    <bullet> 4 SNAP E&T provider administrators from business not-for-
profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
    <bullet> 4 SNAP E&T supervisors from business not-for-profit 
agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
    <bullet> 32 SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from business not-
for-profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
    <bullet> 4 SNAP E&T provider administrators from business or other 
for-profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
    <bullet> 4 SNAP E&T supervisors from business or other for-profit 
agencies will participate in a semi-structured interview.
    <bullet> 32 SNAP E&T provider frontline staff from business or 
other for-profit agencies will participate in a semi-structured 
interview.
    <bullet> 30 SNAP applicants (individuals/households) will be asked 
to participate in one-on-one observation (24 will go on to participate 
and 6 will not go on to fully participate).
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.2425. Each 
respondent completing a survey section will do so only once. State SNAP 
directors recruited for the case studies will each participate in one 
recruitment call. Each case study interview respondent will participate 
in one semi-structured interview. Staff participating in observations 
will participate in one observation. SNAP applicants participating in 
observations will participate in one observation each.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 497.
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.622 hours.
    The estimated time of response varies from 0.1667 to 4 hours (10 
minutes to 240 minutes) depending on the respondent group and activity, 
as shown in the table below, with an average estimated time of 0.622 
hours (37 minutes) for all responses. The average estimated time is 
calculated by dividing the 329 estimated total hours for responses in 
the table below by the 497 total estimated responses. The estimated 
average time for the non-respondent is 0.4 hours (24 minutes) for all 
non-responses. The average estimated time is calculated by dividing the 
3.2 estimated total hours for non-respondents in the table below by the 
8 total estimated non-responses.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 332 hours. See the 
table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of 
respondent by data collection activity including the non-responses.
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P

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Timothy English,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-15912 Filed 7-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-C


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