Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Study of the Effectiveness of Efforts To Increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Among Medicare's Extra Help Population Pilot Projects, 48798-48799 [2011-20081]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 153 / Tuesday, August 9, 2011 / Notices
be made available on the USDA Web
site at https://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/
usda/usdahome?contentid=AC21Main.
xml&contentidonly=true. Members of
the public who wish to make oral
statements should also inform Dr.
Schechtman in writing or via e-mail at
the indicated addresses at least three
business days before the meeting. On
August 30, 2011, if time permits,
reasonable provision will be made for
oral presentations of no more than five
minutes each in duration.
The meeting will be open to the
public, but space is limited. If you
would like to attend the meetings, you
must register by contacting Ms. Dianne
Fowler at (202) 720–4074, by fax at
(202) 720–3191 or by e-mail at
Dianne.fowler@ars.usda.gov at least 7
days prior to the meeting. Please
provide your name, title, business
affiliation, address, telephone, and fax
number when you register. If you are a
person with a disability and request
reasonable accommodations to
participate in this meeting, please note
the request in your registration. All
reasonable accommodation requests are
managed on a case by case basis.
Dated: July 29, 2011.
Catherine E. Woteki,
Under Secretary, Research, Education and
Economics.
[FR Doc. 2011–20121 Filed 8–8–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–03–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request—Study of the
Effectiveness of Efforts To Increase
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program Participation Among
Medicare’s Extra Help Population Pilot
Projects
Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and
other public agencies to comment on
proposed information collection. The
proposed collection is a new collection
for the purpose of conducting the Study
of the Effectiveness of Efforts to Increase
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program Participation Among
Medicare’s Extra Help Population Pilot
Projects.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before October 11, 2011.
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:06 Aug 08, 2011
Jkt 223001
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 has 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
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments may be sent to: Steven
Carlson, Office of Research and
Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service/
USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room
1014, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments
may also be submitted via fax to the
attention of Steven Carlson at 703–305–
2576 or via e-mail to
Steve.Carlson@fns.usda.gov. Comments
will also be accepted through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to
https://www.regulations.gov, and follow
the online instructions for submitting
comments electronically.
All written comments will be open for
public inspection at the office of the
Food and Nutrition Service during
regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m., Monday through Friday) at 3101
Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA
22302, Room 1014.
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 Steven Carlson at
703–305–2017.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Study of the Effectiveness of
Efforts to Increase Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program
Participation Among Medicare’s Extra
Help Population Pilot Projects
Form Number: Not yet assigned.
OMB Number: 0584–New.
Expiration Date: Not yet assigned.
Type of Request: New collection of
Information.
Abstract: The Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111–
80) provides the Food and Nutrition
Service (FNS) with funds to test the
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
effectiveness of pilot projects designed
to increase elderly participation in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP; formerly known as the
Food Stamp Program). Historically,
elderly individuals who are eligible for
SNAP have the lowest participation
rates among all demographic groups.
The pilot projects will attempt to
increase participation in SNAP among
beneficiaries of Medicare’s Extra Help
by using data from Extra Help
applications that are forwarded to State
Medicaid offices. Because Extra Help
and SNAP eligibility requirements do
not directly correspond, these pilot
projects will evaluate methods of using
these Medicaid data to increase SNAP
participation among Extra Help
beneficiaries.
FNS invited State agencies to submit
grant applications to use data from the
Extra Help program to reduce the
barriers to SNAP participation
experienced by Extra Help applicants.
FNS is funding three pilot projects to
address some of these challenges
through three approaches: (1) Targeted
outreach in Washington, (2) simplified
eligibility criteria in Pennsylvania, and
(3) standardized SNAP benefits in New
Mexico.
The overarching goal of the evaluation
is to understand how the pilot programs
operated, who they served, and the
extent to which they generated any
measurable effects on participation,
cost, and SNAP benefits. As part of the
evaluation, FNS will (1) Obtain a
detailed description of each pilot
project; (2) obtain a detailed description
of the implementation process of each
pilot project; (3) assess the effect of each
pilot project on SNAP participation
among the target population; (4) assess
the effect of each pilot project on SNAP
benefits; (5) assess the federal, State,
and local administrative costs of each
pilot project, including both
implementation costs and operational
costs; (6) assess the overall pilot
experience among SNAP participants
and non-participants within the target
group; (7) assess the effect of each pilot
project on SNAP case and payment
errors; (8) assess the sustainability of
each pilot project and the prerequisites
for statewide expansion, including
describing administrative barriers that
may hinder replication of the pilot
projects, and (9) assess and compare the
relative promise of alternative models.
The information collection being
requested for this project is to address
the assessment of overall pilot
experience among SNAP participants
and eligible non-participants (objective
6 above). In order to accomplish this,
the evaluation will solicit feedback from
E:\FR\FM\09AUN1.SGM
09AUN1
48799
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 153 / Tuesday, August 9, 2011 / Notices
participants and non-participants
through a 20-minute telephone survey
and through 60-minute focus groups in
order to better understand the client
experience with SNAP in general and
the pilot project more specifically. In
pilot locations, the evaluation will also
ask about respondents’ impressions of
the pilot initiative.
Affected Public: Individuals/
Households.
Respondent Type: SNAP participants
and eligible non-participants in States
with a pilot project.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
The total estimated number of sample
members to the survey is 6,000. This
includes 1,000 individuals in New
Mexico, 2,000 in Washington, and 3,000
in Pennsylvania. The total estimated
number of respondents to the survey is
4,803, or 80% of the sample in each
State (85% of the participant sample
and 75% of the nonparticipant sample).
The total estimated number of sample
members to the focus group is 138. The
total number of focus group participants
is 110, or 80% of the focus group
sample in each State. This includes two
groups with 10 people each in
Pennsylvania, five groups with 10
people each in Washington, and four
groups with 10 people each in New
Mexico.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: For the survey, there will
be one interview per SNAP participant
or nonparticipant. Participants in the
focus groups will only participate once.
The focus group participants in each
State will be recruited from the survey
sample in that State.
Estimated Time per Response: The
estimated average response time is 20
minutes for the survey and 60 minutes
to participate in the focus group.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: The total estimated
response time is 1,659.25 hours for the
survey and 111.40 hours for the focus
groups, for a total of 1,770.65 hours. See
the table below for estimated total
annual burden.
Completed .........
1,606
1
1,606
0.333
534.80
394
1
394
0.050
19.70
Completed .........
50
1
50
1
50.00
13
1
13
0.050
0.65
Completed .........
798
1
798
0.333
265.73
202
1
202
0.050
10.10
Completed .........
40
1
40
1
40.00
Attempted ..........
10
1
10
0.050
0.50
Completed .........
2,399
1
2,399
0.333
798.87
Attempted ..........
601
1
601
0.050
30.05
Completed .........
20
1
20
1
20.00
Attempted ..........
Survey questionnaire.
Time per
respondent
(hours)
Attempted ..........
SNAP participants and eligible non-participants.
Estimated
total
annual
responses
5
1
5
0.050
0.25
............................
6,138
..................
6,138
..................
1,770.65
Type of
instrument
WA ......................
Frequency
of
responses
Attempted ..........
Respondent type
Estimated
number of
respondents
Attempted ..........
State
WA ......................
NM ......................
NM ......................
PA .......................
PA .......................
Total ............
Eligible non-participants.
SNAP participants and eligible non-participants.
Eligible non-participants.
SNAP participants and eligible non-participants.
Eligible non-participants.
............................
Focus group ......
Survey questionnaire.
Focus group ......
Survey questionnaire.
Focus group ......
............................
Dated: July 29, 2011.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
[FR Doc. 2011–20081 Filed 8–8–11; 8:45 am]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request—Characteristics
and Circumstances of Zero-Income
SNAP Households
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 3410–30–P
Food and Nutrition Service
Food and Nutrition Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:06 Aug 08, 2011
Jkt 223001
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Annual
burden
hours
notice invites the general public and
other public agencies to comment on
this proposed information collection.
This collection is a new collection for
the Food and Nutrition Service to
examine the characteristics,
circumstances, program dynamics, and
benefit redemption patterns of
participants whose households reported
zero gross income in their applications
for participation in the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Written comments on this notice
must be received on or before October
11, 2011.
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\09AUN1.SGM
09AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 153 (Tuesday, August 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48798-48799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20081]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--Study of the Effectiveness of Efforts To Increase
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Among
Medicare's Extra Help Population Pilot Projects
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 proposed information collection. The proposed collection is a new
collection for the purpose of conducting the Study of the Effectiveness
of Efforts to Increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Participation Among Medicare's Extra Help Population Pilot Projects.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 11, 2011.
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 has 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 collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
Comments may be sent to: Steven Carlson, Office of Research and
Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service/USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room
1014, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to
the attention of Steven Carlson at 703-305-2576 or via e-mail to
Steve.Carlson@fns.usda.gov. Comments will also be accepted through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov, and
follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.
All written comments will be open for public inspection at the
office of the Food and Nutrition Service during regular business hours
(8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday) at 3101 Park Center Drive,
Alexandria, VA 22302, Room 1014.
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 Steven
Carlson at 703-305-2017.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Study of the Effectiveness of Efforts to Increase
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Among
Medicare's Extra Help Population Pilot Projects
Form Number: Not yet assigned.
OMB Number: 0584-New.
Expiration Date: Not yet assigned.
Type of Request: New collection of Information.
Abstract: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L.
111-80) provides the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) with funds to
test the effectiveness of pilot projects designed to increase elderly
participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP;
formerly known as the Food Stamp Program). Historically, elderly
individuals who are eligible for SNAP have the lowest participation
rates among all demographic groups. The pilot projects will attempt to
increase participation in SNAP among beneficiaries of Medicare's Extra
Help by using data from Extra Help applications that are forwarded to
State Medicaid offices. Because Extra Help and SNAP eligibility
requirements do not directly correspond, these pilot projects will
evaluate methods of using these Medicaid data to increase SNAP
participation among Extra Help beneficiaries.
FNS invited State agencies to submit grant applications to use data
from the Extra Help program to reduce the barriers to SNAP
participation experienced by Extra Help applicants. FNS is funding
three pilot projects to address some of these challenges through three
approaches: (1) Targeted outreach in Washington, (2) simplified
eligibility criteria in Pennsylvania, and (3) standardized SNAP
benefits in New Mexico.
The overarching goal of the evaluation is to understand how the
pilot programs operated, who they served, and the extent to which they
generated any measurable effects on participation, cost, and SNAP
benefits. As part of the evaluation, FNS will (1) Obtain a detailed
description of each pilot project; (2) obtain a detailed description of
the implementation process of each pilot project; (3) assess the effect
of each pilot project on SNAP participation among the target
population; (4) assess the effect of each pilot project on SNAP
benefits; (5) assess the federal, State, and local administrative costs
of each pilot project, including both implementation costs and
operational costs; (6) assess the overall pilot experience among SNAP
participants and non-participants within the target group; (7) assess
the effect of each pilot project on SNAP case and payment errors; (8)
assess the sustainability of each pilot project and the prerequisites
for statewide expansion, including describing administrative barriers
that may hinder replication of the pilot projects, and (9) assess and
compare the relative promise of alternative models.
The information collection being requested for this project is to
address the assessment of overall pilot experience among SNAP
participants and eligible non-participants (objective 6 above). In
order to accomplish this, the evaluation will solicit feedback from
[[Page 48799]]
participants and non-participants through a 20-minute telephone survey
and through 60-minute focus groups in order to better understand the
client experience with SNAP in general and the pilot project more
specifically. In pilot locations, the evaluation will also ask about
respondents' impressions of the pilot initiative.
Affected Public: Individuals/Households.
Respondent Type: SNAP participants and eligible non-participants in
States with a pilot project.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
sample members to the survey is 6,000. This includes 1,000 individuals
in New Mexico, 2,000 in Washington, and 3,000 in Pennsylvania. The
total estimated number of respondents to the survey is 4,803, or 80% of
the sample in each State (85% of the participant sample and 75% of the
nonparticipant sample). The total estimated number of sample members to
the focus group is 138. The total number of focus group participants is
110, or 80% of the focus group sample in each State. This includes two
groups with 10 people each in Pennsylvania, five groups with 10 people
each in Washington, and four groups with 10 people each in New Mexico.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: For the survey, there
will be one interview per SNAP participant or nonparticipant.
Participants in the focus groups will only participate once. The focus
group participants in each State will be recruited from the survey
sample in that State.
Estimated Time per Response: The estimated average response time is
20 minutes for the survey and 60 minutes to participate in the focus
group.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The total estimated
response time is 1,659.25 hours for the survey and 111.40 hours for the
focus groups, for a total of 1,770.65 hours. See the table below for
estimated total annual burden.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated
Type of Estimated Frequency total Time per Annual
State Respondent type instrument number of of annual respondent burden
respondents responses responses (hours) hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WA............................. SNAP participants Survey Completed......... 1,606 1 1,606 0.333 534.80
and eligible non- questionnaire.
participants.
Attempted......... 394 1 394 0.050 19.70
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WA............................. Eligible non- Focus group....... Completed......... 50 1 50 1 50.00
participants.
Attempted......... 13 1 13 0.050 0.65
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NM............................. SNAP participants Survey Completed......... 798 1 798 0.333 265.73
and eligible non- questionnaire.
participants.
Attempted......... 202 1 202 0.050 10.10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NM............................. Eligible non- Focus group....... Completed......... 40 1 40 1 40.00
participants.
Attempted......... 10 1 10 0.050 0.50
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PA............................. SNAP participants Survey Completed......... 2,399 1 2,399 0.333 798.87
and eligible non- questionnaire.
participants.
Attempted......... 601 1 601 0.050 30.05
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PA............................. Eligible non- Focus group....... Completed......... 20 1 20 1 20.00
participants.
Attempted......... 5 1 5 0.050 0.25
------------------------------------------------------------
Total...................... .................. .................. .................. 6,138 .......... 6,138 .......... 1,770.65
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dated: July 29, 2011.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-20081 Filed 8-8-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
