Agency Information Collection Activities: WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2024 & 2026 Study, 41067-41074 [2023-13313]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Food and Nutrition Service

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 120 (Friday, June 23, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41067-41074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13313]


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 120 / Friday, June 23, 2023 / 
Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: WIC Participant and 
Program Characteristics 2024 & 2026 Study

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 collection is a 
reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for 
which approval has expired for the WIC Participant and Program 
Characteristics 2024 and 2026 Study.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 22, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Rachel Zack at 
[email protected]. 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 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 Rachel Zack 
at [email protected] or 703-305-2127.

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: WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2024 & 2026 
Study.
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-0609.
    Expiration Date: 12/31/2022.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously 
approved collection for which approval has expired.
    Abstract: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 
Infants, and Children (WIC) is administered by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). WIC provides 
supplemental foods, health care referrals, breastfeeding promotion and 
support, and nutrition education to nutritionally at-risk, income-
eligible pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum 
women, infants, and children up to age five years. WIC is administered 
through 89 State agencies consisting of the 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, 5 territories, and 33 Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).
    Since 1988, FNS has produced the biennial WIC Participant and 
Program Characteristics Study (PC) report that describes demographic, 
income, breastfeeding, and health-related information of a census of 
WIC participants as well as information on the benefits they receive 
through WIC. Data used to produce the PC reports are collected from 
participants by State agencies at the time of participant certification 
in WIC and then submitted to FNS biennially. FNS uses the regularly 
updated PC reports to evaluate the impact of the program, support State 
agencies, estimate budgets, submit civil rights reporting, identify 
research needs, and review current and proposed WIC policies and 
procedures.
    The WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2024 and 2026 Study 
will be the 19th and 20th completed in the biennial PC study series. 
The information collection subject to this notice includes the 
following, including a few changes and additions to the previous PC 
study collections:
    1. Collection of the WIC PC Minimum and Supplemental Data Sets from 
89 State agencies: Like all PC studies since 1992, Minimum and 
Supplemental Data Sets consisting of administrative information used by 
State agencies to certify WIC applicants and to issue benefits will be 
collected using a reference month of April of the PC reference year. 
The 20-item Minimum Data Set (e.g., birth date, race, ethnicity, 
height, weight, hemoglobin measurements) will be obtained from all 
State agency's existing Management Information Systems (MIS) and the 
11-item Supplemental Data Set (SDS) (e.g., date of first WIC 
certification, years of education, birth length) will be obtained from 
those State agencies which can provide SDS items if they are available.
    2. Collection of longitudinal WIC PC-related data from 89 State 
agencies: To enhance the utility of the PC data and allow for 
assessment of participant-level retention and health outcomes over 
time, this study will include a new pilot effort to collect up to two 
years of longitudinal retrospective PC-related data from as many State 
agencies as possible (it is possible that not all State agencies have 
the capability and capacity to provide these data). Longitudinal data 
will be collected in a similar manner as the MDS and SDS data and will 
include MDS and SDS variables over a specified time period plus any 
variables deemed necessary for useful longitudinal evaluation of WIC 
participant and program characteristics such as participant ID and date 
of first certification.
    3. Collection of WIC Electronic Benefits Transfer Data (EBT) from 4 
EBT processors and 17 State agencies: Like all PC studies since 2016, 
information on WIC food package issuance and costs will be reported for 
this study. However, this study will include a new data collection 
element that will allow for more accurate reporting on food package 
issuance and costs and will also allow for reporting on food package 
redemption. The new element will consist of collecting EBT data from 
the four WIC EBT processors and from 17 State agencies that operate EBT 
offline.
    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Government include State 
WIC

[[Page 41068]]

officials. Business and other for profit include WIC EBT processor 
staff. Respondent groups include State WIC officials and EBT processor 
staff.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of 
respondents is 364. This includes, for each of the two rounds of the 
study: 89 WIC State agency office and administrative support staff, 89 
WIC State agency state database administrators, and 4 WIC EBT processor 
staff.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.88.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,158. This includes 2,140 
responses from respondents and 18 responses from non-respondents.
    Estimated Time per Response: 64.8 minutes (1.08 hours). The 
estimated time of response varies from 3 minutes (0.05 hours) for 
reminder emails to 35 hours for running the data reports.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The total estimated 
annual burden for respondents and non-respondents is 2325.4 hours. See 
the table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of 
respondent.
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P

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Tameka Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-13313 Filed 6-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-C