Food and Nutrition Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection for determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk in schools as stated in 7 CFR Part 245. These federal requirements affect eligibility under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and the Special Milk Program and are also applicable to the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program when individual eligibility must be established. The current approval for the information collection burden associated with 7 CFR Part 245 expires on March 31, 2013. The revisions being requested are from rulemaking and are also from revisions made to a form associated with this information collection.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. This is a new information collection in which Food and Nutrition Service seeks an updated description of Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) participants and programs, and a better understanding of why FDPIR participation has been declining. This study will provide national estimates of participating households as well as estimates for large subgroups, such as households with elderly participants. For a sample of Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) or State-administered FDPIR programs, participating households will be selected for data collection. Data collection will consist of case record reviews (abstracting standard eligibility information for all household members) and, for each selected household, interviews with the person who applied for FDPIR assistance (noted as the Head of Household on some forms) or his/her proxy. Site visits will be conducted to a subset of the ITOs or State-administered programs to obtain qualitative information on program operations and experiences of FDPIR participants and eligible nonparticipants. Site visit data collection will include interviews with Tribal leaders, FDPIR administrators and staff, and other service providers; visits to FDPIR enrollment sites, warehouses, and distribution sites; and discussion groups with FDPIR participants and eligible nonparticipants. Information obtained will provide updated information on FDPIR participants and program operations and will be used by FNS to inform decisions regarding program administration and to identify ways to make the program more beneficial to participants.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this existing information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection for reporting school programs data on a monthly basis for the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Special Milk Program.

This rule proposes to codify several provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 affecting the management of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The Department is proposing to require institutions to submit an initial CACFP application to the State agency and, in subsequent years, periodically update the information in lieu of submitting a new application; require sponsoring organizations to vary the timing of reviews of sponsored facilities; require State agencies to develop and provide for the use of a standard permanent agreement between sponsoring organizations and day care centers; allow tier II day care homes to collect household income information and transmit it to the sponsoring organization; modify the method of determining administrative payments to sponsoring organizations of day care homes by basing payments on a formula; and allow sponsoring organizations of day care homes to carry over up to 10 percent of their administrative funding from the previous fiscal year into the next fiscal year. This rule also proposes to incorporate several changes to the application and renewal process which are expected to improve the management of CACFP and to make a number of miscellaneous technical changes.

The Food and Nutrition Service published an interim final rule entitled ``National School Lunch Program: School Food Service Account Revenue Amendments Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010'' on June 17, 2011. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) cleared the associated information collection requirements (ICR) on February 6, 2012. This document announces approval of the ICR.

This Notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. These guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and Commodity School Program), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program. The annual adjustments are required by section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The guidelines are intended to direct benefits to those children most in need and are revised annually to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for the Food and Nutrition Service to update and build upon previous research conducted in the 1990's, the WIC Infant Feeding Practices (WIC IFPS-1). The currently planned study will provide contemporary information on the feeding practices of this specific population of children enrolled in WIC over the first two years of their lives. It will determine the prevalence of particular feeding practices in the WIC population, and assess whether the new WIC food packages, instituted in 2009, have influenced those feeding practices, specifically as it relates to breastfeeding rates. This study will also examine the circumstances and influences that shape a mother's feeding decisions for their child and describe the impact of these decisions throughout early child development.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection which FNS employs to determine public participation in Special Milk Program for Children.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved information collection for the Special Nutrition Program Operations Study (SNPOS).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed information collection for the FNS-245, Negative Case Action Review Schedule and updates the status of the FNS-248, Status of Sample Selection and Completion. The FNS-245 is currently used in the Quality Control process for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the FNS-248 will be removed from this collection as it has been eliminated as a FNS form through regulatory change. The proposed collection is a revision of a collection currently approved under OMB No. 0584-0034.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a revision to a previous data collection to understand better the shopping patterns of SNAP participants at farmers' markets. The purpose of this collection is for the Food and Nutrition Service to understand how private organizations operate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) financial incentive programs for clients purchasing fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. Information collected will be used to examine how these organizations design, operate, and evaluate incentive programs to encourage SNAP clients to shop for fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. It will also assist in assessing how much these programs influence the purchase of fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets using SNAP benefits.

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 revision of a currently approved collection under OMB No.0584-0025, Civil Rights Title VI Collection ReportsForms FNS-191 and FNS-101, for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

This rule proposes to amend the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) regulations to incorporate provisions of the Healthy, Hunger- Free Kids Act of 2010 designed to encourage States to improve direct certification efforts with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The provisions would require State agencies to meet certain direct certification performance benchmarks and to develop and implement continuous improvement plans if they fail to do so. This rule also proposes to amend NSLP and SNAP regulations to provide for the collection of data elements needed to compute each State's direct certification performance rate to compare with the new benchmarks.

This rule proposes to amend regulations for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). The changes are intended to simplify and improve the administration of and expand access to FDPIR, and promote conformity with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). First, the Department proposes an amendment that would eliminate household resources from consideration when determining FDPIR eligibility. Second, to more closely align FDPIR and SNAP regulations, the Department proposes to expand the current FDPIR income deduction for Medicare Part B Medical Insurance and Part D Prescription Drug Coverage premiums to include other monthly medical expenses in excess of $35 for households with elderly and/or disabled members. This rule also proposes to establish an income deduction for shelter and utility expenses. Finally, the Department proposes verification requirements related to the proposed income deductions and revisions to the household reporting requirements that will more closely align FDPIR and SNAP regulations.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a revision to a previous data collection regarding Farmers' Market Operations. The purpose of this collection is for the Food and Nutrition Service to examine the reasons behind the shopping decision at farmers' markets among recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service published a final rule in the Federal Register on October 28, 2011 (76 FR 66849), concerning changes to eligibility determinations for free and reduced price school meals to implement nondiscretionary provisions of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. It also finalized the changes set forth in the interim rule published on November 13, 2007 (72 CFR 63785). This document corrects an amendment to provide additional amendatory language for text that was set out in 7 CFR 245.6(c)(3)(ii). All other information remained unchanged.

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 for the Community Eligibility Option Evaluation.

This rule finalizes changes to eligibility determinations for free and reduced price school meals to implement nondiscretionary provisions of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. This rule also finalizes the following changes set forth in the interim rule published on November 13, 2007 (72 FR 63785)addition of a statutory definition of ``local educational agency,'' specification that a family only has to submit one application for all children in the household as long as they attend schools in the same local educational agency, and requirements to enhance descriptive materials distributed to families. This rule finalizes requirements for electronically-submitted applications, electronic signatures, and use and disclosure standards for such applications. This rule also finalizes year-long eligibility for free or reduced price school meals, unless the household chooses to decline a level of benefits. These changes are intended to provide children with increased access to the school nutrition programs by simplifying the certification process, streamlining program operations, and improving program management.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. This is a new information for the ``Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth Study,'' part of the USDA's People's Garden program. This study will use the network of Cooperative Extension Educators to collect information from children in schools that have agreed to participate in the study in four states: Arkansas, Iowa, New York, and Washington. The information collected will build on existing knowledge by examining how school gardens affect children's fruit and vegetable consumption and other outcomes.

This final rule incorporates into the regulations governing the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) several changes set forth in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFK Act). These provisions address: certification periods for children participating in the WIC Program; increased emphasis on breastfeeding promotion and support; compiling and publishing data for partially and fully breastfed infants; sharing nutrition education materials with institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP); and infant formula (and other foods) rebate management.

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 screening SNAP applicants during the certification process using the Prisoner Verification System (PVS) and the Deceased Matching System to determine eligibility. FNS plans to merge these requirements with data collection OMB 0584-0492, SNAP Repayment Demand and Program Disqualification, once approved by OMB.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this revision to a currently approved collection. The information collection involves the use of a Web-based pre-screening tool for the general public to use to determine potential eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Section 6(k) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (``the Act'') provides that certain individuals are not eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Such individuals include an individual fleeing to avoid prosecution, custody or confinement after conviction for committing a crime or attempting to commit a crime that is a felony under the law of the place from which the individual is fleeing (or a high misdemeanor in New Jersey) or is violating a condition of probation or parole under Federal or State law. Section 4112 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Public Law 110-246, amended Section 6(k) of the Act to require the Secretary of Agriculture to define the terms ``fleeing'' and ``actively seeking'' to ensure State agencies use consistent procedures to disqualify individuals. This rule proposes to define the terms ``fleeing'' and ``actively seeking'' and to establish procedures State agencies are to use in determining fleeing felon status. This rule also proposes criteria to identify a parole violator, verification procedures to establish an individual's status, and time frames for disqualifying an individual determined to be a fleeing felon or a parole violator.

This rule proposes to amend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAPformerly the Food Stamp Program) regulations to implement the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, (``FCEA''). Section 4133, The ``Major System Failures'' section of the FCEA, amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (``the Act'') to require the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine when a systemic State error is resulting in the overissuance of benefits to a substantial number of SNAP households and the actions the Department may take if such a determination were made. This rule proposes criteria for determining if a State experienced a systemic error that resulted in the overissuance of benefits to a substantial number of households and specifies the steps that the Department may take to collect data, instruct the State to terminate claims collection from the affected households, and issue a bill to the State for the value of the over- issuances. It also identifies the review and appeal process for any such billing.