Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Request-Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Integrity Study
| Published date | 07 March 2019 |
| Record Number | 2019-04090 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Food And Nutrition Service |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 45 (Thursday, March 7, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 45 (Thursday, March 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8295-8300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04090]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comments Request--Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Integrity 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 new
collection. The primary purpose of this study is to provide FNS with
information about how the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is
administered and monitored by State agencies and SFSP sponsors and
sites, and identify common SFSP integrity challenges.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 6, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Chanchalat Chanhatasilpa, Food and
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center
Drive, Room 1000, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted
via fax to the attention of Chanchalat Chanhatasilpa at 703-305-2576 or
via email to Chanchalat.Chanhatasilpa@fns.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
[[Page 8296]]
copies of this information collection should be directed to Chanchalat
Chanhatasilpa at 703-305-2115.
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: Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Integrity Study.
Form Number: Not applicable.
OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.
Type of Request: New collection.
Abstract: Congress created the SFSP in 1968 to ensure that low-
income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not
in session and they do not have access to free or low-cost meals
through the National School Lunch (NSLP) and School Breakfast Programs
(SBP). The SFSP provides free meals and snacks in congregate settings
to children in areas with high concentrations of low-income households
with children, primarily in the summer months from May to September.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers SFSP at the Federal
level. State agencies administer the program through agreements with
sponsors, including school food authorities (SFAs), local government
agencies, camps, and private nonprofit organizations. Sponsors oversee
the program at one or more eligible sites that serve the meals. Sites
are located in a variety of settings such as schools, churches, parks,
playgrounds, community and recreation centers, and camps.
Several laws aim to improve the integrity of the Federal
government's payments and the efficiency of its programs and
activities. The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010
(Pub. L. 111-204) and the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery
Improvement Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-248) require Federal agencies to
review programs and activities every three years to identify those that
may be vulnerable to significant improper payments. If results identify
any programs as high risk, agencies are required to provide valid
annual estimates of improper payments, following guidance in Office of
Management and Budget Circular A-123.
FNS's assessments of SFSP in April 2014 and May 2017 concluded that
it is at low risk for improper payments. However, recent efforts to
address summer food insecurity through improving access to SFSP have
increased program expenditures, which may lead to increased risk of
improper payments. Additionally, SFSP presents unique challenges to
ensuring program integrity and measuring improper payments. In most
cases, eligibility and reimbursement in SFSP are not based on the
household income of the individual children participating in the
program, but rather on the aggregate socioeconomic status of the area
around the site (open sites) or of the children enrolled in the program
(closed enrolled sites).\1\ By their nature, many SFSP sites are much
less structured than other meal programs,\2\ which may make training
and monitoring more challenging. Finally, the Office of Inspector
General recently reviewed SFSP to determine whether its controls were
sufficient and found several areas for improvement.\3\
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\1\ Camps receive Federal reimbursement only for meals and
snacks served to children eligible for free or reduced price meals.
\2\ SFSP offers flexibility with regard to where meals may be
served (e.g., schools, parks, churches, apartment complexes), how
meals are prepared (e.g., sites receive meals from a vendor, from
their sponsor, or the sponsor prepares meals on-site), and other
factors. Furthermore, sponsors may oversee different types of sites
(e.g., open, restricted open, closed enrolled), and may follow
different procedures to train and monitor each site type.
\3\ FNS Controls Over Summer Food Service Program, Audit Report
27601-0004-41. This audit is the first phase of a three-phase audit
on controls over SFSP.
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FNS is conducting a study, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
Integrity Study, to provide information about how State agencies and
SFSP sponsors and sites administer and provide effective oversight of
the SFSP to ensure program integrity, and to identify common SFSP
integrity challenges. The key research objectives are to: (1) Describe
how State agencies administer and provide SFSP oversight and why they
believe it is effective; (2) identify SFSP integrity challenges; and
(3) identify existing or State-recommended resources, training, or
technical assistance that would better support the effective
administration and monitoring of the SFSP.
The study approach includes a survey and key informant interviews.
Data will be collected via a web-based survey of the 54 State Child
Nutrition Directors that oversee SFSP, followed by in-depth telephone
interviews with 18 selected State Child Nutrition Directors and 36
State-level key staff. Following the State-level data collection, we
will conduct telephone interviews with 48 sponsor directors and 48
sponsor key staff, and 48 Site Supervisors.
Affected Public: Respondent groups identified include: (1) State,
Local and Tribal Government (State Child Nutrition (CN) agencies and
SFSP sponsors and sites); and (2) Profit/Non-Profit Businesses (SFSP
sponsors and sites). The burden for all respondents is broken down in
the table below.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 570 (258 respondents and 312 non-respondents). The study
includes 54 State Child Nutrition Agency directors, 36 State Child
Nutrition Agency key staff involved in SFSP oversight, 192 SFSP sponsor
directors, 48 sponsor key staff, and 240 SFSP site supervisors. These
estimates assume that 132 respondents from among the SFSP sponsor
directors and 180 respondents among the SFSP sites will either not be
reachable or will decline to participate.\4\
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\4\ Based on our experience with recruitment for a similar
study, we expect to recruit significantly more sponsors and sites
than we will ultimately interview. To determine the number of
respondents we need to recruit we multiplied our target number of
SFSP sponsors by a factor of four, and our target number of SFSP
sites by a factor of five.
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Estimated Frequency of Response: The estimated frequency of
response is 4.03 annually for respondents and 1.24 annually for non-
respondents.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: The total estimated number of
responses for data collection is 1,427. This includes 1,040 for
respondents and 387 for non-respondents.
Estimated Time per Respondent: The estimated time of response
varies from 1 minute to 1 hour, depending on the respondent group and
activity, as shown in the table below. The average estimated response
is 0.17 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The total public
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 238
hours (annually). The estimated burden for each type of respondent is
provided in the Estimated Respondent Table (Table 1) below:
Dated: February 28, 2019.
Brandon Lipps,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[[Page 8297]]
Table 1--Estimated Respondent Burden
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Responsive Non-Responsive
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Grand
Sample Number of Annual total
Respondent category Type of respondents Instruments size Number of Frequency Total Hours per Annual non- Frequency Total Hours per burden annual
respondents of annual response burden respondents of annual response (hours) burden
response responses (hours) \b\ response responses \a\ estimate
(hours)
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State Child Nutrition (CN) Agency...... State Director............ Electronic Study 54 54 1 54 0.0501 2.7 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 2.7
Notification Letter from
FNS.
Electronic Letter of 54 54 1 54 0.0501 2.7 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 2.7
Support from Regional
Office.
Electronic Letter with 54 40 1 40 0.0501 2.0 14 1 14 0.0501 0.7 2.7
Link to Online Survey.
Electronic Survey Reminder 40 30 1 30 0.0167 0.5 10 1 10 0.0167 0.2 0.7
Letter #1.
Electronic Survey Reminder 30 20 1 20 0.0167 0.3 10 1 10 0.0167 0.2 0.5
Letter #2.
Electronic Survey Reminder 20 10 1 10 0.0167 0.2 10 1 10 0.0167 0.2 0.3
Letter #3.
Electronic Survey Reminder 10 5 1 5 0.0167 0.1 5 1 5 0.0167 0.1 0.2
Letter #4.
Phone Calls to 5 5 1 5 0.1670 0.8 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 0.8
Nonrespondent State
Directors.
Online survey............. 54 54 1 54 0.3340 18.0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 18.0
Electronic thank you note 54 54 1 54 0.0167 0.9 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 0.9
following survey
completion.
Electronic Letter from 20 18 1 18 0.1670 3.0 2 1 2 0.1670 0.3 3.3
Westat with Request to
Schedule Phone Interview.
In-Depth Phone Interview 18 18 1 18 1.0000 18.0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 18.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Follow 18 18 1 18 0.0501 0.9 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 0.9
Up and Thank You Note.
Electronic Notification 18 18 1 18 0.0501 0.9 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 0.9
Letter from Westat
Regarding SFSP Sponsor
Selection.
Electronic Letter from 18 18 1 18 0.1670 3.0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 3.0
State CN Agency to
Selected SFSP Sponsors.
State Key Staff........... In-Depth Phone Interview 36 36 1 36 1.0000 36.0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 36.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Follow 36 36 1 36 0.0501 1.8 0 0 0 0.000 0.0 1.8
Up and Thank You Note.
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State Government Sub-Total......... .......................... .......................... 90 90 5.42 488 0.1883 91.9 \e\ 0 0.00 51 0.0318 1.6 93.5
SFSP Sponsor........................... Director.................. Electronic Study \c\ 96 30 1 30 0.0501 1.5 66 1 66 0.0501 3.3 4.8
Notification Letter from
State CN Agency.
[[Page 8298]]
Electronic Study 30 24 1 24 0.0501 1.2 6 1 6 0.0501 0.3 1.5
Notification Letter from
Westat, incl. Request to
Schedule Phone Interview.
In-Depth Phone Interview 24 24 1 24 0.7500 18.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 18.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Thank 24 24 1 24 0.1670 4.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 4.0
You Note and Request for
Assistance with SFSP Site
Recruitment.
Electronic Letter from 24 24 1 24 0.0835 2.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 2.0
SFSP Sponsor to Selected
SFSP Site.
Key Staff................. In-Depth Phone Interview 24 24 1 24 0.7500 18.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 18.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Thank 24 24 1 24 0.1670 4.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 4.0
You Note and Request for
Assistance with SFSP Site
Recruitment.
SFSP Site.............................. Supervisor................ Electronic Study \d\ 120 30 1 30 0.0501 1.5 90 1 90 0.0501 4.5 6.0
Notification Letter from
State CN Agency.
Electronic Study 30 24 1 24 0.0501 1.2 6 1 6 0.0501 0.3 1.5
Notification Letter from
Westat, incl. Request to
Schedule Phone Interview.
In-Depth Phone Interview 24 24 1 24 0.5000 12.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 12.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Thank 24 24 1 24 0.0167 0.4 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 0.4
You Note.
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Local Government Sub-Total......... .......................... .......................... 240 84 3.29 276 0.2313 63.8 156 1.08 168 0.0501 8.4 72.2
State, Local, and Tribal .......................... .......................... 330 174 4.39 764 0.2038 155.7 156 1.40 219 0.0458 10.0 165.8
Government Sub-Total.
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SFSP Sponsor........................... Director.................. Electronic Study \c\ 96 30 1 30 0.0501 1.5 66 1 66 0.0501 3.3 4.8
Notification Letter from
State CN Agency.
[[Page 8299]]
Electronic Study 30 24 1 24 0.0501 1.2 6 1 6 0.0501 0.3 1.5
Notification Letter from
Westat, incl. Request to
Schedule Phone Interview.
In-Depth Phone Interview 24 24 1 24 0.7500 18.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 18.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Thank 24 24 1 24 0.1670 4.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 4.0
You Note and Request for
Assistance with SFSP Site
Recruitment.
Electronic Letter from 24 24 1 24 0.0835 2.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 2.0
SFSP Sponsor to Selected
SFSP Site.
Key Staff................. In-Depth Phone Interview 24 24 1 24 0.7500 18.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 18.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Thank 24 24 1 24 0.1670 4.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 4.0
You Note and Request for
Assistance with SFSP Site
Recruitment.
SFSP Site.............................. Supervisor................ Electronic Study \d\ 120 30 1 30 0.0501 1.5 90 1 90 0.0501 4.5 6.0
Notification Letter from
SFSP Sponsor.
Electronic Study 30 24 1 24 0.0501 1.2 6 1 6 0.0501 0.3 1.5
Notification Letter from
Westat, incl. Request to
Schedule Phone Interview.
In-Depth Phone Interview 24 24 1 24 0.5000 12.0 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 12.0
(includes consent).
In-Depth Interview Thank 24 24 1 24 0.0167 0.4 0 0 0 0.0000 0.0 0.4
You Note.
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Profit/Non-Profit Business Sub- .......................... .......................... 240 84 3.29 276 0.231 63.8 156 1.08 168 0.050 8.4 72.2
total.
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Total.......................... .......................... .......................... 570 258 4.03 1,040 0.2111 219.6 312 1.24 387 0.0477 18.5 238.0
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Footnotes:
\a\ Annual burden hours are rounded to the nearest tenth.
\b\ The number of nonrespondents at all levels is the difference between sample size and number of respondents.
\c\ Based on our experience with a similar study, we multiplied our target number of SFSP sponsors by a factor of 4 to determine the number needed to recruit
\d\ Based on our experience with a similar study, we multiplied our target number of SFSP sites by a factor of 5 to determine the number needed to recruit.
\e\ The number of State-level nonrespondents is zero because we assume that all State level respondents will participate in at least one data collection activity--either the survey or the interview.
[[Page 8300]]
[FR Doc. 2019-04090 Filed 3-6-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
