Agency Information Collection Activities: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefit Expungement and Off-Line Storage

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 this proposed information collection associated with SNAP benefit storage and expungement provisions of the 2008 and 2018 Farm Bills. This collection involves both a new collection and an existing collection in use without an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The new collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice prior to the State agency expunging unused SNAP benefits from the household's Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) account due to nine months of account inactivity. The existing collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice of State agency action to store unused SNAP benefits offline due to three or more months of account inactivity and for those households to seek reinstatement of benefits prior to permanent expungement. A 60-Day Federal Register Notice for this proposed information collection was previously published on February 11, 2020 (85 FR 7716). The Department was unable to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB within a reasonable timeframe following the publication of the 2020 notice. In an effort to be fully transparent, the Department is publishing the notice again for public comment and plans to submit an ICR to OMB following an analysis of comments.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or before December 28, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, invites interested persons to submit written comments on this information collection. Comments may be submitted in writing by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

• Mail: Comments should be addressed to Shanta Swezy, Chief, Issuance Support Branch, Retailer and Issuance Policy and Innovation Division, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

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 Shanta Swezy at 703-305-2238.

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: SNAP Benefit Storage and Expungement.

Form Number: Not Applicable.

OMB Number: 0584-NEW.

Expiration Date: Not Yet Determined.

Type of Request: New collection.

Abstract: The Department published the final rule, “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: 2008 Farm Bill Provisions on Clarification of Split Issuance; Accrual of Benefits and Definition Changes,” on August 24, 2020, (85 FR 52025), to implement the mandatory SNAP benefit storage and expungement provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, Public Law 110-234 (2008 Farm Bill). In the final rule, the Department also adopted as final the provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-334 (2018 Farm Bill), which made additional mandatory changes to the provisions governing the storage and expungement of unused benefits.

These Farm Bill provisions require State agencies to provide a 30-day advance notice prior to permanently expunging unused SNAP benefits after nine months of inactivity. State agencies that opt to take unused benefits off-line after three months of SNAP EBT account inactivity must also provide up to 10 days advance or concurrent notice prior to taking such action and to reinstate benefits stored off-line within 48 hours of a household's request if the benefits have not reached the expungement timeframe. Currently, only six State agencies are exercising the option to store unused benefits off-line prior to expungement. This information is currently being collected without OMB approval.

1. Expungement Notice

Affected Public: (a) Individuals/Households and (b) State agencies: Respondent groups identified include: (1) 2,961,834 SNAP households (Approximately 16 percent of all SNAP households nationwide) who do not access their benefits within nine months and (2) 53 State SNAP agencies. Out of the 2,961,834 Individuals/Households involved in this data collection request, approximately 540,818 will also receive an Off-line Storage Notice. Of that 540,818, approximately 33,260 will receive an Off-line Benefit Reinstatement. Therefore, the agency is not double counting the same respondents for the different activities involved in this data collection.

a. Individuals/Households Annual Burden

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 2,961,834.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,961,834.

Estimated Annual Time per Response: 2 minutes or 0.0334 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 98,925 hours.

b. State Agency Annual Burden

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 53.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 55,884.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,961,852.

Estimated Annual Time per Response: 30 seconds or 0.0083 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 24,583 hours.

2. Off-Line Storage Notice

Affected Public: (a) Households and (b) State agencies: Respondent groups identified include: (1) 540,818 SNAP households (Approximately 14 percent of all SNAP households in the six States that currently take benefits off-line) who do not access their benefits within three months and (2) Six State SNAP agencies that have opted to store unused benefits off-line.

a. Individual/Household Annual Burden

Estimated Number of Respondents: 540,818.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 540,818.

Estimated Time per Response: 3.5 minutes or .0583 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 31,530 hours.

b. State Agency Annual Burden

Estimated Number of Respondents: 6.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 90,136.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 540,818.

Estimated Time per Response: 30 seconds or 0.0083 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 4,489 hours.

3. Off-Line Benefit Reinstatement

Affected Public: (a) Households and (b) State agencies: Respondent groups identified include: (1) 33,260 SNAP households (Approximately 6 percent of the estimated number of households whose benefits are taken off-line) who get their off-line benefits reinstated and (2) Six State SNAP agencies that have opted to store unused benefits off-line.

a. Individual/Household Annual Burden

Estimated Number of Respondents: 33,260.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 33,260.

Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes or 0.0835 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,777 hours.

b. State Agency Annual Burden

Estimated Number of Respondents: 6.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5,543.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 33,260.

Estimated Time per Response: 3 minutes or .0501 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,666 hours.

This information is currently being collected without OMB approval.