Zero Income (SA)

OMB Control Number: 0584-0524; Expiration Date: 4/30/2013

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reading text, asking questions and providing consent. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Research and Analysis, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302 ATTN: PRA (____-____).

ATTACHMENT F: PHONE RECRUITING SCRIPT FOR STATE SNAP STAFF

“Characteristics and Circumstances of Zero-Income SNAP Households”

Note: The goal of this script is to ask States to provide a file from the case records for all SNAP units that applied for and began receiving SNAP benefits OR were recertified for SNAP during January, February, or March 2012 and declared zero gross income. This is meant only as a guide. Your call should sound conversational.

INTRODUCE YOURSELF: Hello. This is _____________. I’m calling from Insight Policy Research on behalf of the Food and Nutrition Service, or FNS.

INTRODUCE THE STUDY: FNS has initiated a study to learn more about the increasing percentage of SNAP households who report zero gross income and has contracted with Insight to conduct the study. One of the main objectives of the study is to understand in detail the characteristics and circumstances of zero-gross-income SNAP units. To do that, we are collecting data through in-person interviews with persons from 50 zero-gross-income SNAP units in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and surrounding areas. Through these interviews, we plan to gain a better understanding of how these households cope in the absence of any income.

FNS is requesting your assistance to help us identify these individuals. Because SNAP administrative case records offer the only feasible way of identifying zero-gross-income SNAP units, we need your help in identifying these individuals. You should have received a letter from Lizbeth Silberman in the Food and Nutrition Service recently about the study. Did you receive that letter? Do you have any questions?

Will you be able to help us to identify these participants?

YES. Great. I will send you instructions for the secure FTP site for uploading the password-protected file.

When would you be able to send us this file? [no later than April 20, 2012].

Again, my name is _______________. If you have any questions or if anything comes up in the meantime, feel free to contact me at _______________. Thank you in advance for participating, we are looking forward to speaking with you!

No/I’m not sure; I don’t recall receiving a letter. We’ll ask FNS to resend that letter and we’ll call you back in a few days. If you have any questions or come across that letter, my name is ________________ and you can contact me at _________________.