Change Justification Memo

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Food and

Nutrition

Service

3101 Park

Center Drive

Alexandria, VA

22302-1500

TO: OMB Desk Officer

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Office of Management and Budget

THROUGH: Rachelle Ragland-Greene

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Clearance Office

Food and Nutrition Service

and

Ruth Brown, OCIO Desk Officer

FROM: Kathryn Law

Acting Director

Family Nutrition Staff, Office of Research and Analysis

SUBJECT: Justification for a Change to Data Collection for the Study Reaching the Underserved Elderly and Working Poor in SNAP: Fiscal Year 2009 Pilots

This justification requests changes to the methodology through which FNS will obtain feedback on Ohio SNAP applicants’ satisfaction with the services they received through the Reaching the Underserved Elderly and Working Poor in SNAP: Fiscal Year 2009 Pilots.

The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (P.L. 118-8) provided funding for FNS to pilot and evaluate approaches for expanding access to SNAP among two key underserved populations—eligible households with elderly members and eligible households with adult members who are working or are looking for work (working poor households). The evaluation includes focus groups with SNAP applicants in each of the six states included in the demonstration (Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin) to collect data on their experiences with pilot program services. On October 21, 2010 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the data collection instruments and processes for the focus groups (OMB Number 0584-0558).

In Ohio, however, it has been difficult to recruit a sufficient number of applicants to participate in a focus group. Because the target population in Ohio is the elderly, transportation is a key barrier. The requested change to the data collection methodology is to replace the focus group in Ohio with individual telephone interviews with eight to ten SNAP applicants. Focus groups in the other demonstration state will proceed as originally planned.

We do not anticipate an increase in burden hours as a result of these changes.

Attached are copies of the data collection instruments approved by OMB (a screener, reminder letter, reminder call script, and data collection protocol) and a copy of a revised instrument (combining the screener and data collection protocol; a reminder letter and reminder call script are not necessary) to reflect the change in methodology in Ohio.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Jenny Laster Genser of the Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis at (703) 305-2559.

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