Community Based Organizations- Not for Profit

OMB Control Number: 0584-XXXX
Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Attachment A.2B:
CBO Director Interview Protocol

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. As a reminder, the purpose of today’s interview is to gather information about the partnership between SNAP and (insert CBO name), which authorizes (CBO name) to conduct applicant interviews for SNAP. This information is being collected as part of a study of the Community Partner Interviewer Demonstration projects, which is the name of the project that allows partnering organizations to conduct SNAP applicant interviews.

During the interview, I will ask about (CBO’s name)’s experience working with SNAP, and how the two entities came to work together. I will also ask about other services offered through (CBO name), and about the training offered to staff who provide SNAP applicant interviews. The information and opinions you share will help FNS assess how well the demonstration is meeting its intended objectives.

With your permission, I would like to record the interview so that I have a reliable backup to my notes. The recording will only be listened to by Insight staff, and will be deleted at the conclusion of the study. Is that okay with you?

[If yes, start recorder]
[If no, take detailed notes]

COMMUNITY PARTNER DESCRIPTION

I’d like to begin by reviewing some basic information about (insert CBO name).

1. Can you briefly describe the organizational structure of (insert CBO name)? For example:

2. Is it part of a regional or national network?

3. If it is part of a regional network, approximately how many counties does it cover?

4. Are most of the people who work at (insert CBO name) paid employees or volunteers? About how many paid employees are there, total? (INTERVIEWER: Be sure to establish whether the number reported is at the national, regional, or local level). About how many volunteers are there?

5. Does (insert CBO name) focus on a particular population? If so, whom does the CBO specifically target?

6. Aside from SNAP-related assistance, what other types of services does your organization provide? Do you offer assistance with other benefit programs, like SCHIP, TANF, SSI, or Medicaid?

7. What are (insert CBO name)’s major sources of funding? Does some of that funding help support the work you do for SNAP? Do you receive any direct funding from the State to provide SNAP-applicant interviews?

PARTNERSHIP WITH SNAP

Now I’d like to talk more specifically about your organization’s involvement in SNAP and the Community Partner Interviewer Demonstration projects.

8. Did you work with SNAP in any capacity before the current demonstration project? That would be prior to (insert waiver start date).

If so, how long before the demonstration project started had you been working with SNAP? What was the nature of that work (e.g., did you provide SNAP outreach? Application assistance? Anything else?)? How did you first come to partner with SNAP?

9. Does your organization receive any reimbursement from SNAP for the services you provide? If so, what is the range of reimbursements or the average reimbursement amount?

10. Are any in-kind materials, equipment, or services provided to your office by SNAP? If so, what are they?

11. Can you describe any training that your organization receives from SNAP in preparation for conducting SNAP applicant interviews? Do the local SNAP offices provide ongoing support to your CBO around the interviewing process? If so, what is the nature of that support?

12. Does your organization track and monitor the quality of SNAP interviews it conducts? If so, what type of data do you collect? How often do you collect and report data?

13. How do the State or local SNAP offices track the performance of CBO partners in your State? What specific indicators are tracked?

14. Has it been difficult to meet your State’s expectations or performance standards? If so, what happens when you don’t meet their expectations, and how is the problem addressed?

15. Does (insert CBO name) collect any direct feedback from SNAP participants on the quality of help or services it receives from your organization/agency? If so, how is that information used? Is it shared with the workers who provide the services? Is it used to make decisions about training?

16. How would you describe your relationship with the State SNAP agency? Do you feel like you get the support you need? How has the relationship between (insert CBO name) and the State SNAP agency evolved over time?

SNAP INTERVIEW PROCEDURES

Let’s discuss the SNAP interview process as it happens through (insert CBO name).

17. How does a person in need go about getting a SNAP interview through your organization/agency?

18. Where does (CBO name) provide SNAP-applicant interviews? If interviews are conducted at various sites, for example at a church or senior center, how do you go about identifying those sites? Does the local SNAP office get involved in any way when it comes to finding appropriate locations for providing SNAP interviews? If so, does it send any SNAP staff to those locations to provide additional support or oversight?

19. How is the SNAP interview process tracked and monitored within your agency or organization? Are there any quality assurance procedures in place? If so, does the State offer assistance with the quality assurance process? How often are data collected and reported?

20. Is there a wait time or scheduling period for an interview? If so, what is the average wait time (clarify what events mark the beginning and end of the wait period)?

21. How long do the interviews typically last?

22. Following the interview, what happens next—for example, how does the application get submitted to SNAP? Does the interviewer have any further involvement in the application process once the interview is complete, such as following up with the SNAP office on the status of the application, or does the interviewer’s role typically end with the completed interview? Can the SNAP office staff identify the applications that are submitted by CBOs? If yes, how?

23. Now I’d like you to tell me about the people who conduct the SNAP interviews. Are the interviewers staff members or volunteers? Approximately how many staff or volunteers have been trained to conduct interviews? Are any of them fully dedicated to the SNAP demonstration project?

24. Do you have interviewers who speak languages other than English? If not, how do you meet the language needs of applicants? What languages are most commonly spoken by the SNAP applicants your CBO interviews?

SNAP APPLICATION PROCEDURES

25. Aside from conducting SNAP applicant interviews, what are some other ways that the staff help people with the process of applying for SNAP? For example, do they help applicants figure out what documents they need to provide?

26. Can you describe the process by which a person in need gets SNAP application assistance?

27. What kind of assistance is provided if an applicant is lacking the necessary documentation to qualify for SNAP?

28. What amenities (e.g., computers, printer, copier, scanner, etc.) do you have to facilitate the SNAP application process?

NEXT STEPS

Following these interviews, we plan to do site visits to four CBO sites and four local SNAP offices.

29. Are there any special factors you would suggest we take into consideration with respect to site selection? If so, what are they?

Thank you again for your time.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection.

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