Appendix B Research Questions and Waiver List

Appendix B
Research Questions and Waiver List

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How many schools or sites (total and of each type) provided meals through NSLP, SBP, SSO, SFSP, or CACFP during fiscal years 2021 and 2022? What percentage of schools or sites provided each meal type (lunch, breakfast, supper, snack/supplement)?

2. How many meals (total and of each type) were served through NSLP, SBP, SSO, SFSP, or CACFP during fiscal years 2021 and 2022? What percentage of meals served during these months were provided through each school or site type?

3. Which CN programs did SFAs use to provide meals during SY 2020-2021? What factors influenced whether an SFA chose to use SSO or SFSP to provide meals during school closures? To what extent did SFAs decide not to provide meals or to provide limited meal service during SY 2020-2021 and why?

4. How did SFAs support the implementation of P-EBT? What are SFAs’ opinions of the benefits and challenges of the P-EBT program? How could the P-EBT program be improved?

5. How and where did SFAs serve meals during SY 2020-2021, and how did they count meals?

6. Which nationwide CN COVID-19 waivers were the most helpful to SFAs in providing meals during SY 2020-2021?

7. Did SFAs provide children with bulk food during SY 2020-2021? If so, what food components were delivered in bulk, how did SFAs determine counting and claiming for bulk meals, to what extent did bulk food items require families to heat or cook foods to prepare meals, and what challenges did SFAs encounter in serving and distributing meals with bulk foods to families?

8. For schools that typically use produce from school gardens in meals, was this produce used in meals during SY 2020-2021?

9. Did SFAs face challenges meeting meal pattern requirements? If so, what food components or nutritional requirements were challenging? What food components were typically not served?

10. What other operational challenges did SFAs face in providing meals during SY 2020-2021? What operational challenges are SFAs experiencing with meal service during SY 2021-22?

11. Which CN programs are SFAs using to provide meals during SY 2021-2022? How and where are they serving meals, and how are they counting meals? What operational changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have continued into SY 2021-2022?

12. What financial challenges have SFAs experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on child nutrition programs?

13. To what extent has the financial health of SFA nonprofit school foodservice accounts changed during the COVID-19 pandemic? What factors do SFAs believe had the greatest impact on SFA fund balances at the end of SY 2020-2021? How does SFA financial health compare between SYs 2020-2021 and 2021-2022? To what extent did the additional reimbursement support Program needs for SY 2021-2022?

14. Did SFAs extend or renegotiate their food service management contracts (FSMCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic? If they extended FSMCs, for what duration? If they renegotiated FSMCs, what contract specifications were changed? What factors influenced these decisions?

15. What operational challenges did SAs experience administering CN programs in SY 2020-2021 and SY 2021-2022? Did these challenges differ by CN program?

16. What financial challenges did SAs experience administering CN programs in SY 2020-2021 and SY 2021-2022? Did these challenges differ by CN program?

17. For each nationwide CN waiver first authorized during SY 2020-2021, how was the waiver used and how did the waiver result in improved services to program participants? (Table 1, sections A through C)

18. To what extent did use of the nationwide CN waivers change during SY 2020-2021? (Table 1, sections D through L)

19. For each nationwide CN waiver authorized for use during SY 2021-2022, how was the waiver used and how did the waiver result in improved services to program participants? (Table 2)

20. Did SFAs receive one or more Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement payments, and if so, for which programs?

21. Did SFAs decline one or more Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement payment(s) and why?

22. For what types of expenses did SFAs use or plan to use the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement payment(s)?

23. How effective were the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement payment(s) in covering fixed operational costs or making up for lost revenues during the public health emergency in spring 2020?

24. To what extent did the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement payment(s) impact SFAs’ ability to continue operating one or more of the Child Nutrition Programs?

25. Which of the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program(s) did State agencies elect to administer?

26. Did State agencies accept the 1% State administrative funds made available for Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program(s)? Why did State agencies decline the 1% State administrative funds?

27. What challenges did State agencies experience during the process of calculating and disbursing Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program payments?

WAIVER LISTS

Table 1. Waivers used in School Year 2020-2021 and Summer 2021

A.    Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and Summer Food Service Operations

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #59: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations through School Year 2020-2021 – Extension (through June 30, 2021)

B.    At-Risk Afterschool Area Eligibility Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #58: At-Risk Afterschool Area Eligibility Waiver (through December 31, 2020)

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #68: At-Risk Afterschool Area Eligibility Waiver- Extension (through June 30, 2021)

C.    Reporting Requirements

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #72: Nationwide Waiver for Selected Child Nutrition Programs Reporting Requirements

D.    Community Eligibility Provision Data Waiver

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #82: Nationwide Waiver of Community Eligibility Provision Deadlines in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

E.    Non-Congregate Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #33: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Non-congregate Feeding in the Child Nutrition Programs (SBP, NSLP, and CACFP)- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #54: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Non-congregate Feeding in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 4

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #61: Nationwide Waivers to Allow Non-congregate Feeding in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 5

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #75: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Non-Congregate Feeding for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 6

F.    Meal Service Time Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #34: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Service Time Flexibility in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #66: Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service Time Restrictions in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #78: Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service Time Restrictions for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 3

Table 1. Waivers used in School Year 2020-2021 and Summer 2021 (continued)

G.    Closed Enrolled Area Eligibility Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #48: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area Eligibility for Closed Enrolled Sites in SFSP and the NSLP Seamless Summer Option- Extension

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #64: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area Eligibility for Closed Enrolled Sites in SFSP and the NSLP Seamless Summer Option- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #80: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area Eligibility for Closed Enrolled Sites for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 3

H.    Other Program Operations Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #67: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer Versus Serve Flexibilities in the Summer Food Service Program- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #79: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer Versus Serve Flexibilities in the Summer Food Service Program for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 3

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #69: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Reimbursement for Meals Served Prior to Notification of Approval and Provide Flexibility for Pre-Approval Visits in the Summer Food Service Program- Extension

I.      Parent and Guardian Pick-up Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #35: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children (SBP, NSLP, and CACFP)- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #55: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children (SSO and SFSP)- Extension 4

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #62: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children (SSO and SFSP)- Extension 5

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #76: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 6

J.    Area Eligibility Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #52: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area Eligibility Waivers- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #60: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area Eligibility Waivers- Extension 3

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #77: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area Eligibility Waivers for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 4

Table 1. Waivers used in School Year 2020-2021 and Summer 2021 (continued)

K.    Meal Pattern Flexibility Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #53: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 7

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #63: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 8

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #70: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child Nutrition Programs (NSLP, SBP, and CACFP)- Extension 5

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #74: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibilities for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 9

L.    Monitoring Waivers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #39: Nationwide Waiver of Monitoring Requirements for Sponsors in the Child and Adult Care Food Program- Extension

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #40: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the Child and Adult Care Food Program- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #41: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in the School Meals Programs- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #42: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for Sponsoring Organizations in the Summer Food Service Program- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #43: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the Summer Food Service Program- Extension 2

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #81: Nationwide Waiver to Waive First Week Site Visits in the Summer Food Service Program for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 3

Table 2. Waivers Used in School Year 2021–2022*

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #85: Nationwide Waiver to Allow the Seamless Summer Option

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #86: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Summer Food Service Program Reimbursement Rates

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #87: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Non-Congregate Meal Service

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #88: Nationwide Waiver of Meal Times Requirements

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #89: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #90: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Specific School Meal Pattern Flexibility

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #91: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Specific Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #92: Nationwide Waiver of to Allow Offer Versus Serve Flexibility for Senior High Schools

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #93: Nationwide Waiver of Area Eligibility in the Afterschool Programs and for Family Day Care Home Providers

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #94: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in the School Meals Programs - Revised

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #95: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #96: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for Sponsors in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #97: Nationwide Waiver to Provide Flexibility for School Meal Programs Administrative Reviews of School Food Authorities Operating Only the Seamless Summer Option

COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #98: Nationwide Waiver of Local School Wellness Policy Triennial Assessments in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

*The burden associated with reporting for any additional SY 2021-2022 nationwide waivers that are published prior to the summer 2022 web survey with State agencies will be submitted for OMB approval via a revision or non-substantive change memorandum, as necessary, prior to the summer 2022 collection. Survey questions added to satisfy the reporting requirements associated with any such waivers will be consistent with the questions currently included in the State Agency Child Nutrition Director Survey Summer 2022 (Appendix D.3).

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