B9. (Instrument A2) SFA Request for E-Records (CEP Schools for ISP Data Abstraction)_v5

APPENDIX B9. (INSTRUMENT A2) SFA REQUEST FOR E-RECORDS (CEP SCHOOLS FOR ISP DATA ABSTRACTION)

FOR SFAS WITH AT LEAST ONE CEP SCHOOL

OMB Number: 0584-0530

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Dear <<SFA CONTACT NAME>>,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the fourth Access, Participation, Eligibility and Certification Study (APEC-IV) series.

As a reminder, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has contracted with Westat to conduct APEC IV. APEC IV is a research study, not an audit of any type. All information collected will be kept private to the extent provided by law and will not affect meal reimbursements or meal program benefits for any participating State agency, SFA, school, or household.

Next Steps

In order to complete the student records sampling, we request that you provide the following for each of the sampled schools listed below:

[CEP SCHOOL 1 NAME], [SCHOOL 1 ADDRESS]

[CEPSCHOOL 2 NAME], [SCHOOL 2 ADDRESS]

[CEPSCHOOL 3 NAME], [SCHOOL 3 ADDRESS]

1. How the school participates in CEP:

   1. Districtwide CEP,

   2. Group of schools, or

   3. Individual School.

2. The ISP for each school.

3. A data file with a complete list of students enrolled in the CEP school(s) (in the most recent base year) sampled from your SFA.

1. The data file should reflect the students enrolled in the base year, which is when the current identified student percentage (ISP) was determined.

2. We request that you submit this file on/around [INSERT DATE]. The data file(s) should contain the following information for each student, by school:

• Student name

• Student date of birth

• Identified student status: identified or non-identified certification

• For identified students: direct certification source (e.g., SNAP, TANF, etc.)

In addition, please provide the source documentation files/records used for direct certification to determine the ISP.

You can upload the data file(s) directly to the APEC IV web portal using the URL and PIN number provided below:

URL: [INSERT URL]

SFA PIN: <<PIN NUMBER>>

We are here to assist if needed. If you have questions, need assistance, or foresee any issues with this request, please feel free to contact us at [INSERT NUMBER] or [INSERT EMAIL].

Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.

Sincerely,

APEC IV Research Team

TEMPORARY NOTE TO REVIEWERS

Following the creation of the web portal, the APEC IV study team will work with IT staff to develop a reference guide for SFAs and Schools to submit data electronically. The guide will include the following:

• A summary of the data being requested for the school data files that can be submitted electronically through the secure website.

• Detailed instructions (including screenshots) on using the APEC IV web portal to upload their data.

Authority: This information is being collected under the authority of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (P. L. 111-296), Section 305.

Purpose: The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is collecting this information to assess improper payments made in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).

Routine Use: The records in this system may be disclosed to private firms that have contracted with FNS to collect, aggregate, analyze, or otherwise refine records for the purpose of research and reporting to Congress and appropriate oversight agencies, and/or departmental and FNS officials.

Disclosure: Disclosing the information is voluntary, and there are no consequences to you as an individual for not providing the information. 

The System of Records Notice for this information collection is USDA/FNS-8, FNS Studies and Reports, which can be located at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1991-04-25/pdf/FR-1991-04-25.pdf (p. 19078).

This information is being collected to provide the Food and Nutrition Service with key information on the annual error rates and improper payments for the school meal programs. This is a voluntary collection and FNS will use the information to examine school meal error rates and inform future APEC studies. This collection requests personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0530. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 0.4175 hours (25 minutes) per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. 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 Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22306 ATTN: PRA (0584-0530). Do not return the completed form to this address.

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