Fast Track Clearance WIC PC22 Longitudinal Survey updated

Request for Approval under the “FNS Fast Track Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0584-0611)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: WIC PC Longitudinal Feasibility Survey

PURPOSE:

Since 1988, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Participant and Program Characteristics (WIC PC) study has served as one of the Food and Nutrition Service’s primary tools for evaluating and monitoring WIC. The WIC PC study summarizes demographic, income, and health-related characteristics and behaviors of all WIC participants in the 89 State agencies enrolled as of April of the given WIC PC year as well as the benefits they receive through WIC. Historically, the WIC PC data have been used by FNS to estimate budgets, submit civil rights reporting, track changes in participant and program characteristics over time, evaluate participant health outcomes such as anemia status, identify new research needs, aid in the sampling and analysis of other research studies, and inform changes to WIC policies and procedures.

Over the course of many WIC PC study cycles and as State agencies have continued to modernize systems of recording WIC participation and benefit redemption, FNS has identified possible opportunities to improve the utility of WIC PC. One way to dramatically increase the utility of the ongoing study is to collect longitudinal WIC PC data (e.g. a series of participant-level data instead of cross-sectional data in April of a given WIC PC year). A longitudinal WIC PC dataset would allow for individual participant-level changes to be evaluated. For example, while we know because of traditional WIC PC data that participation in WIC declines as children age, longitudinal data would allow us to understand who leaves the program early and what participant-level characteristics are associated with leaving early.

To move towards making WIC PC a stronger dataset by collecting longitudinal data, FNS must first understand how many WIC State agencies have the capacity and capability to provide longitudinal data. To do so, FNS intends to field a longitudinal dataset feasibility survey to all 89 State agencies. The survey will be sent to the WIC PC point of contact at all 89 State agencies and will take approximately 25 minutes for them to complete. For ease of use, the survey will be designed in Qualtrics and sent via email to respondents.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

In total, we intend to field 89 surveys to the WIC State agency staff who are the current points of contact for the WIC PC study. The survey will be emailed to respondents and will require approximately 25 minutes to complete.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

[X] Quick census or surveys

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Amanda Reat_____________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Sensitive Information:

1. Will sensitive information, such as demographic characteristics, be collected from respondents?

[ ] Yes [X] No

2. If yes, explain the necessity of such information to the programmatic objective(s)?

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
Email to Regional Offices (Regional FNS Staff)	7	5 min (0.08 hr)	N/A
Initial email to State agencies	89	5 min (0.08 hr)	7.42 hrs
Follow up email to State agencies	89	5 min (0.08 hr)	7.42 hrs
Follow up call to State agencies	89	5 min (0.08 hr)	7.42 hrs
State Agency survey	89	25 min (0.42 hrs)	37.08 hrs
Totals			59.33 hrs

A total of 89 individuals will be contacted in order to collect information about all 89 State agencies. We anticipate that all 89 individuals will respond to complete the survey.

The estimate of respondent cost is based on the burden estimates and utilizes the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2022 National Occupational and Wage Statistics, All Occupations (00-0000) (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm). The hourly mean wage for functions performed by respondents is estimated at $46.42 per hour. With a burden of 59.33 hours at $46.42 per hour, the base annual respondent cost is estimated at $2,754.10. An additional 33% of the estimated base annual respondent cost must be added to represent fully loaded wages, equaling $908.85. Thus the total annual respondent cost is $3,662.95.

FEDERAL COST:

It is estimated that Federal employees will spend approximately 20 hours overseeing this collection in 2023 with an average of a GS-14, step 1 wage. Using the hourly wage rate of $63.43 for a GS-14, step 1, Federal employee from the 2023 Washington, DC, locality pay table, the estimated costs equal $1,268.66 plus $418.66 in fringe benefits for a total of $1,687.32.

Contractor costs to the Federal Government will total $16,122.00 over the course of this collection based on fully loaded rates. When combining the Federal employee and contractor costs, the total annual cost to the Federal Government for this information collection is estimated at $17,809.32.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe?

[X] Yes [ ] No

2. If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

We have a list of contacts who represent each of the 89 State agencies and were the point of contact for the latest WIC PC data collection (WIC PC 2024). Each of these point-of-contacts will be included in the universe of respondents.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

Attachments:

A-1 State agency Longitudinal Feasibility Survey (English)

A-2 Recruitment Materials – A. email to regional offices (English)

A-3 Recruitment Materials – B. initial email to state agencies (English)

A-4 Recruitment Materials – C. follow up email to state agencies (English)

A-5 Recruitment Materials – D. follow up call to state agencies (English)

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