Change Justification Memo

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Food and

Nutrition

Service

3101 Park

Center Drive

Alexandria, VA

22302-1500

TO: Steph Tatham, OMB Desk Officer

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Office of Management and Budget

THROUGH: Ruth Brown, Desk Officer

United States Department of Agriculture

Office of Chief Information Office

FROM: Rachelle Ragland Greene rg

FNS Information Collection Officer, Planning & Regulatory Affairs

Food and Nutrition Service

SUBJECT: Request approval to continue and expand data collection through OMB Control No: 0584-0616 (Expiration 11/30/2019): Evaluation of the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI)

The Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79) authorized USDA to provide FINI grants to eligible organizations, to design and implement projects to increase purchases of fruit and vegetable among low-income consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), by providing incentives at point of sale. USDA has awarded FINI grants to organizations since 2015, with the final round of awards in 2018.

Data collection from 2015 and 2016 FINI grant awardees has been previously approved under OMB Control No. 0584-0616. There are no changes to the data collection instruments and burden associated with each data collection instrument. We had planned to collect the annual and quarterly core program data via web, these data will now be collected via email. All data collection instruments are in English. Through this memorandum, we are requesting additional respondents which will increase the overall total burden hours and responses to conduct the following data collection activities:

1. Continue data collection from 2015 grantees: NIFA awarded FINI grants ranging in duration from two to four years. Thirteen grants awarded in 2015 were funded for three and four years; some of the three-year grantees have received a one-year no cost extension. The three-year grant awardees with an extension and the four-year grant awardees will continue data collection activities through 2017. The previously approved data collection under OMB Control No. 0584-0616 included activities for three years. This request is to collect the annual core program data and the quarterly core program data from grantees implementing FINI in their fourth year of funding. See Table 1 for a list of data collection activities for which we are seeking additional burden hours.

2. Begin data collection from 2017 and 2018 grantees: NIFA awarded 21 grants in 2017; we assume a similar number will be awarded in 2018. These grantees will provide annual and quarterly core program data for the duration of their project funding. They will also participate in key informant interviews (two rounds for 2017 grantees and one round for 2018 grantees). Finally, FINI outlet managers will be invited to complete an outlet survey. See Table 1 for a list of data collection activities for which we are seeking additional burden hours.

Approval to continue data collection for the 2015 grantees and to expand data collection to the 2017 and 2018 FINI grants will allow the study to gather information from grantees and outlet managers on perceived program implementation facilitators and barriers and quantitative data on implementation and outcome indicators (e.g., duration of participation in FINI each quarter, staffing, total number of incentives distributed and redeemed).

• Table 1 outlines the data collection activities that will be implemented following OMB approval which were cleared by under OMB Control No: 0584-0616; Expiration Date 11/30/2019; ICR Ref No: 201508-0584-003. For your convenience we have included the English only instruments cleared by OMB.

• Table 1 also provides the requested burden hours by data collection activity.

Currently there are 11,286 responders and we estimate there will be an increase of 2,933 respondents for 14,219 respondents annually. The current total annual responses is 65,457 responses, we are now requesting 78,382 total annual responses, an increase of 12,925 total annual responses.

The current burden for the affected public is 4,501. Based on the data collection activities from already funded grantees as well as additionally funded grantees, we estimate the revised burden is 5,625 hours, an overall increase of 1,124 burden hours.

	Approved	Additional Requested	Revised Estimates
Respondents	11,286	2,933	14,219
Burden Hours	4501	1,124	5,625
Responses	65,457	12,925	78,382

Table 1. Key data collection activities planned by FINI grant award year

Data Collection Activities Planned in 2017, 2018, and 2019	Appendix	FINI Grant Award Year
		2015	2017	2018
DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES PLANNED IN 2017
Quarterly Core Program Data Form	AD.1		√
Annual Core Program Data Form	AE.1
Key Informant Interview	Y.2
Outlet Survey	AG.1 and AG.2
DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES PLANNED IN 2018
Quarterly Core Program Data Form	AD.1	√	√	√
Annual Core Program Data Form	AE.1		√
Key Informant Interview	Y.2		√
Outlet Survey	AG.1 and AG.2		√
DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES PLANNED IN 2019
Quarterly Core Program Data Form	AD.1	√	√	√
Annual Core Program Data Form	AE.1	√	√	√
Key Informant Interview	Y.2		√	√
Outlet Survey	AG.1 and AG.2			√

If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Rachelle Ragland-Greene, FNS Information Collection Officer for the Food and Nutrition Service, Planning & Regulatory Affairs Office at (703) 305-2586.

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