Appendix N3 Template for email from Office of Child Support Enforcement to State child support agency

Appendix N3

Template for email from Office of Child Support Enforcement
to State child support agency

OMB Control No: 0584-XXXX

Expiration date: XX/XX/20XX

Dear [Recipient’s Name],

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is conducting an important study on child support cooperation requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In conjunction with the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), FNS has selected [State] to participate in this voluntary study. To help conduct this study, we have contracted with Mathematica and its subcontractor, MEF Associates.

This congressionally mandated study, authorized by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (i.e., the Farm Bill), will assess the implementation, impacts, costs, and benefits of child support cooperation requirements in SNAP. Ensuring full engagement by the child support agencies in each State selected for the study is an OCSE priority. Cooperation requirements can strengthen the child support program, and active participation in this study from child support agencies will be essential to obtaining a complete understanding of these policies and what they mean for families and the government.

[State] was selected to be one of 12 States included in the study. The States participating in the study will include 7 States that are exercising the option to implement a child support requirement in SNAP, 2 States that formerly implemented a child support cooperation requirement but no longer do so, and 3 States that are considering implementing this requirement. The study team will conduct site visits and collect and analyze administrative and cost data. Specific data collection requirements will vary by State. The attached description provides additional information about the study (Appendix N6: Project fact sheet).

A member of the study team assigned to work with [State] will contact you soon. In the interim, please don’t hesitate to contact me (at [add email]), the study’s Project Director (Pamela Holcomb at pholcomb@mathematica-mpr.com), or the FNS Project Officer (Michael Burke at michael.burke@fns.gov) if you have any questions.

Thank you for your assistance,

[Name]

[Title]

[Organization]

cc: Pamela Holcomb, Michael Burke

Public Burden Statement

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-xxxx. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average one minute 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 to reducing this burden, to the following address: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314, ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx). Do not return the completed form to this address.

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: This information is being collected under the authority of Section 9 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, (7 U.S.C. 2018). Disclosure of the information is voluntary.

Purpose: The information is being collected to evaluate Child Support Cooperation Requirements in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Routine Use: The information may be shared with SNAP contract researchers and USDA SNAP research and administrative staff.

Disclosure: Disclosure of the information is voluntary. If all or any part of the information is not provided, interviews may not be admissible in data sets.

The Systems of Records Notices relevant to this collection are FNS-8 FNS Studies and Reports located at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1991-04-25/pdf/FR-1991-04-25.pdf and FNS-10 Persons Doing Business with the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) located at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2000/03/31/00-8005/privacy-act-proposed-new-system-of-records.