Data & Research

The Child Nutrition Reporting Burden Analysis Study was commissioned by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service in response to a legislative requirement of House Report 114-531. The study examined challenges faced by state agencies (SAs) and School Food Authorities (SFAs) related to child nutrition (CN) program administrative and reporting requirements and identifying those that contribute most to the workload for SAs and SFAs that operate CN programs.

This study was designed to provide information on (1) the market availability of foods that meet the sodium standards for school meal programs set by regulation in 2012, (2) the strategies most often used by schools that have met the sodium targets, and (3) the technical assistance needs of schools and districts working to develop lower sodium menus.

The Federal Government fully funds SNAP benefits, but FNS and state agencies share administrative expenses, with each paying about 50 percent. State administrative costs per case varies widely by state. This study explores a number of factors, including state economic conditions, SNAP caseload characteristics, state SNAP policies, to try to explain the variation by state.

This study collected data on SFSP operations and characteristics at the state, sponsor, and site levels. Survey data was collected in the summer of 2015 from a census of the 53 state agencies (all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico) and nationally representative samples of SFSP sponsors and sites. In lieu of a technical research report, study findings are included in a four-page infographic.

On July 29, 2016, USDA's Food and Nutrition Service published the final rule “National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: Eliminating Applications Through Community Eligibility as Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010” (81 FR 50194). This memorandum reminds state and local program operators about a provision in the final rule effective on July 1, 2019, relating to free and reduced price eligibility for students transferring between LEAs during the school year.

Regulations at 7 CFR 245.9(l) require local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide free, reimbursable meals to students who receive free meals at a provision school and, during the school year, transfer to a school using standard counting and claiming procedures. Schools must provide these students with free, reimbursable meals for up to 10 operating school days or until a new eligibility determination for the current school year is made, whichever comes first. This is an existing requirement for transfers within the same LEA, and is required for transfers between LEAs effective July 1, 2019. State agencies have discretion to extend the provision of free meals for up to 30 operating days or until a new eligibility determination for the current school year is made, whichever comes first.

This exploratory study estimated the extent to which potential identity theft was used to obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Florida and Missouri during a 12-month period (June 2016 to May 2017). The prevalence of potential identity theft was estimated from examining the SNAP caseload data for cases with data discrepancies requiring referral to the state SNAP agency for further investigation. Because identity theft can be truly determined only after a detailed fraud investigation is conducted, the study estimates are to be considered potential identity theft rather than true identity theft.