FNS-640: Administrative Review Report Form and Instructions

This memo provides an overview of the redesign of the FNS-640 Administrative Review Report and provides information regarding FNS-640 instructions, system updates and upcoming activities. The FNS-640 is scheduled to be available in the Food Program Reporting System (FPRS) by Jan. 2018. The first report, reflecting administrative reviews conducted in school year 2016-17, will be due in March 2018.

Please note that while the forms and instructions have been tested internally by the FNS 640 redevelopment team, they have not yet been tested by state agencies. Beginning in mid-April, several state agencies will participate in a pilot phase to test functionality.

State agencies may begin looking at systems updates required to reflect the new form and instructions. However, FNS suggests that state agencies wait to complete systems updates until state agency testing is completed, as additional changes may be made based on feedback from pilot states. While revisions may be made after pilot testing, state agencies will be required to report using the new FNS-640 by the March 2018 deadline. Any suggestions and feedback received during the pilot phase will be taken into consideration and any immediate revisions made affecting functionality for the March 2018 report will be shared with state agencies after the pilot is complete. Any additional reporting guidance will be shared with state agencies by the end of December 2017 in preparation for the March 2018 report.

Background:

With publication of the Administrative Review Final Rule, the Coordinated Review Effort (CRE) is no longer a review option for state agencies to use for assessment of school food authority (SFA) compliance. FNS has redesigned the FNS-640, which formerly reported data collected during the CRE, to report data collected through the new Administrative Review process.

The notice for the proposed FNS-640 revisions was published in the Federal Register on March 10, 2016 and the comment period closed on May 9, 2016. The redeveloped FNS-640 was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Sept. 12, 2016.

The data reported on the new FNS-640 will assist FNS and state agencies to focus monitoring and program integrity efforts by providing better information about where and how errors occur and the characteristics that could contribute to program errors and improper payments. This objective requires data from both the SFA and site levels. Collecting this information will also provide important information about areas of need; allowing FNS to better target training and technical assistance and informs policy development.

FNS-640 and Instructions:

The revised report consists of a workbook (Excel) – containing two worksheet tabs – that will collect data at both the SFA and site levels, Tab “640A” and “640B” respectively. State agencies will submit one report to include data for all SFAs (640A) and sites (640B) reviewed during the reported Administrative Review school year. The completed report will be uploaded into the Food Program Reporting System (FPRS) for submission.

A workgroup consisting of regional office and national office staff developed the FNS-640 instructions and proposed updates and clarifications to the FNS-640 related Administrative Review (AR) forms and tools.

The attached instructions provide business rules/edit checks to assist state agencies in thinking about potential system updates and development. The business rules/edit checks were used to develop the FPRS system updates and have been tested internally by the FPRS contractor. While revisions may be made based on feedback from pilot states, state agencies will be required to report using the new FNS-640 by the March 2018 deadline.

In addition to the business rules/edit checks, the FNS-640 instructions include formatting requirements and direction on where to find the data (AR forms & tools) needed to complete the report. Please note that the “Info” (3rd) tab of the attached form includes spreadsheet formatting rules. Any system outputs should be identical to the FNS-640A and FNS-640B, including column and row headers. Any deviations from the specified format specified will result in an unsuccessful upload into FPRS.

State Agency Pilot:

While the forms and instructions have been tested internally by the FNS 640 redevelopment team, state agency testing is not complete. Several state agencies will participate in a pilot to test functionality and will provide feedback regarding their experiences with:

• System development & developers/vendors
• Preparation of the report
• Instructions
• Time required for completion
• Uploads and upload times

State agencies will be testing the functionality of the form and instructions, however, it should be noted that the current data elements being collected have been approved by OMB and are final.

At least two state agencies from the functionality pilot will participate in a panel to share their experiences and best practices during the FNS-640 pre-conference workshop at the SNA Annual Conference in July. Additionally, during the workshop, FNS will provide a demonstration to include walking through the report, data elements, upload and submission of the report.

FNS will offer technical assistance and training, including webinars, to support state agencies’ implementation of the revised form.

State agencies with questions should contact their respective FNS regional office.

Sarah E. Smith-Holmes
Director
Program Monitoring and Operational Support Division
Child Nutrition Programs