This is the fifth in a series of annual reports that examines administrative error incurred during the local educational agency’s (LEA) approval process of applications for free and reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
This report responds to the legislative requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Under direct certification, children are determined eligible for free school meals without the need for household applications by using data from other means-tested programs.
To ensure program integrity, school districts must sample household applications certified for free or reduced-price meals, contact the households, and verify eligibility. This process (known as household verification) can be burdensome for both school officials and households. Direct verification uses information from certain other means-tested programs to verify eligibility without contacting applicants. Potential benefits include: less burden for households, less work for school officials, and fewer students with school meal benefits terminated because of nonresponse to verification requests.
This supersedes the Jan. 7, 2010, version of the policy memo, Exclusion of Military Combat Pay. In addition to combat pay and other income received by deployed service members, this memorandum addresses Deployment Extension Incentive Pay.
The designated FY 2011 national target areas for management evaluation reviews are listed.
We are in the process of updating Form FNS-44, Report of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, to reflect the recent expansion of the At-Risk portion of the CACFP. Very soon we will begin working with a contractor to make the new form available in the Food Program Reporting System.
The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 requires all federal agencies to calculate the amount of erroneous payments in federal programs and to periodically conduct detailed assessments of vulnerable program components.
When determining eligibility for FDPIR, the proposed rule would permanently exclude combat pay from being considered income and eliminate the maximum dollar limit of the dependent care deduction.
This policy applies to all TANF-funded subsidized employment paid to SNAP clients or applicants in the form of wages, regardless of the source of TANF funding, including but not limited to funds available to states and Indian tribes through the Emergency Contingency Fund for state TANF programs.
The purpose of this memorandum is to remind entities that the third ARRA reporting period begins on April 1, 2010, to update and summarize certain guidance that entities must use when reporting TEFAP ARRA data.