Policy memo (195.01 KB)
| DATE: | July 25, 2023 | |
| SUBJECT: | Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)—Submission of Additional Caseload Requests and State Plans for 2024 | |
| TO: | Regional Directors Special Nutrition Programs MARO, MPRO, MWRO, NERO, SERO, SWRO and WRO | State Directors CSFP State Agencies All Current and New States |
Submission of Additional Caseload Requests for 2024
State agencies, including Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), requesting additional caseload for the 2024 caseload cycle (January 1 through December 31) must submit their state plan amendments to FNS regional offices by Nov. 5, 2023, in accordance with program regulations at 7 CFR 247.21.1 Only state agencies and ITOs which meet the requirements outlined in 7 CFR 247.21(a)(2) are eligible to receive additional caseload. State agencies and ITOs should determine additional caseload needs based on a projection of their 2024 base caseload. Because base caseload is calculated using participation data, state agencies and ITOs should report final participation data as early as possible for the full fiscal year (FY) ending Sept. 30, 2023.2
Below is a summary of how FNS will assign base caseload and additional caseload for 2024, in accordance with program regulations at 7 CFR 247.21. The amount, if any, of additional caseload that FNS grants to currently participating state agencies and ITOs is contingent on funds appropriated by Congress for FY 2024 as well as available program resources.
Base Caseload Calculation
To the extent that resources are available, each state agency and ITO participating in CSFP may receive 2024 base caseload up to the total number of caseload slots it was assigned in 2023. Base caseload for the 2024 caseload cycle will equal the highest of:
- Average monthly participation for FY 2023; or
- Average monthly participation for the last quarter of FY 2023.
Per 7 CFR 247.21, participation during September 2023 will not be used to calculate base caseload because the full-year appropriation was enacted on Dec. 29, 2022, before February 15th.3 Please note, because a state agency or ITO’s base caseload for 2024 cannot be greater than total assigned caseload for 2023, a state may be assigned fewer base caseload slots in 2024 than its highest participation level in 2023, if the state’s participation levels during the year exceeded its 2023 caseload assignment.
Additional Caseload Requests
A state agency or ITO’s additional caseload request must be over and above its calculated base caseload. When submitting requests for additional caseload, state agencies and ITOs, at a minimum, (i) must describe plans for serving eligible participants at new sites, if applicable, and (ii) should include the actual number of additional caseload slots requested.1 As in previous years, in determining how much, if any, of each state agency or ITO’s additional caseload request to approve, FNS will consider the state agency or ITO’s FY 2023 caseload usage rate, program participation in previous years, and any information provided by the state agency in support of the request.
As detailed above, average monthly participation for the last quarter of FY 2023 can determine the amount of base caseload and/or additional caseload a state agency or ITO receives in 2024. Therefore, state agencies and ITOs should attempt to utilize all of their 2023 assigned caseload throughout the year, but particularly in July, August, and September, in order to maximize their caseload eligibility in 2024.
Section 301 of The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act, 42 USC 5141) allows federal agencies to waive or modify administrative conditions for assistance during major disasters if so requested by the applicant state or local authorities. Due to the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and associated Major Disaster Declarations on May 11, 2023, FNS no longer has this authority to waive the 95 percent additional caseload eligibility threshold for the 2024 caseload cycle.
Submission of New State Plans
CSFP is currently administered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and by the following ITOs: Red Lake, Oglala Sioux, Seminole Nation, the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Any additional ITOs/state agencies that are seeking to begin CSFP in 2024 must submit a comprehensive state plan for approval to their FNS regional offices by Aug. 15, 2023, in accordance with program regulations at 7 CFR 247.6.4 The amount, if any, of caseload FNS assigns to new ITOs and state agencies is contingent on funds appropriated by Congress for FY 2024 as well as available program resources. ITOs or state agencies should direct questions to their respective FNS regional offices.
Sara Olson
Director
Policy Division
Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Programs
1 Burden is approved in OMB control number 0584-0293 Food Distribution Programs, Expiration: 7/31/2023, Title: State Plan Amendments (247.6(d)).
2 Burden is approved in OMB control number 0584-0293 Food Distribution Programs, Expiration: 7/31/2023, Title: Receipt, Disposal, and Inventory of Donated Foods (247.29(a) & (b)(2)(ii)) Recorded on the FNS-153.
3 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 was enacted on December 29, 2022; therefore, 7 CFR 247.21(a)(1)(ii)(C)(1) does not apply for base caseload calculations using September-only participation data for the 2024 caseload cycle.
4 Burden is approved in OMB control number 0584-0293 Food Distribution Programs, Expiration: 7/31/2023, Title: State Plan (247.6(a-c)).