Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Pilot Evaluation

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Pilot Evaluation AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; Administration for Children and Families; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ACTION: Request for public comments. SUMMARY: The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to collect data for the new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ( TANF) Pilot Evaluation. DATES: Comments due July 13, 2026. ADDRESSES: The public may view and comment on this information collection request at: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202606-0970-006. You can also obtain copies of the proposed collection of information by emailing opreinfocollection@acf.hhs.gov. Identify all emailed requests by the title of the information collection. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Description: The TANF Pilot Evaluation will include implementation and outcomes studies of pilot programs authorized under the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023 (Pub. L. 118-5), which authorizes HHS to select up to five states to test new outcomes-based performance benchmarks in the TANF program. The implementation study will describe pilot design, staffing, service provision, partnerships, contextual details, and factors that support or hinder the pilot's implementation. The outcomes study will assess changes in participant outcomes using surveys and administrative data. This new information collection request includes a semi-structured discussion guide, staff survey, time-use survey, cost and resource workbooks, and in-depth participant interview guide for the implementation study. It also includes a 12-month post-TANF-exit survey for the outcomes study. These instruments will provide information on how states implement the pilots, how services and staffing evolve, and how outcomes change under the new performance benchmarks. The data will be used to produce a report on outcomes to be submitted to Congress, as required by the FRA; inform future TANF policy development; and contribute to the broader evidence base on outcomes-based performance monitoring. Respondents: Most of the implementation study data collection instruments will be conducted with TANF staff including state and local-level leadership staff, data specialists, supervisors, and frontline staff. The in-depth interview guide will be conducted with TANF participants. The 12-month post-TANF-exit survey will be conducted with TANF participants who provided contact information through the Study Information Form, which was approved under ACF's generic clearance for formative research (Office of Management and Budget #: 0970-0356), and agreed to be contacted for this survey. Annual Burden Estimates: Instruments 1, 2, and 5 will be tailored based on the respondent and, therefore, the burden table shows the breakdown by respondent type.   Instrument Respondent Total number of respondents Total number of responses per respondent Average burden per response Total burden hours Annual burden hours Instrument 1: Pilot staff discussion guide state-level leadership staff 50 6 1.5 450 90   local-level leadership staff 200 6 1.5 1,800 360   data specialists 10 6 1 60 12   supervisors 100 6 1 600 120   frontline staff 200 6 1 1,200 240 Instrument 2: Leadership survey local-level leadership staff 500 2 0.33 330 66   supervisors 500 2 0.33 330 66 Instrument 3: Staff survey frontline staff 2,140 2 0.33 1,412 282 Instrument 4: Staff time use survey frontline staff 2,140 9 0.17 3,274 655 Instrument 5: Pilot costs and resources workbook state-level leadership staff 10 3 4 120 24   local-level leadership staff 10 3 4 120 24 Instrument 6: In-depth participant interview guide participants 100 1 1.25 125 25 Instrument 7: 12-Month post-TANF-exit survey participants 3,000 1 0.75 2,250 450 Estimated Total Annual burden Hours 2,414 Note: Annual burden is calculated based on 5 years of data collection. An extension request will be submitted to OMB within 3 years of initial approval. (Authority: 42 U.S.C. 613) Mary C. Jones, ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer. [FR Doc. 2026-11797 Filed 6-11-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4184-09-P