Comment on FR Doc # 2012-01835

The amendment being proposed to add a 4th component to be required of states in their continuous improvement plans as a step towards phasing out the letter method will help students in need. Holding states responsible for automatically enrolling students into the National School Lunch Program will ensure that those who need the program will receive the benefits of it. The letter method is insufficient and measures taken to quickly discard it are in the best interest of the children. By requiring states to report information on their progress in other areas of direct certification, their systems for having children automatically enrolled will become increasingly more efficient and the rates of children enrolled will increase. Requiring paperwork for families when it comes to need-based government programs creates a gap in the number eligible for the program and the number of people who are actually enrolled. With direct certification for programs, more specifically the NSLP, children receive the nutrition they need to excel in school without relying on their parents to fill out paperwork or report their need to the school or state. In my opinion the areas where this program are most needed are correlated with low-income areas with low education rates. Some of these children have parents who are illiterate and cannot fill out the required paperwork, even more of these parents or guardians are working multiple jobs and do not have the time to fill out forms. Many of these families do not have access to a computer or the Internet and even more importantly do not have the knowledge or information about programs such as the NSLP. This leaves children in need without the proper government supplements that will help them stay healthy and in school so they can further their education. 1 in 4 children in America are on food stamps and without direct certification many will not be enrolled in the NSLP or any other programs that would be to their benefit.