Pilot projects

(A) In general Before the Secretary authorizes implementation of paragraph (1) in all States, the Secretary shall carry out, at the request of 1 or more State agencies and in 1 or more areas of the United States, such number of pilot projects as the Secretary determines to be sufficient to test the feasibility of determining and issuing allotments to residents of covered facilities under paragraph (1) in lieu of subsection (a).

(B) Project plan To be eligible to participate in a pilot project under subparagraph (A), a State agency shall submit to the Secretary for approval a project plan that includes— (i) a specification of the covered facilities in the State that will participate in the pilot project; (ii) a schedule for reports to be submitted to the Secretary on the pilot project; (iii) procedures for standardizing allotment amounts that takes into account the allotments typically received by residents of covered facilities; and (iv) a commitment to carry out the pilot project in compliance with the requirements of this subsection other than paragraph (1)(B).