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| 10.557 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN |
| (WIC Program) |
| FEDERAL AGENCY |
| FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE |
| AUTHORIZATION |
| Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended, Section 17, 42 U.S.C. 1786. |
| OBJECTIVES |
| To provide low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, and children to age five determined to be at nutritional risk, at no cost, supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition education, and referrals to health care providers. |
| TYPES OF ASSISTANCE |
| Formula Grants. |
| USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS |
| Grants are made to State health departments or comparable agencies, Indian tribes, bands, or intertribal councils, or groups recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, or the Indian Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These agencies distribute funds to participating local public or nonprofit private health or welfare agencies. Funds are expended to pay for supplemental foods, nutrition education and health care referrals for participants, as well as specified administrative costs, including certification services. State agencies are provided Federal funds according to legislative and regulatory formulas. Only local agencies qualifying under State agency applications with formal agreements may operate WIC programs. |
| Applicant Eligibility |
| A local agency is eligible to apply to deliver locally the services of the WIC Program, provided that: (1) it serves a population of low-income women, infants, and children at nutritional risk; and (2) it is a public or private nonprofit health or human service agency. All local agencies must apply through the responsible State or U.S. Territory agency. |
| Beneficiary Eligibility |
| Pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, and children up to 5 years of age are eligible if: (1) they are individually determined by a competent professional to be in need of the special supplemental foods supplied by the program because of nutritional risk; and (2) meet an income standard, or receive or have certain family members that receive benefits under the Food Stamp, Medicaid or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Programs. They must also reside in the State in which benefits are received. |
| Credentials/Documentation |
| Individuals are certified as meeting an income standard, or as participating in certain other means-tested Federal programs. Certification regarding nutritional need for supplemental foods is determined by local level professionals. As of April 1999, all State agencies were using uniform criteria to determine nutrition risk. Costs are determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments. The State designated official responsible for ensuring that the program is operated in accordance with program requirements must sign the State plan and Federal-State agreement pursuant to program regulations. |
| Preapplication Coordination |
| Application is made through submission of a "State Plan of Program Operation and Administration," as required by legislation. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. The standard application forms as furnished by FNS and required by OMB Circular No. A-102, as implemented by 7 CFR part 3016, must be used for this program by State and local agencies. |
| Application Procedure |
| Local agencies must apply to the State agency in writing. Individual participants apply for WIC benefits at an approved local agency. |
| Award Procedure |
| Funds are awarded by the Department on the basis of funding formulas to State agencies for distribution to approved local agencies subject to available funds. |
| Deadlines |
| A State plan for the next fiscal year is required by August 15. Only substantive changes to the currently approved State plan must be submitted. |
| Range of Approval/Disapproval Time |
| Approval determination is made within 30 days of submission of a completed plan or amendment. |
| Appeals |
| Local agency or food vendor appeals: The State agency provides a hearing appeal procedure for a food vendor or local agency adversely affected by certain State or local agency actions. The adverse action may be postponed until a hearing decision is reached. Participant appeals: The State agency provides a hearing appeal procedure for any individual that receives a State or local agency action that results in a claim for repayment of the cash value of improperly issued benefits, denial of participation, or disqualification from the WIC Program. |
| Renewals |
| The program is authorized through September 30, 2003; it presently operates under the authority of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended. |
| Formula and Matching Requirements |
| Grants are allocated on the basis of formulas determined by the Department of Agriculture which allocate funds for food benefits, and nutrition services and administration costs. No matching funds are required, but some States contribute nonfederal funds in support of a larger WIC Program in their State. |
| Length and Time Phasing of Assistance |
| Grants are released for the fiscal year using an electronic transfer system. State agencies may withdraw funds only as needed. |
| Reports |
| Monthly report of participation, value of food or food instruments issued, operating expenses, and funds withdrawn from the Federal letter of credit. |
| Audits |
| In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," State and local governments and Nonprofit organizations that expend a total amount of Federal awards equal to or in excess of $500,000 in any fiscal year shall have either a single audit or (in certain cases stated in the Circular) a program-specific audit made for such fiscal year. Audit rules provided by OMB Circular A-133 must be applied for audits of grantee and subgrantee fiscal years that began on or after July 1, 1996. Authority to conduct such audits less frequently than annually is limited to: (1) State or local governments required by constitution or statute, in effect on January 1, 1987, to undergo audits less frequently than annually; and (2) nonprofit organizations that had biennial audits for all biennial periods ending between July 1, 1992 and January 1, 1995. If a biennial audit is authorized, the audit must cover the two year period. |
| Records |
| Full and complete records concerning program operations including financial operations, food delivery systems, food instrument issuance and redemption, equipment purchases and inventory, certification, nutrition education, civil rights and fair hearing procedures. |
| Account Identification |
| 12-3510-0-1-605. |
| Obligations |
| (Grants for food) FY 07 $5,547,776,650; FY 08 est $6,250,280,000; and FY 09 est not reported. |
| Range and Average of Financial Assistance |
| $72,937 to $876,411,882. Average: $57,984,539 in fiscal year 2005 for the 89 State Agencies. |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| For fiscal year 2005, FNS approved the operation of the WIC Program in 89 State agencies. This figure includes 50 States, 34 Indian agencies, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the District of Columbia. As of September 2007, an average of approximately 8,285,000 women, infants and children received WIC benefits every month. Although food package costs varied widely among the States, the monthly average food package cost as of September 2007 was approximately $39.15 per person. For fiscal year 2005, the WIC Program realized over $1.7 billion in savings generated by infant formula rebates, which allowed approximately 2.08 million additional participants to be served with the WIC grant. In its continuing effort to advance new technologies, FNS awarded approximately $3.4 million in Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) grants to 5 WIC State agencies in FY 2003, in support of EBT pilot projects. As part of its efforts to revitalize quality nutrition services, in FY 2005 FNS took several significant steps to increase training and technical assistance opportunities and facilitate communication among its partners. First, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Library-Food and Nutrition Information Center, FNS continues to enhance the WIC Works Resource System (WWRS), an on-line system for WIC educators to talk, share successes, receive training on counseling strategies, and find educational materials and tools for assessment, and review current research. A new feature of WWRS is Food and Fun For Families. This online gallery contains State developed, easy to access, printable materials from the FIT WIC obesity prevention initiative. These resources, developed under a grant from FNS, promote family meals, active play, and fruit, vegetable and water consumption for WIC participants. FNS developed guidance intended to assist State and local agencies in strengthening nutrition education services by identifying the key elements of quality nutrition education interventions/contacts that have been determined by research to be effective. The guidance includes an evaluation tool that provides standardized, science-based criteria for State agencies to use when designing, developing and evaluating electronic-based nutrition education for WIC participants. The evaluation tool, together with a set of Frequently Asked Questions, is available on WWRS. As part of FNS Using Loving Support to Build a Breastfeeding Friendly Community project, the Spring 2005 bi-annual WWRS Outreach Mailing to WIC Local Agencies included information and resources to assist WIC local agencies in working collaboratively with community partners and stakeholders to develop a community-based breastfeeding program. The mailing included a Partnership Ideas Checklist and a sample outreach letter. FNS awarded a Cooperative Agreement to SUMA/Orchard Social Marketing (SOSM) of Austin, Texas to work with FNS to develop the WIC Hispanic Breastfeeding Promotion and Education Project. SOSM will develop a video, a video discussion guide, educational brochures and posters. To meet the goals of this project, SOSM is conducting social marketing research that includes interviews and focus groups. Also in FY 2005, $14.9 million was made available to WIC State agencies to continue implementing and enhancing breastfeeding peer counseling programs. The FNS- developed training curriculum Loving Support through Peer Counseling was presented to WIC State agencies in each of the seven Food and Nutrition Service regions. The training is designed to assist WIC breastfeeding staff in training and supervising peer counselors. In FY 2005, FNS and the National WIC Association continued to work together on the Value Enhanced Nutrition Assessment (VENA) initiative. Part of the continuing effort to improve and revitalize nutrition services in the WIC Program, VENA is WIC nut rition assessment guidance toenhance and ensure |
| thecollection and interpretation of accurate and relevant assessment information for all WIC Program participants. In FY 2005, FNS also entered into a cooperative agreement with the Rochester Institute of Technology to provide training to all WIC State agencies on the competencies necessary to implement VENA: critical thinking, rapport building, and positive health outcome-based approaches to nutrition assessment. These competencies will be addressed through a series of train-the-trainer sessions in the summer of 2006. |
| REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE |
| 7 CFR Part 246; "WIC State Plan Guidance" is available at no charge from FNS. |
| Regional or Local Office |
| See Food and Nutrition Service regional offices listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog. |
| Headquarters Office |
| Supplemental Food Programs Division, Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture, Alexandria, VA 22302. Contact: Patricia Daniels, Director. Telephone: (703) 305-2746. Use the same number for FTS. |
| Web Site Address |
| http://www.fns.usda.gov |
| RELATED PROGRAMS |
| 10.550, Food Donation; 10.551, Food Stamps; 10.556, Special Milk Program for Children; 10.565, Commodity Supplemental Food Program; 10.572, WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP); 93.246, Health Centers Grants for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers; 93.283, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention_Investigations and Technical Assistance; 93.600, Head Start. |
| EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS |
| None. |
| CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS |
| None. |
|
General Services Administration Office of Chief Acquisition Officer Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR) |
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