FNS Documents & Resources

The purpose of this memorandum is to remind state agencies that administer the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children of the federal WIC statutory and regulatory requirements for the authorization, issuance and rebate of infant formula in the WIC food packages.

We are encouraging all WIC state agencies to add the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General hotline website to all WIC food instruments or their accompanying folders or sleeves.

The purpose of this policy memorandum is to provide clarification regarding the income eligibility determination and documentation requirements necessary for participation in WIC.

The purpose of this policy memorandum is to clarify that the presence of state appropriated funding in the operation of the WIC program does affect the manner in which federal claims against WIC state agencies may be satisfied.

In the wake of the recent natural disasters experienced by several states, a number of questions have been presented to this office regarding WIC's role in providing assistance to disaster victims. This memorandum is intended to clarify some of the issues that surfaced pertaining to these occurrences.

These Q&A's were developed with the assistance of the regional offices as the Interim Homeless Rule was implemented and the Final Rule was being crafted. Although all of the issues raised in the Q&A's are important ones, they represent areas of policy interpretation that were not appropriate for inclusion in the regulation itself.

This is to provide guidance related to the hematological testing requirement for WIC certification. We have also attached a summary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Dec. 6, 1991 final rule on Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens, because the provisions of this rule affect WIC clinic operations.

This memorandum provides guidance on the determination of lump sum-payments for WIG income eligibility purposes. 

Based on the comments we received as well as extensive discussions at this level, we are re-issuing this policy as Policy Memorandum 92- 1A (attached) . Essentially, we have restated the principles included in the November 15 memo, without suggested methods for accomplishing them.

We believe WIC staff need to provide additional support for breastfeeding at the time of certification and food package issuance in the following areas: providing complete information to participants on WIC benefits for breastfeeding women; resisting the distribution of unwanted infant formula to breastfeeding women; and, obtaining the cooperation of retailers in not redeeming unused infant formula for WIC participants.