|
WIC
State
Agency |
Unique Pilot Features |
Card
Features |
Prime
Contractor |
Scope
of Pilot Project |
Status
of Implementation |
Launch
Date |
|
City/Cty |
Clinics |
Retailers |
Clients |
|
Off-Line Smartcard Projects |
|
PARTNERS
|
Card
was designed to deliver WIC food benefits and to carry
health services information in partnership with a
variety of health programs. New England PARTNERS
multi-state project included NH, ME, VT, MA, RI, and CT. |
Hybrid
card contained both magnetic stripe and integrated
circuit chip on a smartcard. |
Hitachi
America, Ltd. (HAL) |
Planned:
Phase
1:
NH only (Stafford Cty)
Phase 2:
All States except VT.
|
16 |
70 |
7,700 |
NEP decided to terminate the project prior to pilot
implementation due to concerns about state resources,
and changes in project affecting costs and timeline. |
Project
ended prior to implementing pilot. New activity
ceased as of 1/06. |
|
Ohio
|
Under
the pilot, both WIC and FSP participants used same
smartcard to purchase benefits with point of sale
smartcard readers in lane for retailers. |
Smartcard with integrated circuit chip contains both WIC
& FSP benefits. |
J P
Morgan (contract ended June 2005) |
Dayton |
5 |
43 |
11,000 |
Due to
the high cost of EBT, Ohio converted back to paper when
their contract ended in June 2005. |
Pilot
was launched October 16, 2000 |
New
Mexico
|
New
Mexico partnered with Texas on smartcard design & other
areas of mutual benefit. Is utilizing integrated
software for grocer systems. |
Hybrid
Smartcard with integrated circuit chip &
mag stripe will eventually
contain both WIC and FSP benefits. |
The
host system is operated by the State agency. |
Statewide |
108 |
230 |
64,000 |
New
Mexico is coordinating with Texas on the development of
an automated solution for capturing cash purchases of
fruits and vegetables on the smartcard. |
Pilot
was launched July 2003. Implemented Statewide
December 2007. |
|
Texas
|
Texas
partnered with New Mexico on smartcard design and other
areas of mutual benefit. Developed in-house public
domain stand-beside software for grocer system but is
now relying on commercial providers to support smaller
grocer systems with WIC EBT functionality. Has
deployed integrated software for grocer system in pilot
and statewide. |
Smartcard with integrated circuit chip &
mag stripe will eventually
allow access to both WIC and FSP/TANF benefits.
Texas may coordinate with Medicaid on card features. |
The
host system is operated by the State agency. |
117
counties |
191 |
491 |
161,959
|
TX
plans to complete rollout statewide in April 2009.
The State is coordinating with New Mexico on development
of an automated solution for capturing cash purchases of
fruits and vegetables on the smartcard and working to
acquire new cards.
|
Pilot
was launched June 1, 2004. |
|
Wyoming
|
Wyoming
began development in 1995 and is the first state to
operate statewide, beginning January 2002. Point
of sale equipment stands beside existing retailer
equipment in-lane. |
Smartcard with integrated circuit chip contains both WIC
& FSP benefits. |
WY acts
as prime; Stored Value Systems (SVS) is sub for
processing, networking & banking. |
Statewide |
37 |
91 |
11,650 |
FSP
joined the Western States EBT Alliance to implement an
on-line system. The State upgraded its WIC MIS in
FY 2005. WY has awarded a contract to Paul Jaeger
& Assocs. to migrate NM EBT software for clinic &
settlement processing. Work is underway on
obtaining cards & a new stand-beside system. WY is
also participating in the Mountain Plains SAM coalition
to develop a model MIS.
|
Went
Statewide with WIC EBT in 2002
Convert
to new EBT system no later than September 2008. |
|
Nevada
|
Nevada
is using the WIC EBT system originally used in Wyoming.
The WIC Inter-tribal Council of Nevada State agency also
participates in EBT. |
Smartcard with integrated circuit chip. |
Stored
Value Systems (SVS) |
Reno,
Sparks in Washoe County, and part of Las Vegas |
22 with
ITO |
127 |
42,787 |
NV EBT
system is operational in Reno/Sparks and in much of Las
Vegas (Clark County). FNS is reviewing a State
proposal to reprocure an EBT
system since SVS will not support Nevada EBT beyond
September 2009. |
Pilot
was launched
June 2,
2000 |
|
On-Line Magstripe Projects |
|
Michigan
|
Michigan is implementing a system for WIC EBT using
on-line technology. |
Magnetic stripe card. |
MI
contracted with ACS in 2006 to deliver WIC, cash, and
FSP EBT services. Prior to ACS,
JPMorgan provided support
for WIC EBT. |
Jackson, Barry/Eaton, Ingham, Calhoun, & Branch /
Hillsdale / St. Joseph Counties |
20 |
Approx.
135 |
Approx
24,450 |
Michigan has been approved for Statewide expansion.
They plan to implement statewide by Feb. 28, 2009.
Michigan is working with Meijers,
Krogers, and
Walmart on the development
of integrated retailer systems using a standard
specification. |
Pilot
began July 5, 2005; new ACS system began
pilot in March 2007. |
|
Washington
|
Washington participated in FNS’ on-line demonstration
project to test the feasibility of delivering WIC
benefits using existing retailer equipment with magnetic
stripe card. |
Magnetic stripe card. |
ISS
(subcontractors Maximus &
SVS) under contract to FNS. |
Pierce
County (Tacoma) |
1 |
3 |
300
families |
Findings from the pilot were compiled in March 2006
(visit
http://www.fns.usda.gov/
wic/EBT/WA-OnlineReport.htm for more
information). State agency completed feasibility study
in September 2007 examining future options for EBT. |
Pilot
launched June 2005; ended November 2005.
|
|
Kentucky
|
Kentucky will continue the project begun in Washington
to further test the use of on-line technology for WIC
EBT. Project will include integrated retailer
systems and evaluate the cost and impact on WIC EBT
stakeholders.
|
Magnetic stripe card. |
Kentucky is developing system in-house using their
management information system contractor, CDP, as their
EBT developer. |
Warren
and Barren Counties |
2 |
25 |
1,600
families |
Project
began August 1, 2006. Kentucky is currently
working with Kroger/IBM, Walmart,
Houchens/DataCash on
integrated software for grocer systems, including
development of a standard specification document for use
among WIC retailers. |
Pilot
is projected to begin in 2009. |
|
Related Project(s) |
|
National UPC Database |
Legislation in 2004 required a national UPC database to
be developed to support State agency operations.
In December 2004, FNS held a one day session with State
agency and industry stakeholders to examine a web-based
database that would allow State agencies and food
manufacturers to enter product information into the
database. Feedback from the stakeholders was
generally positive. A workgroup of State agencies,
food retailers and food manufacturers was subsequently
convened to assist in identifying and resolving critical
issues associated with the database. The database system
was developed in the fall of 2007 and is currently being
pilot tested by Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Wyoming, Kentucky and New Mexico. |
|
Standards Committee |
In May
2007, the EBT workgroup of the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) completed the portion of the
X9.93 message specifications that pertains to on-line
WIC EBT systems and file formats used by both on-line
and off-line systems. The changes will reduce the
need for retail vendors and processors to rewrite
software when State contracts change EBT processors.
Retail claim file processing will enable transactions
from multiple WIC vendor locations to be submitted for
payment in a single file format. ANSI approval is
pending.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
