FNS Documents & Resources

As part of the WIC innovation and modernization efforts to be funded under ARPA, FNS is supporting planning and implementation projects focused on enhancements that improve the WIC participant experience, as evidenced by enhancing the WIC shopping experience, increasing participant enrollment, reducing unnecessary administrative burden for both participants and administrators, including through data matching to streamline enrollment, and retaining eligible participants while improving equity

This policy memorandum provides guidance to improve outreach and streamline certification in WIC. It outlines current flexibilities and new policy for certification documentation options and aims to reduce WIC staff and participant burden.

This policy memorandum provides guidance on data sharing activities that support targeted outreach and streamlined certification processes aimed at increasing WIC participation and retention. It expresses USDA FNS support of data sharing, provides an overview of data sharing relevant to WIC, summarizes WIC program guidance on sharing confidential WIC participant data, and lays the groundwork for future guidance and resources to help WIC state agencies expand outreach and streamline the
certification process.

On March 3, 2023 FNS held a stakeholder briefing about the proposed rule to remove barriers to online ordering and internet-based transactions in WIC.

USDA proposed rule to streamline and modernize WIC and offer online shopping to participants. The proposed changes aim to ease stores’ administrative requirements, creates state positions to improve customer experience. Questions and answers regarding the proposed rule can be found on this page.

As part of the WIC innovation and modernization efforts to be funded under ARPA, FNS will fund non-competitive grants to WIC State agencies to complete projects aimed at improving the WIC shopping experience, which is a well-documented pain point for WIC participants. The primary goal of funded projects must be to improve the shopping experience, as evidenced by increasing the redemption of WIC benefits, improving customer satisfaction, and/or improving participant access to vendors, including for underserved communities and individuals.

This memorandum provides guidance for all state agencies administering WIC related to the issuance, acceptance, and confirmation of Verification of Certification when a WIC participant moves from one service delivery area to another, particularly in the case of participants that move from one state to another.

This policy memorandum outlines the requirements for the revised WIC Advance Planning Document process and provides additional guidance to state agencies that are interested in the transfer of a SAM system.

This policy memo provides clarification of several program requirements regarding certification and monthly food benefits issuance cycles and reporting monthly participation on the WIC Financial Management and Participation Report (FNS-798).

The VENA Guidance is intended to guide WIC state agencies in developing policies and procedures related to all aspects of nutrition assessment.