FNS published a final rule on program integrity to ensure that child nutrition programs are properly operated and managed to protect federal funds and taxpayer dollars.
This memorandum provides initial implementation guidance for the Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule. This memorandum applies to state agencies administering and school food authorities, institutions and sponsors implementing the NSLP, SBP, CACFP, and SFSP.
This action implements statutory requirements and policy improvements to strengthen administrative oversight and operational performance of the Child Nutrition Programs.
This memorandum states visual observation and identification by Child and Adult Food Care Program institutions and facilities and Summer Food Service Program sponsors is no longer an allowable practice for program operators to use during the collection of race or ethnicity data. USDA will update CACFP and SFSP policy guidance.
The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 requires all federal agencies to calculate the amount of erroneous payments in federal programs and to periodically conduct detailed assessments of vulnerable program components. This 2012 assessment of the family daycare homes component of CACFP provides a national estimate of the share of the roughly 125,000 participating FDCHs that are approved for an incorrect level of per meal reimbursement, or reimbursement "tier" for their circumstances.
FNS proposed to select a random sample of sponsoring organizations and, from each, use a random selection of the sponsor’s monitoring visits of family day care homes. Using these data, FNS would compare the number of meals claimed with the number of children observed at the time of the visit.
This memorandum is intended to provide independent centers with information for their use in implementing the provisions of this interim rule.
On Sept. 1, 2004, FNS published an interim rule entitled, “Child and Adult Care Food Program: Improving Management and Program Integrity” (69 FR 53501). This rule puts into effect regulatory provisions that FNS had proposed on Sept. 12, 2000 as modified in response to 548 public comments received on that proposal.