On April 18, 2024, FNS published the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages final rule. Through this policy memorandum, FNS formally describes the timeline and parameters for implementation of the provisions of the final rule.
This policy memorandum transmits the 2024-2025 Income Eligibility Guidelines for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
Updated instructions for the state administrative expenses recovery process and SAE financial status report (FNS-777-SAE) for child nutrition programs.
FNS is communicating the following guidance to remind WIC state agencies and WIC authorized vendors of our ongoing commitment to ensure the safety of infant formula purchased in the WIC program, and to prevent stolen infant formula from being purchased with WIC benefits.
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 transmits the 2023-24 Income Eligibility Guidelines for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
In April 2022, federal agencies transitioned from use of the DUNS number to the Unique Entity Identifier. Child Nutrition Program Operators are required to have the UEI to receive payments from state agencies who administer the child nutrition programs on behalf of the federal government. This memorandum provides answers to questions related to the transition.
On Nov. 8, 2022, FNS published WIC Policy Memorandum #2023-1 Abbott Infant Formula Waiver Expiration Schedule which extended active waivers to Jan. 31, 2023, or 60 days after the end of the Presidentially-declared COVID-19 major disaster declaration in the affected area, whichever is sooner. However, FNS recognizes that WIC state agencies may need additional flexibility to ensure uninterrupted access to infant formula for WIC families even as WIC state agencies transition back to normal operations. The intent of this policy memorandum is to formally describe the timeline for this transition, as previously described in the Dec. 19, 2022 letter to state agencies.
This letter is in response to correspondence from WIC state agencies requesting flexibility with regard to the maximum monthly allowance (MMA) requirements in WIC as a result of the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Abbott recall of certain powder infant formula on the nationwide supply chain leading to both periodic location and product-based WIC infant formula shortages.
This memorandum sets forth applicable parameters for implementation of the infant formula cost containment contracts and waiver authority legislative provisions, effective immediately. The provisions set forth in this policy memorandum will also be incorporated into the federal WIC regulations through future rulemaking.