Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024
The certification process to determine eligibility for WIC
services, as defined in
7 CFR
246.7, shall include the following procedures
and definitions:
(1)
Application. Information on identity, address, family incomes,
and nutritional risk must be collected in accordance with the Iowa WIC Policy
and Procedure Manual.
(2)
Income.
a. The income
guidelines used shall be the same as the National School Lunch Program
guidelines for reduced price school lunches, which are equal to 185 percent of
the current federal poverty guidelines. Definitions of income are mandated by
federal regulation and are described in the Iowa WIC Policy and Procedure
Manual. Revised dollar figures for the 185 percent poverty level are published
annually in the Federal Register and become effective for WIC no later than
July 1 following their publication. Copies of the income definitions and
monetary guidelines are available from the department.
b. Applicants must provide the contract
agency written proof of their income as part of each certification process,
pursuant to the Iowa WIC Policy and Procedure Manual.
(3)
lime frame for services.
a. The date of initial visit shall be the day
on which an applicant first requests services from a contract agency. A visit
to another WIC program office to complete a common application form does not
constitute an initial visit.
b.
Pregnant women shall be certified for the duration of their pregnancy and for
up to six weeks postpartum. Pregnant women precertified with referral data
require a full certification within 30 days.
(4)
Medical equipment.
a. Medical equipment used in conducting WIC
clinics shall be subject to approval by the department.
b. Standards for conducting the medical and
nutritional assessments on WIC program applicants shall be as described in the
Iowa WIC Policy and Procedure Manual.
c. Medical equipment shall be recalibrated in
accord with procedures outlined in the Iowa WIC Policy and Procedure
Manual.
(5)
Documentation of health and nutrition information.
Documentation of health and nutrition information in individual participant
records shall be as described in the Iowa WIC Policy and Procedure
Manual.
(6)
Documentation
of nonmedical information. Documentation of nonmedical information in
individual participant and collective program records shall be as described in
the Iowa WIC Policy and Procedure Manual.
(7)
Transfer of participant
information. Requirements for use and disclosure of confidential
applicant and participant information for non-WIC purposes were revised in the
Federal Register September 27, 2006, Department of Agriculture, Food and
Nutrition Service, 7 CFR Part 246, Miscellaneous Provisions; Final Rule
246.25(a)(4).
a.
Designation by chief
state health officer The chief state health officer must designate in
writing the permitted non-WIC uses of the information and the names of the
organizations to which such information may be disclosed.
b.
Notice to applicants and
participants. The applicant or participant will be notified at the
time of application (in accordance with
7 CFR
246.7(i)(ll)) or through a
subsequent notice that the chief state health officer may authorize the use and
disclosure of information about an applicant's or participant's participation
in the WIC program for non-WIC purposes. This statement will also indicate that
such information will be used by state and local WIC agencies and public
organizations only in the administration of programs that serve persons
eligible for the WIC program.
c.
Written agreement and policy and procedure manual. The state
or local agency disclosing the information will enter into a written agreement
with the other public organization or, in the case of a non-WIC use by a state
or local WIC agency, the unit of the state or local agency that will be using
the information. The department will also include in the Iowa WIC Policy and
Procedure Manual, as specified in
7 CFR
246.4(a)(24), a list of all
organizations (including units of the department or local agencies) with which
the department or its local agencies have executed or intend to execute a
written agreement. The written agreement must:
(1) Specify that the receiving organization
may use the confidential applicant and participant information only for:
1. Establishing the eligibility of WIC
applicants or participants for the programs that the organization
administers;
2. Conducting outreach
to WIC applicants and participants for such programs;
3. Enhancing the health, education, or
well-being of WIC applicants or participants who are currently enrolled in such
programs, including the reporting of known or suspected child abuse or neglect
that is not otherwise required by state law;
4. Streamlining administrative procedures in
order to minimize burdens on staff, applicants, or participants in either the
receiving program or the WIC program; or
5. Assessing and evaluating the
responsiveness of a state's health system to participants' health care needs
and health care outcomes; and
(2) Contain the receiving organization's
assurance that the organization will not use the information for any other
purpose or disclose the information to a third party.
